What's the big question your AFL club must answer in Round 15? Will the Blues make amends after Round 7's statistical dominance? Does Geelong's bye curse pop up again? Who is Melbourne's new match-winner?
We've looked at every club and answered their biggest question ahead of this week's action.
Adelaide
BYE
Brisbane
vs. Port Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
Can the Lions all of a sudden become a premiership contender?
Fitter, firing at home, and with improvement still to come (we're looking at you, Charlie Cameron and Cam Rayner), the Lions are a better team than their 13th spot suggests. They've lost just once in their last five outings, and possess a percentage of 115% - good enough if needed (though they have the draw in hand as well). The Lions' upcoming run includes matches against Port (away), Melbourne (home), Adelaide (home), and West Coast (away), so a win this week against the Power -- who have lost two on the bounce -- will have the Lions well back in contention.
Carlton
vs. Geelong, MCG
Will the Blues make amends after Round 7's statistical dominance?
Unfortunately for the Blues, they faced Geelong at the peak of their early season powers, and succumbed in a high-scoring affair. Since that game, however, Carlton has gone 4-2 and the Cats 1-5. Both teams are coming off the bye and will be well rested, and a monster Friday night crowd awaits at the MCG. Can Carlton's midfield -- with a fit and firing Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, and Alex Cincotta doing a job as a tagger -- rightfully get the upper hand against a weaker Geelong core? If the Blues are serious about their premiership credentials, they really should be beating the Cats.
Collingwood
BYE
Essendon
vs. West Coast, Marvel Stadium
Can the Bombers avoid an unnecessary thriller?
The pack is coming for Essendon, and West Coast have shown they can throw up some chaotic results (whether that's winning, or losing to North Melbourne at home). Both sides are coming off the bye so will be fresh and rested, but Essendon needs to stop a skid of two losses to remain in the top four. Are they trustworthy? You would expect so given the opposition, but complacency kills in this league. The Dons also need to sharpen up in front of the big sticks, having kicked 32.44 in the past three matches. Hopefully the week off was a nice reset!
Fremantle
vs. Gold Coast, Optus Stadium
Can the Dockers keep their eyes on the prize?
All things equal, going into last week's match against the Bulldogs, Freo should have been confident of returning west with the four points in the bag. However, that didn't eventuate, and they were smashed, just after Justin Longmuir's men were starting to gain some trust from the footy public. Does a 10-goal loss affect this side's confidence? The Suns, coming off the bye, are no slouches, and although they haven't won away since last year, they'll see this as a massive opportunity. The Dockers need to keep focused and win these games at home.
Geelong
vs. Carlton, MCG
Does Geelong's bye curse pop up again?
Remember this one? Geelong lost every match after their midseason bye between 2013 and 2019. They then had a decent run, winning four in a row (admittedly one against West Coast in 2022), but that curse resumed last season when they lost to the Power in the middle of the year. That record of 3-8 isn't great, but in reality doesn't really mean it's anything to do with the bye, but we know psychology and footy are interesting partners at the best of times. The Cats could be bolstered by the return of Patrick Dangerfield, and they'll need him to help combat Carlton's impressive midfield.
Gold Coast
vs. Fremantle, Optus Stadium
Can the Suns finally win an away game?
It's a broken record by now, but we're going to run this joke into the ground. This team cannot be taken seriously until they win on the road. It's that simple. Gold Coast's last win away from either People First Stadium or Darwin was in Round 9 last year against a hapless West Coast. Well, they return to Optus Stadium to take on Fremantle this weekend. Maybe there's something in that?
GWS
vs. Sydney, ENGIE Stadium
Can Toby Bedford blunt one of Sydney's stars?
He hasn't set the world on fire in 2024, but Toby Bedford played one hell of a game against the Power, keeping Zak Butters quiet (just 17 disposals) as the Giants beat the Power. Can Bedford reprise his role against one of Sydney's guns? Char Warner is this year's best goal kicking midfielder, while Isaac Heeney is in Brownlow-winning form. If the Giants are to give Sydney just their second loss of the season, keeping one (or both) of those two quiet is so important.
Hawthorn
BYE
Melbourne
vs. North Melbourne, MCG
Who is their match-winner now that 'Trac' has gone down?
You could be forgiven for writing off Melbourne's premiership chances when it was confirmed Christian Petracca's season was over. Dynamic in the midfield and potent up forward, he has been a shining light for the Demons for many years, and with his side in a funk and directionless in the forward half, you wonder where the inspiration and spark will come from. Can Clayton Oliver rediscover his best form? Will Kysaiah Pickett float through the midfield and impact up forward? What has Jack Viney got? It can't just be up to Max Gawn anymore.
North Melbourne
vs. Melbourne, MCG
Can the Roos cash in on their midfield dominance?
The Kangaroos are the third best centre clearance team in comp, sitting behind only the Blues and Pies in centre clearance differential this season. That's a good thing, right? Sure, and we're seeing it with Luke Davies-Uniacke and George Wardlaw impressive with every passing week. But Alastair Clarkson's side sit only 16th for points scored from centre bounces this season. That's probably more to do with a struggling forward line than anything else, but as we saw against the Pies there is ample potential there, so let's see if they can cash-in for the rest of the season.
Port Adelaide
vs. Brisbane, Adelaide Oval
Can Zak Butters learn to shake the tag?
According to Champion Data, Butters is 33% less effective when being tagged. He was shut out of last week's loss to GWS by Toby Bedford, who kept the Port star to just 17 touches, while Alex Cincotta also got the better of him two Thursdays ago. It's clear Butters doesn't like and isn't used to the attention, so much so he was cited by the MRO and banned, but given that was overturned at the tribunal, Butters will suit up, and likely face attention from the Lions' Jarrod Berry. Butters is one to watch with interest.
Richmond
BYE
St Kilda
BYE
Sydney
vs. GWS, ENGIE Stadium
Are the Swans prepared for the Giants' heat?
Sydney have had a couple of slow starts in the past couple of weeks, giving up decent leads to both Adelaide and Geelong. They've been able to recover and win well both times, but a derby -- and an away derby, at that -- might be a different proposition. The Giants, too, have found a run-with player in Toby Bedford, so Sydney's stars are going to have to be on alert for some close-checking and physical treatment. They should win, the Swans, but this could be a spicy affair.
West Coast
vs. Essendon, Marvel Stadium
Can the Eagles stifle Essendon's forwards?
It was a key when Carlton defeated the Bombers in Round 13 (although Essendon's inaccuracy certainly played a part), and if the Eagles defence -- led by Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass -- can keep Peter Wright, Harry Jones, and Jake Stringer to minimal impact, it would go a long way to a potential upset win. Harley Reid is still absent and Tim Kelly is expected to remain sidelined, so it's easy to expect Brad Scott's midfield to give his forwards ample opportunity.
Western Bulldogs
BYE