Opinion AFL 2026 Round 5 - Weekend Wrap & Liked, Learnt, Hated

[Zevon]

This week the who’s who of football converged on Adelaide for the game’s new yearly tradition called South Australia Round. I’ve enjoyed previous iterations, but this year’s version was nowhere near as enjoyable as the fawning AFL media would have you believe. A soaked Adelaide Oval, Norwood Sardine Tin, and some random paddock in the Barossa took centre stage for a weekend before fading away into irrelevance for another 12 months. Spectacular.

Anyway, let’s go wrapping…

Crows v Blues, Thursday night: In delightful weather conditions, these sides turned up knowing that the loser was going to be 1-4. That turned out to be Carlton, albeit after a vastly improved showing on recent weeks. The Crows were slow out of the gates again but steadied their way to a much-needed win. Been a tough draw for them to start the year so they need to take full advantage of games like these.

Pies v Dockers, Friday night: Judging by the score I’m assuming the monsoon conditions led to this game being called off at half time? IF ONLY. It was horrific. The Collingwood Boa Constrictors choked the life out of the game all night but didn’t have the talent to actually kick any goals. Meanwhile I’m not sure Freo quite knew how to play through the mess their opponents created, but fortuitously those same opponents just aren’t very good. As such, the Dockers managed to accidentally stumble into the lead at the right time, and the rest of us can blissfully forget this monstrosity of a game ever happened.



North v Lions, Saturday arvo: Fun fact - North lost this corresponding fixture by 70 points in 2024, then lost to the other Queensland team by 9 goals at the same ground 12 months ago. This time they went toe to toe with the reigning premiers for much of the afternoon, so there’s improvement for all to see. The Lions on the other hand are starting to really build into the season now. Good result to be 3-2 after dealing with injuries and suspensions to start the year.

Bombers v Dees, Saturday arvo: Reckon this will feel awesome for long-suffering Essendon fans, and they’ve got every right to enjoy it. Yes the club has been terribly run, yes there’s more pain ahead, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to just forget all that and celebrate a win. The Dees were heavy favourites, and things were going to plan when they skipped away to a handy early lead. Not sure if they started enjoying the taste of their own bathwater, or if their opponents were just having a hot game - or both? In any case, it’s probably not a bad reality check for a side that has exceeded expectations so far this year.

Swans v Suns, Saturday twilight: An ultra-narrow ground with cameras at a very low height made for difficult viewing. Having said that, the Swans win was a thing of beauty wasn’t it?? I won’t hear any criticism of them for the remainder of the year (until we lose the plot on Grand Final day anyhow). They’re the ladder leaders now! This dominant side is going to take the home and away season by storm. No bias here whatsoever.

Hawks v Dogs, Saturday night: With a few important pieces missing it was the right time to be facing the Dogs, and the Hawks took full toll. I keep saying I have doubts about the strength of their midfield and they keep proving me wrong! They’ve still only lost one game for the year - an unexpectedly flat performance against a weakened Giants side in Opening Round - but they’ve been darn good otherwise. Taken some big scalps along the way too.



Cats v Eagles, Sunday arvo: We were back at the Norwood geometry experiment for this one. West Coast put up a decent showing to stick with the Cats for big chunks of the game, barring a period late in the second quarter to early in the third, when 6 straight Geelong goals created a gap on the scoreboard. Still a much better Eagles performance than their previous outing. They’ll be ok this year.

Giants v Tigers, Sunday arvo: The Greater Western Sydney Nomadic Giants are in the midst of their yearly 7-week exile from their home ground. Maybe the AFL took pity on them by giving them a soft matchup and a nice little trip to South Australian wine country. Anyway, they cashed in and beat the Tigers. By lots.

Port v Saints, Sunday evening: A poorly umpired game on a sodden ground, and yet it actually turned out to be quite watchable. Both sides had a real crack, and there was some genuine spite between them at times too. Port were all at sea early but found something at half time to mount a hefty comeback. The third term ended at the right time for the Saints though, and they steadied in the last.

Don’t forget to post your Liked, Learnt, Hated below… along with any other thoughts you had about Round 5!

 

[MisterMarcus]

Liked - Cats win, Gather Round atmosphere in Adelaide, some pretty good games despite the weather, Hahndorf.

Learned - WCE have absolutely nailed a few drafts with some great young KPP, North aren't far off it, Saints look so much better playing fast footy instead of RossBall

Hated - my big comfy road-trip SUV breaking down a day before Gather Round, so had to drive my buzz box hatchback to Adelaide instead.....

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

Liked - the number of quality snaps from pockets. Seemed like a theme this weekend.

 

[Xtreme]

Liked: Hawthorn beating the March/April premiers (just wait until the Hawks lose again this season!).

