In Round 10 of the 2024 AFL season, Harley Reid showed why he's both an exciting and scary prospect (for other teams), while a Zak Butters masterclass willed Port over the line. But while Reid soared, another No. 1 pick struggled, and the Hawks' leaders fell flat. 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: They may have lost at the death, but you have to admire the Crows and how they've been able to turn their season around when all looked completely lost. The resilience of this team needs to spoken about far more than it does. Since Round 5, Adelaide has beaten the Blues, Kangaroos, and Power, drawn with the Lions, and only lost to the Bombers and Magpies by three and four points, respectively. Pretty impressive.
Stocks down: It might be the harshest 'stocks down' of the year for a myriad of reasons - including the fact it didn't guarantee the Crows a score, but Izak Rankine ... just get it on the boot! The star Crow was pinged for running too far before delivering a ball inside 50 in the dying seconds of Saturday afternoon's game against the Magpies. It robbed Adelaide of any chance to hit the front and effectively iced the game for Collingwood. Rankine was superb on the day, however, with 30 disposals, 16 contested possessions, eight clearances, eight inside 50s, and an incredible goal.
Brisbane
Stocks up: Who says percentage means nothing when you've had a draw? Get that number as high as you possibly can. That's exactly what the Lions did on Saturday night, humiliating Richmond by 119 points at the Gabba to improve their percentage to 116.6. They now easily have the best percentage of all four teams that have played a draw this season, not to mention the fourth-best overall!
Stocks down: The Lions had 60 inside 50s, scored 163 points, and looked as potent forward of centre as any side has looked all season. Yet Eric Hipwood managed just nine touches and one goal. The key forward's underwhelming production continues, and he'll get a spell in the twos regardless after copping a one-week fine for his rough tackle on Nick Vlastuin.
Carlton
Stocks up: There weren't many winners for the Blues on Friday night, but Nic Newman was certainly one. The 31-year-old defender was the only player on the ground to hit the 30-disposal mark. He also used the ball with great efficiency, hitting his target 88% of the time. Newman also took eight marks and had 668 metres gained.
Stocks down: The seismic turnaround had already begun when he was on the field, but there's no doubt Carlton's reliance on Jacob Weitering is concerning. After the Blues kicked five of the first six goals, Sydney absolutely blitzed them, and the pile on only got worse in the second half after Weitering was subbed out of the game with a corked thigh. Really need to find some capable tall defenders...
Collingwood
Stocks up: You'd think it's now three best on grounds in a row for Nick Daicos. The Magpies' star had 41 disposals, 22 contested possessions, 14 clearances, five tackles, and 542 metres gained. But his pass inside 50 to Jordan De Goey to set up the go-ahead goal in the final minutes was the obvious highlight. Kudos to Isaac Quaynor, too, whose desperate smother in the back 50 set up the match-winning chain.
Stocks down: It's going to be the rare stocks up and stocks down for Nick Daicos. His numbers were off the charts against the Crows, as mentioned, but it might have been one of his worst career games in terms of ball use. Daicos struggled to hit targets by foot all day, finishing with just 30% kicking efficiency as well as a career-high 11 clangers -- his previous most was just six!
Essendon
Stocks up: Welcome back, Peter Wright! He's got a month of footy under his belt now and he's looking in great touch. North Melbourne had no answers for the Bomber big man on Sunday afternoon as Wright booted four goals (and two behinds) from his 15 disposals. He also clunked a couple of big contested marks and had an equal game-high nine score involvements.
Stocks down: He's been incredibly impressive for the Bombers since making the switch, but Todd Goldstein was well held and beaten by his successor at North, Tristan Xerri. Goldstein managed just 18 hitouts to Xerri's 38 (6 to 11 to advantage), while Goldy managed just eight disposals (one kick) around the ground as well. Maybe Xerri had this fixture circled coming in...
Fremantle
Stocks up: Sure, he can be a bit hit and miss, but there's no doubt his good games are worth signing up for. Of course, we're referring to Jordan Clark. The former Cat was pivotal in Fremantle's win over St Kilda on Saturday night, finishing one touch below his personal best (29 disposals) and racking up 723 metres gained, slicing his way through the Saints time and time again. Having a very impressive season, just quietly...
Stocks down: Something was a-miss for Jye Amiss on Saturday night. No? Sorry, that's a shocker. But the young forward was also wayward in front of goal, booting 2.5 from his seven shots at goal. In fact, the Dockers as a whole were rather inaccurate under the roof at Marvel, something that, if the Saints were any good in their front half, could have come back to haunt them.
