Round 23 of the 2026 season produced something genuinely rare: two drawn games in a single round. Hawthorn and Collingwood finished locked at 92 apiece at the MCG on Saturday night, and a day later the Western Bulldogs and Carlton couldn't be separated at 82-all at Docklands.
Draws change finals races in ways wins and losses don't. Hawthorn banked two points that kept them fourth on 60. Collingwood's two points kept eighth. Carlton and the Bulldogs each took two — and both probably needed four.
Melbourne's statement
The result of the round belonged to Melbourne: 132–56 over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, a 76-point away demolition that lifted the Demons to 60 points and announced them as a genuine September threat.
Elsewhere, Fremantle consolidated top spot with a 112–88 win over Adelaide in Perth, Sydney handled Essendon by 36 at the MCG, and Geelong outlasted North Melbourne in a 235-point shootout at Docklands.
