Round 15 AFL Wrap: Carlton the Hottest Team in the League, Geelong Fall Short

Carlton’s hot streak continues after dominant win over GWS

Round 15 AFL recap: Carlton smash the Giants and move within one win of the top 10. Geelong fall short against ladder-leaders Fremantle. Includes fantasy Team of the Week and all the big performances.

Carlton. Josh Fraser’s side is surging while Geelong’s loss raises serious September concerns...

Carlton are the AFL’s feel-good story right now, but they’re far from the only team hitting form as the season enters its last third.

The key stats

Round 15’s biggest winners

No one saw Carlton becoming one of the hottest teams in the comp - maybe except Michael Voss’s critics. Voss looked like he couldn’t get anything out of a squad that had blown 3/4-time leads against North Melbourne, Collingwood and Melbourne earlier this year. That group seemed shot on confidence.

Three weeks back, Josh Fraser said he wasn’t mentally ready to go for the permanent gig at Ikon Park, even after starting as interim with three straight wins. Now? After his side smashed GWS - a team preseason models had pegged for 12-13 wins and a bottom-half finals push - you’ve got to wonder what he’s thinking. And the margin flattered the Giants. Carlton should’ve won by even more.

Carlton’s 91% percentage is a big hurdle with nine games left, but they’re only one win shy of the extended top ten. This revived group could end up being the true definition of a ‘wildcard’ - a side that looked like wooden-spoon contenders but might now shake up September.

Even with the instant turnaround, GM of Football Chris Davies told SEN on the weekend that Fraser is “absolutely” not in contention for the full-time role right now. The club said he hasn’t put his name forward yet as they pull together what Davies called a “long-ish” list of candidates.

Fraser isn’t ruled out if he decides he wants the job, but right now the club’s plan is ticking along. Beat West Coast and Richmond in the next two and the Bluebaggers will be buzzing about what’s ahead.

Round 15’s biggest losers

Geelong had the perfect chance to topple ladder-leader Fremantle, but they lost the grind. The Dockers absorbed the pressure and found a way, with the Cats burning them thanks to a string of costly missed shots. Even at 14.6 they left too many on the table.

Fremantle also had nine more scoring shots than Geelong and on another night the margin would’ve matched their dominance through the middle and across half-back. Credit to them though - they weathered a wasteful first half and showed serious resolve to close it out.

Geelong led 9.2 to 6.11 at halftime and were up by 28 points early after capitalizing on Fremantle’s early turnovers. But once the heat went up, execution let them down. Those late errors have people questioning whether this Geelong side can handle September pressure.

Worryingly, Jeremy Cameron barely featured. The key forward finished with six touches and two goals, and he looked hesitant to fly for contested marks after landing on the arm he broke in last year’s Grand Final.

Coleman Medal movers & big bags

The Coleman Medal top five barely shifted this round + Nick Watson was the only change, bumping up to 36 goals. As for four-goal hauls, just three players managed it: Cooper Trembath for the Roos, Dylan Moore for the Hawks, and Ben Long for the Suns.

AFL.com Team of the Week

We’ve put together our Team of the Week using official http://AFL.com fantasy scores again. There were some massive totals this round, headlined by Fremantle ruck Luke Jackson. If you weren’t already locking him in as captain, he’s making a serious case for it now.

Goal of the Week

Individual brilliance from Rachele ⭐️#AFLCrowsDees pic.twitter.com/UoBV7U4Cs2

— AFL (@AFL) June 20, 2026

Mark of the Week

BOTLON JUST TOOK A SCREAMER 🤯@VirginAustralia | #AFLFreoCats pic.twitter.com/U7eHEM1jMP

— AFL (@AFL) June 18, 2026

The naughty boys

(Sanctions for Sunday's games TBA)

Suspensions:

Josh Weddle - Rough conduct - 3 matches

Sam Clohesy - Rough conduct - 2 matches

High-range fines: 

Toby Greene - Striking - $1875 or $3125 fine

Low-range fines:

Andrew Brayshaw - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine

Jack Ginnivan - Striking - $1000 or $1500 fine

Sam Cumming - Umpire contact - $1000 or $1500 fine

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - Obscene gesture - $1000 or $1500 fine