IT WAS a funny old weekend in footy.

Except for one result, every match blew out.

For powerhouses Collingwood and Essendon it was a weekend to saviour. Yet serious question marks hang over Melbourne.

Here’s how we graded your team’s Round 4 performance.

Finals Week 1

ADELAIDE CROWS

It was the result no one saw coming. Collingwood smashed the Crows by 48 points in the wet, leaving Don Pyke with no answers. The Adelaide coach stuck with his tall forward line, despite the inclement conditions. It was a decision that ultimately backfired and was only compounded once Eddie Betts succumbed to a hamstring injury.

IN THE VOTES

Rory Laird was industrious and picked up 37 touches, while Paul Seedsman was a standout against his old side, kicking one goal from 29 disposals. Bryce Gibbs put in another solid performance and was the pick of the midfielders. His classy late goal typified his performance.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

How long have you got? The forward line never looked likely. Between them, Darcy Fogarty, Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch kicked zero goals. Skipper Taylor Walker booted two majors, but was left wanting on a number of occasions. Rory Sloane was smothered and only had 12 touches.

THE MAGOOS

A number of recognisable names to Crows fans were the best for their SANFL side in a 20-point loss to South Adelaide. Riley Knight had 25 disposals while Curtly Hampton had 14 touches and 10 tackles.

GRADE

D-

BRISBANE LIONS

This was a dark day for the Lions. Chris Fagan’s side was thumped all day by the Tigers, failing to kick a goal until late in the third term. It’s a big lesson for Brisbane.

IN THE VOTES

Cam Rayner put in a brave performance, kicking a goal and collecting 22 touches, while Alex Witherden and Stefan Martin also put in solid efforts.

RFI

This was a performance the entire Lions team will want to improve on.

It was particularly tough for their forwards, with Eric Hipwood and Charlie Cameron both going goalless.

THE MAGOOS

Well, the Lions found one way to beat Sydney by 50 points — do it in the NEAFL. Ryan Bastinac kicked three goals while Claye Beams, Ryan Lester, Tom Bell and Corey Lyons were among Brisbane’s best in Burpengary.

GRADE

F

CARLTON

A really rough night out for the Blues, who lost skipper Marc Murphy before the bounce then were beaten all game by the Kangaroos — and never really looked in the contest.

One to hit the reset button on.

IN THE VOTES

Ed Curnow battled hard all night for his 26 disposals, while Patrick Cripps worked all night to try to get through Ben Jacobs’ tough tag.

RFI

The entire Carlton team will want to bounce back from this strongly.

It was another tough night for Liam Jones and Jacob Weitering down back, though they weren’t helped by the amount of entries they had to deal with, while Jack Silvagni’s kicking was poor in his senior return.

THE MAGOOS

The Northern Blues allowed the last two goals of the game in a tough three-point loss to North Melbourne. Jed Lamb and Kym LeBois each bagged three majors while Cam Polson and Harry McKay each had two.

GRADE

F

COLLINGWOOD

Nathan Buckley was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, after his Magpies stunned Adelaide to claim the club’s first win at Adelaide Oval. It was a 48-point trouncing in the wet. And for Collingwood fans it was nothing short of delicious.

IN THE VOTES

Draftee Jaidyn Stephenson had a five-goal breakout performance which showcased his breakaway speed, marking prowess and natural footy smarts. Steele Sidebottom was simply awesome, racking up 43 touches, 12 clearances and seven tackles. Meanwhile, Brodie Grundy towelled up Sam Jacobs, with 33 disposals, 40 hit-outs and a superb running goal. Adam Treloar (36 disposals) and Scott Pendlebury (30) were also influential.

RFI

It wasn’t a night for big men and Mason Cox battled hard all evening. But overall it was a very solid performance from the entire Collingwood unit.

THE MAGOOS

Collingwood wasn’t able to spoil the party of Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres, as the Magpies fell to the Borough by 16 points. Flynn Appleby and Josh Daicos were among the Pies’ best.

GRADE

A+

ESSENDON

Yes, there were a few positional changes, but the key to Essendon’s turnaround — from the poor loss to the Bulldogs to this impressive win over the previously unbeaten Power — was effort. The Bombers looked like they wanted to defend this time, as compared to damning vision shown on AFL 360 during the week that was the opposite.

IN THE VOTES

As goes Zach Merrett, so do the Dons? The midfield gun had 29 disposals and eight tackles against the Power, while Dyson Heppell was also excellent with 31 touches. Michael Hurley had a remarkable — ha — 15 marks and 29 touches. And it turns out when you play a former All-Australian forward in Jake Stringer as a forward, rather than a midfielder, he does well! Stringer had four goals while Cale Hooker was excellent in defence.

