AFL 2026, Round 23 Talking Points

Collingwood is primed to test the AFL’s rules around resting players before the wildcard – and while the fine might be hefty, they can’t afford not to focus on the finals.

Plus the big twist in Zak Butters’ future and where it leaves the Bulldogs, and much more as the big issues from Round 23 are analysed in Foxfooty.com.au’sTalking Points!

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AFL MEMO TO COME BACK AND BITE … AND WHY PIES SHOULD GIVE ‘MIDDLE-FINGER SALUTE’

It’s the AFL memo set to come back and bite the league in the behind.

Because, with several teams all but locked into respective rungs on the ladder, there’ll be little incentive for a host of them to play full-strength squads in Round 24.

In early August, headquarters pinged an eyebrow-raising memo to the 18 clubs, off the back of instances in years past where teams have bulk-rested players for September.

“Please be reminded of the obligation in the AFL Rules on Clubs to “perform on one’s merits”, meaning that Clubs must perform honestly and to the best of their ability,” it read.

“While legitimate management of player fatigue and injuries is permitted, the AFL will scrutinise Club team selection decisions in the lead-up to the AFL Finals in the context of this Rule.”

What the league considers “legitimate management of player fatigue” is yet to be determined, but it’s hard to see a world where the likes of Fremantle and Sydney and the three confirmed wildcard teams — Collingwood, the Bulldogs and Carlton — aren’t managing multiple key players next week.

The Dockers have sewn up the minor premiership, the Swans are locked into second spot, and the Magpies are almost a certainty to play an MCG wildcard final — whether they finish eighth or ninth.

Then there’s Collingwood, the Bulldogs and Carlton, who are certainties to play on the weekend that was previously the pre-finals bye.

“I just think the AFL has shot themselves in the foot with that memo to say ‘well, you can’t do it’ – well, why not?” triple premiership star Jack Riewoldt began on Fox Footy’s Super Saturday Live.

“You’re trying to win the premiership — it doesn’t matter whether you’re managing them in Round 5, Round 15, or at the end of the home and away season.

“Your sole goal is if you’re in that wildcard (frame, spots 6-10), you’re trying to go as far as you can in finals and have a crack at winning that premiership, and you do whatever you can do to actually get there.”

Dual premiership player David King narrowed the conversation to the Magpies and their management of likely Brownlow Medal winner Nick Daicos specifically.

“The big discussion will be Nick Daicos — let’s cut to the chase,” he said.

“No one’s really going to drill into it too much if it’s those that are ageing or those that are a little bit sore.

“Does he play next week or not, is the question?”

The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph responded: “Well, he’s got the Brownlow and every AFL award wrapped up. If he’s a little bit sore …”

King piped in: “He’s not sore; he’s fine — does he play?”

Ralph answered: “Of course he does, because he’s a winner, he’s a competitor, and he hasn’t got a specific injury.

“I think if they rested four or five, that would be fine. I think what the AFL and Greg Swann don’t want is eight, 10, 12 — the Ross Lyon ‘mega resting’. I think that’s what they don’t want.

“But if I’m Collingwood and Craig McRae, I’m resting Pendlebury, I’m resting maybe the Dan Houstons of the world — anyone that’s got the slightest of sore spots.”

Riewoldt chimed in: “Darcy Cameron is not rolling out next week – I’m calling it. There’s no way you take a risk on Darcy Cameron.”

Save for an improbable percentage swing between the Pies, Crows or Cats — the latter two of whom have favourable final-round fixtures and are unlikely to lose anyway — Collingwood will play the Bulldogs or Carlton at the ‘G in wildcard round.

Thus, its Round 24 meeting with Brisbane isn’t worth risking key charges over.

“This is my default position: If you play them and they get injured, you look silly. And you sabotage a finals series on the back of a nothing game,” King said.

“There is no way either the Daicos brothers are playing for me next week, and there’s no way Darcy Cameron plays. There’s just no point!

“The result (against Brisbane) is irrelevant. You don’t have to sell that (building form) to the group — they know what you are doing, and it’s all about the week after.

“It’s not ‘one week at a time’ anymore – we’re planning for two weeks’ time, cutthroat wildcard final. All decisions are to that weekend, not next weekend.”

Nick Daicos, who hasn’t rested this year, is one of 12 Collingwood players to have played at least 20 games this season.

