Opinion AFL 2025 Round 24 - Weekend Wrap & Liked, Learnt, Hated

[Toffee Lion]

How many teams have lost week 1 and gone on to win the flag?

It happened in 2003. Sorry Eddie.

 

[Xtreme]

Liked: Hawthorn matched it with the defending premier on their home ground. A good hit out for a finals clash.

Learnt + Hated: Umpires must have gone to the same umpiring school as the WWE referees. Blind as a bat!

 

[Tall poppy Syndrome]

Liked: Zevon’s home and away season of Liked, Learnt, Hated. We laughed, we cried, sometimes we disagreed but usually found the commentary was spot on and always witty. Hope there’s a finals version in store.

After not bothering with any footy on Saturday, watching 3 absorbing high stakes games in a row yesterday, haven’t enjoyed a ‘footy marathon’ like that in a long long time (the ending sucked though).

Learnt: Brisbane are a level above, depth is insane and remind me a bit of the 01-03 Lions in that they just coast for much of the season but are unstoppable in the games that matter.

Freo’s second quarter yesterday was as powerful as anyone’s produced this year. Why don’t they throw the shackles off more often? Could get on a roll in September.

 

[Zevon]

Liked: Zevon’s home and away season of Liked, Learnt, Hated. We laughed, we cried, sometimes we disagreed but usually found the commentary was spot on and always witty. Hope there’s a finals version in store.

Hasn’t been the same since some of history’s best authors decided to stop by and have their two cents worth if you ask me

Thanks for the kind words. The finals are shaping to be incredible so it would be rude not to put together a post season edition, watch this space

 

[JackFlash]

Liked: Finishing 2nd, giving themselves every chance again.

Learnt: The AFL administrative changes will not be enough, the suits have big problems and it can only be solved among themselves.

Hated: A lacklustre final round round that was only saved by the Sunday matches, there is too big a difference between top and bottom sides and a major free kick was given to rival codes this weekend. Short socks ( I hate em) We have the worst presented players of any field game in the world.

 

[Mr Meow]

Liked: Finishing 2nd, giving themselves every chance again.

Learnt: The AFL administrative changes will not be enough, the suits have big problems and it can only be solved among themselves.

Hated: A lacklustre final round round that was only saved by the Sunday matches, there is too big a difference between top and bottom sides and a major free kick was given to rival codes this weekend. Short socks ( I hate em) We have the worst presented players of any field game in the world.

Jack you wrote our season off as a failure many times throughout the year. Is the lid off yet? It's still Brisbane's to lose for mine, but we are right up there besides them.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Since 2000
No team has won the premiership from 4th position
9 times the winner has been first
8 times the winner has been second
6 times the winner has come from 3rd
1 times the winner has come from 5th
And 1 time the winner has come from 7th

In a pretty decent sample of a quarter of a century, the fact no-one has won it from fourth is quite the anomaly.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Liked: Zevon’s home and away season of Liked, Learnt, Hated. We laughed, we cried, sometimes we disagreed but usually found the commentary was spot on and always witty.

Yep, hats off to Zevon . Always a great read.

Werewolves of London AAAAHHHOOOOWWWWW!!!!

 

[voorhees]

liked - * Sunday night footy
* finally the h/a season finishes

learnt - Dogs fans should be so disappointed teams to good to not play finals

hated - The umpires in suns v power putrid and assisted the power getting the win

 

[Viceregal]

Its always been a mystery to me, as 3 and 4 get basically the same draw, and its not like theres such a gulf between 3rd and 4th usually.

Maybe 4th has a better chance of losing to 1st (and possibly had a harder fight to scrape in) than 3rd does to 2nd ... also a losing 4th most likely plays a winning 5th whereas a losing 3rd plays a winner of 7/8th and so is more likely to advance.

 

[Mr Meow]

Zevon I loved you sighing and begrudgingly tipping your hat to the Cats week in, week out for another season. The cliff is coming soon - I promise!

