Angry Arry Reacts

Yikes.

Supercoach is back, if you want to jump on board!

Might be doing some posts of Pods, Anti Pods, if I get some time again this year. Maybe some obvious players that seem to be a 'must have' that are genuine baits for mine.

If anyone has some ideas of what they'd like to see in a post, that might be a little different from the generic, let me know in the comments.

169049
Premo Wookies.
The AFL Supercoach biggest group of degenerates!

Footy's back! We're close and Arry has a ladder he reckons you should check out. Every year has a mad mover going up and some teams who drop out of the sky, who are they this year?

Predicted AFL Ladder 2026 – End of Home & Away

Brisbane sits on top again until someone actually knocks them off. Best list, best structures, and a coach who doesn’t panic when things wobble. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt and probably another deep September run.

Hawthorn and Geelong, adjacent in philosophy: system first, no reliance on a single saviour. They don’t smash teams every week, but they also don’t get smashed. That consistency is why they stay top four. Geelong… honestly, until proven otherwise, they live here. Older list, but they regenerate better than anyone, turn “meh” recruits into weapons, and somehow convince stars to move to a beach town and win flags. Writing them off has been wrong for 20 years.

Adelaide feels like one of the most complete non-Brisbane team. They do lean harder on elite individuals than pure system footy, but when those individuals are that good, it’s a luxury not a flaw. If Rankine and Dawson are up, they beat anyone, especially with the Filthy man up forward and a bulletproof backline that was 2nd to only Collingwood in 2025. They were consistently the best Home and Away team last year, and I don't see them dropping off. Finals? Well, that's a different conversation.

Collingwood do slide a bit, and it hurts to say. Aging list, injuries starting to matter, and a defence that may be slightly less reliable than it was in its brilliant 2025 season. Fly’s system will still win games, but those 1–2 goal thrillers don’t always fall our way forever. I think we drop a little, but we still contend. Moore / DeGoey and Howe super important we can get healthy to support the youngsters that we will need to rotate in. (If we have to blood and support 6+ youngsters per game, we drop further for mine)

The Dogs, Freo and Gold Coast all should be higher, which is exactly why they’re not. Talent is there; consistency isn’t. Travel, coaching quirks, and game-to-game volatility keep them stuck in the 5–8 knife fight. Doggos get Bevo'd and GC / Freo have the hardest travel regime in the comp. All 3 of these sides have some of the best lists in the AFL, given the opportunity, are potential flag winners. Home and Away season though? 5-8.

That 9–12 block is where things get interesting. Saints feel like the most likely to jump, list is slowly becoming balanced instead of lopsided. GWS feel like they’ve peaked for now, Port and Sydney feel like teams in transition. Any of them could knock off a finalist, none scream “flag threat”.

Norf are improving, no question. The midfield and forward core is real now. Defence still leaks too much to climb properly, but they’re no longer automatic wins.

The bottom group? Sh*****se. Poor list management, poor retention, cultural issues, or just long rebuild hangovers. Some of these clubs will surprise for a week or two; but over 23 rounds, gravity wins. Can see Carlton winning another spoon, minor improvements from Richmond and West Coast could get them out of kitchenware territory. Essendon? More like Essendon't bother. Melbourne lost premiership stars and replaced them with risky projects.

Curious to see how wrong I was at season's end. Which of the below teams do you think I'm 'most right' or 'most wrong' about?
Smash me with your expert analysis please. And go Pies! 🖤🤍🖤🤍

Today's footy is high pressure. But let’s be honest: being a young bloke playing at AFL level today is next-level stressful. You’ve got the game, the media, the fans, social media, and constant scrutiny over every mistake, both on and off the field.

We’ve lost players to mental health struggles. We’ve had others visibly struggle, yet the media and public still find ways to punish, mock, and lecture them. Several players add to an increasing list of players on leave. Meanwhile, someone like Lachie Neale has a relationship mishap, and for weeks his private life is public property.

