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TOP HEADLINES
ANOTHER CARLTON COLLAPSE
Blues living the never-ending nightmare after the same loss, again
Deja vu. Groundhog day. We're running out of ways to describe Carlton's losses, and in falling to Collingwood, it's cemented that 2026 is already a wasted year in limbo, writes Rohan Connolly.
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AFL DRAFT POWER RANKINGS
April Power Rankings: The names you need to know for 2026
It's ESPN's first AFL Draft Power Rankings for 2026! We've all heard of Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker, but who else should you be keeping an eye on this year? Here's Jasper Chellappah's top 20 for April.
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RED TIME
FULL EPISODE OUT NOW
Cox: Ginnivan 'wasn't supported in the best way' at Collingwood
1:09
Why players need to be more careful with what they say to umpires
1:41
ESPN
ESPN's rolling AA after Round 5: Butters one of four changes
GATHER ROUND REVIEW
'Nas' justifies pay check, usual hero Elliott turns villain late
In Round 5, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera showed us why he's the highest paid player in league history, Jamie Elliott had a moment to forget, and the Bombers finally won a game. Here's whose stocks are up and down.
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ESPN's 2026 Brownlow Medal predictor: star Swan making early run
The Brownlow Medal is the highest individual honour in the AFL. In 2026, ESPN is giving you an advantage with our one-of-a-kind predictor.
THE RUCK DEBATE ISN'T OVER
Big men, big impact: The ruck position matters more than ever
Round 5 offered a timely reminder that the question is no longer simply how important the ruckman is in footy, it's what kind of ruckman you need -- and when.
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Top Headlines
- Demons to investigate 'scary' Petty incident
- Key Hawks banned for costly gut punches
- Concerned Carlton dig deeper into Hollands
- Amiss kicks five as Freo crush Eagles in Derby
- Ruthless Roos punish Tigers to extend strong start
- 'No rush': Nicks on return of grieving captain
- 'Chook lotto': Dimma unloads after Bombers escape
- Injury heartbreak confirmed for Dogs star Darcy
- Cox: Charlie Curnow can shoulder the criticism
- Cats star matches Ablett in 32-year landmark
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Subscribe to the ESPN Australia Newsletter
Keep up to date with the latest news from across the sporting world. Be it at home or abroad, we've got it covered in our weekly newsletters.
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Listen to our AFL podcast - the ESPN Footy Podcast with Champion Data
Join ESPN's footy team for some of the best AFL analysis and insight on the ESPN Footy Podcast.
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ESPN's Brownlow Medal predictor and tracker - every vote for 2026
The Brownlow Medal is the highest individual honour in the AFL. In 2026, ESPN is giving you an advantage with our one-of-a-kind predictor.
- Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
We're misty-optically: Paying tribute to Dennis Cometti, a footy commentary icon
It's inevitably the witticisms which first spring first to mind when think of Dennis Cometti, but, more broadly, he was Australian football's greatest ever caller and will be sorely missed, writes Rohan Connolly.
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The 50 best AFL players heading into season 2026
It's that time of year when ESPN's Jake Michaels counts down his 50 best players in the AFL. Spoiler alert: two-time Brownlow medalist Patrick Cripps has made the cut.
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Hold your horses: AFL's Origin revival was real, but its long-term future is not
AFL Origin's return was a clear success, but one brilliant night is not enough to prove it's truly back for good.
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'I like this game better than ours': Behind footy's incursions into North America
As the NRL heads off to Las Vegas, it's only fitting to throw back to when Aussie rules football ventured to Canada and the US in the 1960s and 1980s. Shannon Gill looks at the wild (and at times, turbulent) history of footy in North America.
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Ranking every AFL after-the-siren winning goal since 2000
Since the turn of the millennium, there have been 32 after-the-siren goals kicked which have won the game. We've ranked them -- taking into account shot difficulty, context of the match, conditions, and more to determine which clutch kick rules them all.
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AFL player record holders, statistical leaders, and more
Who has played the most AFL games? Who has kicked the most AFL goals? Here are the league leaders in history for all the stats that matter.
