Would You Rather: AFL April 2025 Edition

Would You Rather: AFL April 2025 Edition

GuyWhoLikesSport

I am nearly 30, which means my days of playing Would You Rather are over.

Or so I thought!

Instead of being asked whether I’d rather fight one Shane Mumford sized duck or a thousand duck sized Shane Mumfords (one duck obviously, someone else bring the pancakes and plum sauce), I thought I’d ask you, dear reader, a few questions.

I’ll give you my own answer as well.

Let’s go!

1. Would you rather score from the back half or the front half?

This year, more than any year in recent memory, you just want to be scoring. In that sense, it’s like asking if you’d rather date Sydney Sweeney or Em Rata?

You’re just happy to be part of the conversation.

Still, it’s worth considering what your team prioritises.

I bring this up because, as a nerd curious footy fan, there has been a lot of chat about ball movement becoming as, if not more important than the front half game.

I have written about how transition has started catching up to the front half game in terms of scoring.

That’s been especially true this season as speed of ball movement feels like it has cranked up around the league, other than for Fremantle.

But…give me the front-half game.

Even with league-wide shifts, teams still kick an average of a goal a game more from the front half.

Take Geelong v Adelaide game in Round 5, with 50ppg, the Crows are the best back half team since at least 2021.

Geelong turned the screws on Adelaide in the second half of that game and shut down their back half game.

The Cats then made hay from their territory dominance, kicking 9.9 from their forward half.

It’s just hard to score consistently from the back half, even if you’re good at it. The Bulldogs are the most efficient at scoring from back half chains, and they do it less than 20% of the time.

It’s like shooting mid-range jumpers versus layups, it’s cooler to shoot mid-rangers than it is to shoot lay-ups.

But ultimately, they’re the worth the same and one is easier.

Verdict: Front half

2. Would you rather be certain that Harley Reid has Jake Stringer’s career, or let his career play out as it currently is?

You’re going to have an instinctive reaction.

I’m Tom Hagen here it’s – my job to talk some sense into you.

Stringer has played 216 games for 370 goals, he’s also an All-Australian and a premiership player.

He’s a burst-based power player with endurance issues.

He’s mostly a forward who pinch hits in the middle when his team is looking for spark?

Are you positive Reid is going to be better than that?

Because I have to tell you, with Reid’s indifferent start this season and his steak-light first season, I’m not certain he is.

West Coast seems to have similar views. In the first two games of 2025, Reid attended 70% of centre bounces.

From round three onwards, he hasn’t been to more than 46%.

This year, looking a bit heavy and generally lacking in juice, he’s been mostly a forward who has pinch hit.

And he’s not a particularly impactful forward either, averaging just 4.3 score involvements per game.

Not counting the COVID-shortened games in 2020, that would be Jake Stringer’s worst year since 2013.

I still think you have to pick the potential, but you thought about it didn’t you?

Verdict: Let it play out

3. Would you rather have a premiership ticket on Brisbane or the Bulldogs?

Despite being 5-1, Brisbane is down on everything.

Last year, Brisbane led the league in every single transition stat, this year, they lead none.

Last year Brisbane led footy in marks, with 111 per game, this year, they still lead but with 103.

Last year, Brisbane scored 53 points off turnover, this year, they’re down to 49.

They aren’t as dangerous without Joe Daniher.

The lack of a genuine key is infecting everything Predictably they’re taking about two fewer marks per inside 50, but they’re also not as dangerous on the ground. Last year they averaged 18 ground ball gets a game, this year with less marking threat, they’re down to 13.

As much as Nathan Buckley loves Logan Morriss, and he does, the Lions lack gravitas – they’re Yellowstone without Kevin Costner.

Given the Dogs just got Bontempelli back, will soon get Treloar, and heard the sacred news that Sam Darcy didn’t tear his ACL it’s not crazy to pick the ascending 3-3 Dogs over the 5-1 Lions.

That’s particularly true when you look at their win over St Kilda where Aaron Naughton showed a bit of form, Joel Freijah played a career best game, and Matt Kenneddy is assimilating into the team alongside younger more explosive players like Ed Richards and Ryley Sanders.

Even with Darcy’s injury and the Jamarra Saga™, I’d still rather have a ticket on the Dogs.

Verdict: Dogs at $17