The double standards are obvious. The hate-filled “take their pay and see how long until they come back" posts don’t help anyone. If we really care about footy, we need to care about the people playing it. That means supporting mental health, giving players space to be human, and holding journalism to a standard that doesn’t make their lives worse. We can do better and we have to.

Also, ChatGPT drew this picture for me, but originally in a Melbourne guernsey. I asked it to re-draw Carlton, as the head in the hands made me think of that team for some reason. 😅

I’ll be honest, when Uzzie spoke about the racism he faced coming through Australian cricket, my first reaction was defensive.

Not because I thought he was lying, I can’t discount someone’s lived experience. But because, like a lot of Aussies, I’m pretty cooked on sport being turned into a weekly lesson in politics, ideology, or morality. Sometimes I just want to watch bloody cricket and escape the crap in the world.

That reaction probably says more about my perspective than his.

Usman Khawaja will finish his Test career at the SCG in his 88th Test, full circle from where it all started. And whatever you think about his beliefs, his politics, or when players choose to speak up, his cricketing contribution is beyond debate.

For a long time, Uzzie was the rock at the top. The partnership with Warner anchored Australia through a genuinely successful period. When things were tough, he absorbed pressure. When conditions were ugly, he adapted and nowhere was that clearer than the subcontinent.

Late in his career, when most batsmen are falling off a cliff, Khawaja became one of Australia’s most reliable run-scorers against spin in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. That takes patience, technique, and serious cricket IQ. It’s also something Australian teams have been desperate for, for decades.

Truth is, I never really saw Uzzie as someone who had to fit in. I saw another bloody proud Aussie making runs, doing the job, and wearing the Baggy Green. He didn’t just wear it. He earned it, over and over again.

Enjoy retirement, Uzzie. I hope you help the next generation find their feet in Australian cricket. You’re an Aussie legend and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Usman Khawaja – Tests
Tests: 88
Innings: 157 | NO: 14
Runs: 6,206 | HS: 232
Average: 43.39 | SR: 48.86
100s: 16 | 50s: 28
Catches: 68

To all the wonderful supporters on Facebook! 🥰😘😍

Not the best night to celebrate this legend. Congratulations Steele, you can hold your head up high, played decent footy. What a star you've been, hope the boys bounce back soon. 🖤🤍

Steele Sidebottom 🖤🤍
Games: 350
Goals: 205
Copeland Trophy's: x 2 (2017 & 2018)
Premiership Player: x 2 (2010 & 2023)
Anzac Day Medal: x 2 (2016 & 2025)
All Australian: x 1 (2018)

Free kick Nick Daicos? Come on, we've all heard it before, apparently he is the umpires most loved player. So I checked the numbers of each team's prominant midfielders (obviously contentious) and grabbed one from each team to compare.

Adelaide: Rory Laird
Games played: 264
Frees for: 318
Frees against: 221
Average per game: 1.20
Differential: 1.43

Brisbane: Lachie Neale
Games played: 290
Frees for: 372
Frees against: 259
Average per game: 1.28
Differential: 1.43

Carlton: Patrick Cripps
Games played: 225
Frees for: 464
Frees against: 392
Average per game: 2.06
Differential: 1.18

Collingwood: Nick Daicos
Games played: 88
Frees for: 128
Frees against: 90
Average per game: 1.45
Differential: 1.42

Essendon: Zach Merrett
Games played: 246
Frees for: 380
Frees against: 144
Average per game: 1.54
Differential: 2.63

Fremantle: Caleb Serong
Games played: 121
Frees for: 171
Frees against: 76
Average per game: 1.41
Differential: 2.25

Geelong: Patrick Dangerfield (plays forward, but still high CBAs)
Games played: 353
Frees for: 581
Frees against: 419
Average per game: 1.64
Differential: 1.38

