Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
Important update on 1476AMFallout: The epitome of worst-case scenario
Jaiden Sciberras • April 19th, 2026 6:01 pm
Another round of footy down and what a round it was.
From a Friday double-header to a trio of Saturday thrillers, Round 6 delivered on all fronts, with media street spoilt for choice on the headlines set to ensue over the coming week.
A pair of nightmares and a Wizard all-powerful, this is the fallout from all the action in Round 6.
Worst-case scenario x2
The Blues and the Dogs will want to forget this weekend as soon as possible.
Carlton hosted the Pies on Thursday night in what presented as a great chance to get one back over the old enemy.
Collingwood entered without captain Darcy Moore, Jordan De Goey and Steele Sidebottom, while the returning Jacob Weitering, Will Hayward and Harry Dean tipped the scale in Carlton's favour.
Holding a three-goal advantage entering the final exchange, Carlton had done everything right, winning the third term and taking a sturdy advantage into the fourth.
However, once again, the Blues collapsed. It's almost as predictable as any story in history. The Pies stormed home, and Carlton were left scratching their heads once more.
Now having to deal with the fallout from the loss and their mismanagement of Elijah Hollands, the Blues have had a weekend to forget.
As for the Dogs, life without the injured Tim English is proving incredibly difficult.
A 75-point thumping off the back of a 40-point loss, the formerly 4-0 Dogs have slipped into dangerous water, losing all their percentage from their early dominance ahead of another tough run of fixtures.
Beyond the loss to the Cats, the Bulldogs have lost superstar Sam Darcy for the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL, while hamstring injuries will rule out both James O'Donnell and Rory Lobb for the next few weeks, leaving the side without a key defender for games against Sydney (Charlie Curnow) and Fremantle (Josh Treacy)...
Tom Liberatore suffered another concussion, and Marcus Bontempelli pulled up worse for wear - it truly is worst-case for the Dogs.
The Dons are up for the fight
After their shocking start to the 2026 season, the Bombers needed to show... something.
The club was lacking fight, with a coach under fire and very little semblance of direction. Their 0-4 start was a reflection of just that.
However, show something they have, and while the club will remain in 17th place come the end of Round 6, there won't be a single Dons fan that isn't proud of the club's efforts over the last two weeks.
It's needless to say that the club's Round 5 win over Melbourne was a major weight off the club's back, breaking their extensive winless drought to finally recapture that victorious feeling.
And despite not coming away with the four points on Saturday afternoon, the Dons' effort against the Suns was reflective of a side hardly sighted over the last two years.
High pressure, physical football, clearance dominant and effective in front of goals - Essendon very nearly claimed a major upset win over a Gold Coast side that has only lost at home twice since the start of last season.
Without getting ahead of ourselves - the Dons still have plenty of work to do - it's an incredibly positive sign not just on-field, but off it too.
The mentality is there at The Hangar.
The Wiz is magical
It's hardly a discussion, but it's about time that it's said.
Nick Watson's start to the season has been as good as anyone across the AFL. Six games, an average of 15 disposals, three tackles and three marks to go with 16 goals.
At just 21 years of age, and at just 170cm, The Wizard has rapidly ascended into the best small forward in the AFL, and it might not be close.
Five goals clear of St Kilda's Jack Higgins as one of the only two smalls with more than 10 goals thus far, Wiz's five-goal haul against the Power - three of which came in the first term - was an exhibition of forward craft.
Always on the move and always dangerous, we are yet to see Watson truly contained, and it's hardly the start.
The Hawks were pressed by a charging Power side, but despite the best efforts of Jason Horne-Francis and Zak Butters, it's the Wizard and the Hawks that walk away with the last laugh.
Some wins mean that little bit more
The Adelaide Crows entered their clash with the Saints undermanned, with captain Jordan Dawson opting not to play following the passing of his older brother, Jaryd, mid-week.
But despite the absence of their superstar skipper, the Crows dug as deep as they ever have, standing tall to clinch a one-point victory in a thriller at Adelaide Oval.
With the news of Jaryd's passing breaking on Wednesday, the Crows were thrown into a whirlwind of emotions that scales far beyond sport, and it's within these times that rallying together is most significant.
And rally they did.
St Kilda got off to a hot start but the Crows quickly neutralised the game and turned it back in their favour, closing down a 26-point deficit to lead by 29 just a quarter later.
And with momentum against them late in a tight contest, the Crows stood tall, holding out for a win that meant that much more than just the four points.
It's as admirable of a win that the game has seen, with the weight of loss not to be undermined by any means.
A club that is clearly united on all fronts, it's a win and a moment that could change the course of the Crows' season from here on out.
The Tigers' forward line needs work
Richmond are far from a finished product, only a handful of years into their hard reset with plenty of promise for the future.
That said, their forward 50 without Tom Lynch is looking incredibly bleak.
On the season, Richmond have only exceeded 70 points twice, averaging less than 60 points per game.
Mounting 48.2 inside 50s per game, the Tigers are only managing an average of just 8.2 goals from 20.6 shots - one goal for every six entries.
And against the Kangaroos, the Tigs could well have been in the contest had they capitalised on their early chances, booting only one goal from their first 13 scoring efforts.
As a young side that doesn't dominate field position, capitalising on opportunities is crucial, and Richmond simply don't have the personnel to do so.
Jonty Faull has some serious growth ahead of him, however, isn't capable of influencing at the top level just yet, while Mykelti Lefau is having to shoulder much of the heavy lifting as an undersized key tall.
Harry Armstrong will certainly help once he returns form injury, however, drafting and recruiting assets ahead of the ball (and a ruckman) must be priority one.
