It was great to get back to football this weekend after the scandal engulfing the Sydney Swans took enormous media attention for days.
On the field
Last Thursday night, with only pride to play for, the visiting Gold Coast Suns defeated St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. Saints fans will be very disappointed with their team’s lacklustre performance in their final game as they went down 14.19.103 to 12.8.80. Given that both teams were expected to play in the finals this season, it’s a surprise that neither will. On Friday night, the Brisbane Lions flexed their muscles against Collingwood at the MCG and, in the process, ensured that they would have a double chance in this year’s finals. The Lions mauled the Magpies by 63 points and, heading into September, look as much a threat as any team to win the flag.
Minor premiers Fremantle played Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but for the second time in three weeks the Dockers could not get the four points. The enthusiastic Blues, after conceding the first four goals of the game, completely outhustled Freo all around the ground. It was a confidence-boosting win for Carlton heading into next weekend’s Wildcard game versus Melbourne: Final score Blues 18.11.119, Freo 12.10.82. The Dees, meanwhile, did themselves no favours this round when they fell to the Western Bulldogs 16.12.108 to 12.15.87 at the MCG. The loss dropped Melbourne from the top 6, denied them a week’s rest next week, and put them in a do-or-die wild card game. On Saturday night, Geelong cruised to a 20.13.133 to 11.10.76 win over Richmond, while Adelaide had a similarly lopsided victory over GWS by 56 points.
On Sunday, Essendon had the chance to avoid the wooden spoon if they could defeat Port Adelaide at Docklands. It was a big incentive, and the Bombers’ desire couldn’t be faulted, but a lack of polish in their forward 50 ultimately cost them the game. It was a close finish which could have gone either way, but Port won by 10 points. After the off-field dramas involving the Swans, many of us were lured into tipping North Melbourne in their game versus Sydney at the SCG. The Swans, however, had other plans and easily won by 52 points. In the final game, Hawthorn had a 16.11.107 to 6.9.45 victory over West Coast at Perth Stadium. Their win ensured the Hawks finished in the top 4, but the margin wasn’t large enough to dislodge Brisbane from third spot on the ladder.
Tipping
Thank you to everyone who has participated in our tipping competition in 2026. It’s been a close contest all season and no doubt stressful for our leaders as the season drew to a close. I really appreciate your involvement and hope you’ve had some fun along the way. Please come back next year! A big thank you to RBYC for awarding plenty of dining prizes throughout the season and to our top three tipsters as shown below.
The final round was tricky, and our leading contenders went different ways on a few of the ’50-50 games. As a result, our leaderboard changed. Jeremy Posner and Cazza SG moved up while GPD49er dropped back. Big congrats to Jeremy, our 2026 champion. He was closely followed by John Naughton, with Cazza SG in third place – she had a better margin than Flying Doctor and GPD49er, who were equal on total tips. Congratulations to Yehno, who was our top tipster this week with 8 winners. Very well done.
Final Results Season 2026
Jeremy Posner 156 (662) $100.00 dining voucher at RBYC
John Naughton 155 (665) $40.00 dining voucher at RBYC
Cazza SG 154 (603) $20.00 dining voucher at RBYC
Flying Doctor 154 (671)
GPD49er 154 (697)
Big D 153 (636)
Richard Jones 153 (639)
Tedwood068 153 (656)
Oracle 152 (568)
Pauline Dallimore 152 (639)
That’s it for Season 2026. If anyone would like to participate in my 2026 NFL tipping competition (American gridiron starting in early September), please respond to this message and I will send you the details.
Don