 

[hhelsenggard]

Liked: Finishing the season with a winning recording despite being 4-8, St Kilda actually playing offensive footy for once, FREOOOOOOO!!!!, Western Bulldogs exposing themselves
Learnt: Eveness of the 8 will make top 4 all the more needed, Brisbane's 16 wins and draw carries good fortune as of the 9 other teams who finsihed with this record 8 of them (96' Swans 48'/68' Dons, 52' Cats, 13' Dockers, 15' Eagles, 80' Richmond and 82' Carlton) made the Grand Final with 76' Carlton losing the prelim by a point
Hated: Deliberate call which lost Hawthorn the game, I guess common sense and context isn't taught to umpires

 

[hhelsenggard]

After not bothering with any footy on Saturday, watching 3 absorbing high stakes games in a row yesterday, haven’t enjoyed a ‘footy marathon’ like that in a long long time (the ending sucked though).

This Sunday or Round 9 Sunday, which was better?

 

[Wosh]

Glad to see Zevon getting some lovins for this thread and hopefully more people will post in it, it really is a great way to wrap up the week and always brilliantly written. Good stuff Z

 

[King Patty]

How many teams have lost week 1 and gone on to win the flag?

Essendon in 1993

 

[JackFlash]

Jack you wrote our season off as a failure many times throughout the year. Is the lid off yet? It's still Brisbane's to lose for mine, but we are right up there besides them.

I admit i wear my heart on my sleeve, i do get emotional. I am glad the Dogs are out though even though their backline is rubbish and there is a huge difference between their top 8 players and the rest. No lid to blow off yet as Brisbane have our measure of late. I think the Cats can beat them at the MCG.

 

[voorhees]

Glad to see Zevon getting some lovins for this thread and hopefully more people will post in it, it really is a great way to wrap up the week and always brilliantly written. Good stuff Z

good call..great work all year Zevon

 

[Zevon]

Zevon I loved you sighing and begrudgingly tipping your hat to the Cats week in, week out for another season. The cliff is coming soon - I promise!

 

[Gilbert_Grape]

In a pretty decent sample of a quarter of a century, the fact no-one has won it from fourth is quite the anomaly.

It's actually 9-7-7 (7 each from 2nd and 3rd.)

Interstate sides have only won 2 from 11 attempts when finishing 1st (2004 & 2006) - most interstate premiers haven't come from 1st.

The 'dynasty' teams also rarely won from 1st - Bris, Gee, Haw, Rich only won 2 out of 12 from 1st - mostly winning from 2nd/3rd. (not counting Gee 22 in the 07-11 dynasty). Bris/Rich never won from 1st. The experience from a recent flag no doubt goes a long way.

Pre-finals bye is a pretty material change though.

 

[King Patty]

There were some good contests last week.

North & pies - Xerri is an underrated Ruckman,
Freo & Dogs
Brisbane & Hawks
Port & Suns
Pies & dees

its shaping up for a good finals series.

I think even most fans are sick of seeing teams from bottom 4 playing playing. sides like Eagles, Dons, tigers all flogged - North actually shwoed something this week was good. maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for them.

For Essendon fans this week is like a mini final - will be great if they could end Gold Coasts finals campaign before it begins.

 

[Osho]

Liked:
PATRICK VOSS!

Disliked:
Refereeing is all over the show from game to game. While players and tactics have improved exponentially over the years, refereeing standards have plummeted and detract from the game.

 

[King Patty]

Liked:
PATRICK VOSS!

Disliked:
Refereeing is all over the show from game to game. While players and tactics have improved exponentially over the years, refereeing standards have plummeted and detract from the game.

That Mitch Lewis free in the Lions hawks game, where both commentators, say they don't believe the free was there. Is a bit concerning, i thought it was great attack on the footy by Starcevich running back with the flight. made it worse when Lewis kicked truly.

 

[Viceregal]

Glad to see Zevon getting some lovins for this thread and hopefully more people will post in it, it really is a great way to wrap up the week and always brilliantly written. Good stuff Z

I look forward to this thread every week and appreciate the effort Zevon puts in to the summaries (which saves me from having to watch most of them!)

 

[guruisatiger]

In a pretty decent sample of a quarter of a century, the fact no-one has won it from fourth is quite the anomaly.

Yes indeed 1997 was last time it happened. Hopefully Collingwood continue the trend

 

[guruisatiger]

Crows in 98. Pricks.

Changed the rules after that lol