There are plenty of talking points after Round 6 of the AFL, including the Western Bulldogs' credentials without Sam Darcy, and the Friday night double-header experiment.
Let's get to this week's overreactions column, where we judge the biggest takeaways as legitimate or irrational.
The Bulldogs can still win the premiership without Sam Darcy
A season-ending ACL injury to superstar key forward Sam Darcy is a brutal blow for the Bulldogs and the club's chances of contending for this year's premiership.
The 22-year-old went down clutching his left knee early against the Cats with scans later confirming he had indeed suffered the dreaded ACL tear, meaning he will not play again in season 2026.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Well, of course they can still win it. We're barely a quarter of the way through the season and only two weeks ago many were suggesting this team was the undoubted flag favourite. It seems wildly reactionary to now draw a line through them.
As tough a blow as this is for the Bulldogs, the silver lining is that the injury has occurred in Round 6. The club has the better part of four months to experiment with different forward line personnel and structures before we reach September. For example, did you know the Bulldogs have averaged more points per game and had a better conversion percentage from forward 50 entries without Darcy than with him since the beginning of 2024? Time is very much on their side.
We know Aaron Naughton is a more than competent full forward who can take on the responsibility of being the No. 1. The mercurial Cody Weightman is still to return, while we haven't really seen the best of Rhylee West, who kicked 39 goals last year and has managed just one through six games this season.
Has the Bulldogs' job of hoisting the premiership cup just been made significantly harder? Sure. But we're just not prepared to write them off this far out.
-- Jake Michaels
Friday night double-headers just don't work
The AFL is once again dabbling in Friday night double-headers, with Geelong vs. Western Bulldogs and Sydney vs. GWS overlapping last week in Round 6.
The decision to not have these as standalone matches drew ire from the Swans and Giants, who wanted the nation's attention on them solely, while fans have been critical of being unable to watch both games simutaneously, given they started just half an hour apart. Of course, the lightning delay for the Swans-Giants clash alleviated that slightly.
So, do they work? Regardless, hope you like them, because there are four more Friday night double-headers in the next five weeks!
Verdict: Overreaction
They can work, but it is strange the league has chosen to schedule so many, when the modus operandi for the last decade has been to schedule matches with as little crossover time as possible.
The AFL has previously said the aim is to ensure more non-Victorian teams get prime time slots, and the chance to maximise crowd figures. Of the 10 total teams in the Friday night double-header slots, seven are hosted by non-Vic teams.
The issue is starting the matches too close to one another. There's a real opportunity to give the two teams in Western Australia a genuine prime time (AWST) slot, while still allowing maximum eyeballs on both games.
Start an east coast clash at 6:30pm (AEST), and then a western clash at 8:30pm or 9:00pm (AEST) which would be 6:30pm or 7:00pm in the west. You could ensure it's Fremantle vs. Port Adelaide, or West Coast vs. Adelaide as well; South Australia is already half an hour behind the east coast, so a 9:00pm AEST start wouldn't be so unreasonable. After all, back in the day, Channel 7 used to show Friday night footy on delay at 8:30pm after Better Homes & Gardens!
If it happens two or three times in a year, fans in Victoria (for example) can suck up a slightly earlier start, much like Perth-based fans do every week!
Friday night double-headers yet to come (all AEST):
Round 8:
Western Bulldogs vs. Fremantle, Marvel Stadium 7.30pm
Adelaide vs. Port Adelaide, Adelaide Oval 8:10pm
Round 9:
Brisbane vs. Carlton, Gabba 7.30pm
Port Adelaide vs. Western Bulldogs, Adelaide Oval 8.10pm
Round 10:
Sydney vs. Collingwood, SCG 7.30pm
Gold Coast vs. Port Adelaide, TIO Stadium 8.10pm
Round 11:
Richmond vs. Essendon, MCG 7.40pm
Fremantle vs. St Kilda, Optus Stadium 8.30pm
-- Matt Walsh