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SportAFLAFL 2026

‘It’s not looking good’: Heartbreaking update for young Magpie after Swans’ thrilling win; Suns shine in Darwin

Roy Ward, Jonathan Drennan and Jake Niall
Updated ,first published
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Key Posts

‘Our best is good enough’: McRae
McRae says Steene will likely need knee reconstruction
FT: Gold Coast Suns 15.8 (98) d Port Adelaide 10.13 (73)
Blakey pays tribute to Rowbottom
FT: Sydney 11.15 (81) d Collingwood 10.15 (75)
Papley goals for Swans
The Swans have awoken
Knee issue fears for Steene as he leaves the field

McRae says tough conditions to blame for missed chances

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Craig McRae knows that a close loss can be blamed on many things, but he wasn’t too critical of his side’s goal kicking against the Swans, pointing out that both clubs struggled in the tricky conditions.

“When you lose by a goal, it’s all those moments isn’t it?” McRae said.

Jamie Elliott has a shot on goal.AFL Photos

“Someone had a set shot, someone could have snapped a goal. Both teams kicked 15 points. It was tricky conditions.

“I think it is only the second time this year that the Swans haven’t kicked 100 points, so we defended the ground well at our best, which gives us a chance.

‘Our best is good enough’: McRae

By Roy Ward

Collingwood coach Craig McRae is convinced his side’s best can match it with the best clubs in the AFL, but they still have work to do.

The Magpies have a record of 4-5-1 and have battled injuries to several key players, but McRae said his side has pushed several contending sides, with the exception being their resounding loss to the Cats last round.

Magpies coach Craig McRae.AFL Photos

“It’s [the] small margins, isn’t it?” McRae said.

“We drew with Hawthorn, arguably one of the best in the competition and took them right to the line. We played Freo earlier in the year and lost by a goal – they haven’t lost since.

“Then we come to Sydney tonight with a developing group. We are showing our best is good enough.

“We have a lot of work to do. I’m not naive, [but] we showed that our best will compete.”

Full-time stats - Suns v Power

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McRae says Steene will likely need knee reconstruction

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Collingwood coach Craig McRae has revealed young ruckman Oscar Steene is expected to need a dreaded knee reconstruction.

Steene went down when his knee crumbled, and didn’t return.

Oscar Steene was assisted by medical staff before leaving the field.AFL Photos

“It’s not looking good unfortunately,” McRae said.

“The early diagnosis is a full reconstruction, but we will need to get scans to confirm all that.

“That’s sad, and to see what he was capable of against Brodie, who is one of the best ruckman in the competition, he was really holding his own, and we had a lot of ascendancy from that.”

FT: Gold Coast Suns 15.8 (98) d Port Adelaide 10.13 (73)

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In years past, even gun players who leave their clubs sometimes drop off in output when they’re in the departure lounge.

If Zak Butters is leaving Port, as many, if not most, Victorian clubs believe, then you wouldn’t know it from the way he attacks the contest and runs and competes for every second of the game.

Zak Butters was comfortably Port’s best player yet again.AFL Photos

Tonight, as the Suns held sway for the middle phase of the match – they built a 40-point lead that was always going to be enough, despite a late Port flurry that caused momentary excitement – Butters was clearly Port’s best yet again.

Just a couple of minutes left...

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Just a couple of minutes left in Darwin, the Suns look safe after all. The margin is still 19 points.

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Grundy shocked by 33-point margin

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Swans ruckman Brodie Grundy didn’t realise Collingwood lead by five games until he was told post game.

“When you told me they were 33 points up I thought ‘woah, I didn’t realise it was that much of a head start’ so that’s disappointing and it put us on the back foot,” Grundy said on Kayo Sports.

Brodie Grundy and Oscar Steene compete in the ruck.AFL Photos

“But I thought we showed some good resilience, embraced the arm wrestle and I thought it was a really great contest in the end.

“At three quarter-time I said (to my teammates) ‘they’re not going to go away.’

“I spent a lot of time obviously at Collingwood and I know the spirit they play with and they didn’t go away.

“We had to be at our absolute best and I thought it was a great contest in the end.”

It’s not over yet

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We might have been premature in handing the points to the Suns. Port have just piled on the past four goals and have a sniff – three in about five minutes, as Mitch Georgiades nearly nailed a freak goal over his head. The margin now is just 19 points with more than five minutes on the clock. A comeback is not likely, but it ain’t over just yet.

The Suns are shining in Darwin

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The Suns have ownership of this game, controlling both possession and territory, as Port Adelaide fell away from midway through the second quarter.

It’s about to enter junk time in this last quarter, as the intensity has dissipated, and little has happened for half an hour (the margin stuck at 40).

Gold Coast have beaten Port on the outside of the contest, in particular, as evident in the uncontested possession count and run from John Noble and Dan Rioli, with Bodhi Uwland underscoring his emergence, too.

They’ll move back into the top four for a day or two. Port haven’t gained as much from Jason Horne-Francis tonight as they’d bank on, and haven’t the depth of players of their opponents, who’ve been untroubled since late in the second term.

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Full-time stats - Swans v Pies

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