RFI

It was a quiet outing for Adam Saad, with just the nine disposals, while Josh Begley managed the same total and at worse efficiency. Joe Daniher didn’t stand out either.

THE MAGOOS

Shaun McKernan’s three-goal performance was the shining light for the VFL Bombers as they fell by 32 points to Williamstown. Matt Leuenberger also goalled.

GRADE

A

FREMANTLE

While the Dockers showed plenty of spirit and got to within 13 points of the Giants in the last quarter, GWS showed they were a class above as they ran away as 31-point winners. Fremantle exploded out of the blocks to stun the Giants, but windy conditions ensured it was difficult to score all day.

IN THE VOTES

All the usual suspects performed strongly for Fremantle. Stephen Hill kicked one goal from 28 touches, while also having seven inside 50s. David Mundy booted one major from 32 disposals, while Lachie Neale (29) and Nat Fyfe (25) were also prolific.

RFI

Draftee Adam Cerra didn’t see much of the Sherrin. And a number of forwards struggled to not only master the blustery conditions, but get their hands on the ball. Cam McCarthy and Hayden Ballantyne went goalless. Matt Taberener did too, however, he accumulated 19 touches, while playing as the second ruck.

THE MAGOOS

Peel Thunder fell by just a straight kick to Perth, with Ethan Hughes grabbing 24 disposals and veteran Danyle Pearce having 23. Shane Kersten kicked one goal.

GRADE

C

GEELONG CATS

After falling narrowly short in the west last weekend, Geelong returned to form on Sunday night, easily accounting for an underwhelming St Kilda. With Gary Ablett missing his homecoming with a hamstring, Brandan Parfitt filled the void, while it was all about Dan Menzel in attack.

IN THE VOTES

When the game was there to be won in the opening half, Menzel grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and showed why he is capable of being an All-Australian. He finished with an equal personal best five goals, while Parfitt was immense with a career-high 28 touches and three goals. Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield got the job done too, in a strong win for the Cats.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

A week after he found touch at Optus Stadium, Tom Hawkins was held goalless by Saints full back Nathan Brown in what was one of the few losses for the Cats. Rhy Stanley took a step forward in the ruck, but the Cats still lost the clearance count by 13, in what is still a serious area of concern for Chris Scott.

THE MAGOOS

The VFL Cats couldn’t get over the line against Sandringham, but a number of fringe AFL Cats were solid including Jackson Thurlow, George Horlin-Smith and Wylie Buzza, while Timm House continues to press for a debut.

GRADE

A

GOLD COAST SUNS

Stuart Dew’s men can’t get back to Queensland quick enough. After being dismantled by Fremantle a week ago, the Suns were destroyed by the Eagles on Saturday, raising more questions about their decision to sell a home game to the Dockers. Yes, we know they couldn’t play at Metricon Stadium, but what about a neutral venue like the Gabba? Just a thought.

IN THE VOTES

They may no longer have Gary Ablett at their disposal, but what they do have is a fully fit David Swallow who is in career-best form right now. He might have finished second in the best and fairest last year, but after so many issues with his knees, Swallow is thriving. He was well supported by Jarryd Lyons in the midfield, as well as Aaron Hall who responded after being held to just five touches against the Dockers.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

When you consider who has departed Metricon Stadium in recent years, it’s not hard to see why the Suns are lacking midfield depth. But that’s precisely the problem at the moment. They don’t bat deep and that’s where the Eagles got them on Saturday night.

THE MAGOOS

Gold Coast dominated GWS all game in the NEAFL, eventually running out 21-point winners. Jacob Heron, an emergency this week, kicked three goals while Will Brodie booted two. Brad Scheer was one of the Suns’ best.

GRADE

D

GWS GIANTS

The Giants overcame blustery conditions to defeat Fremantle by 31 points in Canberra on Saturday. While the Dockers got to within 13 points in the final term, GWS found a way to win when the going got tough. The club’s purple patch in the nation’s capital continues.

IN THE VOTES

Stephen Coniglio continues to go from strength to strength and was once again the pick of the midfielders. Coniglio kicked one goal from 27 touches and operated at an 85 per cent efficiency. Nick Haynes was equal to the task across halfback, while Callan Ward was superb with 34 disposals. In his return match, Toby Greene added a touch of class to the Giants’ forward line. His last quarter goal was simply magnificent.

RFI

After starring last weekend against the Swans, Jon Patton had a rather subdued day. He finished the match goalless from 11 touches.

THE MAGOOS

The Giants fell by 21 points in the expansion derby, with the big news being a serious injury to young Lachie Tiziani. The second-year player had kicked three goals when he fell awkwardly in a tackle in the third quarter against Gold Coast, injuring his leg.

