Episode 8 and it’s Hawk time with Hawko!!!!

 We head to Waverley to break down Hawthorn’s attempt at a rapid fire rebuild, a promising 2025 surge, and yet another finals dagger delivered by Dangerfield’s Cats. Plenty of on field growth, plenty of off field pain, including more big outs, no marquee ins, and a list still working out who leads it into the next era.

We unpack Lloyd Meek’s career Fantasy season, strong campaigns from Karl Amon and Jai Newcombe, and a frustrating James Sicily regression as Sam Mitchell moved away from “chip-mark Sic Dog” footy.

The list turnover was real, with Cam Nean, Aidan Schubert and Ollie Greaves coming in, while CJ, Jai Serong and James Worpel departed and veterans Sam Frost and Luke Breust retired.

From boom picks in 2025, to breakout candidates for 2026, we break down who’s worth the Fantasy spend, and who becomes a trap under the new ruck rules and faster ball movement.

We finish with 2026 ladder predictions and wonder if the Hawks make the 8 again, will they be able to form a good finals run?

Episode 7 and we’re off to the Gold Coast, where after 15 long years the Suns finally cracked September. Under Damien Hardwick they stitched together their most complete AFL season yet, powered by a Fantasy friendly midfield unit and a clear identity that finally held up across four quarters.

We cover the Suns' 2025 campaign, how Rowell bulldozed his way to a Brownlow, how Anderson became the perfect connector, and how five Suns averaged over 90 to make this side Fantasy relevant across every line.

We also unpack one of the wildest list hauls in recent memory: four first round academy talents, Christian Petracca joining for a fresh start, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan landing up north, and club legends David Swallow & Alex Sexton departing. With roles available across the wings and half-back, preseason watch lists matter more than ever for this team.

From booms & busts to breakout calls from the Suns 2025 season and our ultimate Suns Fantasy targets for 2026, we then wrap it up by locking in our 2026 ladder predictions and yes, Croxy finally gets something to smile about.

Episode 6 for the 2026 season, and we now turn our attention to the purple haze, the Fremantle Dockers. Another year of talent, promise and frustration for Freo, finishing sixth before bowing out in straight sets to the Suns. A loaded list with height, youth and depth across every line, yet still trapped in the same loop of style, hesitation and missed opportunity.

We break down Fremantle’s 2025 campaign, why the system continues to hold them back, and which Dockers carried the Fantasy load. From Andy Brayshaw’s premium output to Luke Jackson’s rise, and the fall off from names like Luke Ryan, Jeremy Sharp, O’Meara and Hayden Young (injury affected), we cover the breakouts, the disappointments and the confusion that was Freo in 2025.

We also run through Fremantle’s ins & outs, including the arrivals of Judd McVee and Mason Cox, and the retirements of Walters, Narkle, Aish and club legend Nat Fyfe, before locking in our Fantasy breakout candidates and ultimate picks from the Dockers for 2026.

Can Freo finally break the cycle, or will they slide again? We give our ladder predictions and look ahead to what’s next.

Episode 5 for the 2026 season is here, and we’re heading out west (kind of) to look at the Greater Western Sydney Giants — the back-to-back fifth-placed specialists as Hawko so eloquently put it. 

The Giants have talented list that continues to threaten without quite breaking through, the Giants once again mixed promise with frustration in 2025.

We break down the GWS 2025 season, the emergence of Finn Callaghan and Lachie Ash, and what the arrival of Clayton Oliver means for their midfield mix. From changes in ball movement, to role shifts across the ground, we cover who boomed, who flopped, and who could explode for AFL Fantasy in 2026.

We also look at the Giants’ ins & outs, Fantasy breakouts to watch (Rowston anyone?), and lock in our ultimate picks from "the orange team" heading into the 2026 season.

Welcome back for the 4th episode for the 2026 season, and we turn our attention to the Collingwood Magpies. Still a powerhouse on their day, the Pies remain a genuine contender despite an ageing list.

