1. Swans are edging ahead in the race for Jetta-Sinclair Cup

When Lewis Jetta requested a trade back to Perth at the end of the 2015 season, the Eagles got the line-breaking speed they were looking for, and Sydney received a forward/back-up ruckman in Callum Sinclair, who was coming off a nightmare showing in West Coast's losing Grand Final side. At the time it looked like the West Coast side of the deal had more upside, but while the Swan took some time to break out of the shadows of Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid and Sam Naismith, he's now making a significant contribution as his team's sole big man. Meanwhile, Jetta remains a source of frustration for the Eagles and looks a long way from getting back to the heights of the 45-goal season that helped Sydney win the 2012 flag. Sinclair would be an All Australian contender if the squad was picked right now and Sydney's patience is paying dividends. - Adam Curley

2. These Crows are broken

Adelaide entered its round 10 clash with Melbourne in Alice Springs a month ago sitting one spot below the Demons in fourth. The Crows proceeded to – shockingly – lose by 91 points, the club's biggest defeat in almost seven years. They had already dealt with scrutiny about their hamstring plague and an infamous pre-season camp where Richmond's theme song was played on loop. Don Pyke's men were being lauded for their efforts to stay afloat sans Rory Sloane, Taylor Walker, Brad Crouch and Brodie Smith. But did Melbourne break Adelaide's spirit? The Crows have now lost four in a row for the first time since 2011 – and their streak of three straight seasons playing finals is in danger. They were utterly uncompetitive in the third term against Hawthorn on Saturday night, embarrassingly losing the clearances 18-1. Adelaide averaged almost 110 points a game in the 2017 home and away season, but has managed 55 points, 81, 68 and then 32 in the past four weeks. The bye will bring significant heat inside and out of West Lakes, but it is the perfect opportunity to reset, because there is still time to resurrect season 2018. - Marc McGowan

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3. Vlastuin is becoming a formidable roadblock

Although star tall Alex Rance attracts most of the accolades dished out to Richmond's defence, Nick Vlastuin is becoming an increasingly important member of the Tigers' back six. The former first-round draft pick has struggled at times in his six seasons at Punt Rd to consistently live up to his potential, but his outstanding performance on Sunday against Geelong was the latest and most striking indication that he is finally ready to put his stamp on the competition. The 187cm defender was almost impassable across half-back, pulling down a game-high 11 marks. Most impressively, where other players were struggling to mark cleanly in the slippery conditions, Vlastuin's hands were sure and sticky. In a game where Geelong enjoyed its share of the momentum, Vlastuin more than any other Richmond defender played his part in absorbing that pressure until the Tigers were ready to counter-punch. Richmond will be hoping his performance is a sign of things to come. - Nick Bowen

WATCH Vlastuin the general of Tigers' defence

4. Bruce McAvaney is going to need a thesaurus

That's because on Brownlow night, the host of the Channel Seven telecast is going to have to find a few different ways to say that Nat Fyfe is ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal. The one-match suspension a fortnight ago put paid to his chances of backing up his win in 2015 with another medal, but after another best in ground performance on Saturday against Carlton, there is little doubt that he would be leading the voting, irrespective of his eligibility. Much was made of his head-to-head clash with Patrick Cripps, but as is the trend in modern footy, they stood each other at a few contests then each went about their business. Fyfe finished with 30 touches, seven inside-50s and two goals, but it was his work in the first half when the game was up for grabs – 19 touches and the two goals – that was all class. He pretty much did as he pleased all afternoon. - Ashley Browne

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5. Gold Coast needs more leaders

When Stuart Dew addressed the Suns' lack of leadership in his post-match press conference on Saturday night, he was stating the obvious. Yes, under-pressure skipper Tom Lynch led from the front against the Saints (for three quarters) and even saved Ben Ainsworth from getting into an elongated shoving match with Nathan Brown by directing the youngster off the field. But with Steven May injured, where else do the Suns get direction? Midfielders David Swallow, Touk Miller and ruckman Jarrod Witts are in the leadership group but all are quietly spoken, while veteran Michael Rischitelli can't be expected to do any more from half-back. The stoppage that allowed Jade Gresham's late goal was a horror show. Gold Coast needs to develop some voice and find a depth of leadership or risk more episodes of Saturday night's meltdown. - Michael Whiting

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6. Veteran Power forward develops team-first mentality



Port Adelaide's recruitment of Lindsay Thomas raised eyebrows, but the former North Melbourne goalsneak has bought into the Power's unselfish team ethos. After an eventful debut, when he was handed a four-game suspension for a hit on Geelong's Scott Selwood, Thomas produced an impressive display in the Power's 57-point win over the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval. Thomas booted 1.1, but more importantly, he provided opportunities for others in among his 14 disposals. Thomas can be a valuable piece of the Power's attacking structure for the second half of the season. - Lee Gaskin

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