A club for whom success has been extremely sparing for more than a decade, a win in Saturday's event in Sydney probably meant more to the Lions than it would have for other clubs. Brisbane had picked a relatively strong squad, and while the return from injury of Allen Christensen got a fair bit of attention, Tom Bell has also had a tough run with his body since leaving Carlton, so his contribution was worth noting. Carlton Most Blues combinations look a bit thin on paper, but Carlton's AFLX squad was particularly light on for experience and quality - so it should be no surprise the Blues lost both of their games. Still, AFLX presents opportunities, and speedy youngster Zac Fisher was the type of player who was well placed to capitalise, with the modified game suiting the left-footer well. The Blues need all the talented kids they can find, and Fisher - who showed glimpses last year - has plenty of promise. Blues youngster Zac Fisher. Credit:AAP Collingwood

The Pies were soundly beaten by Adelaide but bounced back to beat West Coast on Thursday night. Collingwood desperately need class forward of centre, which was a big reason behind the drafting of the freakishly talented Jaidyn Stephenson. Of course it's early days, but the early signs from the No.6 draft pick were promising. Meanwhile James Aish is yet to establish himself, but was encouragingly lively. Essendon The Bombers play a free-flowing and speedy style of game during the season proper, so one might have thought they'd fare pretty well at this version of the game. It wasn't to be, with the Dons losing both their games. Their standout player was rookie ruckman Shaun McKernan, who was arguably the pick of the big men across AFLX. Opportunities have been limited for the former Crow, but on this showing he isn't yet a spent force. Shaun McKernan takes a shot on goal. Credit:AAP Fremantle

The Dockers need as many good young players as they can muster as they continue to work through a laborious rebuild. They lost to Geelong but beat Port Adelaide, and perhaps the most exciting signs came from South Australian rookie Stefan Giro. The diminutive midfielder found plenty of the ball, and looks like he could be a round-one bolter. Geelong While none of the Cats' holy trinity - Ablett, Selwood or Dangerfield - played, Geelong still picked a squad with plenty of experience for their trip to Adelaide. There are still question marks hovering over the Cats' list, particularly when it comes to depth, so the showing of mature-age West Australian Tim Kelly was uplifting for fans of the hoops. Geelong's Tom Hawkins in action during the Adelaide AFLX grand final. Credit:AAP Gold Coast

The Suns walloped an incredibly inexperienced Bulldogs side before being beaten by Sydney. For Gold Coast to rise quickly under Stuart Dew they need their second- and third-year players to come on in leaps and bounds. Brayden Fiorini falls into this category, and his efforts on Saturday are cause for optimism. Greater Western Sydney The Giants lost their games against Richmond and the Lions, and it shouldn't have been much of a surprise given the inexperience of their squad. There were glimpses from a handful of kids and fringe players, but the clear standout was Lachie Whitfield, who shone with 31 disposals for the afternoon. He's already an excellent midfielder, but with the Graeme Allan-Craig Lambert saga now a distant memory, perhaps the Giants could get more from the former No. 1 pick. It would take them a fair way to their first flag. Lachie Whitfield (top) in action for the Giants. Credit:AAP Hawthorn

The Hawks are a fascinating proposition this year. They've still got an abundance of premiership heroes, and there a handful of talented kids coming through, but quite where that leaves them is anyone's guess. One area in which they could definitely do with some more depth is in the midfield, so the performance of James Worpel on Friday night is an excellent sign. The Geelong Falcons premiership captain has a mature body and it's easy to see him getting a game from the start of the season with his tackling likely to win plenty of plaudits in 2018. Melbourne A bit like the Lions, any premiership is a good one for the Demons, even if it comes in a bastardised form of the game against only five other teams, and in February. Arguably the best player across all three nights of AFLX was Jake Melksham, who kicked six goals at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, five of which were 10-point "Zooper goals". The former Bomber proved himself to be a handy goalkicker in the back half of last year, and if this showing is anything to go by, he is going to be a very dangerous player in 2018. Jake Melksham was a highlight for the Dees. Credit:AAP North Melbourne

The Roos had picked one of the strongest squads for the event, so it was perhaps slightly disappointing they didn't make the grand final. Few of North's youngsters made massive impressions, although the Roos could probably be buoyed by the showing of ex-Hawk Billy Hartung, who found plenty of the footy as he looks to kickstart a career that stalled over the past couple of years at Waverley. Port Adelaide With the greatest of respect to Jack Watts, the seriousness with which Port showed this event could arguably be summed up by the fact the former Melbourne forward captained the Power in what was his first competitive outing for the club. Port were under strength, and it showed, although emerging backman Riley Bonner looks like one to watch in 2018 after a strong showing. His left foot is a feature. Richmond The reigning premiers went in with precious few of their 22 from grand final day, yet still managed to knock over the Giants before being beaten by the Lions. For Richmond to go back-to-back, the competition for spots - a highlight of their 2017 campaign - will need to remain, and in experienced pair Sam Lloyd and Reece Conca, both of whom were busy, they have players who are capable of working their way back into the strong Richmond side.

Competition: Sam Lloyd. Credit:Chris Hopkins St Kilda The Saints accounted for Essendon first up on Friday night and a grand final spot was there for the taking before they capitulated against Hawthorn in their second game. The Saints are relatively deep, but desperately need a few of their players to elevate their games in 2018. Shane Savage was in and out of the Saints' side last year but finished the season very well, and the former Hawk picked up where he left off, with his long-kicking on show as he kicked two 10-pointers. Sydney The Swans haven't traditionally been known for their pre-season exploits, and an understrength outfit didn't engender all that much confidence that things would change on Saturday at Allianz Stadium. Still they comfortably beat both the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast. Harry Marsh, perhaps best known for being dropped for the 2016 grand final, shone in defence, a promising sign as the Swans continue their quest to find players of quality down back.