As we celebrated the success of Gather Round last weekend, footy returns to the rest of the nation this weekend, culminating with the traditional Anzac Day match as Collingwood and Essendon face off in what looms as one of the most exciting clashes for the two teams in recent history, with second vs third on the ladder and the opportunity to go 5-1.
Geelong will unveil their tenth premiership flag in the grand final rematch against the Swans at GMHBA Stadium this weekend and will be hoping to replicate their efforts that won them the 2022 premiership.
A few players will also be playing against their former sides this weekend, with some Freo fans even creating "Lobster Tears" beer ahead of Rory Lobb's homecoming.
It's proving to be an exciting weekend of footy, and we've named the five players to focus on ahead of this weekend's games.
Rory Lobb
Lobb will come up against his former side Fremantle this weekend for the first time, after requesting a trade at the end of the 2022 season.
Now at the Western Bulldogs, Lobb has had a turbulent start to the season, having to undergo minor ankle surgery a game after Round 1, and will be hoping to prove himself on Friday night at Optus Stadium in front of scathing fans.
Lobb has only kicked three goals this year from four games, two of those coming in a two-disposal game against Brisbane in Round 3.
Lobb has shown signs of improvement, kicking 1.1 against the Tigers, along with 14 disposals and five marks.
This weekend at a very familiar ground against familiar faces, Lobb will be aiming to hit the form that saw him kick a career-best 36 goals in 2022.
Jack Ginnivan
Ginnivan returns to the big stage this week and Collingwood fans will be hoping he puts on a strong performance after last year's Anzac Day heroics, where Ginnivan announced himself to the competition.
19-year-old Ginnivan kicked five goals in only his tenth AFL game and ultimately won the game for Collingwood, being rewarded with the Anzac Day Medal and the Round 6 Rising Star nomination.
Ginnivan played his first game for the season against St Kilda during Gather Round last weekend in front of a full Adelaide Oval, kicking an impressive goal on the run to announce his return. Ginnivan's on-field antics also returned, trying to get Ben Paton to pick him up from the deck and Paton giving him absolutely nothing.
Ginnivan also faced controversy against Essendon in Round 19 last year, with a notable high tackle on Ginnivan by Mason Redman not being awarded a free kick amidst claims of 'ducking.'
No doubt Ginnivan will be thinking about the 90,000+ fans at the MCG on Tuesday and will be hoping to put on another Anzac Day special.
Liam Stocker
Stocker nearly retired after being delisted by Carlton at the end of last season, until St Kilda handed him a lifeline in the pre-season Supplemental Selection Period.
Stocker has settled in well across half-back under new coach Ross Lyon, averaging 19.6 disposals and 6.6 marks, which ranks as elite. Stocker's best game this season has come against the Gold Coast Suns, with 26 disposals and seven marks, whilst he had eight marks and seven tackles against the Bulldogs in Round 2.
This Sunday marks a big occasion for Stocker, playing Carlton for the first time since what he described as a "heartbreaking" delisting.
The grudge match will have ramifications for the loser - St Kilda could potentially drop out of the top four, whilst Carlton can cement themselves in the top two if they win. Stocker will be hoping to continue his strong form and prove Carlton wrong to cement top spot for the Saints this weekend.
Isaac Heeney
The 2022 AFL Grand Final was a game to forget for Isaac Heeney, with his first touch not coming until the 18th minute of the second quarter. Heeney managed to kick an important goal at the end of the quarter and would finish with 11 touches for the game.
Heeney's grand final stats rank amongst his bottom three games for the year, after his impressive 2022 season earnt him All-Australian honours.
Heeney will be out to make up for his performance this weekend in the grand final rematch at GMBHA Stadium after what has been a pretty average start to the AFL season by Heeney's usual standards.
Heeney finally got going last week in Gather Round against Richmond, having 20 disposals, five marks, seven tackles and kicking two goals.
As the Swans currently face an injury crisis, with the McCartin brothers, Buddy Franklin, Tom Hickey, Sam Reid and now Joel Amartey on the sidelines, Heeney will have to lead from the front this weekend against the in-form Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins in order to win on Saturday night.
Hugh Greenwood
Hugh Greenwood will play on the Gold Coast this weekend for the first time since leaving the Suns to North Melbourne at the end of the 2021 season to join his third AFL club.
Greenwood was surprisingly delisted by the Suns ahead of the 2022 season, despite being contracted and finishing fourth in the Suns' best and fairest in 2020, with the Queensland club panning to re-list the former basketballer through the Rookie Draft.
In an evenly-matched battle between the Suns and Roos, Greenwood will be hoping to perform on a familiar deck at Heritage Bank Stadium against his old side, particularly after suffering heavy losses to the Suns twice in 2022.
Greenwood has had an interesting start to life under Alastair Clarkson this season, having been subbed out in Round 3 against the Hawks and starting as the sub in Rounds 4 and 5.
Despite this, Greenwood has still been influential as the sub, having 11 disposals, two marks, and four tackles against Carlton after being subbed into the game late in the third quarter.
Greenwood's most impressive game has come against West Coast in Round 1, combining with Charlie Comben in a makeshift ruck combo to have 15 disposals, 11 hit-outs and five tackles.