Geelong
Stocks up: Scoring 100 points and still getting beaten by 10 goals? How very ... 1990s of the Cats, who showed that even without key forward duo Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, that they can rely on a nice spread of goalkickers. Nine individuals notched a major for the Cats, including three to Tyson Stengle who look sback to his 2022 form rather than his 2023 form, and two to raw prospect Shannon Neale.
Stocks down: With skipper Patrick Dangerfield sidelined through injury, Cam Guthrie really needed to assume the responsibility of midfield leader against the Suns. Unfortunately, he did nothing of the sort. Guthrie picked up just nine disposals before being subbed out of the game midway through the third term. Very disappointing, even when you bake in how much footy he's missed since the beginning of 2023.
Gold Coast
Stocks up: The Suns are a massive handful in Darwin, and it's partly thanks to Jack Lukosius, who absolutely loves the conditions up north. Five goals but also five direct assists for the versatile Sun helped his side to its biggest score in club history (164 points). He's now kicked 15 goals in his last three appearances in the Top End!
Stocks down: The development of Mac Andrew has been off the charts. To say he looked comfortable in defence is the understatement of the weekend. Unfortunately, Andrew was involved in a nasty collision with teammate Ben Ainsworth, and while he briefly returned to the field, he was ultimately subbed out of the game with a leg injury at halftime. Tough break for the talented youngster.
GWS
Stocks up: If Lachie Whitfield isn't in your mid-year All-Australian team, quite frankly, your team is wrong! It was another tough loss for the Giants, but Whitfield stood up tremendously, picking up 31 disposals at 77% efficiency and having over 750 metres gained. This season, Whitfield is averaging a career-high 29 disposals and has hit that mark eight times!
Stocks down: Sorry, but it's time we start seeing some promise from former No. 1 draft pick Aaron Cadman. In Saturday afternoon's loss to the Bulldogs, Cadman was held goalless -- for the second week in succession -- and had just two kicks for the game. We know he's young, but we need to see a little more to justify that pre-draft hype. Otherwise, a spell in the seconds might be on the cards...
Hawthorn
Stocks up: Not for the first time this year, Blake Hardwick showed he can be far more than a lockdown medium-sized defender. Hardwick was sent forward and booted four first quarter goals as the Hawks very, very nearly stunned Port at Adelaide Oval. He finished the game with a career-high five goals, 23 disposals, and 13 contested possessions.
Stocks down: Hawthorn seem to rely too heavily on their star players, and when they're not all firing, well... you saw the capitulation. After a slow start Port was able to keep Jai Newcombe to just one disposal in the second quarter and in return had nine scoring shots compared to Hawthorn's four. In the last quarter, James Worpel had one disposal whilst Zak Butters was able to dominate with five clearances. In fact, FIVE Hawks failed to touch the footy in that last quarter. They had to do better.
Melbourne
Stocks up: When the Demons needed a spark in the second half, it was provided by Bayley Fritsch. His two goals in the third term twice had the Demons well within striking distance with more than a quarter to run, but he was unable to find enough help around in the forward half to get his side in the lead. In fact, Melbourne's 25 inside 50s was their lowest count in a match since 2015.
Stocks down: Is Jake Lever really the Dees' most important player? Or have the Eagles found out a way to counteract Melbourne's intercept dominance? Lever was subbed out of the loss to the Eagles in the first term after a nasty looking head knock, and the Eagles were able to capitalise. Using what seemed to be a 'chaos method', the Eagles' entries weren't always clean, but they didn't give the Demons a chance to intercept. Once the ball hit the deck, the West Coast forwards swooped with pressure, notching 22 tackles inside 50 (well up from their 2024 average of just 9). Is this the way to beat the Dees?
North Melbourne
Stocks up: The Kangaroos lost to Essendon by 40 points on Sunday afternoon, but the scoreboard probably doesn't reflect just how competitive they were. Alastair Clarkson's side was well and truly in the game at halftime -- trailing by just seven points -- and if not for a 15 minute burst by the Bombers to end the third term, could have been in line to snag their first win of the season. Certainly some positives to take away.
Stocks down: It's going to take a while, clearly, but North fans would want to be seeing a little more from some of the club's top end draft selections. Zane Duursma continues to struggle early in his career. Against the Bombers, he kicked a goal, but had just four touches for the game. To be averaging just nine disposals per game as we near the halfway point of the year is a little underwhelming.
