In Round 4 of the AFL, the Demons continued their surge under a new coach but the Suns failed another test. A young Roo stood tall when others couldn’t, the Pies were flat, and too many sides are coughing up big leads. Here’s whose stocks are up and down.
Our footy experts cast their eye over the week’s action to find out whose stocks are up — whether it’s a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder — and whose are down.
Adelaide
Stocks up: Lachie McAndrew‘s impressive start to life as an Adelaide Crow continued on Friday night. Playing in tandem with Reilly O’Brien but trusted as Matthew Nicks’ No. 1 ruck option, McAndrew had 31 hit outs, 13 tackles, and three clearances. Thriving off his influence was James Peatling (26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, and eight clearances) who adds another dimension to the Crows’ struggling midfield brigade and is growing in importance.
Stocks down: Losing Darcy Fogarty (back) and Isaac Cumming (illness) before the match was never a good sign coming up against a legitimate flag threat in Fremantle. Those late omissions gave Chayce Jones and Finnbar Maley — who kicked the first goal of the game — a chance and as much as they had their moments, it wasn’t ideal.
Brisbane
Stocks up: The Lions’ midfield took the complete mickey out of Collingwood on Thursday night and did as they pleased for four quarters, with two-time Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft one of the main beneficiaries in the guts with a masterful 36 disposals, 15 contested possessions, six clearances, 11 score involvements, and one incredible goal of the year contender via a left foot snap from the boundary. Three Brownlow votes should be going his way, too.
Stocks down: Being a fringe player must be tough in Brisbane. Well, maybe not in Round 4, with a backline depleted and many names getting a look in the starting 23 that otherwise may not feature. But still, last week’s result just highlights the amount of depth Chris Fagan has at his disposal, and with names like Harris Andrews, Hugh McCluggage, and Eric Hipwood (among others) to come back, some tough selection calls are going to be made very soon, let alone when the whips are cracking.
Carlton
Stocks up: There isn’t a hell of a lot to be excited about right now for Carlton fans, maybe first halves, Jagga Smith and Harry Dean aside. But it was great to see Nic Newman back out there playing AFL footy after more than a year out of the game with a knee injury, featuring for the first time since the 20254 elimination final in Brisbane. His return was more than a pass and he provides composure and kicking skills that the team sometimes lacks, finishing with 19 disposals (90% efficiency), nine marks, and a goal which had teammates swarming him in celebration.
Stocks down: Will Hayward, we need to see more than that. Admittedly, life can absolutely be tough in an AFL forward line, but six disposals with no scoreboard impact isn’t what the Blues hoped they would get from the usually-reliable, creative forward-half threat.
Collingwood
Stocks up: There aren’t many Collingwood players that can hold their head high after that really flat performance, but one of them who can is Dan Houston, who seems to have finally found his feet in that back six. We must admit, the ball was being peppered into that backline for much of the night so he was able to make the most of Brisbane’s territory dominance, but Houston’s 32 disposals, team-high six score involvements, team-high seven intercept possessions, and game-high 12 rebound 50s only add to the quality start to the year he has had.
Stocks down: It’s clear the Pies just aren’t the same without Nick Daicos. They have won without him before, including during the 2023 finals series, but with those who were contributing around him now a couple of years older, and important pillars Darcy Moore and Scott Pendlebury also missing, it’s clear there was a lack of depth present at the Gabba. A fully healthy Collingwood can be a competitive one, but the 54-point loss to the much-deeper Lions exposed Collingwood’s biggest weakness in 2026.
Essendon
Stocks up: TBD
Stocks down: TBD
Fremantle
Stocks up: We could highlight some usual suspects here, but gotta give credit where it’s due to young key forward Jye Amiss after we put the spotlight on him a couple of weeks ago. Amiss had just four disposals and minimal impact despite kicking a goal against the Cats in Round 1, followed by a goalless effort against the Dees one week later. In Round 3, he slotted two goals and presented well in the wet against Richmond, and in Round 4, he grew again, kicking four majors from 10 disposals and five marks in the win over the Crows, and finished with an equal game-high eight score involvements.
Stocks down: Is kicking just three second-half goals and surrendering a 34-point lead (during the third quarter, mind you) real cause for concern? On one hand, we could have been left saying ‘typical Fremantle’ if they had blown that game and lost what they shouldn’t have, perhaps somewhat lucky the Crows missed their final two shots on goal, including a poster to Jame Borlase in the final seconds. On the other, the kept fighting when trailing, showed resilience and maturity late and held on for a brave win, now on a three-game win streak. Either way, two things can be true at the same time: they’re probably a real contender, but the jury is somehow still out.
Geelong
Stocks up: TBD
Stocks down: TBD
Gold Coast
Stocks up: Tough afternoon at the MCG and a disappointing loss for a contender, yes, but Zeke Uwland‘s stocks are still rising. The youngster is now four games into his AFL career and we’re loving the tough edge he adds to Damien Hardwick’s side. Playing on a wing, Uwland had 16 disposals against the Dees, along with five intercept possessions, and two goals as well to finish as the second highest-rated Sun behind his brother.
Stocks down: This is one that got away. For a side with genuine contender status, Gold Coast needed to win this. Yes, they were coming off a bye and may have been a touch sluggish, and Melbourne might be better than expected too, but this was a real test at the MCG, the ground they must conquer to take the next step as a club. First crack at it this season? A big fail.
