Welcome to the midway round of the season, and one with no shortage of high-profile matchups and talking points heading into it. The swans have dropped 3 of 4, but can make things right if they get past a Lynch-less Tigers — how will Richmond have to adjust? Then there's the first real game for McVeigh's GIANTS at Brisbane, and Geelong's chance at revenge for last year's Round 1 defeat to Adelaide. The standalone Saturday game should be a thriller between Narrm and Freo, with each side missing a key piece. The Eagles exist, and the Bulldogs should run right through them, which means the Suns and Hawks should get all the love and viewership as the AFL returns to Darwin for the first time since 2020. On Sunday, St Kilda may take advantage of a North Melbourne side that may very well be affected by off-field tumult, and Charlie Dixon looks to return for Port against Essendon, but Collingwood and Carlton should dominate the day for all the right reasons.
