In Round 4 of the 2025 AFL season, last year's Coleman medallist showed why he'll be hard to dethrone, but there's more than one coach at risk of not being in a job before the end of the season. Here's whose stocks are up and down.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down.
Adelaide
Stocks up: It was probably already fact before the Round 4 clash, but does Adelaide have the best key forward combination in the AFL? We've already heaped praise on the Riley Thilthorpe-Darcy Fogarty-Taylor Walker trio this season, but it was another 12 goals kicked between the three of them at People First Stadium, only further cementing that view.
Stocks down: Anyone blaming umpires for the loss. Was Izak Rankine stiff not to get a free kick in the dying stages? Probably! But you can't guarantee he kicks the goal from the ensuing shot, not to mention anything can happen when the ball goes back to the middle. Kudos to Mathew Knicks, too, who wants to remain focused on what his side can do better. "Don't blame others, get on with life," he said post-game. "You've gotta butter up and go again next week."
Brisbane
Stocks up: Geez, how good is the Brisbane midfield? For the second week in a row Hugh McCluggage put on a clinic, this time with 26 disposals, 12 tackles, 14 contested possessions, and two goals. Will Ashcroft had 24 disposals and two goals, Josh Dunkley had 30 possessions and 10 tackles, and two-time Brownlow Medal winner Lachie Neale chipped in with a lazy 42 disposals and 17 contested possessions. Just another day at the office.
Stocks down: So much for the MCG hoodoo? The Lions hadn't beaten the Tigers at the 'G since 2009 (they had only played them there eight times in that span, to be fair) but that's all ancient history after Saturday afternoon's 28-point win. The Lions have now won four of their last five at the home of football, the only loss coming to the Magpies by a point in Round 23 last year.
Carlton
Stocks up: It's going from bad to worse for the Blues, who slumped to 0-4, but the ever-reliable George Hewett can hold his head high after another great outing. With Patrick Cripps well down on production, Hewett stepped up, gathering 29 disposals, two goals, seven clearances, and six tackles while minding Nick Daicos for much of the night.
Stocks down: Carlton's brigade of small forwards just really isn't getting it done right now (though they're not alone). Lachie Fogarty had 11 touches and one behind, Jesse Motlop the same. Ashton Moir managed just two disposals and no score, and debutant Will White (who admittedly looked the most lively) scored three behinds. Lethargic, discombobulated -- just not good enough.
Collingwood
Stocks up: After what you might describe as a slightly down year in his first year at the Magpies, Lachie Schultz showed why he was recruited to add some front half experience. Winning the Pratt Medal for best afield in the win over Carlton, Schultz kicked two majors from 18 disposals, and laid seven tackles in a busy outing. Let's hope this is what we see more often from the former Docker.
Stocks down: Oh dear, Dan Houston. Two weeks for a high elbow, just a couple of weeks after coming back from a five-match suspension for a nasty bump on Izak Rankine late last year. Getting a reputation, Dan...
Essendon
BYE
Fremantle
Stocks up: Caleb Serong's Brownlow Medal stocks are on the rise. The Dockers star was best on ground for the second week in succession, tallying 38 disposals, 24 contested possessions, 15 clearances, and eight inside 50s against the Bulldogs. He now co-leads our 2025 Brownlow Medal predictor.
Stocks down: The club's depth is set to be tested after a couple of injuries to key players on Sunday. Luke Jackson's hamstring looked nasty, and the Dockers will be sweating on that with Sean Darcy still touch-and-go for a return, while Nathan O'Driscoll injured an ankle, and Corey Wagner hurting his calf. Good thing they're playing Richmond at Gather Round, right?
Geelong
Stocks up: The great Patrick Dangerfield wound back the clock on Friday night at GMHBA Stadium, producing a clear best on ground performance to lift the Cats over the struggling Demons. Dangerfield was at his destructive best, kicking three goals from his 20 disposals, and, with a little more accuracy, could easily have finished the night with five or six majors.
Stocks down: Unfortunately the Cats are counting the cost of their win over the Dees, with key defender Jack Henry set to miss a number of weeks after being subbed out of the match with a hamstring injury.
Gold Coast
Stocks up: We've raved about the Gold Coast midfield ad nauseam and it's again the spot on the field we're going to focus on, thanks to Touk Miller. The 29-year-old has continued his terrific start to the season, finishing with 24 disposals, five clearances, six score involvements, and a game-high 19.4 AFL rating points, playing an ultra-effective mid-forward role.
Stocks down: How critical do we want to be? Could Mac Andrew pull his head in with his post-game celebrations and be a magnanimous winner? Probably. Could the Suns' home guernsey be better? Sure could. But, hell, 3-0 and looking good -- enjoy it, Suns fans!
GWS
Stocks up: How can it be anyone other than Jesse Hogan? Last year's Coleman Medal winner booted NINE goals in a dominant performance against the Eagles. Hogan, who missed the opening three weeks of the season, now sits just one goal behind Nick Larkey and Riley Thilthorpe in this year's Coleman Medal race.
Stocks down: Considering the amount of ball being sent into the Giants' forward 50, you'd have expected greater output from prized recruit Jake Stringer. The former Bulldog and Bomber had just six kicks and didn't register a major or lay a tackle. Stringer is still yet to boot a goal for his new club after making the highly-publicised move in the offseason.