Josh Daicos, Dan Houston, Dan McStay, Billy Frampton and Jack Crisp have played every possible game for Craig McRae in 2026.

King added: “If Nick gets injured, it is over.”

Riewoldt followed him in, saying: “I’m not playing Nick Daicos either — why not rest 10?”

Such an outcome would certainly assist Brisbane, which needs to win — and comfortably — in order to cement third spot, which would mean a qualifying final trip to play Sydney instead of Fremantle.

Asked in his post-match press conference about the possibility of resting players against the Lions, McRae said: “Potentially, we have got a lot of players coming back. I say that, but they have still got to get through the week.

“We have another six-day break, so that might suggest some need to be managed.

“I was pretty deliberate with (high performance manager) Jarrod Wade that we will manage them if they need to be managed.”

But going back to that discussion around “legitimate management of player fatigue”, what if the Magpies ultimately rest more than the AFL deems is acceptable?

“Greg Swann has said there’s fines for up to $100,000 — so, what if they say ‘thanks Greg, here’s the middle-finger salute; we’re going to rest eight’. Then what does Greg do?” Ralph posed.

King replied: “If they fine you $100,000, well then you say, ‘No worries, we’ll take the $100,000 — we’re not risking Nick Daicos. We’re just not.”

DOGS’ BUTTERS NIGHTMARE EMERGES… AND ‘HAIL MARY’ IT COULD FORCE TO BROWNLOW WINNER

All season, the Western Bulldogs have loomed as the clear frontrunner to prise Zak Butters out of Port Adelaide.

But with free agency fast approaching, multiple reports now suggest there has been a significant late twist in the race for the Power superstar — and it could see the competition’s recruiting masters land yet another enormous coup.

Fox Footy’s First Crack host Jay Clark emphasised on Sunday night the expectation across the AFL landscape had dramatically shifted in the past 48 hours, with Geelong now considered the team best placed to secure Butters.

“All year we’ve thought that Zak Butters was headed for the Western Bulldogs; it’s been a two-year effort to try and get him to the ‘Kennel’,” Clark began.

“But, I think there’s a twist in this tale. Across the competition, the expectation across the past 48 hours in particular, is that Geelong has jumped into the box seat for Zak Butters.

“The free agency masters could do it again.”

Should that expectation eventuate, it would be another extraordinary recruiting result for the Cats, who have repeatedly found ways to attract established talent to Kardinia Park while remaining firmly entrenched in the premiership window.

Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide, end of 2015), Jeremy Cameron (GWS, 2020) and Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs, 2024) are just some of the names across the last decade who have played a major hand in the Cats’ continued success since coming from a rival club.

And Butters could represent one of, if not the, biggest acquisitions yet — leaving the Bulldogs scrambling after a pursuit that has spanned two years.

Clark believes the Dogs are already considering their contingency plans should Butters choose Geelong, with contracted Gold Coast star and reigning Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell emerging as the potential “Hail Mary” alternative.

“Where does this leave the Western Bulldogs? It means they’re quickly assessing their contingency options — because if not Zak Butters, then who?” Clark said.

“That’s Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell. He’s still contracted for next year, and we know all sorts of issues that they’ve had up there at the Suns. But, I think that will be the ‘Hail Mary’ play for the Butters (substitute).

“We know he toured the Western Bulldogs a year ago, and is a free agent next year. Already, the jungle drums are beating that Rowell is potentially going to leave the Suns.”

A shock pursuit of Rowell this year would present an obvious complication given he remains contracted for 2027, meaning the Bulldogs would need to satisfy Gold Coast in a monster trade rather than simply acquire him through free agency.

But after investing so heavily in their pursuit of Butters, missing the Port Adelaide gun would leave the Dogs with both significant salary-cap room and a major hole in their plans that now likely won’t be filled for another 12 months.

So, why Geelong?

Their ability to remain in contention has long been one of the club’s strongest selling points to prospective recruits, as has the lifestyle Geelong offers compared to Melbourne-based clubs.

But Clark believes another factor could prove particularly important in the Butters decision: stability.

While the Cats have again positioned themselves among the premiership contenders, the Bulldogs face a potentially defining 2027 campaign with long-time coach Luke Beveridge coming out of contract.

“They’ve been able to recruit these mature-age players, and they’re always contending as we see again this year. But, it’s also the stability,” Clark continued.

“This is what Zak Butters and his management team will be looking at this year … Luke Beveridge is the outlier here; he’s out of contract next year.