Gold Coast: Matt Rowell
Games played: 102
Frees for: 197
Frees against: 180
Average per game: 1.93
Differential: 1.09

Greater Western Sydney: Tom Green
Games played: 109
Frees for: 80
Frees against: 116
Average per game: 0.73
Differential: 0.69 (noice)

Hawthorn: Jai Newcombe
Games played: 94
Frees for: 139
Frees against: 142
Average per game: 1.47
Differential: 0.97

Melbourne: Clayton Oliver
Games played: 200
Frees for: 247
Frees against: 303
Average per game: 1.24
Differential: 0.81

Norf: Luke Davies-Uniacke
Games played: 125
Frees for: 110
Frees against: 166
Average per game: 0.88
Differential: 0.66

Port Adelaide: Zak Butters
Games played: 134
Frees for: 160
Frees against: 125
Average per game: 1.19
Differential: 1.28

Richmond: Tim Taranto
Games played: 170
Frees for: 167
Frees against: 164
Average per game: 0.98
Differential: 1.02

St Kilda: Jack Steele
Games played: 197
Frees for: 241
Frees against: 217
Average per game: 1.22
Differential: 1.11

Sydney: Isaac Heeney
Games played: 219
Frees for: 248
Frees against: 162
Average per game: 1.13
Differential: 1.53

West Coast: Harley Reid
Games played: 38
Frees for: 74
Frees against: 101
Average per game: 1.94
Differential: 0.73

Western Bulldogs: Marcus Bontempelli
Games played: 253
Frees for: 314
Frees against: 280
Average per game: 1.24
Differential: 1.12

Rest in peace legend. A brilliant football mind. A great player. An excellent commentator and interlocuter regarding anything footy. Won flags for my enemy against my great side, but I couldn't have any more respect. See you soon Robert~! Rest well.

Pies are never out of the contest, even with a minute to go, you knew they'd come. Hats off to Geelong, they seized their opportunities, Henry, Dempsey and Danger were excellent. The umpiring shouldn't come under scrutiny, it was umpired mostly well for the game.

My only complaint would be, why are we accepting a soft call of "touched" by a boundary umpire and not just leaving it up to the technology? In any case, we STILL had a chance to win, when Crispy lined up for goal and much like the rest of the night, we missed our chance. Not the umpires fault, we have no one to blame but ourselves. ❤

🚫 Arry’s SuperCoach “Anti-Pod” – Round 6 🚫
It’s time to cut the cord on this fallen premium.

🧯 Anti-Pod of the Week: Clayton Oliver – $469,600 – MID – 60.9% ownership (112,518 teams)

✅ Pros:
✔ Still has the inside MID role with strong CBA presence
✔ Top score of 130 (R2), so the ceiling technically still exists
✔ Selling now gives you some profit from his starting price

❌ Cons:
✘ Just one ton so far, otherwise stuck in 80s-90s purgatory
✘ No real price movement—he’s in fantasy limbo
✘ Won’t finish as a top 20 MID at this rate
✘ Soft matchups haven’t helped (Geelong 98, Essendon 86)

📉 Verdict:
Clayton’s not hurt, he’s just underwhelming. If you’re still holding, you’re bleeding points and value. Get off now before he sinks further.

🔥 Arry’s SuperCoach "Wildcard" Picks – Round 6 🔥
This week’s pod is one for the brave…

🃏 Wildcard Pod of the Week: Will Setterfield – $462,300 – MID

✅ Pros:
✔ Scores well when fit
✔ High ceiling, contested ball-winner
✔ Low ownership – could be a sneaky value pick (341 teams - 0.2%)

❌ Cons:
✘ Injury-prone, hasn’t held a full season together in years
✘ Plays for a struggling side – scoring might dry up fast
✘ Pricey for a player with this much risk

💭 Verdict:
He’s not for everyone, but if you’re desperate to break from the pack and find value where others won’t look: Setterfield might just be your guy. Boom or bust.