Learnt: Essendon have some ticker, meanwhile Melbourne continue to lose the matches that they should win on paper.

Hated: Gather Round, the poor mans version of the NRL's Magic Round, does The Dillon have an original bone in his body ?

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Hated all the shit games at shitty wind-swept suburban grounds which were ruined by the weather. It's a professional competition FFS. It's embarrassing having a round where half the games are played on mud-pits in front of makeshift grand stands filled with people seeing processions of behinds because the ball is trapped in a perpetual cyclone.

Why don't they do Gather Round in a state that has more than one AFL standard stadium? And while this farce continues, how can they justify the demand on Tasmania to have a roofed stadium? Where's the Adelaide Oval's roofed stadium? That Collingwood/Freo game sure was some spectacle.

All this administration does is whore the game out at every possible opportunity. All they think about is northern market exposure and money.

 

[Count_Zero]

Learnt - Saints win upset alot of people, any excuse to try and bring us down. Its very sad that its the same supporters jumping from thread to thread to pot us.
I'm starting to find the funny side of it.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Ugh, what a horrible round in almost every respect. The only close game was the lowest scoring and somehow one of the most boring too. Would've got more excitement watching VFL, cos thats what it felt like. All topped off with a display that makes the WWE look legit. Thank God its over, onto next week.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Hated all the shit games at shitty wind-swept suburban grounds which were ruined by the weather. It's a professional competition FFS. It's embarrassing having a round where half the games are played on mud-pits in front of makeshift grand stands filled with people seeing processions of behinds because the ball is trapped in a perpetual cyclone.

Why don't they do Gather Round in a state that has more than one AFL standard stadium? And while this farce continues, how can they justify the demand on Tasmania to have a roofed stadium? Where's the Adelaide Oval's roofed stadium? That Collingwood/Freo game sure was some spectacle.

All this administration does is whore the game out at every possible opportunity. All they think about is northern market exposure and money.

There are people who seem surprised Perth gets rain - at all. Despite the fact a quick check of bom averages shows Perth gets a lot more rain in winter than Melbourne. We have a Mediterranean climate with heavy winter rain, we're not some sunny hot desert year round.

 

[Wojcinski]

Hated all the shit games at shitty wind-swept suburban grounds which were ruined by the weather. It's a professional competition FFS. It's embarrassing having a round where half the games are played on mud-pits in front of makeshift grand stands filled with people seeing processions of behinds because the ball is trapped in a perpetual cyclone.

Why don't they do Gather Round in a state that has more than one AFL standard stadium? And while this farce continues, how can they justify the demand on Tasmania to have a roofed stadium? Where's the Adelaide Oval's roofed stadium? That Collingwood/Freo game sure was some spectacle.

All this administration does is whore the game out at every possible opportunity. All they think about is northern market exposure and money.

The Norwood camera angles were utterly terrible as well

 

[Tenens Pila]

Liked:

* Ummm..the Giants winning. That's about it. Found all the games rather uninspiring due to the sub-standard skills.

Learnt:

• The AFL with all it's rule changes has made athleticism more important than skill.
• Too many players are trying to be smart-ar5es with kicks and handpasses. The failure rate is high resulting in constant turnovers making it frustrating viewing.
• Goal kicking must get very little time at training. The number of set shot misses is ridiculously high, often close to goal.

Hated:

• The weather impacting on already poor skills.
• Music after goals. Would have hated to be at some games. Obnoxiously loud on the Fox coverage.
• There seems a substantial increase in players dropping their body and leaning into the tackler to get a high contact free kick.
• The amount of acting for frees is embarrassing and is clearly a tactic enforced at training. On its way to soccer-level faking.

Further learnt:

*I'm not liking where the game is heading.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Liked - Gather round. Great concept. Excellent host. Enjoyable to watch either in Adelaide or on the couch.

Learnt - No clubs rely on players more than the Pies do Naicos and Essendon defensively with Ridley. Chalk and cheese with him back in the lineup.

Hated - Continuation of fans on this site in all games whinging about free kicks. Umps get calls wrong. All clubs have their good/bad days with the umpires. Nothing more than lame copium to deflect your teams performance onto calls that didn't go your way.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Also, Adelaide whinging the other week about the last disposal rule call has ruined the game more. Now every ****ing tiggy-touchwood call we have to review. More time with the game paused, more time wasted. We'd be better off going back to boundary throw-ins and stoppages. We're still wasting time; it's just now at the end of that wait one side's fans are pissed off.