GWS
BYE
Hawthorn
Stocks up: TBD
Stocks down: TBD
Melbourne
Stocks up: The ‘Melbourne under Steven King‘ era is off to a flying start. Now 3-1 after four games, their upset win over a highly-fancied Gold Coast outfit is clearly the most impressive yet. The Dees are playing fast, exciting footy and piling on scores, looking free of pressure and confident. Max Gawn and Kysaiah Pickett are leading the way, while recruits like Jack Steele (more on him below) and Brody Mihocek add crucial edge, not to mention the improvement and energy they’re getting from the youth. It’s a fun watch right now.
Stocks down: Even from a Melbourne lens, it’s hard not to look at St Kilda’s call to let Jack Steele go. They maybe had to to allow for their offseason spending spree, but what a pick up he has been for the Demons. His life in the red and blue began with an average of 25 disposals and six clearance in three games, but on Sunday, he amassed 26 disposals, eight tackles, and a whopping 18 contested possessions and 11 clearances to help lead his new club to a stunning win.
JAKE MELKSHAM WHAT A MARK!!!#AFLDeesSuns pic.twitter.com/n8gC8zdYYx
— AFL (@AFL) April 5, 2026
North Melbourne
Stocks up: You just have to admire the sheer desperation and defensive efforts of George Wardlaw in those dying stages. First, he threw himself in the way of Carlton’s Francis Evans, smothering his shot on goal with under two minutes remaining and the margin just four points. Just moments later the young gun he laid a tackle on Patrick Cripps who was eyeing off the goals after winning a forward 50 clearance, the ball spilled free, Sam Walsh there to try and collect. Who, whilst on the ground, stretched and stuck an arm out onto the footy to stop Walsh from gathering the groundball cleanly? Wardlaw. Those one-percenters win teams games of football. Period.
Stocks down: Those being critical of Alastair Clarkson’s shove on Colby McKercher at three-quarter time, spare me. It’s a hard industry. It demands excellence, toughness, standards. And if you can’t hack it, stop watching footy, it isn’t for you. Aggressive? Maybe. Passionate? Definitely. Intended to harm? Obviously not. It’s a little bit of tough love, and it shows that the coach cares. As McKercher himself told Fox Footy after the game: “We hugged it out after. I think it’s just his way of showing care. He’s so hard on me because he cares so much. He’s trying to get a response out of me to improve in that area and make better efforts in the fourth quarter.”
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: The Power may have struggled at various points to begin the year, but one who is doing absolutely nothing of the sort is Aliir Aliir. The veteran defender has been a brick wall of late and continued his hot form in his side’s demolition of Richmond at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. Aliir finished the game with a staggering 18 intercepts and six contested marks. He might just about be ready to take a place in our rolling All-Australian team.
Stocks down: Granted, it was only his first appearance of the season, but Ollie Wines really struggled to impose himself at any stage against the Tigers. The 2021 Brownlow Medal winner managed just two kicks for the game, had one clearance, didn’t hit the scoreboard, and finished with a lowly 37 metres gained.
Richmond
Stocks up: The Power may have smashed Richmond on Saturday afternoon, but the entire midfield unit — led by Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, and Dion Prestia — actually held up pretty well. In fact, the Tigers won both the clearance (30-27), inside 50 (50-46), and contested possession (115-111) counts. And while we’re dishing out praise, how about that spectacular grab from Maurice Rioli?!
Stocks down: Does Samson Ryan look cut out to being a professional footballer? We’ll let you decide that one. The Tigers big man was a liability for much of his side’s game against the Power, and to make matters worse, his off-the-ball gut punch on Jordan Sweet — when Richmond was actually making a run — is likely to be met with a hefty penalty. Not smart at all.
‘ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON’ 💥
Maurice Rioli gets UPPPPP for this hanger… and a much-needed first-half spark!
📺 Watch #AFLTigersPower on Ch.504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/pPEOd7MuRO
✍️ BLOG https://t.co/pTCcZPlX1V
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/08Rt2E7iA2 pic.twitter.com/8HfQtvXSSG— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) April 4, 2026
St Kilda
BYE
Sydney
Stocks up: Where do you start?! The Swans absolutely torched West Coast for one of the biggest wins in club history, so it’s fair to say stocks are rising across the board. There was Isaac Heeney, who starred with 26 disposals and four goals. Tom Papley, in his 200th game, added two goals and had a game-high 14 score involvements. Brodie Grundy dominated in the ruck with 28 touches, a goal, and 18 contested possessions. And even the previously struggling Charlie Curnow kicked four majors!
Stocks down: When you win a game on the road by 128 points, everyone’s stocks are up. This club is absolutely flying!
West Coast
Stocks up: It was an ugly, ugly game for the Eagles, but last year’s top draft pick Willem Duursma showed once again why he entered the league with enormous hype. The 18-year-old was arguably his side’s best player in the drubbing, kicking two of their four goals and tallying 16 disposals at high efficiency. He really looks like he belongs at this level.
Stocks down: Those in the media that have been hyping up this club … yeah, how’s that going? Now, we’re also guilty of claiming the Eagles had officially turned the corner. The reality is this football team is still miles off the pace and Saturday night’s clash against the Swans proved it yet again. But will it get more grim than what it has been over the last few years? You know, still probably not!
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: TBD
Stocks down: TBD
