Riley Beveridge looks at your club's Urgency Index after week two of finals

WELCOME to Reaction Time.

Early each week, AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge will discuss the topic that deserves a reaction at your club and grade it on the 'Urgency Index'.

It could be anything from an issue that's got a team pondering drastic change, or the form of an underrated star that requires immediate recognition.

The gradings, which relate specifically to the topics, are as follows:

Panic Stations.

Simmering.

Watch This Space.

Green Shoots.

Flying.

In this week's Reaction Time, we delve into some heroics in the Adelaide backline, Brisbane's ongoing goal gluts, Fremantle's fright night, Geelong's secret weapon in attack, the Hawthorn superstar revolutionising a position, the Sydney goalkicker who has finally arrived, and plenty more.

The Western Bulldogs got caught in the 'Worrell Web' on Saturday night. Josh's performance was one of the better defensive games you're ever likely to see, particularly in a final. Worrell finished with 34 disposals, 10 marks, 16 contested possessions, 19 intercepts and five intercept marks. His 19 intercepts were both the most recorded by any player this season, surpassing Aliir Aliir's 18 in round four, and were the most that Champion Data has ever recorded in a final. Ever. He also had a game-high 13 groundballs, as well as eight spoils and 497m gained in a truly special defensive effort.

Urgency Index: Flying.

Brisbane has played like Oprah at times this year. You get a goal! And you get a goal! And you get a goal! Having gone 193 straight games without conceding a score of 140-plus, the Lions have now done it three times in 14 matches with Sydney's 21.15 (141) on Saturday following Greater Western Sydney's 26.10 (166) and Carlton's 24.10 (154) earlier this year. The qualifying final was the ninth time that Brisbane's allowed its opposition to hit triple figures in 2026. The last time a side did that and still won the flag was North Melbourne way back in 1999. Has to be a huge worry for Chris Fagan as he attempts the three-peat.

Urgency Index: Simmering.

It's been a wild ride under Josh Fraser. We've seen what the short-term ceiling of this Carlton side can be. But what's its floor? That will be the key query as the Blues enter 2027 and their first full year under the new coach. As its best, Fraser's Carlton has shown it can be a top four-to-six side. But the Blues have seen false dawns before and lingering questions hang over the depth of the list, particularly finding a reliable key forward partner for Harry McKay, and the durability of the new game plan under duress and with rivals having had a summer to study it. It makes expectations for Carlton tough to predict ahead of next season. While it's been fun so far, the real test for Fraser's Blues starts now.

Urgency Index: Watch This Space.

The best team all season and … they laid an egg when it mattered most. What a bitter, bitter disappointment. Fremantle's feared foursome up front – Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss, Pat Voss and Mason Cox – had just two kicks between them to half-time, as the Dockers finished with five goals from 57 entries. Treacy ended up with only four touches, Amiss just five, Cox only four, while Voss couldn't curb James Sicily's influence. It's not impossible that Fremantle responds, but the pressure ramps up now after two consecutive finals losses – both at home – in the last two years, while its road to a premiership will now have to include trips to the SCG and the MCG in successive weeks. What a bad slip up.

Urgency Index: Simmering.

It seems crazy that Gryan Miers spent four weeks in the VFL this year as he battled a partially torn ACL that's threatened to end his season on multiple occasions. He's such a difference maker to this Geelong side when he's feeling it and has unmatched forward craft and smarts around goal. Provided a great complementary piece to another remarkable Patrick Dangerfield performance on Friday night with 24 disposals, two goals, four clearances and 12 score involvements. A genuine gun when he's on song.

Urgency Index: Green Shoots.

Not since Aaron Davey have we seen someone revolutionise the small forward position quite like Nick Watson. He might genuinely be a top five player in the competition, given the sheer fear he instils in backlines across the country. He's got the speed, the smarts, the tricks, the turns, he can fly, he can kick … he's got everything. Now, imagine him lighting up a Grand Final the way Cyril used to. He's only one game away from doing exactly that, having inspired Hawthorn's qualifying final road win against a highly touted Fremantle with 19 disposals, two goals, two goal assists, nine score involvements, eight groundballs and four forward-50 groundballs. Hard to find anyone in as good a nick right now.

Urgency Index: Flying.

Logan McDonald has finally arrived. Has copped an unfair whack for a key forward who kicked 32 goals in his third season, 37 goals in his fourth, was building nicely, then missed an entire campaign with a significant ankle injury. He's worked his way into his 2026 comeback year superbly, with Saturday's qualifying final performance the best game of his career to date. He kicked six goals to go with 15 disposals, seven marks, six of those inside-50, and 10 score involvements. He's now had 15 straight games with a goal to his name, with 12 of those featuring multiple goals, to rank top five in the League for goals since round eight. He's also accurate, having gone at 78 per cent across that stretch.

Urgency Index: Green Shoots.

Will feel like a bit of 'what if?' for the Western Bulldogs after racking up 61 entries and having a clear advantage in clearance, contested footy and scoring shots, only to lose by 22 points in Saturday night's elimination final. Now begins a summer where the Dogs have a finger in all the pies. There's the Zak Butters chase, of course, but the club is also closing on a free agency deal for Jordon Butts and has interest in the ruck and wing market having been linked to Rowan Marshall and Sam Marshall in recent weeks. There's also growing confidence that their own uncontracted guns in Buku Khamis and Arty Jones both sign on at the Kennel. Start your engines if you're in the red, white and blue this off-season.

Urgency Index: Watch This Space.

FOOTY ASIDE …

What a pleasure to have college football back. No sport consistently produces the type of weird, wild and wonderful drama that it does. This weekend already had Michigan's controversial last-second Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan, Auburn's tackle at the goal line to deny Baylor's last-ditch two-point attempt, Colorado blocking Georgia Tech's buzzer-beating field goal, Lane Kiffin being Lane Kiffin and overshadowing a breakout game from quarterback Sam Leavitt at LSU, Rutgers paying $1.5 million to somehow lose to UMass, a blood-soaked Josh Hoover throwing touchdown passes for Indiana, then No.2 Oregon only just surviving Boise State. We even got Dustin Fletcher's son, Max, catching a fake punt for Cincinnati. All that and it's only week one. How good?

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