Coburg celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a crucial victory, Frankston took a big step towards the top four, while several names pushed their case for AFL selection.
Below is a wrap of all the talking points out of the VFL on the weekend.
Brisbane (79) def by Casey (83)
Brisbane's Curtis McCarthy missed a shot after the siren to win a pulsating affair at Brighton Homes Arena on Sunday.
Casey started hot, but fell behind for much of the last quarter and had all the running for most of the last 10 minutes, which eventually led to former Geelong AFL-listed player Mitch Hardie kicking the match-winner.
In his first VFL match since Round 13, Oscar McInerney was one of his side's most influential with 26 hitouts, 23 disposals and a goal, while first year forward Ty Gallop kicked two goals to take his tally to 23 for the season.
For Casey, Luker Kentfield continued his excellent patch of form, with his haul of four taking him to 16 goals across the past six weeks.
Kynan Brown (22 disposals, four tackles), Jack Billings (21 disposals, one goal) and Charlie Spargo (24 disposals, six tackles) led the midfield effort and continued their reliable seasons.
There was also plenty of AFL Draft interest in the game, with top-five pick contenders Dan Annable (Brisbane VFL) and Willem Duursma (Casey) both among their team's better players, while Dees father-son prospect Kalani White and Brisbane Academy's Tyan Prindable were others in action.
Werribee (67) def by Southport (80)
Zac Foot put forward a complete performance to lead the travelling Southport to victory, finishing with 24 disposals, two goals and six tackles.
He was well-assisted by Jordan Dawson, while ruck Riley Bowman (17 disposals, one goal, 30 hitouts), stepping up in the absence of Brayden Crossley, did a splendid job competing against Werribee's Sam Conway, who leads the VFL for hitouts in 2025.
An early injury in a marking contest to winger Tai Hayes, who has attracted draft interest and received a state combine invite, was a sour note of the match for the Sharks.
For Werribee, small forward Jay Dahlhaus got things going early with three first half goals, while usual suspects Dom Brew, Jack Riding and Louis Pinnuck were the major ball-winners.
Geelong (73) def Essendon (59)
The Cats will be buoyed by the output of the hard-running Patrick Retschko, who had arguably his best game at the level to finish with 30 disposals.
The untried first-year player was taken by Geelong in the rookie draft last year and has had great consistency across 2025, while George Stevens continued his fine VFL season with 32 disposals and seven tackles.
VFL-listed speedster Patrick Kelly was another who continued his rise through 2025, while AFL Draft prospect Jesse Mellor was the only multiple goal kicker for Geelong, slotting two in his second VFL game.
Essendon's Zak Johnson pressed his claims for an AFL recall with 27 disposals, while winger Saad El-Hawli had 22.
Box Hill (54) def by Footscray (73)
The upset of the round, Footscray consigned the inaccurate Hawks to just their third loss of the season, led by Mid-Season draftee Michael Sellwood, who racked up 28 possessions.
Jordan Croft was a prominent forward target and finished with three goals, while Cooper Hynes did his chances of an AFL recall no harm with 23 touches.
VFL-listed Cooper Craig Peters was on fire early and finished with 22 touches and six tackles while Brodie Crofts was important in the contest.
Sam Butler and Cam McKenzie kept the pressure on Hawthorn AFL selectors with important contributions through the middle, while Ned Reeves had 40 hitouts.
Richmond (115) def Sandringham (74)
Richmond got away from Sandringham in the third quarter at Kinetic Stadium, Frankston, on Saturday night, with Jacob Koschitzke putting up monster numbers.
The big man finished with 27 disposals, four goals, eight clearances and 26 hitouts, providing an important target early, before carrying a big load in the ruck following a match-ending injury to first year forward Tom Sims.
Sims was unable to play out the game due to an arm injury.
Plenty of VFL-listed players also had a big hand in the victory.
Having played higher up the field in recent weeks, livewire Massimo Raso played deeper and finished with three goals, while Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal contender Harry Scott continued to press his case with 21 disposals.
Captain Lachie Street had 25 disposals, while Joel Garner had 22 disposals and nine tackles.
First year St Kilda AFL-lusted ruck Alex Dodson had a monster night with 31 touches and 41 hitouts, while Jack Carroll pressed his claims for a late season AFL call-up with 34 disposals.
VFL-listed Charlie Orchard kicked three goals for the second time in three games, grabbing an opportunity forward of the footy for the Zebras, having mostly played as an intercept defender in recent years, while skipper Blake Watson had 20 disposals in his first game back from a three-month injury layoff.
Carlton VFL (88) def Gold Coast (64)
Big name Blues Elijah Hollands (28 disposals) and Mitch McGovern (21 disposals) both showed great class, while Jaxon Binns was typically reliable with his hard-running.
VFL-listed Stirling Phipps-Parsons nabbed his second haul of three goals for the season.
For Gold Coast, small forward/midfielders Jake Rogers and Leo Lombard had 29 disposals and seven tackles, and 26 disposals and five tackles respectively.
Mid-Season pickup Caleb Lewis kicked two goals, meaning he has slotted multiples in all but one VFL game in 2025.
Coburg (90) def Port Melbourne (72)
Coburg celebrated its centenary with a critical 18-point victory over traditional rivals Port Melbourne, moving into the top 10 at the conclusion of Round 20.
The Lions sit just two per cent clear of Williamstown, however, and have a bye in the last round so will be hoping Richmond VFL can beat the Seagulls to secure them a shot at finals.
Star forward Mitch Podhajski led the victory with 5.5, with Jack Bytel, Donovan Toohey and Joel Trudgeon among the prominent ball-winners.
For Port Melbourne, former Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell backed up his 35-disposal game last week with 31 on Sunday, while Tom Hird was also a prominent ball-winner and Ajang Kuol Mun and Coburg's Joe Furphy had a great ruck duel.
North Melbourne (78) def by Frankston (90)
Finnbar Maley and Matt Whitlock got on top of the Frankston defence, combining for 13 marks and 5.3, but it wasn't enough to fire the Kangaroos to victory.
Will Phillips typically worked hard in the midfield with 22 touches and 10 tackles, while Taylor Goad and veteran Adam Tomlinson were also impressive.
For Frankston, the victory puts them fourth on the VFL table, and will almost certainly guarantee a top six finish.
Forwards Noah Gown and Corey Ellison slotted three each, Harry Coe continues to impress as he relishes the continuity of a full season of VFL and Tom Blamires did his hopes of a Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal no harm, however small forward Blake O'Leary succumbed to a potentially serious knee injury.
