AFL live updates: Confident Magpies back system after resting Pendlebury, De Goey for Freo clash

Both Collingwood and Fremantle have won five first terms each in 2025, let’s see which of them wins the first quarter tonight.

Four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson believes squeezing State of Origin into an already packed calendar will be a difficult task for the AFL.

Since taking over from Gillon McLachlan in 2023, AFL boss Andrew Dillon has made no secret of his desire to revive representative football.

After the successful return of the Indigenous All-Stars this year, Origin could be back next February, although the AFL is yet to make any official announcement.

Coaches such as Carlton’s Michael Voss believe a pre-season window is the best time for representative matches.

Clarkson, in his third season in charge of North Melbourne following four flags at Hawthorn, rates Origin as a “great concept”.

“The big challenge for the AFL and all the players is when during the season do you play it?,” Clarkson said on Thursday.

“That’s the most difficult part.

“From a club perspective and a player’s perspective, the challenge with it if it’s right at the start of the season, players don’t want to risk getting significant injuries and then perhaps losing significant chunks of the season.”

“That’s why it was moved.”

Clarkson also cautioned against staging any Origin games near finals as the best players wouldn’t be available.

“You just can’t win with it,” he said.

“We all love the concept of State of Origin. We see just how popular it is in rugby league, but as we become a national game, it’s been really difficult to work out where it fits into the schedule.

“We’ve all got enormous passion for it, but just working out where it fits has been the reason why it hasn’t been in the program.”

The last full Origin game took place in 1999 when Victoria defeated South Australia in front of only 26,063 fans at the MCG, Victoria played an All-Star team in the AFL Bushfire Relief State of Origin match at Marvel Stadium in February 2020.

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Freo coach Justin Longmuir has demanded his leaders lift and his younger players follow their lead as they try to upset an undermanned Collingwood side tonight.

The Dockers are 4-4 and suffered a frustrating loss to St Kilda last Friday night and the Dockers know they need to respond.

“I don’t spend too much time checking out what the media are saying about the team or me – with a six-day break, it’s head down, bum up and prepare for Collingwood,” Longmuir told Fox Footy.

“I feel like we have a very good week and I’m excited to see what comes out tonight.

“They need to lift – leadership and voice and those things are really important when you are behind on the scoreboard and trying to impose yourself on the game.

“The rest of the team need to listen and come along for the ride as well – it’s really important we get a team effort tonight based around role, around setting the ground up the right way and win our contests.”

Magpies star Dan Houston has backed his side to stand up tonight against Fremantle despite being without premiership players Brayden Maynard, Jordan De Goey, Brody Mihocek and Scott Pendlebury.

The Magpies swung the changes for the trip to Perth, especially considering it came on just a five-day turnaround since their loss to Geelong last round.

Houston said his new teammates would bring hunger to the side as they are battling to find a place in the regular senior team.

“It’s such a good vibe to be around, we have a very squad-based mentality, so it’s ‘next person up is good to fill a role’ and we are a system-based side and everyone knows their role and the different roles throughout the team,” Houston told Fox Footy.

“So Ed Allan, Lachie Sullivan and Oleg Markov can play multiple roles on the ground and it’s a good problem to have [to have them waiting in the wings].”

No late changes. Neil Erasmus (Freo) and Oleg Markov (Magpies) are the subs.

Port Adelaide forward Willie Rioli will not play in this weekend’s Showdown against Adelaide after the AFL handed him a one-match sanction following three separate incidents involving alleged threatening behaviour.

The player himself, however, had already stepped away from the game earlier on Thursday and offered a public apology for his “totally unacceptable” actions.

In a statement from the league late on Thursday afternoon, the AFL also determined that Rioli must participate in education around “respectful/non-violent language to be prescribed by the AFL”.

“We understand in a competitive and at times combative environment there are exchanges between players on field, but they still need to be in the realms of respect and sportsmanship and that applies to everyone,” AFL general counsel Stephen Meade said.

“After receiving the additional information about further threats, we investigated and determined Rioli should not be eligible to play this week and that he undertakes further education around a pattern of behaviour we don’t want to see in any part of our game – on or off the field.

“Respect for each other, whether players, coaches, fans, is the cornerstone of our AFL community and it is a reminder for everyone involved to treat each other with respect.”

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