AFL Round 23 Results: Highlights & Expert Analysis

Round 23 produced two drawn games, the first time Hawthorn and Collingwood have drawn both meetings in a season, and the Carlton draw that locked the wildcard four and ended St Kilda's and GWS's seasons. Every score plus the full ladder.

Round 23 gave us something the AFL has never seen. Two drawn games in the same round, and one of them was the second Hawthorn and Collingwood have played out this season, making them the first clubs in VFL/AFL history to draw both home-and-away meetings in a year. The other, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs at Marvel, settled the finals race: the Blues are in the wildcard round, and St Kilda and Greater Western Sydney are out. Fremantle wrapped up the minor premiership, and one round now remains before the competition’s first Wildcard Round.

AFL 2026: Round 23 in Focus

Nine games, two of them drawn, and a top-ten picture that closed off with a round to spare. Our tips went seven from nine on the result, and the two that beat us were the two draws, which is about as unlucky as a tipping round gets. Game by game below, then the full ladder and what the final round decides.

Dockers seal the minor premiership at Optus

Fremantle 16.16 (112) def. Adelaide 13.10 (88)

Fremantle made it 20 wins from 23 on Friday night, putting away a top-eight side by 24 in front of 55,010 at Optus Stadium. Twenty-three straight rounds at the top of the ladder is not an accident, and at 141.7 per cent they have the best for-and-against in the competition by a distance.

Adelaide stay seventh and drop into the wildcard bracket, which is a very different prospect from the double chance. Our preview had Fremantle by 13 or more and that is exactly how it landed.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Adelaide vs Fremantle head-to-head record & tips →.

Saints bury Richmond but it is not enough

St Kilda 14.10 (94) def. Richmond 6.9 (45)

St Kilda did their job in the Saturday-lunchtime slot at the MCG, winning by 49 against a Richmond side who have now lost 20 of 23. Six goals from the Tigers in a full game tells the story of their season.

The cruel part for the Saints is that the result did not save them. Carlton’s draw later in the round ended St Kilda’s finals hopes, so a 49-point win became a footnote. Our tip of St Kilda by 13 or more was correct.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Richmond vs St Kilda head-to-head record & tips →.

Cats survive a Kangaroos shootout at Marvel

Geelong 19.11 (125) def. North Melbourne 17.8 (110)

The best game of the round on pure entertainment. Geelong and North Melbourne combined for 36 goals and 235 points, and the Cats needed all of theirs to get home by 15 in front of 35,529.

Geelong hold sixth, which is the last spot inside the top six and therefore the difference between a straight run at finals and the wildcard round. North Melbourne have now lost 14. We had Geelong by 13 or more and got there by two points of margin.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Geelong vs North Melbourne head-to-head record & tips →.

Lions handle the Suns in the Q-Clash

Brisbane 14.11 (95) def. Gold Coast 6.17 (53)

Brisbane were never troubled at the Gabba, winning by 42 to hold third and keep a top-four spot in their hands going into the final round. Gold Coast kicked 6.17, and 17 behinds is a scoreboard confession.

The Lions face Collingwood in Round 24 with the double chance on the line. Our tip of Brisbane by 13 or more was comfortable.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Brisbane vs Gold Coast head-to-head record & tips →.

History at the MCG: Hawks and Magpies draw again

Hawthorn 13.14 (92) drew with Collingwood 13.14 (92)

The game of the round and a genuine piece of history. Hawthorn and Collingwood finished level for the second time this season, 92 apiece in front of 76,186 after they had also drawn 93-93 back in Round 8. They are the first clubs in VFL/AFL history to draw both their home-and-away meetings in the same season.

Identical scores in both halves of the fixture, right down to 13.14 here. Hawthorn now carry three draws for the season and sit fifth on 62 points; Collingwood are eighth on 54 and still holding a finals place. Our tip was Hawthorn by 1 to 12, so a draw is one of only two results in the round that beat us.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Collingwood vs Hawthorn head-to-head record & tips →.

