AFL Sunday Scoreboard
By Andrew McGarry
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That's where we'll leave it
By Andrew McGarry
So that's all we have for Sunday footy, and for round 23 in general.
We know the 10 teams from whom the 2026 AFL premiers will come, we know which teams will have two home finals, and we have a second draw in the same round for the first time in 49 years.
There was a bit happening on this Sunday, then.
We also have some drama ahead as Melbourne has to decide whether to challenge Jacob van Rooyen's three-match ban for striking Port Adelaide's Aliir Aliir.
We will be back on the blog next Thursday, as St Kilda hosts Gold Coast at Docklands to kick off round 24.
In the meantime, thank you for joining us today, and this is Andrew McGarry wishing you all a very good night.
Here's how the ladder stands with a round to go
By Andrew McGarry
So here we are with one round to go, and a few things have become clearer today.
We knew Fremantle were minor premiers, but now Sydney are locked into second spot.
There's a three way go for the other two top-four spots, and then we know who will be in spots seven to 10. We just don't know which order they will finish.
For St Kilda and GWS, today's results mean they cannot make the wildcard round, and their season will finish next week.
Match report: Swans shore up second spot with win over Bombers
By Andrew McGarry
Sydney have locked up second spot and two AFL home finals, beating last-placed Essendon by 36 points.
The Swans dominated from the start and despite some resistance from the Bombers, easily won 17.10 (112) to 11.10 (76) in the Sunday twilight game at the MCG.
Errol Gulden racked up a career-best 47 possessions and Charlie Curnow kicked four goals as he closes on his third Coleman Medal as the league's top goalkicker.
While the Bombers were never going to stage a massive upset, they scrapped hard after a blowout loomed early in the game.
Sydney missed the finals last year in Dean Cox's first season as senior coach and have rebounded superbly this season.
Curnow kicked three of the first four goals and looked set for a night out as the Swans took control from the start.
Sydney's first four inside 50s all resulted in goals and the last-placed Bombers were their own worst enemies, gifting the Swans with turnovers.
When former Victorian Sheffield Shield fielding substitute Billy Cootee kicked the first goal of the second term, the Swans were out to a 44-point lead.
But Essendon rallied to at least stop a blowout, kicking four goals to two in the second quarter and reducing the margin to 24 points at the long break.
Nate Caddy and Peter Wright were providing targets in attack and Isaac Kako was frenetic with his workrate for the Bombers.
While fourth-gamer Vigo Visentini was up against Brodie Grundy in the ruck, the young Bomber's effort also could not be faulted.
Visentini delighted the Essendon fans with a couple of big tackles, taking down Chad Warner early in the third quarter.
Archer Day-Wicks kicked the first goal of the third quarter and a couple of minutes later, Will Setterfield launched a bomb from outside 50m. Improbably, the Bombers only trailled by 11 points at 13 minutes.
But that only sparked the Swans. First Logan McDonald set up Jai Serong for a goal and then McDonald kicked his own from 50-plus to stop the rot.
The gulf between the two teams was summed up early in the last quarter when Caddy was running into an open goal. Sam Wicks came from nowhere to run him down and force the rushed behind.
Seconds later, Sydney had run the ball down the other end of the ground and Curnow snapped his fourth goal.
Visentini marked strongly and kicked his first AFL goal in the last to cap a solid game.
AAP
AFLW: Giants shock Eagles in AFLW upset
By Andrew McGarry
Captain Rebecca Beeson proceed a career-best goalkicking performance as GWS scored a big early season AFLW upset, with a 12-point home win over 2025 finalists West Coast.
The Giants, who finished 17th last year with just two wins, broke open a close game at Sydney Showground, with three successive goals in four minutes in the third quarter.
West Coast kicked the last three goals of the game on Sunday but GWS hung on to register a 8.6 (54) to 6.6 (42 ) win, their first in four attempts at the venue.
Beeson kicked two opportunistic efforts and forward Tarni Evans booted her third goal of the game to set up a 17-point lead at three-quarter time.
The veteran midfielder bagged her third major early in the last quarter and Mikayla Pauga blew the margin out to 29 points, when her kick for goal took a favourable bounce.
Keeley Skepper and Isabella Shannon kicked goals to reduce the margin to 17 with just over nine minutes left and Charlotte Thomas added another with just over a minute remaining.
"I think it was a pretty complete performance by the group," Beeson told Fox Sports and Kayo.
"I think we showed what we can do in attack and also when we tried to finish up the game, we showed some really great maturity in closing out the game."
