Are McRae’s Magpies timing their run or running out of time?

Craig McRae decried their lack of effort. But is it more than that? They seem unsettled, over-coached perhaps. Their famous skill of “managing the minutes” to win close games has increasingly looked like it’s become about their efforts to manage their players through the season once they decided they had qualified for finals when they chalked up their 14th win of the season five games ago. Nick Daicos of the Magpies was a surprise starter on the bench against Hawthorn. Credit: Getty Images That’s what comes with having an old (and experienced) team playing in big matches every week. The poor run started with a loss to Gold Coast when Scott Pendlebury, not for the first time, started as the sub. His introduction to the game changed the team’s fortunes, but they still lost.

They planned Jordan De Goey and Bobby Hill’s minutes in the loss to the Brisbane Lions. They played reasonably well (Hill missed against the Hawks through illness), but integrating them back has been challenging. Ned Long’s form (and his confidence, a feeling the coach doesn’t believe in) has dropped and Tom Mitchell’s inclusion has unsettled the midfield. Collingwood players show their concern for teammate Jeremy Howe, who injured and stretchered off the ground in the opening moments of Thursday night’s match against Hawthorn. Credit: Getty Images A hard training phase designed to have them charging at the right time remains open to judgment, while injuries to Beau McCreery and Jeremy Howe haven’t helped. It’s exposed a lack of depth as Collingwood have used just 35 players this season, their least in a year since 2011.

Giving youngsters, such as Wil Parker and Ed Allan, limited opportunities means little pressure has been placed on many core players who are both out of form, and also wondering about their next contract. Then, on Thursday night in a must-win game, Nick Daicos started on the bench for the first time, and finished with his lowest percentage of game time since round two, and the sixth-lowest percentage of game time in his career (two of those six he was subbed off with an injury). It was nothing unusual, McRae said post-game. But coaches don’t make such moves without a reason. Perhaps it was another case of managing the minutes. Everyone has their turn, McRae said, even leaders. He’s right, but some take their turn more than others. Dan Houston hasn’t started there this season, but Josh Daicos has plenty of times.

It appeared a subtle reminder to the precocious younger Daicos that team trumps everything when, in fact, at this time of the season, winning does. Hawthorn had two goals on the board and Jeremy Howe was out for the count before Daicos entered the fray and momentarily changed the look of the game. Loading McRae spoke post-match about his players being too outcome-focused rather than facing the next moment. Yet every decision the Magpies have made in the past month appeared more outcome-focused than focusing on what’s in front of them. McRae did not mince his words post-game as no time is left for mucking around. The Magpies need to bounce back against the Crows, so, even if they lose, they take some momentum into finals. The many punts the club have taken since the end of last season are about to be realised.

Meanwhile, the Brisbane Lions’ loss to Sydney was their fourth loss in their past eight appearances at their Gabba home. It virtually ruins their hopes of hosting a qualifying final, but also puts a top-eight spot at risk. The Lions in 2025 have morphed into your typical teenager: better away from home than at home. The premiership coach has plenty to contemplate Credit: Getty Images But the reigning premier has not done much wrong, beyond losing ground balls and being inaccurate, as their coach Chris Fagan pointed out after the shattering loss. Injuries to key players have hurt, with Lachie Neale’s absence not as dramatic as losing premiership defenders Brandon Starcevich, Jack Payne, Noah Answerth and Ryan Lester from their backline on Saturday. Their forward line is weaker, too, without Joe Daniher, and with Charlie Cameron and Eric Hipwood out of form.

The Lions remain a contender, however, as their draw has been tougher than anyone, having played the top nine teams 11 times so far with matches against Fremantle and Hawthorn to come, making it 13. They twice beat the Cats, who will have played top-nine teams just 10 times by season’s end. Adelaide have played top-nine teams 11 times and face Collingwood – which has played the top-nine teams 10 times so far – in a blockbuster Saturday night match in Adelaide. Fremantle have only played the top-nine teams eight times so far, with the Lions and the Bulldogs to come. Even the Gold Coast will finish the season with 11 matches against top-nine teams. In the first season ever where 15 wins might be required merely to make finals, the Lions’ task has shone a fiercer light than ever on how the distorted fixture has real ramifications for the ladder and, potentially, the finals.

