1. Nat Fyfe is about to become the new MRP’s biggest fan
It will be a long flight home to Perth for Nat Fyfe if he dwells on a third-quarter incident against the Bulldogs that will be reviewed by Monday's Match Review Panel. The in-form midfielder and Brownlow Medal favourite was reported for tripping Koby Stevens on Sunday, which soured the Dockers' seventh-straight win and could leave his eligibility for football's most prestigious individual accolade in tatters.

The action was deemed a likely accident by Stevens himself while Ross Lyon pondered whether Etihad Stadium's surface contributed to why Fyfe found himself at the feet of Stevens in the Bulldogs' defensive pocket in the first place. A revision to the panel's grading system is likely to Fyfe let off with a fine if the contact is classified as low impact, which means he won't miss a game and can still win the medal. Even so, the fact he found himself in the book at all – after coming second in the Brownlow count last year after being suspended twice – will no doubt be on his mind over the next 24 hours given his blistering form to date. - Jennifer Phelan

2. Elliot Yeo is following the Fyfe mould
Of all the players that left the Brisbane Lions over the past few seasons, Elliot Yeo could be the one that haunts the Lions the most. He began his career as a dashing defender but spent the first couple of games this season pinch-hitting as a key defender due to the Eagles' injury woes. But suddenly he has become a monster inside midfielder dominating at stoppages, drifting forward, taking contested marks and kicking goals in the mould of Fremantle star Nat Fyfe. On Saturday against Gold Coast he gathered a career-high 29 possessions, six clearances, nine marks and kicked four goals. He had kicked just five goals in his previous 46 games. The 21-year-old has added a different dynamic to the Eagles' midfield and looms as a potential match-winner for West Coast for years to come. - Alex Malcolm

3. Another bizarre Stevie J suspension is just around the corner
The Norm Smith medallist is one of the game's most freakish talents, but his career has been littered with brain fades. In round seven it was an incident just before quarter-time that had people shaking their heads. Contesting a loose ball with Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh, Johnson landed a clenched fist to the 250-gamer’s privates, which left McVeigh doubled over in agony. The umpire in control had already blown his whistle to pay a free kick to Swans big man Kurt Tippett, and the footy was nowhere near Johnson's hit zone. As any man will tell you, there's no pain like it. If Johnson is trying to tread a fine line, he may have crossed it yet again. - Adam Curley

4. Port Adelaide needs to find a spark, pronto
After coming out of arguably the toughest draw in the League with a 3-2 record after five rounds, Port Adelaide has looked flat the past fortnight. With unexpected losses to West Coast at home last week and now the Lions in Brisbane, they are slipping off the early top-four pace. The pre-season premiership fancies have been outworked both weeks and their upstart opponents have looked hungrier. Coach Ken Hinkley will be desperate to find answers ahead of next week's showdown against Richmond at Adelaide Oval. It's not panic stations, but there's a few alarms sounding. - Michael Whiting

5. The Roos want to rule the roost down back
Lachlan Hansen's return from injury was always going to help shore up North Melbourne's defence but the Roos unveiled another intercept marking weapon against Essendon. Hansen was understandably rusty in his first game back against Richmond in round six, but he rediscovered his trademark intercept marking against the Bombers, taking a game-high 14 marks, many of them short-circuiting Essendon attacks. If Friday night's game is any guide, Hansen might have a new intercept partner-in-crime, with North redeploying spearhead Drew Petrie into defence with telling effect. Petrie drifted down back at times in the first half to give North's defenders a hand, but in the final quarter the Roos' vice-captain ruled the air in the Bombers' forward 50, taking four intercept marks to ensure his side hung on for an 11-point win. Brad Scott said after the game North would continue to use Petrie in defence when required, a tactic that will make the Roos' aerial defences very hard to crack. - Nick Bowen

6. Captain Cotchin can play a leading man
Richmond's leaders often cop it in the neck when things go awry, so the performance of skipper Trent Cotchin against Collingwood on Sunday at the MCG should not be undersold. Coach Damien Hardwick was quick to dish out praise to Cotchin after a match-winning performance. Frequently criticised for his on-field 'marshalling of the troops', Cotchin led Richmond’s pulsating come-from-behind victory with an outstanding captain's performance. In the final quarter, the 25-year-old gathered 11 disposals, notched three inside 50s and helped himself to two clearances in working himself to the point of exhaustion. So much so, Hardwick said, the Tigers' interchange managers had to force him back on to the field when he was looking for a breather. In short, it was one one of the best games of Cotchin’s 137-game career. He finished with 32 touches, six clearances, seven inside 50s and two goals, teaming with vice-captain Brett Deledio – who kicked two clutch goals in the final term – to will the Tigers over the line. - Ben Guthrie

7. The young Giants are far from satisfied
The spectre of a letdown coming off a watershed win over Hawthorn loomed large for Greater Western Sydney in round seven. The Giants were playing away from home against a Carlton side which has been bitterly disappointing at best this season. But instead of going through the motions, they produced a dominant four-quarter belting of the hapless Blues. The club record 78-point win was another stepping stone in the development of Leon Cameron's side, which now faces another hurdle to win three games in a row for the first time against Adelaide. – Travis King 

8. Scott Thompson is turning back the clock
When Scott Thompson missed the first few weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, talk was beginning to surface that perhaps the game was catching up with the 32-year-old. The back half of his 2014 campaign was also hampered by hamstring issues, but his return to senior football this year has been phenomenal. Another 35 possessions and nine clearances against St Kilda on Saturday sees him enter round eight ranked second in the League for average clearances and contested possessions. He's also averaging almost six tackles a game. Thompson is in career-best form and clearly isn't thinking about retirement. - Harry Thring

9. The Hawks' future is in safe hands
There was no need for Hawthorn supporters to worry when Billy Hartung won the footy on Saturday, with the young midfielder using the ball at 100 per cent efficiency. It's a stat aided by his high handball (19) to kick (seven) ratio, but impressive nonetheless. Most significant for the Hawks was the timing of Hartung's breakout game, coming while ball-winning stars Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Isaac Smith were sidelined. His ability to run powerfully all day showed what a valuable sidekick he could be to the premiers' older brigade before eventually taking the baton. It could also be enough to earn the 20-year-old a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination this week. - Nathan Schmook