“We know the inferno that can surround these coaches at these clubs, when you have a coach out of contract. They have Sam Darcy coming back in off a knee (reconstruction), and potentially (Jordon) Butts from Adelaide — a new player.

“If Zak Butters is to go there, what happens if the Bulldogs make a slow start and the cauldron fires up?

“The stability of the Cats versus what’s potentially waiting at the Western Bulldogs (with) a big decision on the future of their coach will definitely be a factor, you would think, for the Port Adelaide superstar.”

Injuries have stalled the Bulldogs’ progress this year, namely with the absence of Darcy up forward since Round 6, as well as Bailey Dale across half-back for over a month.

It’s seen them field, on average, the sixth-youngest and fifth-least experienced side in the competition this season — numbers which suggest there remains plenty for the Dogs to sell Butters on beyond 2026, even amid the uncertainty surrounding Beveridge.

‘ACT LIKE WINNERS’: WILD DRAW REACTION SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT FLY’S PIES

No one knew how to feel when the final siren sounded at the MCG on Saturday night.

Except Craig McRae.

While Hawthorn players were left stunned and silent after Dylan Moore’s post-siren attempt fell short, Magpies coach McRae immediately celebrated like a man who’d just watched his team conjure a stirring victory.

He pumped his fist, roared towards Collingwood fans and high-fived his players — all with a big smile plastered across his face.

As dual premiership David King pointed out on Fox Footy post-game, “this is Craig McRae to a tee”.

“Remember they (the Pies) laid on the ground 18 months ago? He said: ‘No, behave like a winner,’” King told Fox Footy.

“They were gone (on Saturday night). Halfway through the third term, Hawthorn had put five in a row on them and you thought: ‘They’ve found their groove, how far?’ So I think he (McRae) will look at that and think ‘well done to fight back’ and at least give yourself a winning chance.

“And then: ‘Act like winners. We don’t lay on the ground, no woe is me. You gave your best, you get up, lick our wounds and go again’. That’s his mantra: ‘We live like winners, we talk like winners and we act like winners.’”

McRae wasn’t apologising for his attitude post-game.

“I don’t want to sit and not celebrate that, what we just did,” he said.

“Of course we wanted two more points, but here we are celebrating the small wins we got tonight.”

Collingwood headed into the game against Hawthorn as outsiders. The Pies were without Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard, Steele Sidebottom, Jamie Elliott, Harry Perryman, Darcy Moore, Pat Lipinski and Oscar Steene.

And yet they almost pulled off an upset against a top-four Hawthorn team only missing Conor Nash and Jack Scrimshaw.

“It’s always hard to know how to react after a draw, but I thought we won a lot of things tonight and the scoreboard wasn’t one of them, but we won a lot of things,” McRae said.

“The players don’t give up. And maybe that’s starting to reverberate across the competition. You’ve got to beat us.”

As McRae pointed out, the young Pies players “were the energisers” in the fightback.

For years the big question mark hanging over Collingwood’s list, the club’s young brigade now look like they belong.

Roan Steele, Charlie West and Will Hayes all booted two goals against Hawthorn. Ed Allan kicked a goal from 28 disposals to continue his 2026 emergence. Harvey Harrison laid six crucial tackles. Angus Anderson — a bargain 2025 draftee — kicked a goal from 12 touches.

And then there’s Sam Swadling, who again played with maturity beyond his years. Not only did he finish with an impressive 29 disposals, he pulled off the heroic, game-saving act, punching the ball back into play on the behind line on the siren to deny Moore a score and, therefore, Hawthorn the win.

“Look at it from our lens and we’ve got five players under 10 games,” McRae said.

“Our group continues to go to another level of sprit and fight and what did we get? Twenty-one points down in the last quarter? And, yeah, we just don’t give up.”

Triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said McRae was “the master of finding the shining light” out of all situations.

“The standard he sets as a coach … he would’ve said: ‘That is a big step forward for us. We’ve challenged a top-three contender,’” Riewoldt told Fox Footy.

“Yes they could’ve won, but the way he behaves publicly and behind the scenes makes sure they can grab momentum and roll on from this.

“He will always take that silver lining, he knows that’s the way to motivate this group.”

While the draw killed Collingwood’s top-six chances, it effectively locked the Magpies into an eighth-ninth wildcard clash, which will be played at the MCG.

That’s an intimidating prospect for any opposition side — and the perfect result for AFL HQ.

