Is it a stretch to say Carlton could benefit from trading one the the AFL's biggest stars in Charlie Curnow? Does the pre-finals bye week need tweaking?
Let's get to this week's overreactions, where we judge a few major takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
Carlton would benefit from parting ways with Charlie Curnow
Will superstar key forward Charlie Curnow remain at Carlton in season 2026 and beyond? That seems to be the million-dollar question facing the club this offseason, as rumours continue to swirl in footy circles the 28-year-old could have played his last game in navy blue.
Verdict: Overreaction
At last week's exit meeting, Curnow, who is contracted until the end of 2029, reportedly expressed his interest in being traded away from the club that drafted him a decade ago.
Curnow has since been heavily linked to Sydney, a team that's desperately been searching for a reliable key forward since the retirement of Lance Franklin in 2023. Perennial destination club Geelong has also emerged in recent days as a potential suitor for his services.
But unless the Swans, Cats, or any other club pays significant overs to lure Curnow away from the Blues, which appears unlikely, it's simply not in the team's best interest to move him on. They don't need to, they don't have to, and right now they hold all of the cards.
Season 2025 may have been a disappointing campaign for Curnow, who started the year injured before registering just 32 goals in 18 games. At times, he looked completely disinterested, but let's not forget he's a two-time Coleman Medal winner who booted a league-best 202 goals between 2022 and 2024. He's also 28 years of age and only really now entering his prime as a key position player.
Carlton agrees he must stay at IKON Park. The club quickly shut down the trade rumours, with coach Michael Voss claiming the "incredibly important" Curnow was not for sale and that they would not be entertaining any offers for their spearhead.
"Our position is pretty clear ... he'll be at Carlton in 2026," Voss told SEN radio earlier in the week. "We feel like he's an incredibly important person to us and so he'll figure for us moving forward. Hopefully he's playing out the rest of his career here."
Whether that was just posturing in a bid to drive his value up remains to be seen. After all, it's hardly in the Blues' best interest to acknowledge any rift that's emerged between Curnow and the club.
So, hypothetically, what could get a deal done? Errol Gulden or Chad Warner for Curnow? Maybe. But the Swans are highly unlikely to want to part ways with either of their young midfield stars, even if a straight swap would fill a huge list need for the Swans and offer Carlton some midfield dynamism.
Isaac Heeney is a year older than Curnow, so it's hard to imagine the Blues would want to walk that path, nor would Sydney want to give Heeney up. There may not be another player on Sydney's list that would come close to getting a deal done.
-- Jake Michaels
The pre-finals bye week needs tweaking
It was a week off from men's footy, with the now-entrenched pre-finals bye allowing the AFLW clear air across the weekend, with the AFL Awards night and Legends Game going head-to-head on Thursday night. But could the festivities be tweaked to be a little more engaging than it was?
Verdict: Not an overreaction
There are a few moving parts to this, but let's acknowledge this was a weird end to the season with the final game played on a Wednesday night before rushing into the AFL Awards-Legends Game quinella the very next night.
Let's spread it out a bit. Hold the awards night on Friday night, and schedule the Legends on Saturday night in prime time. We know people are keen to watch it, as it was revealed it was Channel 7's highest rating Australian rules football game of the season. Bigger than Anzac Day. Bigger than King's Birthday. Let that sink in!
Of course, in an ideal world, the AFLW would do the heavy lifting in terms of footy action over the weekend, but the reality is the league isn't there yet, and doesn't have enough pull to engage a lot of footy fans.
Having the Awards and Legends Game go head-to-head was a problem that's easily fixed. Make it happen for an easy win, Andrew Dillon. Goodness knows you need one!
-- Matt Walsh