Beeson had never kicked more than one goal In a match in her previous 73 AFLW games.
Evans booted three goals in a game for the fourth time.
Eagles duo Isabella Lewis and Charlotte Thomas were the leading possession getters with 27 and 24 respectively.
GWS star Alyce Parker tallied 23 touches and won a match-high ten clearances.
AAP
Match report: Blues draw with Bulldogs to clinch AFL wildcard berth
By Andrew McGarry
Carlton have sealed a once unthinkable AFL wildcard spot with a draw against the Western Bulldogs completing the Blues' extraordinary turnaround under interim coach Josh Fraser.
The Blues were 1-8 when Michael Voss was sacked and Fraser took the reins in May — and the interim coach has overseen 10 wins, a draw and just one loss to save Carlton's season.
Fraser entered the race for the full-time role this week and his appointment is surely inevitable after Frank Evans' late goal sealed Sunday's 12.10 (82) to 12.10 (82) draw in front of 44,106 fans at Docklands.
With the draw, Carlton (46 points) eliminated St Kilda (40) and GWS (40) from wildcard contention with a week to go, and sit 10th behind the Bulldogs (50), who can no longer finish higher than eighth.
The Blues were given a handy boost on Thursday when the Bulldogs opted to rest superstar skipper Marcus Bontempelli, having already lost ruckman Tim English to a knee injury.
Carlton's midfield led by Patrick Cripps (26 disposals, 12 clearances), ruckman Marc Pittonet (31 hitouts, nine clearances) and Sam Walsh (33 disposals) were superb.
Returning gun defender Jacob Weitering was a powerhouse down back, keeping a wayward-kicking Aaron Naughton goalless while Nick Haynes, Oliver Florent and Billy Smith were influential.
In Bontempelli's absence, Ed Richards (31 disposals, two goals) was immense, with support from Tom Liberatore (12 clearances, 33 disposals) while defenders Buku Khamis and James O'Donnell worked hard.
Blues forward Will Hayward snagged three goals but suffered a right ankle injury after landing awkwardly from taking a huge hanger just before kicking his third major in the third quarter.
Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs jagged the first two goals but Carlton were unfazed and reeled off the next five to take early control, leading by 20 early in the second term.
Cody Weightman kicked off a run of four straight Bulldogs goals, with Lachlan Kennedy putting them back in front before halftime.
Blues defender Harry Dean and Bulldogs forward Arty Jones started an all-in melee just before the main break, that will attract plenty of fines.
The Blues led by five points at the final change to set up a blockbuster finish.
Evans snapped the Blues out to a 12-point lead with the opening goal of the quarter — but the Dogs responded.
There was controversy when Rhylee West levelled the scores after Jordan Croft threw the ball in the lead-up.
Naughton put the Bulldogs in front with a point, then handed another chance off to Richards to extend the lead to seven.
But the Blues wouldn't go away and Evans levelled the score before Carlton held on.
Next Saturday Carlton host leaders Fremantle while the Bulldogs face Melbourne.
AAP
FT: Sydney 17.10 (112) beats Essendon 11.10 (76)
By Andrew McGarry
The siren sounds at the MCG, and that brings round 23 to a close as the Sydney Swans run out 36-point winners after Jake Lloyd kicks a final major.
You could argue they made harder work of that game then they should have, but in the end they just had too much attacking firepower for the Bombers.
That win ensures the Swans will finish second, meaning not just the double chance but two home finals.
The question remains - what will Sydney look like in finals? Will they dominate and then fall in a heap at a very unfortunate time (like the grand final)? Where do they sit compared to the Dockers and the Lions - arguably behind both, form-wise.
The seagulls are flocking around the MCG but they wouldn't have fed as well as Errol Gulden, who ended up with a mighty 44 disposals (just short of Josh Kennedy's club record of 45).
It's been a solid effort by the Bombers, with three goals to Nate Caddy and two to Peter Wright.
But when you get 10 goals from Charlie Curnow, Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner alone, it's hard to beat.
Bombers strike back with goals to Visentini, Caddy
By Andrew McGarry
There has been plenty of scoring at the MCG, and it's still going!
The Bombers keep going forward and Vigo Visentini has marked inside 50 and he kicks his first goal in AFL as the team comes from everywhere!
And now they've done it again, going forward for Nate Caddy to snap another one. It's a 31-point game getting close to time on in the final term.