“There’s been times across this season where we’ve thought Collingwood was special, there’s been times where we’ve thought they were also-ran,” CODE Sports reporter Jon Ralph told Fox Footy post-game.

“But you get Collingwood in an eighth-ninth wildcard spot … (AFL CEO) Andrew Dillon would be thinking: ‘We get 100,000 maybe at the MCG in a wildcard game, that’s going to be an extraordinary way to kick off the finals.’”

And with the McRae ‘act like winners’ mantra at the forefront of his playing group’s mindset, you sense anything is possible.

TOP-FOUR TRAP? REALITY CHECK DRAW EXPOSES BIG HAWKS CONCERN

The ladder might say Hawthorn is a top-four team. But the emerging, uncomfortable reality is Sam Mitchell’s side appears a level below the genuine contenders this year.

The Hawks on Saturday night still walked away with two points, but blew a golden chance. Not necessarily from a ladder perspective, but to prove they’re class above a wildcard team like Collingwood.

McRae and his young Pies celebrated after the siren. The Hawks, conversely, weren’t as glass half-full — and neither were Fox Footy’s pundits when analysing them post-match.

“I just don’t think at the moment Hawthorn are doing enough to challenge to win the premiership,” triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt declared on Fox Footy post-match.

Riewoldt’s assessment was based on a broader sample size than Saturday night’s display.

“Their key forwards, I sense, would frustrate Sam Mitchell with the discrepancies in the output,” he said. “We see Mabior Chol, had a really poor game last week, we got one good quarter off him (against Collingwood) where you go: ‘Yep, tick, that’s an AFL standard quarter.’

“I think there’s a frustration there trying to figure out what that second ruck looks like. He is the man who would take that role with obviously no Ned Reeves.

“But at the moment they look a little bit too cute for mine with the way they move the ball.”

Fellow Fox Footy commentator David King was particularly damning of Hawthorn’s first half, claiming there were “four or five occasions” where the Hawks could’ve hit a teammate and created an easy goal, but instead chose the more difficult option.

“I just feel everything comes home to roost at this time of the year,” King told Fox Footy.

“You run one kick short — and I’ve got no doubt the coach says: ‘Hey, we were playing for ourselves in the first half and we were playing for Hawthorn in the second half.’ And there is a drastic difference.”

Ladder-wise, the draw wasn’t disastrous for the Hawks. To finish top four and earn the coveted double chance, all they have to do is beat lowly West Coast in Perth on Sunday.

If Hawthorn can climb above Brisbane and finish third, the Hawks would potentially earn a more favourable path through Sydney.

But the Lions are now humming, so there’s a good chance the Hawks finish fourth — and that’d mean a trip west to face minor premiers Fremantle in a qualifying final.

CODE Sports reporter Jon Ralph said he’d spoken to Hawthorn figures in the rooms who’d suggested the team wouldn’t be frightened by a Dockers-Optus Stadium prospect, considering the Hawks pushed Fremantle in Perth earlier this season.

King, though, wasn’t buying it.

“That sounds beautiful and I’m glad they are telling you that, but it’s impossible to go to WA and beat Fremantle at the moment,” King said.

“There’s no way you choose to go there first week and have to play every week of the finals to win it.

“It’s, in theory, an easier journey to go to Sydney, regardless of the result.”

That’s why Saturday night’s draw felt like such a missed opportunity. Because, as Riewoldt pointed out, the Hawks could’ve “solidified themselves in that top three”. Instead, they remain in a position where one finals slip-up could leave their premiership dream hanging by a thread.

Still, there are reasons for optimism.

Veteran Jack Gunston remains a tricky matchup prospect for Fremantle, having troubled the Dockers’ defence earlier this season. He’s not the only goalkicker Freo has struggled to contain in 2026.

Plus Mitchell believes the intense nature of Saturday night’s contest against Collingwood could prove valuable when the September pressure arrives.

“It was probably 100 minutes of finals-type footy and we were able to stand up OK,” Mitchell said.

“Are we good enough right now to go where we want to go? No, of course not.

“But is it within our grasp? Well, the ladder says it is and our confidence in what we can achieve says it is, so let’s see.”

And with that, the coach might’ve delivered the most accurate Hawks summation. Because while the win-loss ratio indicates they ‘belong’, their footy profile — especially against fellow top-seven sides — and recent patchy formline suggests they’re not ready yet.