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Selling hope: One positive from each bottom nine team in Round 19
SEN • July 21st, 2025 6:30 pm
What went well for the bottom dwellers in Round 19?
While September may be off the cards for nine of the 18 teams, encouraging signs are destined to for the remaining rounds of the 2025 AFL season as they look beyond the year that was.
Each week, the SEN.com.au team will locate the biggest positive from each bottom nine side, identifying what's working ahead of their reset in 2026.
See the positives for each club below:
Sydney
Brodie's All-Australian bid
We all knew the talent that Brodie Grundy possessed, however very few expected the veteran ruckman to reach arguably career-best form in a Sydney Swans guernsey.
Since Grundy’s phenomenal turn of form, the Swans have looked the outfit of 2024 once again, winning five of their last six and charging into what’s expected to be a return to the top of the competition in 2026.
Tied with teammate Isaac Heeney as the third highest rated player in the competition across the last five weeks, Grundy’s push for the hotly contested All-Australian ruck position is certainly turning heads.
Jaiden Sciberras
Port Adelaide
Sweetest of performances
Port Adelaide ruckman Jordon Sweet was a bright spot in an otherwise poor game for the Power against the Hawks in Launceston.
Coming up against an in-form Lloyd Meek, Sweet halved the tap battle and was dominant around the ground with one goal, 22 disposals, seven tackles and 10 clearances.
That earned him the highest number of the round in terms of player ratings (31.0), and while it doesn’t tell the full story, his Supercoach score of 200 (wish I captained him) was also a top 50 score of all-time since the fantasy game’s introduction in 2006.
Most importantly for Sweet, it showed that he should without doubt be the club’s No. 1 ruck after spending some time in the SANFL as recently as last month.
Lachlan Geleit
Carlton
Behold the Blues of tomorrow
Playing the kids may not just be beneficial for the future, it may also benefit the present.
The Blues fielded their youngest outfit this season and it paid off, with a number of inexperienced players stepping into the side with relative comfort and a renewed sense of confidence.
From Ashton Moir’s four goals, to Matt Carroll’s elite left boot, Cooper Lord’s continued form and the likes of Lachie Cowan, Harry O’Farrell and Flynn Young performing exceptionally well in their roles, Carlton are better off continuing to field this young core ahead of 2026.
Jaiden Sciberras
Melbourne
Nine more years of Kysaiah Pickett
23 disposals and 5.2 isn’t a stat line you see everyday, but Pickett is starting to make a habit of these performances that will keep Melbourne fans happy week in and week out.
The 24-year-old did everything he could to try and get his side over the line in Clayton Oliver’s 200th, which further cements his intention of being a Demon for life.
This is the third time this season that Pickett has kicked five goals in a match, whilst also collecting 20 or more disposals. He’s also now kicked 14 goals from his last five games, whilst also averaging 21.6 disposals in that same time frame.
Zac Sharpe
Essendon
McMahon made to wait
Liam McMahon was made to wait a significant amount of time before making his debut.
Initially drafted by Collingwood in 2020, the Bombers offered him a spot on their rookie list in the mid-season draft after a Carlton VFL stint.
McMahon was the Dons’ 13th debutant of 2025 and was the first to get them on the board against GWS in the second quarter before adding a second goal early in the third term.
Another nice moment for an emerging Don.
Andrew Slevison
St Kilda
Nasiah the Messiah
St Kilda finally unleashed Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera into the midfield, with the 22-year-old attending a career-high 26 centre bounces.
“Nas” delivered arguably the best performance of his career, racking up a game-high 36 disposals and kicking 2 goals from 4 scoring shots.
He has been St Kilda’s standout all season, but this performance against Geelong was the cherry on top, and a reminder of why all Saints fans are desperate for their young star to re-sign.
Connor Scanlon
Richmond
Cracked the ton
The Tigers hit the ton for the first time under Adem Yze.
It was a milestone worthy of celebration in what was their biggest win - 49 points - since late 2022. An all-round performance for once.
First-year players Jonty Faull, Taj Hotton and Tom Sims all showed a fair bit.
Special acknowledgement to Maurice Rioli Jnr for THAT chase down and the equally athletic smother. It was also Tyler Sonsie’s best game for some time.
Andrew Slevison
North Melbourne
George Wardlaw is approaching his return
After being removed from their Round 16 clash with concussion, North Melbourne’s prized midfielder George Wardlaw returned to the VFL over the weekend in preparation for an AFL return in the coming weeks.
Given an extra weeks recovery due to his history with such injuries, the midfielder bullied the Swans’ VFL side, collecting 29 disposals and nine clearances and playing out the entirety of the contest without concern.
The young gun will prove a valuable return to a North Melbourne side that was battered in the midfield against the Swans, however given their lack of a ruckman, the Roos did relatively well to remain within touching distance of the in-form side.
Jaiden Sciberras
West Coast
Don't argue with Harley
Harley Reid’s first half against Richmond was phenomenal, doing what most AFL players can only dream of doing.
The explosive 20-year-old racked up 20 disposals by half-time and gave the Tigers a genuine headache while the game was still up for grabs.
If West Coast can build a stronger midfield around him, the young gun has all the potential to become a once-in-a-generation player.
Connor Scanlon
