1. The tagger still has a role in modern football
Patrick Dangerfield looked 'on' from the opening clearance against North Melbourne but little could be done to stop him. Once Andrew Swallow was concussed out of the game his tackling was missed, while Sam Gibson had been given the job on Steven Motlop. What Brad Scott would have done to have the injured Ben Jacobs in the line-up. Jacobs would have worn Dangerfield like a glove and potentially turned 48 disposals into something less match-defining (remember: the Kangaroos were ahead at half-time). With the interchange capped and stars' influence so critical, teams still need a tagger to cool the champs when they are on fire. Another lesson from Saturday night: if Dangerfield gets going again this season, the Cats are a premiership chance. 

2. The Giants couldn't have written a better script for their 100th game
They've come a long way in four and a half years and the Giants wanted to celebrate their club milestone in style, but even they must have been pinching themselves with how well round 12 turned out. Mocked by the ill-informed about a lack of crowd numbers, Sunday's 10th Sydney derby drew 21,541 fans to Spotless Stadium, the highest attendance of any event since its redevelopment. With that box ticked, GWS then outmuscled the Swans at their own brand of contested footy and blitzed the premiership favourites by seven goals to be just one game off third spot with two very winnable games coming up before their bye. To cap it off, a GWS fan slotted the kick of his life at three-quarter time to win himself a cool $100,000. It's fair to say the Giants' players, officials and supporters went to bed pretty content on Sunday night. - Adam Curley

3. The Doggies are even more resilient than we thought
The Western Bulldogs have made a habit of gutsy wins since Luke Beveridge took the reins as coach in 2015. But Beveridge ranked Saturday's pulsating three-point triumph over a fired-up Port at Adelaide Oval as "up there with the best". The Dogs lost yet another important defender pre-match when Marcus Adams was a late withdrawal, and then went a man down during the second when Luke Dahlhaus strained a medial ligament in his left knee. Port had 10 of the first 11 inside-50s during the second term and it seemed certain the floodgates would open and the Dogs would crash. Not this team. The Bulldogs fought off challenge after challenge to record a famous win and give the true believers at Whitten Oval reason to believe this side might be made of the right stuff to end a 62-year flag drought. - Kym Morgan

4. Trent Cotchin's leadership deserves recognition 
Dustin Martin was Richmond's match-winner against Gold Coast, but the skipper was right there with him and couldn't have done more in the crucial fourth quarter. Cotchin, who didn't train during the week and spent a day in hospital with a virus, racked up 12 possessions and four inside 50s in the last term and got to both ends of the ground when his team needed him. He finished with 28 touches and a team-high seven tackles and was all heart with his team's season on the line. Cotchin's suitability to captain the Tigers has been debated after losses this season. His resilience to keep performing under that external pressure, and ability to push through injuries, deserve equal recognition. - Nathan Schmook 

5. Few lingering doubts remain for enigmatic Adelaide
The Crows have been hard to read this season. They beat the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney at home and been ultra competitive but ultimately fell short against North Melbourne, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs away. A home loss to Geelong had left the question mark lingering but their win over West Coast in Perth quashed any doubts. No interstate side had come within 10 goals of the Eagles this season but they held the Eagles scoreless in a quarter at Domain Stadium for the first time in West Coast's history. The Eagles had the same question marks as the Crows but this loss confirmed they are not the force they were last season. - Alex Malcolm     

6. The Demons have swagger
Before Paul Roos arrived Melbourne was a team that played as though it did not belong. But the recruiting of Bernie Vince, Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca and the emergence of Max Gawn has not only bought some genuine competitors into the team, it has also introduced some swagger, amply demonstrated during Monday's demolition of Collingwood. Such confidence is good for morale and when the Demons start to perform consistently, will be an asset on the big stage. This team, led by the mature Nathan Jones, is emerging step by step. - Peter Ryan

7. Tim Membrey's value grows by the week
Tim Membrey managed only one game with the Sydney Swans after being drafted by the club in 2012, as he struggled to break into a strong and settled forward set-up. He left after two seasons and joined St Kilda as a delisted free agent, in what looks to be one of the more valuable pick-ups in recent years under the free agency system. The Saints gave up nothing for Membrey other than a spot on their list and he is starting to blossom under coach Alan Richardson, with a five-goal haul against Carlton on Sunday an equal-career high. With fellow forwards Nick Riewoldt (knee) and Paddy McCartin (concussion) unavailable, Membrey helped fill the breach and booted the bag to take his tally to 20 goals for the year from seven games. He has been a fine recruit and at just 22 looks to have plenty of improvement left in him. 

8. Playing the kids can work for Ross
It's a path he might not have envisaged taking at the start of the season, but playing the youngsters is working out just fine for Ross Lyon. Against the Lions, not only did he get contributions, but the young guys were his leading men. Lachie Weller, in game number 15, was arguably best afield with 21 touches and four goals. The week after winning a Rising Star nomination, 20-year-old Connor Blakely had a team-high 29 disposals, 14 contested, while draftee Darcy Tucker was also instrumental in victory with 19 touches and two goals. Throw in young key forward Matt Taberner's five-goal bonanza, and perhaps the makings are there for a longer-term turnaround than people think. - Michael Whiting

9. Young Hawks are starting to pay dividends
With Jarryd Roughead (melanoma) and Ryan Schoenmakers (groin) both sidelined indefinitely, young Hawks forwards Tim O'Brien and James Sicily are both enjoying extended senior runs. O'Brien, 193cm, showed promising signs in attack on Friday night against Essendon, kicking two goals and taking three contested marks, although Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson noted later he dropped a few marks in the second half he should have taken. Sicily, 186cm, racked up a career-high 25 touches in a less familiar position across half-back, with Clarkson saying the Hawks believed in teaching their players to play in a variety of positions. O'Brien has also played in defence at times this season and the Hawthorn coach says he and Sicily will continue to rotate between attack and the backline. Both youngsters remain works in progress, but their development has been fast-tracked this season. - Nick Bowen