GRADE

A

HAWTHORN

Why do we ever doubt Alastair Clarkson? Four awful weeks last year aside, the Hawks coach has been near-infallible in recent years, and is now spearheading his side’s shockingly quick return to the top eight. Hawthorn was brilliant on Sunday and somehow ran away with the game in the final term, with seven goals, despite only having two on the bench.

IN THE VOTES

Liam Shiels was excellent with 31 disposals, eight clearances and 14 tackles, while Jaeger O’Meara continued a stellar season, producing 26 touches, nine tackles and two goals. Luke Breust kicked four majors while Jarryd Roughead and Tim O’Brien both bagged three. On debut David Mirra was very good with 18 disposals as part of a rock-solid defensive unit.

RFI

After being spoken about as an All-Australian smoky during the week, Ben McEvoy was no match for leading contender Max Gawn, having just 27 hit-outs and six disposals to the Demon’s 66 and 16. Blake Hardwick wasn’t great either, with 12 disposals and nine clangers.

THE MAGOOS

A day before they watched their former star David Mirra run out onto the MCG as a Hawthorn player for the first time, the Box Hill Hawks were similarly victorious, defeating Frankston by 39 points. Mitchell Lewis bagged three goals while Ryan Burton kicked two.

GRADE

A

MELBOURNE

What was that? Melbourne was kept goalless through the second and third quarters in a dour showing against Hawthorn. It was particularly brutal given what most thought going into the game — that these were two teams on the brink of contention that needed to prove they truly are going to be thereabouts this season. The Demons looked nowhere near it and allowed the Hawks to kick seven last-quarter goals.

IN THE VOTES

Max Gawn’s strong season continued with a massive 66 hit-outs, although he could have done better than the 16 disposals. Clayton Oliver had 28 disposals and 11 tackles as he was one of the few Demons to show some fight. Dean Kent kicked three first-quarter goals.

RFI

Three players — James Harmes, Neville Jetta and Jeff Garlett had less than 10 disposals and were near-invisible. Jordan Lewis was very poor against his old club, going at 35.7 per cent efficiency with his 14 disposals, while there are major questions over Jake Lever. He had 15 touches but went at 46.7 per cent efficiency as Hawthorn’s forward line ran rampant. Is he being played the wrong way or did we all overrate him?

THE MAGOOS

Jayden Hunt continued to push his case for a return to Melbourne’s senior side as he was one of the Casey Demons' best in a 16-point win over Werribee. He, Cam Pedersen, Sam Weideman, Harley Balic and Corey Maynard all kicked goals.

GRADE

D-

NORTH MELBOURNE

The Kangaroos blew Carlton off the park with a first-half scoring blitz, then carried on that form for the rest of the night. A proud night in Tasmania for Brad Scott’s team.

IN THE VOTES

Shaun Higgins was tremendous in the midfield, finishing with 35 disposals, 17 contested possessions and 11 clearances, with Ben Cunnington providing support. Ben Brown was everywhere early, booting four first-half goals and having the better of Liam Jones to finish with five. Jed Anderson arguably played his best game for the club, while Jarrad Waite, Shaun Atley and Jack Ziebell all hit the scoreboard.

RFI

Kayne Turner, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin were all relatively quiet, but still had their moments.

THE MAGOOS

The Kangaroos’ VFL clash with the Blues was a lot closer than the AFL one, but still had the same result with North Melbourne getting up by three points. Cam Zurhaar and Paul Ahern were both good while former Lion Michael Close showed promising signs as well.

GRADE

A+

PORT ADELAIDE

Perhaps we should have seen this coming after the Power only just squeaked past Brisbane. But the bubble on Port’s season has well and truly burst following a 22-point loss to Essendon in which they were never in control.

IN THE VOTES

Of the few to stand out, Robbie Gray was especially prolific, with 39 disposals, 10 clearances and five inside 50s. Jared Polec was also good with 28 disposals while Jack Watts kicked three goals.

RFI

Tom Clurey played the role of the Invisible Man, managing to have just six disposals while on the field for 97 per cent of the game. In his Power debut Trent McKenzie didn’t stand out, with the former Sun managing just 11 touches.

THE MAGOOS

In an absolutely bizarre game, the Port Adelaide Magpies kept their opponents Woodville West Torrens goalless for three quarters but then didn’t win. Lindsay Thomas kicked two goals and then the game-deciding point in a 4.4 (28) to 2.16 (28) draw.

GRADE

C

RICHMOND

The Tigers gave the Lions a football lesson, bursting out of the blocks at the MCG to all but wrap up the game by quarter-time.

