1. The blowtorch is back at Carlton
Mick Malthouse and the Blues have enjoyed two weeks' grace. The pressure on the veteran coach eased on Anzac Day, when the Blues beat St Kilda in New Zealand for their only win for the season. In round five Malthouse surpassed Jock McHale's all-time coaching record, dimming the focus on his future at Carlton despite a 75-point loss against the old foe Collingwood. But as the Brisbane Lions surged at Etihad Stadium on Sunday night, it's fair to say Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was probably the most relieved man in Melbourne, with the glare sure to shift from Punt Road to Ikon Park. The fallout from a match in which the listless Blues were overrun by the previously winless Lions is sure to be brutal. - Jennifer Phelan

2. Try as they might, the Tigers won't forget Saturday’s third quarter in a hurry
In a match that saw them leak a staggering 92 points to turnovers, the Tigers coughed up seven goals in a decisive third term that saw the Roos feast on a combination of opposition skill errors, broken defensive structures and poor discipline to set up a match-winning lead at the final break. Still fuming when he spoke post-match, Damien Hardwick railed about the 'horrible' turnovers and, highlighting two particularly poor efforts from the normally-reliable Dustin Martin to illustrate his point, reminded the football world that 'you get kicked in the backside' when your concentration fades, skill levels drop and you're regularly gifting possession to the other side. - Stu Warren

3. If Tom McDonald isn't one of the clubhouse leaders for an All Australian guernsey after six rounds, there's something very wrong
Even Swans superstar Lance Franklin can't shake key defender Tom McDonald. The 194cm Demon has been simply brilliant this season and claimed arguably the biggest scalp in the competition on Saturday night. Although Franklin had 22 touches, he went goalless for the first time since round four last year, while McDonald racked up 25 touches and took 10 marks. Shackling the AFL's best forwards is one thing, but the 22-year-old's creativity from defence has gone to another level and he's now in the conversation as arguably the Dees' most important player. – Travis King

4. Ryan Griffen is the Giants’ most valuable midfielder
His numbers might not be off the charts in his first six games at Greater Western Sydney, but make no mistake, the former Bulldogs skipper has made a significant impact at his new club. Each week Griffen lands a tag, which has allowed the likes of Dylan Shiel, Adam Treloar and Lachie Whitfield the freedom to get off the leash and hurt opposition sides with their run and carry. The young Giants must thank god that Griffen got stale at the Kennel. – Adam Curley 

5. The Cats' young brigade is starting to rise
Perhaps the most pleasing thing to come out of Geelong's best performance of 2015 was the fact many of those instrumental in the 41-point win over Collingwood were youngsters. Mitch Duncan, 23, was best on ground with a game-high 38 possessions, while Mark Blicavs, 24, underlined again what a unique talent he is with 27 disposals alternating between the ruck and manning Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury. Josh Caddy, 22, and Jackson Thurlow, 21, were also prolific ball-winners in the midfield and backline respectively, while Jed Bews, 21, held Magpie star Jamie Elliott goalless. Better still, 18-year-old Cory Gregson was lively in attack with 3.2 and two goal assists and fellow 2014 draftee Nakia Cockatoo kicked the goal that halted Collingwood's tilt at a remarkable comeback win. Much has been made of the challenge the Cats face as they seek to manage the retirements of premiership stars such as Corey Enright, James Kelly, Jimmy Bartel and Steve Johnson over the next few seasons. But Cats fans can take solace knowing their young brigade looks increasingly ready to fill the breach. - Nick Bowen

6. The Eagles' makeshift backline is an attacking force
West Coast entered Sunday's clash with the tag of being a flat-track bully. Their three wins had come against Carlton, the Brisbane Lions and Greater Western Sydney – before the Giants stamped themselves a serious threat by beating Hawthorn. At home, Port Adelaide was expected to have little trouble seeing off their badly undermanned visitors, but the Eagles were sensational. The run they generated from defence opened the Power up and will rightfully have raised the eyebrows of the 17 other coaches in the AFL. The Eagles are second on the ladder, and that is in no small part due to their defensive pressure, showcased in the fourth term at the Adelaide Oval when the Power threw the kitchen sink in search of victory. - Harry Thring

7. The Saints can turn it off, and turn it on
As Saints coach Alan Richardson pointed out in his post-match press conference, the match on Saturday showed just how woeful the Saints could be but also showed the true potential of the young group. Led by Jack Billings and David Armitage, St Kilda produced the club's biggest comeback, turning around a 55-point deficit in the third term to beat an in-form Bulldogs side. The future looks bright for the Saints, and they should be filled with plenty of self-confidence after what was a truly gutsy win. - Nat Edwards 

8. Eddie Betts is getting better as he gets older
Betts has set a very high standard over a long and distinguished career, but it's hard to argue he's played any better than he is now. The little wizard small forward kicked another five goals against the Suns and gave a couple off to take his season tally to 20 from six games. That came on top of five against Port Adelaide and four against the Western Bulldogs in the previous fortnight. He hurts you in so many ways – on the lead, in the air, on the ground. Maybe coach Phil Walsh summed it up best, saying Betts was "everything I thought he was and a bit more". - Michael Whiting

9. There is a (tiny) chink in Nat Fyfe's armour
The Dockers star is the clear Brownlow Medal favourite after six rounds. He could clean sweep the AFL Coaches' Association and AFL Players' Association awards as well given his incredible form. But there is one chink in the armour. Despite being a contested ball and clearance machine, an aerial master, and virtually unbeatable one-on-one, his goalkicking is failing him at the moment. He kicked 0.2 against Essendon and he has kicked 6.7 for the year. He did kick 24.10 last season and 18.13 in 2013, so it hasn't always been a major weakness although he had a couple of famous misses in the 2013 Grand Final. Fyfe knows it is a weak point in his game and he continues to work exceptionally hard on it at training, but it hasn't quite clicked in games so far this season. - Alex Malcolm