Demons destroy Port Adelaide in Adelaide

Melbourne 20.12 (132) def. Port Adelaide 8.8 (56)

Melbourne went to Adelaide Oval and won by 76, which is the biggest margin of the round. Twenty goals away from home in the second-last round is the sort of statement a side makes when it fancies its September.

The Demons move to fourth on 64 points and are level with Brisbane, split only by percentage. Port Adelaide have now lost 17. We tipped Melbourne by 13 or more.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Melbourne vs Port Adelaide head-to-head record & tips →.

Giants win big but their season ends anyway

Greater Western Sydney 16.15 (111) def. West Coast 7.15 (57)

GWS did everything asked of them, winning by 54 at Engie Stadium in front of a sparse 7,345. West Coast have now lost 19 and sit 16th.

Like St Kilda, the Giants were undone elsewhere: the Carlton draw at Marvel ended their finals hopes on the same afternoon. Our tip of GWS by 13 or more was right.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full West Coast vs GWS head-to-head record & tips →.

The draw that decided the eight: Blues and Dogs level

Western Bulldogs 12.10 (82) drew with Carlton 12.10 (82)

The second drawn game of the round, less than 24 hours after the first, and the most consequential result of the weekend. Carlton and the Western Bulldogs finished level at 82 in front of 44,106 at Marvel, and the single point secured Carlton’s place in the wildcard round while ending the seasons of St Kilda and Greater Western Sydney.

The Bulldogs sit ninth on 52 with a percentage of 94.4, the only side in the top ten under 99. Carlton are tenth on 48. Both are now in the wildcard bracket rather than the eight proper. We had Carlton by 1 to 12, so the draw was our second miss of the round.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Carlton vs Western Bulldogs head-to-head record & tips →.

Swans finish the job against Essendon

Sydney 17.10 (112) def. Essendon 11.10 (76)

Sydney closed the round with a 36-point win at the MCG to stay second on 72 points, four clear of third and effectively locked into a double chance. Essendon finish the round 2-21 and 18th.

Our tip of Sydney by 13 or more landed, the seventh of nine correct results for the round.

For the complete statistical head-to-head, see our full Sydney vs Essendon head-to-head record & tips →.

AFL ladder after Round 23

 

The top six earn a straight run at the finals. Positions seven to ten play the Wildcard Round, new in 2026, with 7th meeting 10th and 8th meeting 9th during the pre-finals bye. On the ladder above that means Adelaide, Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and Carlton, though the order can still move in Round 24.

Ladder implications

Fremantle have the minor premiership: Twenty wins from 23 and 141.7 per cent. They finish the home-and-away season on top.

Second is Sydney’s: Seventy-two points and four clear of Brisbane and Melbourne, who are level on 64 and split by percentage.

The top six is the prize: Geelong hold sixth on 60. Adelaide are seventh on 56. That one place is the difference between a straight run at finals and the Wildcard Round, and it is live in Round 24.

The wildcard four are set: Carlton’s draw locked the last of the four wildcard places and ended St Kilda’s and GWS’s seasons, per the AFL. The seedings inside that bracket are still open.

The bottom is settled: Essendon finish 18th on 8 points, Richmond 17th on 12. West Coast are 16th.

Round 23 talking points

Two draws in a round, and a first in 130-odd years: Hawthorn and Collingwood drew 93-93 in Round 8 and 92-92 here. No two clubs had ever drawn both their home-and-away meetings in the same season. Hawthorn now have three draws for the year, which is worth six points and has kept them fifth.

One point ended two seasons: The Carlton and Western Bulldogs draw sent Carlton into the wildcard bracket and eliminated both St Kilda and GWS, each of whom had won that afternoon. Winning your own game is not always enough.

Draws are a real market, not a novelty: Two in one round is a reminder that the draw is a live option in AFL head-to-head betting, and that margin bands of 1 to 12 points carry the risk of landing on zero. Both of our losing tips this round were margin-band calls on games that finished level.

Percentage is about to matter: Brisbane and Melbourne are level on 64, St Kilda and GWS finished level on 44, and the Western Bulldogs are carrying 94.4 per cent into a wildcard bracket. Every close finish in Round 24 will be read through for-and-against.

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