Round 19 of the 2025 AFL season is in the books. So, it's time to react ... or overreact to the biggest talking points of the week.
Is it time to worry about the Magpies' premiership chances? Is it time for the AFL to hand West Coast a priority pick?
Let's get to this week's overreactions, where we judge a few major takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
It's time to worry about the Pies' premiership chances after a second straight loss
Collingwood was sitting pretty with a 14-2 record just two weeks ago, comfortably on top of the ladder with a 10-point buffer and clearly the premiership favourite. But back-to-back losses to fellow finals aspirants Gold Coast (six points) and Fremantle (one point) have brought them back to the pack.
Now 14-4, and with a challenging run home that includes clashes against Brisbane, Hawthorn, and Adelaide, their grip on a top two finish, and even top four, has become a little shakier.
Verdict: Overreaction
The ladder is certainly tightening at the top end, and Collingwood's task has now absolutely become more difficult. But writing off their premiership hopes off the back of two narrow losses, whilst holding fourth-quarter leads in both, is simply jumping the gun.
Let's live in reality: the Pies are still on top of the ladder, and their best remains as good if not better than anyone's. But finishing outside the top two -- which now looms as a likely scenario given the more favourable run home facing Geelong and Adelaide -- would complicate their grand final path.
If Craig McRae's side does land third or fourth, it could mean an interstate qualifying final, though if it's the Cats they face, they'll still get to play at the MCG. So either way, the Pies should have enough belief and have proven over the past three seasons that they can win anywhere and against anyone.
Collingwood might've let eight premiership points slip in the past fortnight and for that the margin for error is now minimal. But five rounds remain, and if they can knock off a contender or two on the run home, which admittedly will be tough to do with clashes against Brisbane, Hawthorn, and Adelaide to come, they'll be just fine.
Concern about a top two finish? Fair! Concern about a top four finish? Nah, not yet, they'd need to slip up again. Worried about their flag credentials? Absolutely not.
It's time: the Eagles deserve a priority pick
The Eagles are now very much on their lonesome at the bottom of the ladder, with just one win through 18 games and three and a half wins behind 17th-placed North Melbourne after losing to Richmond by 49 points on Saturday night.
2025 is now a fourth straight year of West Coast being in the doldrums, and after such a big loss to 'the second worst team in the league', the question has popped up again: should the Eagles get a priority pick at the end of the year?
Verdict: Overreaction
Oh, no. Not this discussion again. Don't make us tap the sign! (The sign says 'If you willfully hang onto an ageing list without topping up with good young talent, and the arse falls out of your team, you deserve your time at the bottom of the ladder and the slow, painful rebuild!')
Okay, to be fair, we discussed this two years ago in 2023. And at the time a few salient points were made.
The Eagles won a premiership in 2018, and doubled down on that list by bringing in Tim Kelly to support veterans for another shot at glory.
Older players then broke down, but there was inadequate investment in the draft and blooding young players.
The premiership window shut, the list was too old and injured, and then the list fell of a cliff.
Subsequent retirement of club champions left holes Adam Simpson was unable to fill dur to poor list management decisions.
The Eagles are a well-off club and are not in financial danger.
However, in that article, Jake Michaels said to re-visit the idea at the end of 2025, and, well, that time is here. But it's hard to sympathise with the Eagles, and if the AFL relents and awards the club a priority pick, it would set a dangerous precedent going forward.
If the AFL hands West Coast an additional selection in the National Draft, it would basically offer other teams an insurance policy on going 'all out' for a premiership. It could mean clubs abandon topping up with young talent, which would lead to similar list 'fall offs' like we've seen from the Eagles. The AFL must stay firm.