Their defence was also on show, with the Lions held goalless until late in the third quarter, and Brisbane having just 17 points to their name at the final siren.

Yes, it was against the winless Lions, but the Tigers were simply brilliant.

IN THE VOTES

Trent Cotchin led from the front in the midfield, with 26 touches and nine inside-50s.

Dustin Martin was brilliant up forward, booting six goals, while Richmond’s defence — led by David Astbury, Alex Rance and Dylan Grimes — set the tone.

RFI

There aren’t too many things the Tigers will want to change from today — though they did start to overuse the ball at times in the second half.

THE MAGOOS

Richmond’s VFL side had a bye.

GRADE

A+

ST KILDA

Not much is going right at St Kilda right now. After an unconvincing first round win over Brisbane in Round 1, the Saints have been pummelled in the past three weeks to currently be the most disappointing side in the AFL. Even more than Carlton, given their finals aspirations a month ago.

IN THE VOTES

Luke Dunstan was forced to bide his time in the twos across the first fortnight of the season, but he has returned with a vengeance. After collecting 30 disposals last week, Dunstan collected 26 and kicked two goals in Geelong. Jarryn Geary was dependable as always and Jack Steven worked hard for four quarters.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Where do you start right now? For the third week in a row, the Saints wasted their chances in front of goal, kicking twice as many behinds as goals to finish with 7.14. Despite easily winning the clearance count by 13, Alan Richardson’s men amassed 18 less inside 50 entries. It’s grim at Moorabbin right now.

THE MAGOOS

There was at least some joy for St Kilda at the Cattery on Sunday as Sandringham downed Geelong by two points. After being dropped David Armitage was among the Zebras’ best while Billy Longer was also good.

GRADE

D

SYDNEY SWANS

It wasn’t the Swans’ most convincing performance, but when they needed it, they got the job done at Etihad Stadium. 2017 first-round pick Oliver Florent kicked the sealer in the dying moments to lead John Longmire’s side to its third win this season. They are in much better shape than 12 months ago in terms of win-loss.

IN THE VOTES

When Sydney needed someone to stand up after halftime, Lance Franklin was that man. The four-time Coleman Medal winner got off the leash for a bit and that was all the Swans needed. Luke Parker and Isaac Heeney got on top in the midfield, while Dane Rampe was rock solid in defence.

RFI

Sydney was smashed in almost every key indicator, except for the one that matters most. The Dogs amassed 53 more disposals, 18 more inside 50s, 10 more clearances and 10 more tackles. That means a whole of team effort is needed to improve.

THE MAGOOS

It’s good to know that if Sydney does need to break glass in case of emergency and play big man Darcy Cameron, he’s at least in good form, as he kicked two goals in the Swans’ NEAFL loss to Brisbane.

GRADE

B

WEST COAST EAGLES

Did anyone see this coming? A month ago, many predicted West Coast to finish in the bottom four, perhaps even finish with the dreaded wooden spoon. After four rounds, they are 3-1 and flying. Nic Naitanui is firing, Josh Kennedy is back in the team and Jeremy McGovern is back to his best down back. Look out.

IN THE VOTES

A week after being held to just 12 touches, Elliot Yeo dominated at Optus Stadium. The All-Australian collected a career-high 33 disposals, while Chris Masten, Dom Sheed and Andrew Gaff also got their hands on plenty of the ball. After missing the first three weeks with an ankle injury, Kennedy booted five goals on Steven May in a commanding return.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Not much is going wrong at West Coast right now. With Kennedy returning, the Eagles forward line should only improve, especially given the early season form of Jack Darling and Mark LeCras, who kicked two goals in his 200th game on Saturday night.

THE MAGOOS

East Perth had a bye in the WAFL.

GRADE

A

WESTERN BULLDOGS

A week after they returned to form against Essendon, Luke Beveridge’s side fell just short at Etihad Stadium. They made a fast start against Sydney, returning to the handball frenzied brand they owned in their premiership winning season in 2016. But after a grim first fortnight, the Dogs have some of their snarl back.

IN THE VOTES

Jack Macrae has been the Dogs’ star so far this season and he continued that dominant form at Etihad Stadium, collecting his fourth 30+ disposal haul to start the year. Matt Suckling found plenty of the ball across halfback, while Josh Dunkley was impressive forward of centre.

RFI

The Western Bulldogs won every key indicator except the one that matters most on Saturday night. Had they capitalised on their dominance before the main break, they would have been further ahead at that stage. They still need a key focal point in attack. Could that open the door for Tom Boyd to return to the fold?

THE MAGOOS

It was the Tom Boyd show for Footscray as he kicked five goals — more than opponents Coburg did all day. He was the Bulldogs’ best in a 81-point win.

GRADE

B