At quarter-time of season 2026, this is what your club needs to fix

April 21, 2026 — 11:34am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

As the 2026 campaign gathers steam, here’s what your team needs to fix to leap up the ladder, or remain in the premiership mix.

The Crows were expected to make another leap this year after a straight-sets finals exit last season; that’s now no lock. Scoring has become an issue, ranked 10th heading into round six for points per game and scores per forward-50m entry, having been third and fourth, respectively, last season. They are losing inside 50s by 8.6 per game, ranked 16th, having been mid-table last year, and their kick-to-handball ratio has favoured kicking too much, an issue they addressed in the win over the Blues. Ben Keays playing more as a deep forward has been questionable, while Riley Thilthorpe needs to get moving.

Perhaps a tweak is required, for midfielder/tagger Josh Dunkley hasn’t had his typical impact. The Lions co-captain and 2025 Merrett-Murray medallist is averaging 20.3 disposals (his fewest since 2017), 8.3 contested possessions (fewest since 2018), and 2.5 clearances (fewest since 2017), although he continues to be a pivotal cog. One issue for Chris Fagan is that the Lions have been one of the easiest teams to score against from kick-ins.

Elijah Hollands had a mental health episode during match

If Michael Voss is to conjure a miracle and have the Blues in finals contention, there is (much) work to do. The Blues have an over-reliance on scoring from stoppage, with more than 50 per cent of their score coming via that source – the highest percentage across the league, and well above the league average of 34 per cent. As we witnessed again against Collingwood, the Blues’ inability to close out a game continues to haunt them. They have won just one final term this season.

The Magpies have had all sorts of issues inside attacking 50m, ranking 16th for scoring (72.7points per game) and goals (10.5). That their scoring average dipped by 16 points from last year highlighted their woes, although they perhaps turned a corner against the Blues, booting 13 goals. Jamie Elliott’s lack of production had been a growing issue, but he was fantastic against the Blues. Watch for defender Jeremy Howe to be a break-glass option, should the goalkicking issues return.

Yes, game plans and structures and “playing your role” do matter, but the challenge for the Bombers is to retain the boldness – the big fix – they demonstrated in their breakthrough win over Melbourne. The Bombers need to keep taking the game on, as they did against the Demons, when they finally held an opponent to a double-digit score (78 points), and the Gold Coast. A revised defensive philosophy has also helped. The poise and class of Rising Star nominee Jacob Farrow........

© The Sydney Morning Herald