Errol Gulden cracks the kilometre for the Swans
By Andrew McGarry
We still have 10 minutes on the clock at the MCG, but we have already seen a huge landmark from a Sydney Swan.
Errol Gulden has racked up 44 disposals, and he has cracked the kilometre!
Gulden has gained 1,005m. That's some effort.
Swans hit back with goals to Curnow, Heeney
By Andrew McGarry
And that's what happens when you don't take your chances against Sydney.
They go forward and find Charlie Curnow, who boots home his fourth, and then another foray forward gets to Isaac Heeney, who thumps a low ball from around 50 and it bounces through!
The lead is out to 43 points again, and surely that should be enough even though there is time.
Nate Caddy is run down in the goalsquare!!!
By Andrew McGarry
The Bombers are charging here, they go inside 50 and they have the Swans caught at the back.
Its the handball over the top to Nate Caddy in the goalsquare, and he kicks it... NO! Sam Wicks runs him down!
That wasn't Caddy being caught by a librarian ... he just couldn't transfer it to his boot fast enough.
Amazing effort from Sam Wicks.
Bombers shot touched on line by Sydney
By Andrew McGarry
The Bombers are still spending plenty of energy out there at the MCG, andthey still think they're a shot.
They are forcing errors from the Sydney defence, and a desperate clearing kick ends with Jye Caldwell, who runs and kicks from 40.
It goes, and goes, and ... has it gone over? Not sure. The Bombers think it's a goal, Sydney thinks it's a point.
And the replay shows it was just touched before it crossed the line. Top effort from both sides. 32 points the margin, 15 to go.
Isaac Heeney steadies the Swans with early goal in the last
By Andrew McGarry
There's the start Sydney wanted!
The Swans won a clearance and Chad Warner delivered a kick deep inside 50 for Isaac Heeney to outbody the Bombers defence and take a clean grab.
His kick was a bit wobbly but it went through, and the Swans are out to a 33 point lead in the opening two minutes of the final term. It will be hard for the Bombers from here.
Melbourne's Jacob van Rooyen facing three-match ban for high hit on Aliir Aliir
By Andrew McGarry
The Demons are within distance of a top-six finish and possibly even a top-four one.
But they are likely to be without key forward Jacob van Rooyen for at least one and possibly two finals after he was charged with striking Port Adelaide's Aliir Aliir.
The Power defender was ruled out of the game with concussion after van Rooyen's arm made contact with Aliir's head.
It was assessed as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact. He has been given a three-match ban with no reduction for a guilty plea.
Even if the Demons challenge it and get it reduced from three weeks to two, van Rooyen would miss an elimination final.
3QT: Sydney 13.9 (87) leads Essendon 9.7 (61)
By Andrew McGarry
The siren sounds at the MCG, and it's basically honours even in the third quarter.
Dean Cox is looking pretty stressed in the Sydney box - the Swans should have had this on ice after the first quarter, but the Bombers have outscored Sydney six goals to four since then.
They're still strong favourites to win this, but it's not as comfortable as they would have hoped.
Vital goal from Logan McDonald extends Sydney's lead
By Andrew McGarry
The Swans have been looking nervous here in the third term as the Bombers take their best shot at a comeback.
A well-timed tackle put off Charlie Curnow from a potential fourth goal of the night.
But the visitors have gone forward down the left wing and kicked to a leading Logan McDonald deep and wide in the pocket.
It's a difficult kick ... but he's nailed it!
That could be a vital score, the Swans creep back to a 24-point lead in time on in the third quarter.
Have a look back at the last two minutes of Bulldogs vs Carlton
By Andrew McGarry
For those of you joining us, we have all taken a few deep breaths after a frantic finish to the Bulldogs vs Blues game at Docklands.
A three goal to two final term saw the Bulldogs nearly snatch victory, but desperation defence from Carlton saw them home for a draw.
You can catch the last two minutes of the game here.
Archer Day-Wicks draws the Bombers closer at the MCG
By Andrew McGarry
It's been a funny old third term at the MCG, but the Bombers are not going away!
They may have shipped nine goals in the first quarter, but they've only conceded two goals since then.
And now after a bit of an arm-wrestle here in the second half, Peter Wright has won a big contest in the middle before thumping a high ball for Archer Day-Wicks to take a great contested mark.
He goes back and kicks it from 40, and the Bombers are within 17 points!
After all we've seen this weekend, it's clear that we shouldn't be going the early crow about almost anything.
The Swans need to lift here, or second spot might be a little tougher to secure.
