In Round 12 of the 2024 AFL season, a Carlton tall showed his value as a solo ruck and Marcus Bontempelli produced a vintage performance, but a pair of Rising Star candidates had games to forget. 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's been a topsy-turvy season for the Crows, but one constant the club would have to be rapt with is the form of defender Mitch Hinge. The 25-year-old is one of the most improved players in the competition and continued his rich vein of form against the Hawks with 31 disposals, nine marks and six rebound 50s. If the Crows were sitting in the top eight, he'd be getting far more plaudits than he currently is.
Stocks down: Well, Adelaide's finals chances have taken another hit. This one the greatest yet. Matthew Nicks' side was leapfrogged on the ladder by Sam Mitchell and the in-form Hawks and, as a team widely tipped to reach new heights in 2024, that has to be beyond disappointing. On just 18 premiership points after 12 rounds, the Crows can't afford any more slip ups, and given their away record (2-4 this season), September footy does feel like a stretch too far.
Brisbane
BYE
Carlton
Stocks up: It seems playing with one ruck is the way to go for the Blues, and it has to be Tom De Koning. Carlton's 24-year-old big man was sensational on Thursday night -- winning 18 disposals, 12 contested possessions, and eight clearances -- as his side upset the Power in Adelaide. Oh yeah, he also kicked a ripper goal from the boundary to get his side rolling!
LISTEN: The shifting value of playing one ruck vs. two
Stocks down: The Blues looked the goods in Round 12, but one player who isn't doing himself many favours of retaining a spot in the side is Matt Owies. The small forward was held goalless against Port (he's now kicked just two goals in three games) and laid two tackles (he's laid just four tackles in those three games). With the promising Jesse Motlop close to a return, and Zac Williams showcasing his class in the forward half, Owies might be the man who is forced to make way.
Collingwood
Stocks up: Is this the beginning of seeing the best of Lachie Schultz at Collingwood? The former Docker kicked three goals for the first time as a Magpie and was busy all night, clunking six marks inside 50 and also bobbing up for a nice goal assist. After a slow start in his new colours, Schultz is finding his role in the Magpies' lineup, and should be a dynamic piece in the second half of the year.
Stocks down: It seem as if the Magpies are running out of gas late in games, because their fourth quarters in the past three weeks have been average, at best. Craig McRae's men have kicked a combined 3.6 (24) in their last three final terms, miles away from their opponents' 13.5 (83). The Magpies managed just 0.1 on Friday night against the Bulldogs. Worrying signs!
Essendon
Stocks up: He had some great moments -- and some not so great moments -- but all in all it was another tick for Nick Hind. The former Saint is a speedster, a line breaker, and someone who (if he can tidy up some ball use) can be an extremely valuable player for the Dons side. In the narrow loss to the Suns, Hind had 24 disposals, a game-high 10 score involvements, almost 500 metres gained, and kicked a goal.
Stocks down: Was the decision to rest Todd Goldstein the right one? The experienced ruck has been influential for the Dons in 2024, but Brad Scott opted to sit him at the eleventh hour ahead of Sunday afternoon's game against the Suns, who were missing captain and ruck Jarrod Witts. The Bombers weren't smashed in the midfield -- it was a relatively even contest -- but you figure the experience and class of Goldstein, up against seventh-gamer Ned Moyle could have proved the difference. It also wasn't a night to remember for the Bomber tall forwards. Peter Wright, Kyle Langford, Harry Jones, and Jake Stringer combined for just two goals on the Gold Coast. To make matters worse, Langford was subbed out of the game early in the final term after suffering a hip injury.
Fremantle
Stocks up: The storylines out of Sunday afternoon's clash between Fremantle and Melbourne will centre around the woeful Demons, but maybe we should be focusing on the Dockers' premiership bona fides. Often overlooked when it comes to flag chances, Fremantle showed they can be as stingy as they come defensively, dominate in the midfield (against seasoned opposition), and hit a triple figure score. Do these three things with regularity (and that's the challenge!), and Justin Longmuir's side will be tough to beat.
Stocks down: With all of that said, has the bye weekend come at the absolute worst time for the Dockers? Probably. Fremantle just played its best game in years and will have to wait 13 days before they can go again. You'd really love to piggy back on that momentum and ride the wave while you can. We all know how quickly things can turn...
Geelong
Stocks up: He's been used as a sub at times this season, but Jack Bowes has been one of the quiet achievers in the midst of Geelong's rise up the ladder in season 2024. Bowes was used in midfield rotations and could be an X-factor option for Chris Scott moving forward, racking up 29 disposals, four marks, eight tackles, and 636 metres gained in the absence of some engine room regulars.
Stocks down: Season 2024 is the year of the injury, and this game had its fair share. For the Cats, they are set to be without productive forward Ollie Henry, who was subbed out during the second term with a hamstring injury. The club expects him to miss three to four games. It's a big blow with Henry having kicked 21 goals through the first half of the season.
Gold Coast
Stocks up: The Suns are a far better team when Sam Flanders is playing and able to do what he likes off the half back line. The 22-year-old was a late out with illness last week against the Blues, a game Gold Coast never looked like winning, but returned this week with a bang. Flanders had 33 disposals and over 600 metres gained, almost always using the ball with effectiveness. Speaking of top performers, Noah Anderson did it once again. The star Sun also had 33 touches, but eight clearances, and eight intercepts to go along with them.