We break down Collingwood’s 2025 season, their finals exit, and how much is left in a veteran-heavy side including the ageless Scott Pendlebury. From Nick Daicos’ continued Fantasy dominance to the surprise rise of Ned Long, we assess who boomed, who disappointed, and where value might lie heading into 2026.

We also dive into the Magpies’ ins and outs, including the departure of key forwards, debate potential breakouts like Ned Long, Patrick Lipinski and Isaac Quaynor, and weigh up ultimate Fantasy picks ahead of the 2026 AFL Fantasy season.

We are back for episode 3 for the 2026 season, and we turn our attention to the reigning premiers, the Brisbane Lions. 

Written off early by many, Brisbane once again proved why they remain one of the competition’s most dominant teams, finishing third and showing they’re built to contend for years to come.

We break down the Lions’ 2025 season, how they overcame adversity, and why their list depth might be the scariest in the league. From Josh Dunkley’s elite Fantasy output to rising stars like the Ashcrofts and Jaspa Fletcher, we cover who boomed, who surprised, and who could take the next step in 2026.

We also dive into Brisbane’s ins and outs, including the arrival of Sam Draper and Dan Annable, discuss potential breakouts and traps, and lock in our ultimate Brisbane picks for the 2026 AFL Fantasy season.

Second episode in for the 2026 season, and we have the chokers of the 2026 finals series, the Geelong Cats. They blew away most oppositions this season, and cursed to the grand final, then had Brisbane walk all over them.

We take a look at the whole Cats season for 2025, how well they went in the regular season, and the how Bailey Smith set the AFL Fantasy world on fire in 2025!

From breakouts, to flops, and who we think will breakout this coming 2026 season, we have you covered in this Geelong episode.

We talk about the ins and outs, and who our ultimate picks from the Cats is for the 2026 season ahead!

The boys are back for more fantasy chat for the upcoming 2026 season!

Episode 1 of the 2026 season, and we kick things off with the Adelaide Crows, the 2025 minor premiers who dominated most of the year before collapsing in straight sets. 

A powerhouse forward line, a stacked midfield rotation, and a rising young core gave Adelaide the look of a genuine flag contender, but structural issues, role changes and fatigue caught up late when it mattered most.

We break down the Crows’ 2025 campaign, their strengths, their late season cracks, and the Fantasy impact behind Jordan Dawson’s elite scoring, Rory Laird’s quieter year, and Riley Thilthorpe's continued development. We also dig into Isaac Rankine’s midfield flashes and the emergence of Max Michalanney.

From breakouts to disappointments, we cover Adelaide’s 2025 Fantasy performers, analyse their ins & outs, including the arrivals of Mitch Marsh, Ludowyke and Finnbar Maley, and the retirements of Matt Crouch and Brodie Smith, and lock in our Fantasy breakout candidates and ultimate Crows pick for 2026.

Finally, we make our ladder predictions to see where Adelaide will end up after 2026.

This will be the 75th and last episode for the second season of the Lockout Podcast. We will be back with Team Previews for 2026 coming during the holiday season again in December.

All four boys are back this episode, fresh from the draft results, we chat about the prospects of the players drafted in Round 1 of the 2025 draft from a Fantasy perspective.

Ryan talks sponsorship opportunities for brands to jump on board some of these new young draftees, as well as the usual terrible one liners...

But with the focus on actual football, Josh, Hawko, and Croxy try their best to get some relevant options for you to pickup a cheap basement rookie that could do something this 2026 season.

Hope you enjoy the chat and banter, and as always, we will see you in the next one!

Originally recorded on October 22nd, and only edited and uploaded today, the 3rd of November.

Josh misses out this episode, but we have Ryan, Hawko, and Croxy back as we talk over the trade period and how the fantasy landscape looks and the lead up to the AFL draft for next season. 

Players we like, players who we think might be ones to watch, players we might take a punt on to perform, and breakout at their new club next year. Examples of these types of players are Matthew Kennedy or a Bailey Smith from 2025.

Hope you're all enjoying the off season, and we will see you for the upcoming 2026 AFL Draft.