Port Adelaide's Dougie Cochrane is tipped to go first in a mock AFL National Draft, after Essendon places a bid on the 195cm utility. Father-son and academy selections are expected to feature prominently in the top 10. Ethan Drever is projected second to Essendon, which needs to rebuild its midfield after losing Zach Merrett. Cody Walker is expected to join Carlton as a father-son selection, while Mitch Harris is tipped to Melbourne as the best key defender in the draft.
AFL Gather Round will return to Adelaide from Thursday, April 8 to Sunday, April 11, 2027. Nine games will be played at Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Barossa Park. Tickets and prices have not yet been confirmed. Fans can book flights with Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar, and accommodation through All Accor, the AFL's official accommodation partner. A parade through the Adelaide CBD, with 10 players from each club, is a new attraction.
Brisbane have been given a primetime Thursday night opening match at Gather Round in 2027, against co-hosts Adelaide on April 8. The round closes on Sunday night with Zak Butters facing his former club Port Adelaide, now as a Western Bulldogs player. Brisbane have won all four of their past Gather Round matches, by an average of 38.5 points. Other grudge matches include Rowan Marshall facing former club St Kilda, and Essendon meeting North Melbourne after facing Melbourne in recent years. The round is played across four days in South Australia.
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Pastry chef Natalie Paull has shared a make-ahead cheesecake that needs almost no baking. The dessert uses a cardamom crust and a filling flavoured with lemon juice. Paull says it works well with summer berries and mango, and it can be made in a foil container as a gift. The cheesecake needs at least three hours to set, and overnight chilling is best. If it fails to set, Paull suggests a gelatine fix. The recipe is taken from her book Sweet Heart.
Melbourne Fringe chief executive and artistic director Danny Delahunty says this year has been an exceptionally strong one for the festival. Attendance rose on last year, with plenty of sold-out shows across 442 affordable events. The curated program, including international acts brought through the Passport program, was well received. Two standout shows were The Carrot Show, created by Hayley Edwards and Justin Gardam, and Slugs, from North American performers Sam Kruger and S.E. Grummett. Nearly 40 awards were announced at the closing-night event on October 18.
The Brisbane Lions are still searching for a replacement for Chris Fagan, who left after leading the club to three straight premierships. Cameron Bruce is widely seen as a favourite, but former Collingwood great Nathan Buckley has said he wants to return to coaching. According to the Herald Sun, Buckley will formally present his case for the role next month. The writer suggests the race is mainly between Buckley and Bruce, with Buckley having previously missed out on roles at Tasmania and Melbourne and pulled out of the North Melbourne process.
A growing number of Victorian councils are moving to ban smart glasses from pools, childcare centres, playgrounds and recreation centres. Sixteen of the state's 79 local authorities are investigating or introducing such measures. Frankston City Council has resolved to look at further restrictions, and the City of Melbourne has installed signs prohibiting smart glasses at its pools and recreation facilities. Disability advocates want exceptions for people with accessibility needs. Behavioural scientist Stephen Fisher says signs and bans are unlikely to deter people who intend to harass or secretly record women.
Agents in Victoria say new laws requiring reserve prices to be published seven days before auctions are already affecting sales. One North Melbourne home sold for $1.29 million, just below its $1.3 million reserve, after the reserve was set at the lower end of the quoted range. A Black Rock house sold for $2,283,000 against a $2,175,000 reserve after four bidders competed. Agents said some buyers misunderstood that vendors can still lower reserves on auction day. It is too early to judge the overall impact on clearance rates, which stood at 53 per cent last week.
Crowds gathered in North Melbourne on Saturday, October 17, for the fifth annual Queensberry Cup. Sixty hand-built billycarts raced down Errol Street, with the final corner proving decisive. Jeff Julian shared the open win with his son Bailey, who also took the under-12 category. Brock M. won the 12-to-17 race. Alongside the racing, Gia Parantalos won the inaugural Fashions on the Footpath competition, and the Famous Village Dog Show returned. Event director Ariel Valent thanked the volunteers who worked for months to organise the day.
North Melbourne thrashed Essendon by 52 points at Windy Hill, winning 12.13 (85) to 5.3 (33). Essendon led at quarter time, but the reigning premiers kicked eight goals to two in the second half. Ash Riddell was prolific with 32 disposals, and Tahlia Randall kicked three goals. North Melbourne's 9-1 record keeps it on track for the minor premiership. Elsewhere, Sydney beat Collingwood 12.8 (80) to 4.5 (29), and GWS beat Hawthorn 7.13 (55) to 7.12 (54).
The fifth annual Queensberry Cup billycart race will take place on Saturday, October 17, in North and West Melbourne. Sixty carts will race down Errol Street for the trophy and $1000 in spending money at local businesses. Races are held across three age groups, plus a celebrity category headlined by Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece and ABC presenter Charlie Pickering. The street festival includes a dog show, fashion parade, dance and music performances, and food stalls. Proceeds from the event go to the neighbourhood centre that stages it, which is marking its 50th anniversary.
Geelong has been active in the AFL offseason, adding Jordan Ridley, Rowan Marshall and Toby Greene. Some commentators are already naming the Cats as premiership favourites. Former Collingwood midfielder Tom Mitchell, speaking on Trade Radio, said Geelong has the deepest list in the competition and can rest players regularly. He predicted the Cats will win the premiership next year. The writer argues it is too early to call favourites, pointing to Brisbane, Fremantle and Hawthorn as contenders. Injuries derailed the Western Bulldogs last season after they started as favourites.
Defender Nick Blakey has completed his move from the Sydney Swans to North Melbourne. In a statement on the club's website, Blakey apologised for the events that led to his exit from Sydney. He said he hopes to win back the trust of the wider community and thanked North Melbourne for the chance to start again. Blakey will join the club where his father, John, won two premierships. New coach Jaymie Graham has yet to confirm how he will use the rebounding defender.
The AFL has told its gambling partner, Sportsbet, to stop using its athletes in AI-generated social media content without player permission. Sportsbet has also been told to delete videos showing AFL stars delivering lines from movies, shows and speeches. The AFL Players' Association said the videos breached a collective bargaining agreement, which makes no mention of AI. The new rules take effect next year. Sportsbet said it would keep working with the AFL on the use of AI in its content.
North Melbourne's Queensberry Cup billycart race returns for its fifth year on Saturday, October 17, with a street festival along Errol Street. About 60 competitors aged seven to 70 will race homemade carts for the perpetual trophy and prizes. Lord Mayor Nick Reece and comedian Charlie Pickering will take part in the celebrity race at 3.45pm. The festival runs from 1pm to 7pm at the corner of Errol and Queensberry streets, and entry is free, with donations encouraged.
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North Melbourne has agreed to acquire Blakey from Sydney in a major AFL trade, the first deal of the day. The Kangaroos gave up the No.6 pick in this year's draft, pick 47, several future second-round picks and a 2028 first-rounder. In return they received pick 52 and Sydney's 2028 second-rounder. Blakey apologised for the events that led to his exit from Sydney, where he had been suspended over the Pullman Hotel scandal. Elsewhere, Carlton added Lachie Whitfield from GWS and sent Flynn Riley to Collingwood.
Bush Flowers has opened a shopfront on Queensberry Street in North Melbourne, filled with Australian native flowers. Owner Michael, who grew up around the flower industry, started the business after noticing few native flowers reached florists. The business began in Carlton North just before COVID and built a following online and at farmers' markets. Michael says he wanted customers to see the flowers in person. He grows some flowers on his own farm in the Northern Territory and sources others from growers, including Grampians grower Brett McDonald.
