1. Ferocious Dogs' top-four dream lives on
Luke Beveridge might not want to talk finals, but such is the overflowing belief at the Kennel that a fairytale top-four berth is looking more realistic by the week. Their 13th win for the season was built on frenetic pressure and ball movement that blew Melbourne off the park in an eight-goal-to-none opening term. It was a stunning blitzkrieg – with the Dogs dominating disposals (+24), contested ball (+18), inside 50s (+6) and clearances (+8) – that effectively killed the contest in one ruthless quarter. The Dogs are now back into fourth spot on the ladder and will be confident of upsetting West Coast in Perth next round.
2. Good luck beating the Western Bulldogs at home in finals
Since round nine, the Doggies have strung together eight games unbeaten under the Etihad Stadium roof – begging the question: do they have the best home ground advantage in the AFL? Fremantle had won nine from 10 at Domain Stadium leading into Sunday's Western Derby, but you could mount an argument that facing the Dogs in their Etihad pressure cooker would be almost as unappealing as the trip west during finals. The Dogs have most notably beaten West Coast and Adelaide at home – and they're just getting better. In the past three weeks they've poleaxed the Bombers, Power and Demons by an average of 83 points.
3. Hoodoo gurus suffer disheartening defeat
For all their progress this year, the Dees' loss was a major step backwards. And, for all the tough defeats over the past decade, this must've especially hurt Melbourne fans. It was only five years ago that the Bulldogs were playing off in their third consecutive preliminary final, but the Demons haven't finished in the top eight since 2006. So to see the Dogs' rebuild zoom ahead would be heartbreaking for Melbourne supporters – even taking into account a 39-point win in the round eight clash. For the record, it's now 22 games in a row the Dees have lost under the roof – the worst venue hoodoo for any club.
4. Hulk Hogan overtakes King Carey
Emerging superstar Jesse Hogan's exploits include sitting in the top three for contested marks – an astounding effort for a 20-year-old. But he achieved a notable landmark on Sunday, with his third goal eclipsing the greatest centre-half forward in AFL history Wayne Carey's tally from his first full season for North Melbourne in 1990. 'The King' slotted 38 majors from 21 games that year, including a bag of seven goals. With three games to go, Hogan has booted 39 and is yet to be held goalless, with five snags his best haul. We are witnessing something special.
5. Boyd and Redpath
Red-hot competition for the full-forward spot probably wasn't what many expected to see at the Kennel this year, but that's been one of many surprises. Jack Redpath booted a career-best four goals in the final term against Port Adelaide last round, throwing down the challenge to big-money recruit Tom Boyd. The young gun answered with five majors – including the match-winner in the final minute – in the VFL on Saturday. Against the Dees, Redpath gave strong effort and finished with two goals. It's unlikely, but could the Dogs stretch the Eagles' undersized defence next week by playing both big men? It's a good debate for the match committee to have with finals looming.
