1. The Dockers are unlikely to gamble with their ruck combination again
Ross Lyon debated publicly midweek about the merits of using young key defender Alex Pearce as Aaron Sandilands' back-up for a second week in a row after the pair worked well against Gold Coast. But he got burnt on Saturday night when Sandilands suffered a punctured lung in the second term.

The Eagles took control in the ruck as Pearce, Michael Johnson, Michael Barlow and even Matt de Boer had to battle against Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett. Jon Griffin must return against North Melbourne and with Zac Clarke still battling a knee problem, Jack Hannath should also be considered to avoid being caught short again. - Alex Malcolm

2. The AFL's shortest player has a big future
It was 168cm Caleb Daniel who made the biggest impact in the second and third quarters on Sunday, as the Western Bulldogs made their run against Hawthorn. Second-year Bulldogs midfielder Caleb Daniel was shifted onto Sam Mitchell, who was running riot and setting the Hawks up as the champion midfielder has made custom. But Daniel had other ideas. He was creative, he worked forward, made an impact on the scoreboard and was one of the most influential players on the day. His contribution of 29 touches, eight marks, six tackles and a goal proved him to be an acutely smart player with great footy nous. He was a big reason the Dogs got so close to the Hawks, and why they probably should have won. Many clubs wouldn't have drafted Daniel at all back in 2014 due to his height. But three rounds into this season it looks like another win for the Dogs' recruiting team. – Callum Twomey

• After the siren: Want to be top Dogs? Fix these four things

3. The Magpies need Pendles in the middle
Injuries have left Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley in a tough position and he may not be willing to shift Scott Pendlebury from half-back for another week. But for the Magpies to reach their best, they need their skipper where he can influence most. Moving Pendlebury back was not enough to earn him space against the Saints, who used Mav Weller among others to make sure he had just four touches in each of the second and third quarters, when the game was at its hottest. Centre clearances were squared 16-16 on Saturday and they weren't Buckley's concern, but Pendlebury's authority in the middle might have stopped the Saints' third-quarter run, which started with four centre square wins to two in that term. The returns of Steele Sidebottom and Travis Varcoe might give the coach more flexibility with the magnets against Melbourne, but that will be countered by the likely loss of half-back Marley Williams. – Nathan Schmook

4. Tom Lynch has been given the big bucks for a reason
In the same week he signed a lucrative two-year contract extension, Tom Lynch showed again why he has to be considered among the very elite forwards in the competition. His four goals against the Blues give him 13 through three games, but he does far more than just kick goals. Without Charlie Dixon as a sidekick this season, Lynch is playing deeper in attack and creating headaches for opponents with his relentless leading and aerial prowess.

Plus, it helps having a fitter midfield to kick the ball to you. Against Carlton Lynch had 23 disposals, 10 marks – three of them contested – and could have finished with more than two goal assists had his teammates kicked straight. The 23-year-old is on the verge of being a genuine superstar. - Michael Whiting

5. Luke Parker is now clearly the Sydney Swans number one midfielder
Some might say this isn't a surprise, others might think it's a huge call, but Parker's start to 2016 has been phenomenal and although he's up against Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack, who are All Australian representatives and/or club champions, the 23-year-old is the best of the best in Sydney. If he was playing for a high-profile Melbourne club, Parker's stocks would be sky high, and he's just about the most complete onballer in the game. After three rounds Parker averages 33 possessions – and just over 16 of those are contested – kicks goals and is a brilliant mark for his size, as shown by his hanger against the Giants. The AFL players' top 50 had the Swan ranked 18th in the pre-season, and if that poll was conducted again today, he'd be a top-five lock. - Adam Curley

6. There's no danger signs of a Crows' slide
After star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield departed in last year's trade period, many tipped Adelaide to be one of 2016's sliders. But the Crows have shown in the first three rounds they are every chance to improve on last year's sixth-place finish. After they dismantled Richmond at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said Don Pyke's men were genuine top-four contenders, marvelling at the way they punished his team's turnovers with "breakneck speed" ball movement. Matt Crouch, Brodie Smith and Paul Seedsman have each in their own way helped cover Dangerfield's loss in the midfield, while in Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch (who withdrew from Saturday's game to attend the birth of his second child) and Eddie Betts Adelaide has one most of the most potent forward lines in the competition. And with a backline led by human blanket Daniel Talia, the Crows look to have all the ingredients to give a top-four berth a serious shake. - Nick Bowen

7. Geelong's attack is taking shape
After an injury-interrupted pre-season, Joel Selwood reminded everyone on Sunday that he is the equal of his new teammate Patrick Dangerfield. He controlled clearances as the Cats kept their feet on the struggling Lions' throat and worked with the relentlessness that has defined him. However it was the glimpses from inclusions Daniel Menzel and Nakia Cockatoo – who did a spectacular blind-turn and handball in the last quarter – that showed how damaging the Cats could be in attack this season. With Darcy Lang and Lincoln McCarthy proving they can apply pressure and Steven Motlop settling into his high half-forward role, the Cats will be difficult to match up on as the season progresses. – Peter Ryan

8. Port will ride the bumps with Polec and Pittard
Jared Polec had one disposal to half-time in the round two Showdown loss. The Power speedster could have been on the chopping block but coach Ken Hinkley kept the faith and was richly rewarded as Polec was instrumental in carving up the Bombers in Friday night's first quarter. His dash and creativity frequently opened up the paper-thin Essendon midfield, and he finished with 23 damaging disposals in the 10-goal win. If it wasn't Polec setting up the Power's forward thrusts, it was another talented but inconsistent speedster. Jasper Pittard was close to best afield as the Dons chased his tail all night. He earned 29 telling possessions, nine marks and rare praise from Hinkley for an outstanding game. Both Pittard and Polec are thrilling line-breakers and Hinkley knows he'll have to live with quiet games from both. But in the risk/reward game of AFL, the Port coach always backs excitement over industry. - Tim Roman

9. There's fight in the Demons
It would have been easy for Melbourne to turn up their toes after being hammered in the opening quarter against North Melbourne in Hobart. But rather than give up in the face of a six-goal deficit at quarter-time, the Demons rallied with the wind at their backs and dominated by kicking nine goals to lead at half-time. Ultimately, the young Dees couldn't quite pull off what would have been a famous win, but in their valiant performance and stand-out contributions from young guns like Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and emerging big-man Max Gawn, they showed there's plenty of fight in the ranks. A quick look at the stats sheet confirms as much, the Demons clearly winning contested possessions (176-145) and clearances (63-46) to prove their appetite for the tough stuff was a big reason they stayed in the hunt all afternoon. - Stu Warren