Stocks down: Seven wins from seven home games so far for the Suns in season 2024, but no wins on the road. Gold Coast's victory over second-placed Essendon only further highlighted the divide between the Suns' home and away form - something which AFL finalists are able to minimise. Yes, still young across many lines, the Suns do have enough experience to guide them to victories on the road. It's this they need to show for the footy public to take them seriously as a potential September player.
GWS
BYE
Hawthorn
Stocks up: Dylan Moore absolutely feasted on the lacklustre Adelaide defence and was the main beneficiary of Hawthorn's dominance and electric ball movement through the middle of the ground. The small forward booted a career-high five goals from 27 touches. He also had five marks and three tackles, a performance that will surely net him the three Brownlow Medal votes.
Stocks down: Unfortunately for the Hawks, Changkuoth Jiath was reported for headbutting Mitch Hinge -- and is lucky to have only been fined as a result. He was pretty quiet, too, managing just seven disposals (at 42% efficiency) before being subbed out for veteran forward Luke Breust. It was far away from the exciting, line-breaking type game we know he can produce.
Melbourne
Stocks up: The horror performance by the Demons on Sunday afternoon might just work out for Melbourne fans wanting to watch their club live in Victoria. A 92-point loss to Fremantle, in an Alice Springs home game, could (well, should) very well signal the end of the club selling its games to the Northern Territory.
Stocks down: It's rare the Melbourne midfield is beaten. It's even rarer to see it utterly humiliated. But that's exactly what happened against the Dockers. The Demons lost the clearance count by 24, inside 50s by 32, and contested possession by 41. They looked lazy, tired, and totally disinterested. Pathetic. Embarrassing. And, quite honestly, unbelievable given the cattle they have in the middle of the ground.
North Melbourne
BYE
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: Working his way through a comeback from an ACL injury, Mitch Georgiades reminded the competition why he's a forward to be taken seriously. He kicked four majors and clunked nine marks (including two contested), and was a thorn in Carlton's defence all night, at times tossing aside Mitch McGovern and Brodie Kemp. With another big man not firing for the Power (see below), Georgiades' form will be crucial in the second half of the year.
Stocks down: His stocks were at a career-high the last time he played at Adelaide Oval. This time, that price has plummeted. Of course, we're referring to Darcy Byrne-Jones. The hero in the win over Hawthorn a fortnight ago had just five kicks in the loss to Carlton on Thursday night. And speaking of minimal impact, what's going on with Charlie Dixon? Just one handball for the big man before being subbed out of the game. Not what you want from two experienced players in a blockbuster clash.
Richmond
Stocks up: What is Liam Baker's trade value right now? Whatever it is, it can only rise so long as his current form for the Tigers continues. The tough fan favourite had a hamstring scare in the first term against Geelong but returned to pick up 31 disposals, six tackles and one goal in a very solid outing at GMHBA Stadium. The Eagles, or Dockers -- or Tigers, we guess -- will be lucky to have him in 2025, and beyond.
Stocks down: Another week, another serious injury for the Tigers. You have to feel for them! Sadly, promising youngster Mykelti Lefau suffered an ACL tear after landing awkwardly on his right leg while contesting a mark late in the game. It's the second time Lefau has suffered the injury, he ruptured the left side in 2022 while playing in the VFL. Safe rehab, Mykelti, we hope to see you next year.
St Kilda
Stocks up: We've written about Finn Maginness and his tagging exploits this season, but is Marcus Windhager giving him a run for his money as the game's best? The Saints midfielder has been used in that role several times this season and was sent to Eagles young gun Harley Reid after his brilliant first half impact against Ross Lyon's side. Windhager held him to just three touches in the second half! Shoutout to Mason Wood, too, who was terrific when swung forward after Max King's substitution, booting four goals from eight marks and racking up 22 disposals.
Stocks down: Are Seb Ross' days numbered? Despite the win over the Eagles, it's clear St Kilda's one-paced midfield isn't good enough to contend against most sides in the competition. Ross was as quiet as can be at Optus Stadium, held to just three kicks, three handballs, and zero clearances in 104 minutes of game time. Ross is 31, and while he could be a valuable piece elsewhere, he isn't what the Saints desperately need right now.
Sydney
BYE
West Coast
Stocks up: The Eagles have plenty of work to do in order to climb out of footy wilderness and become a consistent, tough side to face. But West Coast at home, with capacity crowds cheering them on, they are beginning to look a little daunting. Adam Simpson's side led the Saints for much of Saturday afternoon's game before falling short. Don't forget, the game before they stunned the Demons -- although, given what we saw from the Dees during the weekend, was that such a good win?
Stocks down: If you could have dumped your Harley Reid for Rising Star stocks before this game, you would have been crazy, but ultimately would have been a sage move. West Coast's young gun has been banned for two weeks for a dangerous tackle on St Kilda's Darcy Wilson, meaning he's been ruled ineligible to win the best first year player award, something that was beginning to look like a formality. He struggled with the tag too, so it was a weekend of learning for the 19-year-old!
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: We're running out of superlatives for Marcus Bontempelli. Just about every game he plays he edges closer to taking the mantle of 'greatest Bulldog' to play the game - which would be some label. Against the Magpies on Friday night, he was monstrous, with 38 disposals, 10 clearances, nine tackles, two goals, and more than 500 metres gained. When his side needed a goal, up Bont stepped. Beautiful to watch.
Stocks down: We loved 95% of Sam Darcy's game -- after all, he clunked five contested marks and booted three goals (including the sealer) -- but a silly mistake in the opening minutes, where he flattened Brayden Maynard with a late bump, will have him on the sidelines for two weeks, and ineligible to win the Rising Star. Shame, as he was starting to build a serious case!