1. The Hawks are favourites to pull off the three-peat
Sam Mitchell and Nat Fyfe will dominate the headlines for their parts in a fiery opening to a match billed as a Grand Final preview. But in the context of the season, more attention should be paid to the marauding fashion in which Hawthorn went about demolishing the ladder leaders. Such was their dominance at Aurora Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Hawks racked up 17 goals, a season-high against the normally miserly Dockers defence. What’s more, they did it all without absent spearhead Jarryd Roughead and following goalless performances from regular contributors Jack Gunston and Cyril Rioli. Luke Breust (4.0) and Luke Hodge (3.1) feasted on their chances around goal while Paul Puopolo and Ben McEvoy led a host of other contributors with a couple each. In all, the Hawks had 10 goalkickers. If they're able to maintain that kind of spread they are going to be very hard to stop on the road to September. – Stu Warren

2. Buddy is offering returns on investment
Even when you think he's having a quiet night, Lance Franklin still wins games for the Sydney Swans off his own boot. Against the Lions he barely had a touch until the 26-minute mark of the third term when he flicked the switch and banked the four premiership points for the Swans. He shoved off Daniel Merrett for one goal, outmarked Justin Clarke for another and at the start of the last term, roved a pack beautifully for his third. The quarter's worth of activity leaves him two short of 700 career goals. Whatever he's getting paid over the nine years is worth every cent. – Michael Whiting

3. Every Adelaide player should be commended
Saturday night's pictures after the siren told their own story. The tears flowed first from debutant Riley Knight. Soon hardened veterans Patrick Dangerfield and Sam Jacobs were sobbing. As the players made their way from Domain Stadium there was barely a dry eye either on the ground or in the stands, with the normally hostile Perth crowd standing in ovation. It was commendable the Crows felt able to play at all, the match coming eight days after coach Phil Walsh's death. Their ability to perform in the circumstances was outright remarkable. A rout looked on the cards after the Eagles jumped to a three-goal lead in the opening term. Instead the visitors regrouped, underlining that they still hold finals potential by slamming on six of the next seven goals to briefly threaten an upset. It speaks of a resilience of which everyone at the club should be proud. – Matt Price

• Crows, Eagles flock together for Phil

4. The Tigers' tall focus hides a small weakness
There has been a lot of talk about Damien Hardwick's three-pronged forward line and the role it has played in Richmond's recent run of form. But with Ben Griffiths sidelined and delivery poor on Friday night, an effective small forward would have been invaluable. Steven Morris came into the team to face Carlton and was deployed as a defensive forward, with a two tackles and one handball his only stats in the first half. He finished with three disposals and three tackles. Formerly a hard-nosed small defender, Morris' transformation into a defensive forward has not yet worked and the Tigers could be better served in their top-four push by a creative player complementing their tall timber. – Nathan Schmook

5. Joe Daniher can be the man for Essendon
The stage was set at half-time on Saturday for a big forward to take control of the game after a dour two quarters, and it was Essendon youngster Joe Daniher who relished the challenge. After kicking 1.8 in his past four outings, Daniher booted four straight goals in the second half against Melbourne to finish with five and was the game changer as the Bombers snapped a five-game losing streak. It will do a world of good for the 21-year-old's confidence and showed he's got the ability to absorb pressure and be the difference when his team needs him. - Jennifer Phelan

6. There's fight in these Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs' young list is brimming with talent but Luke Beveridge's men were up against it at Cazaly's Stadium on Saturday. Pitted against a Gold Coast team that again appeared rejuvenated with skipper Gary Ablett back at the helm, the Dogs found themselves 37 points down early in the third quarter. Beveridge also feared his team had fired its best shot when it dominated the remainder of the third term but could manage only 1.6 for the quarter. Down by 26 points at the final break, the Bulldogs produced a blitzkrieg in the last term, piling on 10 goals to two to steal an inspirational 22-point win. Even more encouragingly for Beveridge, it was young guns Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Stringer who led the way with two final-term goals each. Pulling off such a remarkable comeback win away from Melbourne showed the young Dogs have the necessary fight to back up their talent. - Nick Bowen

7. Jimmy Bartel is far from a spent force
Geelong's warrior captain Joel Selwood desperately needs a hand in the engine room and, injury permitting, he need look no further than veteran Bartel. In his first senior game since injuring a knee in round three, Bartel accumulated an equal career-best 41 possessions – 13 clear of anyone else on the ground. This tally included a remarkable 30 handballs – equal-third in the game's history. All that after the 31-year-old played just one VFL game on the comeback trail. The problem was that North overwhelmed the Cats with their fleet of runners. Let's hope that Bartel's knee pulls up well so we can witness more vintage performances from this modern-day great. - Ben Collins

8. There's steel behind Port Adelaide's teal
There's character in this Port Adelaide outfit, never better showcased than during Thursday night's final term against Collingwood. First off, like their cross-town rivals Adelaide, the players showed courage to push through a devastating week, blitzing the Magpies with the first four goals of the game. Then their on-field resolve was put to the test in a final quarter dominated by the opposition. The Magpies drove inside attacking 50 arc 18 times in the last term, to Port's eight. The Power would have been excused had they rolled over. In refusing and hanging on in a Thursday night thriller, they delivered a reminder that no matter their lowly ladder position they can never safely be underestimated. - Harry Thring

9. The Giants learned from last week's last-quarter disappearance
Last week, GWS held a 15-point advantage over Richmond at the MCG and lost. Back on their home deck on Sunday it was an almost identical scenario, with the gap 16 points and a quarter to go. Only this time, there was a happier ending as the club posted its first win since what at the time seemed a disastrous round 11 loss to Collingwood, when Shane Mumford, Phil Davis and Joel Patfull were injured. Although tougher tests for GWS are still to come, the Giants will take timely encouragement from passing St Kilda's searching examination. - Jordan Chong