Back with the flight, Darcy stamps himself If the Bulldogs make anything of this season they will have Sam Darcy to thank. Not only has he kicked 45 goals in 15 games, but he took an incredibly brave mark in the final minute of a cliffhanger at the MCG to ensure his team remains in finals contention with an exciting win against the Demons. Sam Darcy in full flight Credit: Seven The game shaped as the classic banana-peel match for the Bulldogs, who would have known on Tuesday that the difficulty of their task had been increased by Simon Goodwin’s sacking as Demons coach.

Since 2013, the new-coach bounce has seen the underdog win seven of 16 matches. And Melbourne were unusual in that their new coach, Troy Chaplin, was taking over a team that had won its previous match by 83 points. The Demons made the Bulldogs work as hard for victory as any team has this season. Marcus Bontempelli, with 10 final quarter touches, Aaron Naughton (five goals) and Ed Richards (14 clearances) led the way, while Joel Freijah’s hands in the final quarter were the reason the Bulldogs kicked six goals to come from behind. But as the father-son debate heats up, it was Darcy’s impression of Nick Riewoldt or Jimmy Bartel’s famous marks going back with the flight that was, in the end, the difference in what can only be described as a good loss by Melbourne.

Shiel’s case could be game changing Dylan Shiel’s tribunal case will be fascinating after the AFL match review officer sought to remind everyone that a player owes a duty of care to all other players, not just their opponents when referring him to the tribunal for rough conduct. The charge was for pushing Geelong’s Mark O’Connor into a contest. But the motivation, it seemed, was because of that action’s domino effect. Can you be suspended for injuring your teammate? Credit: AFL / Seven

O’Connor, propelled forward by the push, tunnelled Shiel’s Essendon teammate Luamon Lual, who was flying for the mark. Lual landed on his head and neck and could have suffered a serious injury. The decision to send it to the tribunal is reasonable as the push in the back (a rule neglected for far too long) did contribute to the outcome. But the argument to mitigate Shiel’s culpability will be interesting, as will the ramifications of the decision. Loading As Gerard Whateley reasonably asked on SEN on Saturday, does the case have to prove Shiel endangered O’Connor, or does it have to prove he endangered Lual? Lual was flying in from the side, so it would be tough to argue the push’s eventual outcome was foreseeable, as Shiel could also argue he was looking to protect the drop zone. If the tribunal finds he needed to consider whether his actions were likely to endanger his teammate, many other unlucky incidents in football might come under the microscope.

As will the duty of care reminder when it comes to other issues such as the bump. Former Cat Gary Rohan left his teammate Jeremy Cameron concussed in 2023 after a mistimed bump put the pair on a collision course. Rohan had no case to answer. But would a player now in his position be answerable? And while we are on duty of care, field umpire Andrew Stephens didn’t appear to receive a head injury assessment when he was knocked to the ground accidentally by Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee in the final quarter after he bounced the ball in the centre of the Adelaide Oval. He may have been winded, and it was unclear whether Rozee’s head hit the back of Stephens’ head or his back. But a mere ‘are you OK?’ from his colleague before play resumed seemed less than what was required, given the importance of his health and, obviously, decision-making. His failure to pay a mark to the Dockers’ Patrick Voss not long after was merely a mistake. But who, other than Stephens himself, was assessing if the knock was affecting him? Hunter or the hunted?

Hunter Clark is tough. The Saints utility has overcome all sorts of setbacks on his way to 111 matches. But one thing he can’t seem to overcome is a propensity to give away free kicks. In 2025, Clark has given away 29 free kicks and received just four. The four he received were for holding the ball, but the 29 include 10 for high tackles, eight for holding the man and three frees after opposition disposal. That’s a high percentage for someone who has laid 55 tackles this season. Hunter Clark couldn’t escape Tim Traranto’s tackle on Saturday. Credit: Getty Images Over his career, he has given away twice as many free kicks as he has received (134 frees against and 67 for). He’s also yet to receive a Brownlow Medal vote, proving umpires and Clark are world’s apart.

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