Round 11 has drawn to a close after an intriguing weekend of football which saw plenty of favourites upset throughout.
Collingwood remain atop the ladder one game clear of the second placed Port Adelaide, both sides now with extensive winning streaks as we approach the mid-season byes.
The Saints have continued to stumble, while the Blues remain disappointing in their struggling season.
It was an interesting weekend that has changed things up in the race to September, with some prominent winners and losers to come out of it all.
Winners
James Sicily was everywhere on Saturday, having the best game of his career under the roof of Marvel Stadium in a Hawthorn side very few expected to win.
The skipper's individual performance was one to be marvelled, helping his young Hawks side mount a comeback in the final term and run over the top of the Saints, finishing the afternoon with 43 disposals, 22 intercept possessions and 16 marks.
Simply, the Saints just couldn't stop giving him the ball and the skipper made them pay.
Speaking after the 10-point win, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell praised Sicily's phenomenal performance as one of the best he had seen.
"It is the best individual game I've coached a player in," Mitchell said
"It was as good a game as I've seen from an individual player. Every time we looked like we were breached and they were going to score, if Sicily was in the area we were OK."
The Giants were far from favourites heading into Saturday afternoon's clash against Geelong, facing the reigning premiers on their home deck at GMHBA Stadium.
In captain Toby Greene's 200th game, the Giants claimed the 7-point win and have now won their last three games down in Geelong, an impressive feat at the Cattery.
For fans living in Geelong who don't go for the Cats, the big, big sound is now one worth listening to.
The win was GWS' 4th for the season, now leaving them in 14th place at the conclusion of Round 11. While the club will be eager to get more wins on the board in Adam Kingsley's first season in charge, they unfortunately won't be making the trek south to Geelong again this season.
Toby Greene is delivering plenty in his milestone match!#AFLCatsGiants | #AFLDeadly pic.twitter.com/TJA75wZ6u9
— AFL (@AFL) May 27, 2023
Losers
Footy tips
Round 11 was filled with upsets, much to the entertainment of footy fans, but not their footy tips.
Saturday alone was full of unexpected wins across the country, with the Hawks topping the Saints, while GWS got the win over Geelong on their home deck. On the same day, Fremantle and Gold Coast both claimed wins, while on Friday night the Blues (who were considered favourites) lost to the Swans - just their second win in five weeks.
For those sitting atop their workplace tipping competitions and playing it safe, Round 11 would have been a nightmare, while those looking to gain a bit of ground may have been the most successful of all.
Blues fans
Carlton's Friday night loss to Sydney now sees the club on a four-match losing streak, sinking to 13th spot on the ladder at the end of Round 11.
With matches against Melbourne, Essendon and Gold Coast to come before the bye, the Blues need to get things turned around quickly or a long and cold winter awaits.
While there will always be a little bit of sympathy for those at the club who have to face these issues daily, it's hard not to feel for those dedicated supporters of the club who are enduring this mess once again.
Love them or hate them, there's no doubt Carlton fans are full of passion. Listening to them ring up radio stations and vent their frustrations after yet another loss is entertaining, sure, but it's also pretty sad.
Round 12 brings opportunity for the Blues to show some improvement, but there's likely no one else who has less faith they can do it than the club's own supporters.
The Carlton faithful are getting restless.
Here is some of the reaction on the talkback line after the Blues slumped to yet another defeat on Friday night 👇#AFLSwansBlues pic.twitter.com/94LFdrcivq
— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) May 26, 2023