Hawthorn
BYE
Melbourne
Stocks up: He's copped his fair share of criticism over the past 12-18 months, but Clayton Oliver is certainly playing his part for the Demons in 2025. Oliver had an equal game-high 30 disposals, 16 contested possessions, nine clearances, and four inside 50s in what was yet another tough loss for Melbourne.
Stocks down: At the risk of stating the obvious, Simon Goodwin's job security. The Demons have now fallen to 0-4 and look completely void of the answers required to turn things around. Against the Cats, they were held to just 46 points, were well beaten in the contested possession stakes, turned the ball over at an alarming rate, and continued to show they have absolutely no connection between the midfield and forward line. Worrying times, and you have to wonder if a fresh approach and mindset from the coaches box might be able to squeeze whatever's left out of this finals-calibre list.
North Melbourne
Stocks up: Who said Luke Parker is past it? The long-time Swan, now Roo, played his best game in a long while on Saturday evening. Parker kicked two goals from his 27 disposals, laid eight tackles, and had an equal team-high six score involvements. All while playing with a broken rib for the first part of the year! Shame he didn't have too many mates come with him...
Stocks down: Come on, Jack Darling. You've been brought in as an experienced head to help re-shape the Kangaroos' culture. Sorry, but just three kicks and one tackle against the Swans is not enough to justify a place in the team. We need a lot more from you.
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: Can it be anyone other than Jason Horne-Francis? The maligned midfielder has had an underwhelming start to 2025, but did his best to keep his side in the hunt against the Saints, especially early when the match threatened to be over in the first quarter. His 28-disposal, three-goal effort may even snag him the three votes despite his side falling short.
Stocks down: The likelihood of Ken Hinkley staying on as coach until the end of the season is decreasing each week that goes by, as Port looks lethargic and lacking in cohesion. Handover plans are always fraught with danger as the playing group wrestles with who really is in command, Hinkley or coach-to-be Josh Carr, and no amount of public posturing can tell us otherwise. This is going to be an ugly breakup, unfortunately. Let's just hope Port fans can appreciate Ken for all he's done for more than a decade.
Richmond
Stocks up: The game may have been over not too long into the second half, but fair play to the Tigers for battling back in the final stanza and refusing to let the reigning premier run up a cricket score. Adem Yze's side trailed by 55 points but showed heart and resilience, clawing their way back late by kicking four of the last five goals to take some positive away from what was a third straight loss.
Stocks down: Considering the Lions dominated possession, and just about every other statistical category, the Tigers should have fared a whole lot better in the tackling stakes. Instead, they lost that count by 20! To have 11 players in the team finish the game with either one or zero tackles is simply not good enough.
St Kilda
Stocks up: How hot has Jack Higgins been to start the season? The forward tryo has consistently been in St Kilda's best to start the season, having booted 12 goals from four games, and contributing elsewhere with nifty forward half kicks and by making sound decisions. He's the type of player a lot of clubs would love to have right now.
Stocks down: Those who thought Jack Macrae wouldn't be an impactful player at the Saints are eating their words. He could not have started his career at Moorabbin any better, and continued his strong form in the win over the Power, picking 28 disposals, nine clearances and two goal assists. Is he a sneaky Brownlow chance?
Sydney
Stocks up: Last year, the Swans paid Will Hayward A-grader money. On Saturday, he lived up to his pay cheque. The livewire forward played an instrumental role in his side's best outing of the year, kicking four goals and looking a threat throughout the contest against the Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium. Shoutout to mature-age recruit Riley Bice, who won 26 disposals and took 15 marks in what was just his fourth career game. Huge!
Stocks down: Those Dean Cox critics seem to have gone quiet, haven't they? After tough losses to the Hawks and Lions -- certainly no shame in that, we've learned -- the Swans have found their feet with a gutsy win against the Dockers on the road, and have now backed it up by flogging North Melbourne. Sometimes it just takes a while to settle into the season ... and a new system.
West Coast
Stocks up: First-gamer Tom Gross showed plenty of signs for the Eagles in their loss to the Giants. Called up to the senior side, the 46th pick in last year's draft was lively, picking up 17 disposals, five clearances, and kicking a goal, as well as totalling seven score involvements (including a direct goal assist). Persist.
Stocks down: What was Andrew McQualter thinking, throwing debutant Sandy Brock to the reigning Coleman medallist? Read that again, because it's just as crazy the second time. Sure, drop established defender Harry Edwards if you like, but have a better plan for Hogan -- help him out by swinging Oscar Allen back. Sure, coach for the future, Mini, but that was always going to be a very, very tough ask. Tim Kelly earns a mention, too. Just continues to look disinterested and only gathered 14 disposals.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: We've got a feeling Sam Darcy will be featuring here quite a lot throughout the season. The 21-year-old was arguably best on ground in Sunday's loss to the Dockers, booting a game-high five goals from 21 disposals, taking 11 marks (four of them contested), and finishing up with the equal-most score involvements of any player on the ground. He's going to be a force for the next decade.
Stocks down: If Darcy deserves praise, his forward line partner Aaron Naughton deserves a whack. Not for the first time in 2025, Naughton failed to impact a game of footy. He managed just seven kicks and one goal, continuing to struggle as the second option inside the Bulldogs' forward 50.