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: No one -- maybe until about the last four seconds of the game -- had Port Adelaide beating the Hawks after what eventuated over the first three quarters. Zak Butters took it personally. The star midfielder's last term was one of the greatest quarters put together in recent times, collecting a whopping 17 disposals, five clearances, five inside 50s and nine pressure acts to will his side over the line. It's something only a bonafide superstar can do. Why are we not talking about his Brownlow chances more?
Stocks down: One week Port is flying and beating Essendon by 69 points, another week they are scraping a one-point win against a bottom four side. The Power need consistency, and does it start with their tall forwards? For a team that boasts aerial threats such as Charlie Dixon, Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson and Mitch Georgiades, they just don't threaten as much as they should be. Is it a case of too many chefs in the kitchen?
Richmond
Stocks up: Are the Tigers' wooden spoon stocks rising? We think so. After that horror 119-point loss to the Lions, Richmond's percentage has plummeted to 59.6. Real North Melbourne areas. And the Kangaroos will be the team they're battling for bottom spot. Of course, Richmond -- somehow -- boasts that win over Sydney, so North will need to win at least once in order to leapfrog the Tigers. But hey, it's on the board!
Stocks down: Oh boy. Where do you even begin after a loss like that!? The veterans are disappointing, the youngsters aren't showing much, and they just continue to be plagued by injury. But Marlion Pickett, as a now more senior member of the group having played nearly 100 games, come on, you just have to find a way to have more than two kicks. Very worrying times ahead for the Tigers...
St Kilda
Stocks up: After this week's loss to the Dockers, Rowan Marshall must be looking at his teammates thinking 'can any of you help me out!? The St Kilda ruck was massive -- literally and figuratively -- posting another monster stat line of 31 disposals, 18 contested possessions, nine tackles, eight clearances, and seven inside 50s. All-Australian on the cards?
Stocks down: The Saints just can't score and even with Ross Lyon in the coaching box, that has to be a mammoth concern. For the seventh time in eight games St Kilda was held to under 80 points, the biggest concern being a lack of efficiency when delivering the ball inside 50. Against Fremantle, the Saints scored from just 33% of entries, compared to the Dockers at 58%. That's your game right there.
Sydney
Stocks up: Take your pick, really. James Rowbottom, Isaac Heeney's Brownlow Medal chances, or James Jordon as a tagger. We'll go with Chad Warner. Heeney has rightly received the plaudits this season, but Warner has also been tearing it up for the Swans. He torched the Blues on Friday night with 28 disposals, three goals, and a game-high 14 score involvements.
Stocks down: The Swans are absolutely flying right now and everyone is playing their role perfectly. So, how does veteran Luke Parker find a way back into the team? Not sure. Parker was injured at the beginning of the year, but has since had to settle for a spot in the VFL side. Don't count him out just yet, but it's not looking good ... especially given he could be banned for a nasty high bump in the twos.
West Coast
Stocks up: Can it be anyone other than Harley Reid? That was a statement performace from the No. 1 draft pick, who at times looked like a 100-game veteran bursting from packs, fending off superstars, and accelerating with serious pace. He kicked two goals that had West Coast fans on their feet, but it was his work around the stoppages that really impressed. He finished with 21 disposals, seven clearances, and two majors. Crucially, 10 of his 21 disposals featured in scoring chains. Excuse us if we get a little excited, but goodness, you'd be getting a little afraid when your team comes up against him...
Stocks down: The likelihood of West Coast winning the wooden spoon has fallen dramatcially in the past few weeks. It's now pretty clear that there are at least two teams significantly poorer than the Eagles this season - that's a winless North Melbourne, which just can't put together meaningful football for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time, and Richmond, who are young, inexperienced, and decimated by injuries. Three wins for the Eagles now should be enough to avoid the spoon for a second straight season.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: Well, it's pretty obvious Ed Richards needs to play as a midfielder, huh? The 24-year-old got a taste in the middle last week and went even better this week against the Giants, finishing with 27 disposals, 12 contested possessions, 10 clearances, nine inside 50s, eight score involvements, and 667 metres gained. Got to keep him in there now, Bevo!
Stocks down: Not for the first time in the Luke Beveridge era -- heck, it seems to happen every third week! -- the Bulldogs were so, so wasteful in front of goal. It wasn't the easiest conditions in western Sydney, but that's no excuse. Luke Beveridge's side kicked eight goals and 22 BEHINDS! C'mon, how can we take you seriously with that sort of inaccuracy!?