And if you're going to start reviewing every little thing, where does it end? Let's review Rachele's throw and then interrupt play so we can call the ball back 30 seconds later. Whole thing is a joke.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Liked:
Winning

Learnt:
I thought the Hawks would make finals again, but lacked midfield reinforcements to take the next step. I was wrong.
The Tigers have one hand on the spoon
If Gather Round is to continue, just do what they do in the NRL Magic Round and play it out of one venue. AFL matches should not be played at suburban grounds.

Hated:
Weather not holding up - rain is needed but it could've waited another weekend
None of the games were of decent quality
The last disposal rule works in the SANFL yet, in typical AFL fashion, **** it up royally.

 

[jackster83]

Hated all the shit games at shitty wind-swept suburban grounds which were ruined by the weather. It's a professional competition FFS.

The irony of a Geelong supporter complaining about this. FMD.

 

[LuckyBounce!]

This week the who’s who of football converged on Adelaide for the game’s new yearly tradition called South Australia Round. I’ve enjoyed previous iterations, but this year’s version was nowhere near as enjoyable as the fawning AFL media would have you believe. A soaked Adelaide Oval, Norwood Sardine Tin, and some random paddock in the Barossa took centre stage for a weekend before fading away into irrelevance for another 12 months. Spectacular.

Anyway, let’s go wrapping…

Crows v Blues, Thursday night: In delightful weather conditions, these sides turned up knowing that the loser was going to be 1-4. That turned out to be Carlton, albeit after a vastly improved showing on recent weeks. The Crows were slow out of the gates again but steadied their way to a much-needed win. Been a tough draw for them to start the year so they need to take full advantage of games like these.

Pies v Dockers, Friday night: Judging by the score I’m assuming the monsoon conditions led to this game being called off at half time? IF ONLY. It was horrific. The Collingwood Boa Constrictors choked the life out of the game all night but didn’t have the talent to actually kick any goals. Meanwhile I’m not sure Freo quite knew how to play through the mess their opponents created, but fortuitously those same opponents just aren’t very good. As such, the Dockers managed to accidentally stumble into the lead at the right time, and the rest of us can blissfully forget this monstrosity of a game ever happened.

View attachment 2580741

North v Lions, Saturday arvo: Fun fact - North lost this corresponding fixture by 70 points in 2024, then lost to the other Queensland team by 9 goals at the same ground 12 months ago. This time they went toe to toe with the reigning premiers for much of the afternoon, so there’s improvement for all to see. The Lions on the other hand are starting to really build into the season now. Good result to be 3-2 after dealing with injuries and suspensions to start the year.

Bombers v Dees, Saturday arvo: Reckon this will feel awesome for long-suffering Essendon fans, and they’ve got every right to enjoy it. Yes the club has been terribly run, yes there’s more pain ahead, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to just forget all that and celebrate a win. The Dees were heavy favourites, and things were going to plan when they skipped away to a handy early lead. Not sure if they started enjoying the taste of their own bathwater, or if their opponents were just having a hot game - or both? In any case, it’s probably not a bad reality check for a side that has exceeded expectations so far this year.

Swans v Suns, Saturday twilight: An ultra-narrow ground with cameras at a very low height made for difficult viewing. Having said that, the Swans win was a thing of beauty wasn’t it?? I won’t hear any criticism of them for the remainder of the year (until we lose the plot on Grand Final day anyhow). They’re the ladder leaders now! This dominant side is going to take the home and away season by storm. No bias here whatsoever.

Hawks v Dogs, Saturday night: With a few important pieces missing it was the right time to be facing the Dogs, and the Hawks took full toll. I keep saying I have doubts about the strength of their midfield and they keep proving me wrong! They’ve still only lost one game for the year - an unexpectedly flat performance against a weakened Giants side in Opening Round - but they’ve been darn good otherwise. Taken some big scalps along the way too.

View attachment 2580742

Cats v Eagles, Sunday arvo: We were back at the Norwood geometry experiment for this one. West Coast put up a decent showing to stick with the Cats for big chunks of the game, barring a period late in the second quarter to early in the third, when 6 straight Geelong goals created a gap on the scoreboard. Still a much better Eagles performance than their previous outing. They’ll be ok this year.

Giants v Tigers, Sunday arvo: The Greater Western Sydney Nomadic Giants are in the midst of their yearly 7-week exile from their home ground. Maybe the AFL took pity on them by giving them a soft matchup and a nice little trip to South Australian wine country. Anyway, they cashed in and beat the Tigers. By lots.

Port v Saints, Sunday evening: A poorly umpired game on a sodden ground, and yet it actually turned out to be quite watchable. Both sides had a real crack, and there was some genuine spite between them at times too. Port were all at sea early but found something at half time to mount a hefty comeback. The third term ended at the right time for the Saints though, and they steadied in the last.

Don’t forget to post your Liked, Learnt, Hated below… along with any other thoughts you had about Round 5!

