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Jaiden Sciberras • April 6th, 2025 8:01 pm
Round 4 of AFL action has come and gone, marking the final of Opening Round's bizarre follow-on bye rounds.
With narrow affairs from up north to down south, three winless sides and three unbeaten forces, here is what we learnt from this weekend's results.
The Dees and the Blues are in a world of trouble
Zero wins from four games for two of the competition’s fallen powerhouses.
Whether it’s a faulty start or the end of a failed era, both Melbourne and Carlton have an immense uphill battle following their Round 4 losses to Geelong and Collingwood respectively.
For the Demons, many will debate that breaking their 57-year premiership drought in 2021 is enough to credit the Simon Goodwin era as a success, and while it is certainly a feat to be proud of, you can’t help but wonder what could have been for the raging Demons of the 2020’s.
We say this as the era seems all but finished. A severe lack of forward threat, an ageing core and a midfield-dominant identity failing to win a clearance battle, Melbourne may not have the tools at their disposal to transform their side in time for another crack at September footy.
As for the Blues, September is as far-fetched as anything in their current state. A team seemingly devoid of new ideas, Michael Voss simply cannot stem the second half woes taking over in 2025.
With a glut of senior players underperforming, and a severe lack of replacements, the Blues will need a barrage of willpower to overcome their zip and four start.
Forget the umpires, the Crows and the Suns are real threats
It is truly unfortunate that a poor umpiring decision stole the headlines from what was an incredible game of football.
Two sides starved of success throughout the 2000’s (one through their entire existence), hit the stage at People First Stadium and put on a heavyweight battle featuring every element you’d seek in top-end AFL teams.
The midfield battle was enormous, with the dominant Gold Coast trio of Matt Rowell, Touk Miller and Noah Anderson losing out in the clearance battle for the first time this year, as Izak Rankine (10 clearances), Jake Soligo (eight clearances) and Jordan Dawson (six clearances) proved that the Crows have every tool necessary on the inside.
The free-flowing contest proved a battle of the bigs, as the key forwards on either end put on a show. Gold Coast’s Jed Walter played his best game, booting three goals from five marks alongside two goals from Coleman contending teammate Ben King. On the other end, the Crows’ three-headed monster was ruthless once again, with Riley Thilthorpe (five goals), Tex Walker (four goals) and Darcy Fogarty (three goals) kicking all but two of Adelaide’s 14 majors in the contest.
Best of all, the budding of heads between Thilthorpe and Mac Andrew provides a spark for a rivalry between what appears destined to be one of the competition’s best forward/defender match-up for years to come.
The next generation is upon us
Round 4 was a clinic for the competition’s youth, proving once and for all that the next crop of AFL talent is ready to take the reins.
As previously mentioned, 22-year-old Riley Thilthorpe booted another five goals in a dominant display of football. It was revealed earlier in the week that Thilthorpe was rated as Champion Data’s best player in the AFL since his return, and he certainly put his talents on display despite the tight loss.
Last year’s Grand Final was a true display of the off-the-chart talent of Lion Will Ashcroft, and this season has only further proved that the young prince of Brisbane is a Bonafide star. 24 disposals and two goals including a classy finish from the boundary line, the 20-year-old was nothing short of brilliant. Not to mention brother Levi, finding 22 and a goal of his own at just 18 years of age.
Alongside the Ashcroft’s was 21-year-old teammate Jaspa Fletcher, who, in his four games in 2025, has looked to have taken a major step up in his game. 23 disposals and a goal, Brisbane look to be a force for a long time coming.
20-year-old Harry Sheezel was back to his ball-winning best, small Giant Darcy Jones was everywhere against the Eagles, the Cats hit again with Connor O’Sullivan all while Jason Horne-Francis and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera went toe-to-toe in Adelaide.
The future has more than arrived.
North Melbourne are not ready for high expectations
The Kangaroos were given a major opportunity on Saturday night to build on their reputation as a football side. Taking on a heavily depleted Swans outfit, coach Alastair Clarkson and his men were credited with more than a chance to prove their growth to the competition and flaunt their off-season improvement.
Unfortunately, the result was quite the opposite.
The first half was strong, providing plenty of opportunities however finding themselves three goals behind courtesy of some highly avoidable errors.
It was the second half that will spark major concerns for the Kangaroo faithful, as the North Melbourne contingency were torn apart by the Swans in the third term to withdraw any chance of a result well before the contest’s end.
Just the one win from four games thus far, Clarkson will have a lot to work on if North Melbourne want to take the next step in 2025.
The Tigers are far from the Wooden Spoon
Entering the season, Richmond were the heavy favourites to win the Wooden Spoon. In fact, many expected the Tigers to fail to win a game for the entire season.
They proved that wrong immediately, claiming a major scalp against the Blues in Round 1 to prove to the whole AFL world that the young Tiger talent was not to be undermined.
While many would suggest that the Lions never left second gear in their contest with the Tigers, Richmond showed plenty of heart to post an impressive 90 points against the reigning premiers headlined by their rookie fleet.
However, this is not as much about Richmond as it is about the West Coast Eagles. An 81-point demolition at the hands of the Giants marks their second smashing in 2025.
Despite a number of recruits heading west, the Eagles had no answers whatsoever, conceding a bag of nine to Jesse Hogan and being overrun in every major stat at ENGIE Stadium, albeit with a number of debutants.
If the Eagles aren’t able to locate a spark under Andrew McQualter, the Tigers may find themselves well clear of the dreaded 18th spot.
