1. Dees crack Dons with eight-goal third term
Both teams will be happy to put the first half of Sunday's contest behind them and never speak of it again. Under a closed Etihad Stadium roof, the Dees and Dons turned the ball over like they were playing in a force-10 hurricane. One team would butcher a forward 50 entry, only for the other to respond with a clanger of their own seconds later. At half-time, they were locked on four goals apiece, and both seemed to be labouring after short breaks (Essendon was coming off a five-day rest, Melbourne a six-day one). Finally, Melbourne shook the rust off its boots in the third term. With an eight-goal-to-two premiership quarter, the Demons established a 33-point lead at the final change and went on to break their three-game losing streak. 

2. Daniher has attack of the yips
Five days after his Anzac Day heroics, Joe Daniher found the going a lot tougher in the first half against the Demons. The young spearhead was typically sure-handed in the air – he took six first-half marks – but his enigmatic left foot was at its unreliable worst. Daniher hit the post with his first shot on goal at the 20-minute mark of the first term, then added another five behinds in the second quarter – hooking most of them to the right – and put another shot out of bounds on the full. Daniher finally broke his duck at the 12-minute mark of the third term after taking a pack chest mark, but not before he played on and missed to the left. Fortunately for him, the umpire called the play back and Daniher made the most of his second chance, converting with a clever around-the-body set shot. It was his sole goal for the afternoon. 

3. Pedersen rises to tall challenge
With ruckmen Max Gawn (hamstring) and Jake Spencer (shoulder) facing long stints on the sidelines, the Demons looked to Cameron Pedersen to carry their ruck division against 201cm Bomber Tom Bellchambers, who was playing his first senior game since 2015, after pre-season knee surgery. Predictably, the 193m utility had his hands full at ruck contests – Bellchambers had 33 hit-outs to Pedersen's 18 – but he provided the contest his team was looking for, helping the Dees' midfield to win the clearances 40-31. Pedersen also had the better of Bellchambers around the ground – he had 19 possessions and took eight marks to the Dons ruckman's nine and seven – and drifted forward to kick a goal in Melbourne's match-winning third term. 

4. Hurley and Petracca wage entertaining battle
Key defender Michael Hurley was one of Essendon's best players, especially in the first half when he was almost impassable across half-back, racking up a game-high 16 possessions and nine marks (two contested). However, as Melbourne took control of the game in the third quarter, it was also able to take Hurley out of the game. With his opponent Christian Petracca selflessly leading him out of the play time and time again, the key defender had just two possessions in the third term as his team's chances faded. Hurley (23 possessions and 13 marks) fought his way back into the match in the last term, but Petracca (four goals) also had a strong impact in attack in the absence of spearhead Jesse Hogan.

5. Hunt takes flight
Jayden Hunt has been making a name for himself with his blistering run from half-back – and dodgy headbands – but the Demons youngster showed he could be just as electrifying in the air late in the first quarter on Sunday. Roaming up to Melbourne's half-forward line, Hunt leapt on to the shoulders of opponent Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, twisting almost 180 degrees in the air to almost hang on to a speccie. Upon landing, the Dees defender quickly found his feet and the ball, dashing towards 50 and launching a long bomb on goal that – a score review revealed – snuck in for a behind.