No smashing of Rossy Lyon this week? That’s disappointing!

 

[chaddy22]

Liked West Coast gave a better performance.
Learnt not all thirty disposal games are equal. Heeney was a monster.
Hated the new last disposal rule has become a laughing stock as umpires can't get it right and slowing the game down with reviews. Shouldn't be used for a player handballing into another footballers leg.
too many times players accidently getting a slight touch near the boundary line.
If it doesn't warrant a stat it isn't a free kick.

 

[PCORF]

Liked:

• The Crows second quarter, but there is still a long way to go in 2026. The win was unconvincing but they got the job done.
• Bombers ending their losing streak.
• Hawthorn are a genuine premiership threat in 2026 and if Brisbane don't win it I think Hawthorn win it.

Hated:

• Umpiring, not 15 play on when they kick it more than 15m.
• Pretty average weather compared to last year but luckily a lot cooler than the scorcher we has last year.
• Gold Coast Suns, just your average Suns. Their season is going to fall apart fast if they cannot beat the top sides.

Next year: Adelaide need to play Hawthorn in Gather Round.

 

[Zevon]

No smashing of Rossy Lyon this week? That’s disappointing!

I thought I’d give poor Ross a break for a week. Word is he’s a devoted reader of this thread every round and I don’t want to upset him too much in case he calls me a mean nepo baby or something.

The Saints did pretty well this week I thought - good effort to steady when Port were coming at them hard after half time.

 

[voorhees]

LIKED- *Essendon finally got the win
* Freo- game came alive with 5mins left, and a great finish

LEARNT- saints had fight to stay focused and get the win.
*the dee's- Gaen has a quite one and the team folds...badly.

HATED- *unfortunately the rains hit gather round
*Richmond's senior players- so below standard

 

[davos44]

Liked: Gather Round works in SA, because of the love of AFL and location. It would be a disaster in NSW or QLD and WA is too far away to drive for touring supporters

Learned: Norwood Oval is the right place with the wrong ground. The other SANFL grounds aren't nearly good enough (Alberton oval is) and aren't in a location where 10000 people can actually be before or after the game. Hawks, Swans and Freo are the main contenders to Brisbane at the moment.

Hated: The skills in the Port Saints game were disgraceful from both sides.

 

[spacedout]

Liked:

* Ummm..the Giants winning. That's about it. Found all the games rather uninspiring due to the sub-standard skills.

Learnt:

• The AFL with all it's rule changes has made athleticism more important than skill.
• Too many players are trying to be smart-ar5es with kicks and handpasses. The failure rate is high resulting in constant turnovers making it frustrating viewing.
• Goal kicking must get very little time at training. The number of set shot misses is ridiculously high, often close to goal.

Hated:

• The weather impacting on already poor skills.
• Music after goals. Would have hated to be at some games. Obnoxiously loud on the Fox coverage.
• There seems a substantial increase in players dropping their body and leaning into the tackler to get a high contact free kick.
• The amount of acting for frees is embarrassing and is clearly a tactic enforced at training. On its way to soccer-level faking.

Further learnt:

*I'm not liking where the game is heading.

AFL has gotta go the hockey route and start calling embellishment frees, the downside is it's yet another rule that is open to interpretation

 

[Art Vandelay_]

The irony of a Geelong supporter complaining about this. FMD.

Odd statement. The club followed doesn't prohibit someone from having an opinion.

 

[JackFlash]

Liked: Back on the winners list! Eagles giving a bit of a yelp albeit for half a game. Port away strip was easily the best of the wacky gather round strips used by other teams. Gather round is one success "You Can Hang Your Footy Beanie On", the AFL cop a lot of flack sometimes (deservedly so) but gather round is good and should stay in SA for a few more years yet!

Learnt: The Dogs need a full list to choose from if they are to compete for this year's flag! A strange performance.
Richmond will be lucky to win a game this year?

Hated: The umpiring in the Port V Saints game was atrocious, i'm no fan of Port at any time, but they were harshly done by, that 50 metre and goal was rubbish and the resulting report was just being vindictive!
Gold Coast playing strip!

 

[57 Milner]

Odd statement. The club followed doesn't prohibit someone from having an opinion.

Maybe it was the reference to a 'shitty wind-swept suburban ground ...... ruined by the weather' sounding a lot like GMHBA. Just a thought.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Maybe it was the reference to a 'shitty wind-swept suburban ground ...... ruined by the weather' sounding a lot like GMHBA. Just a thought.

That's like me saying that because you follow Adelaide you can't comment on racism because you've had a couple players make ill thought out remarks. Or West Coast fans should stay silent on drugs. St.Kilda fans shouldn't talk about dwarves.