1. Melbourne's hard-nosed midfield is up there with the best

The Demons may have been labelled a gentleman's club, but there is nothing nice and charming about their on-ball brigade. The Demons aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, as they showed in their 13-point win against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. All Australian ruckman Max Gawn gave his midfielders the perfect platform with 66 hit-outs. Clayton Oliver was a bull inside with 25 contested possessions and a massive 14 clearances. Angus Brayshaw and Nathan Jones are as tough as they come, James Harmes enhanced his reputation as a quality run-with player, keeping Rory Sloane to 17 touches, and Christian Petracca and Alex Neal-Bullen ran hard all night, leading to Neal-Bullen's match-sealing goal with 30 seconds on the clock. The Demons smashed the Crows in clearances 59-39, turning on a brutal display in the contest. - Lee Gaskin

2. Key forwards can still thrive in the modern game

The theory goes that numbers being pushed down back makes it too hard for the big men to dominate. It might true to an extent (no one has kicked 100 goals in a season since Lance Franklin in 2008) but Geelong forward Tom Hawkins has been making a mockery of the idea in recent weeks. At 30, he's producing form reminiscent of 2012, when he won the Cats' best and fairest. The behemoth finished with seven against Brisbane, equalling his tally against Melbourne the week prior, and used his impressive foot skills to set his teammates up as well. He's got 48 goals for the season, ranked second behind North's Ben Brown. Rule changes are coming but if Hawkins keeps up this form, he's still going to star. - Dinny Navaratnam

3. Just tag Mitchell from the opening bounce

When an opponent's strength is as obvious as Hawthorn's, the obvious answer is to start there when you're planning how to stop them. Dockers coach Ross Lyon was coy during the week when asked if he would send Bailey Banfield to lock down on Brownlow Medal favourite Tom Mitchell, and didn't end up targeting the Hawks' ball magnet until it was too late. Mitchell was coming off a combined 89 possessions and three goals in his past two matches and was in everything early, setting the visitors on their way to a two-goal start before Freo had even had a possession. Mitchell's influence around centre clearances – he had four in the first term alone – was telling and by the time Banfield went to him Freo was already on the back foot. He finished the first quarter with 11 touches and three inside 50s and, almost certainly, left Optus Stadium with another three votes in his back pocket. Getting beaten is frustrating, but getting beaten by what you know is maddening. - Travis King

THE RUN HOME Hawks on the rise, Swans on the slide

4. The Magpies need Reid and Goldsack now more than ever

With Matt Scharenberg set to join Lynden Dunn on the list of players mending reconstructed knees, the Magpies suddenly look skinny in defence. Darcy Moore played on Saturday against Richmond but it was just his sixth game for the season so the jury's still out on his durability. It's fair to say the Pies are going to need some bolstering in the backline department if they're to be a threat come September, and that needs to include experience. Ben Reid is on the cusp of playing in the VFL after surgery on both knees at the start of July. Given Scharenberg's shattering injury on Saturday, Reid will surely have to play back when he returns, assuming Brody Mihocek stays forward. Tyson Goldsack is also pushing for a remarkable comeback after a March reconstruction. One of Reid or Goldsack would be good, but both would be better if the Pies' defensive stars align after after a torrid few months. - Jennifer Phelan

NEW BLOW FOR 'BILLY' Pie goes down in VFL

5. Ahern can be an ace in the pack for North

While Ben Cunnington continued to do his thing and Shaun Higgins battled manfully against a hard tag, young onballer Paul Ahern took huge strides towards establishing himself as a key man in the North Melbourne midfield against the Eagles in Hobart. Having fought back from a pair of knee reconstructions and having not played any football at all in 2017, the former No.7 draft selection has managed eight matches since finally debuting this season and his 37-disposal effort against the Eagles suggests the Roos got a bargain when they traded pick 69 to the Giants at the end of 2016. Of his 37 possessions on Sunday, a massive 22 were contested. Add 12 clearances – six from the centre – and five forward entries to the mix and it was a genuinely impressive outing from the 21-year-old who showed he can play a huge role as the Roos chase finals footy in 2018. - Stu Warren

FANTASY FORM WATCH Pie in Pig consideration

6. Bolts' green shoots are showing some growth

At the risk of trotting out a line that many footy fans – Carlton and otherwise – might have heard once too often, the Blues' green shoots sprouted a little further on Saturday night. In the midst of one of the club's most gloomy seasons on record, coach Brendon Bolton has continued to pound the club line about developing its youth. While Patrick Cripps delivered another best on ground performance against the Suns and Charlie Curnow another dominant outing in the forward 50, there was plenty more than the twin tyros to get excited about. Jacob Weitering and Harry McKay both produced glimpses of their key position talent, but it was the exquisite skills of Sam Petrevski-Seton, in arguably his best game, and the blistering speed and classy finishing of Paddy Dow that would leave every Blues fan beaming from ear to ear. - Michael Whiting

7. Francis should play the rest of the season for Essendon

Bombers fans finally got to see the talented youngster at senior level on Friday night, with Essendon rewarding Francis for his strong VFL form with a game against the Swans. Francis didn't blow anyone away with his showing, but he did more than enough to suggest he should hold his spot for the final month of the season (and perhaps longer, if the Bombers can scramble into the top eight). In a defensive role Francis had 14 disposals for the night but was assured by foot, quick of mind and highlighted his natural instincts in a couple of nice passages of play. It was Francis' sixth game as he nears the end of his third AFL season, but the No.6 pick should have taken great confidence from it. - Callum Twomey

8. Does Dixon now rival Ryder as Port's most important player?

In conditions that weren't conducive to his contested marking game, Charlie Dixon thrived, bagging five goals – equalling the Bulldogs' team total – in Port Adelaide's total of 11 to be the standout performer at a wet and windy Mars Stadium at Ballarat on Sunday. It was instructive that Dixon's herculean performance, resulting in his best goal haul in more than a year, coincided with the return of ruck star Paddy Ryder, whose mere presence enabled Dixon to do what he does best: bash-'n-crash packs and cause headaches for defences. The pair remain keys to their club's tough run home and potential flag tilt. - Ben Collins

WATCH Big Charlie dominates the Dogs

9. The Giants passed their season-defining test

They'd won three straight but were 10th on the ladder, so plenty put a line through the season when Jeremy Cameron was handed a five-game ban heading into round 15. But Greater Western Sydney not only managed to get by without its star forward, it put itself in top-four contention. The Giants beat Hawthorn before dropping a tight one to West Coast in Perth, then toppled Richmond, Port Adelaide and St Kilda. All five games were decided by 25 points or less and all five were tough, physical games. During that stretch co-captains Phil Davis and Callan Ward provided the leadership Leon Cameron's men needed, and with some big names back in the team, the Giants are primed to have another crack at a finals campaign. - Adam Curley