SATURDAY at the MCG was supposed to be nothing more than a glimpse into a bright future for the Melbourne Football Club.

It was the first time that Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw, Melbourne's first two selections in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft, played in the same team as the first two selections at last year's draft, Clayton Oliver and Sam Weideman.

That prospect alone was what drew a large and throaty Melbourne crowd to the footy. What they got instead was Melbourne's best win, perhaps since the Demons knocked over St Kilda in the 2006 elimination final, which brought an end to the Grant Thomas era at the Saints.

The Demons were too slick, quick and tough for Hawthorn in their 28-point win, a feat all the more impressive given Jesse Hogan was watching from the stands, nursing a bruised knee. At some stage he needs to make a decision about his long-term future, but if the gun forward still needs convincing about the case to stay with Melbourne, then the replay of Saturday's game will be Exhibit A.

All week the Demons talked the game up. They were itching to take on the reigning premiers in what was their Grand Final. Many at Melbourne believe that with some more composure and some slightly calmer heads, they might have beaten the Hawks back in round 11, when they led for considerable periods of the game.

This time they didn't wilt as the Hawks charged at them in the third quarter and for a period held, what the old Sporting Globe used to call a handy lead. Melbourne then wrestled back the lead at the final change and went on to win handsomely.

If there was any debate as to the All Australian ruckman for 2016, then Max Gawn put it to bed with a magnificent display and Melbourne supporters have about eight years of he and Jack Viney making magic together.

Good times.

Paul Roos wasn't able to break the St Kilda drought or engineer a win in Western Australia in his time as Melbourne coach, but the 13-match losing streak to the Hawks equally rankled. That has now been put to bed and even though there are three games remaining this season (and an ever-so-slim chance of making the finals), 2017 cannot come quickly enough for the red and the blue.

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Where to now for Hodgey? 

As for the Hawks, they have major headaches ahead of an MCG clash with North Melbourne that they absolutely have to win.

Cyril Rioli and Sam Mitchell face Match Review Panel scrutiny, while the backline is looking close to threadbare with James Frawley and Ben Stratton injured and Josh Gibson also appearing to be hobbled.

Paul Puopolo and Liam Shiels can't come back quickly enough because of the tackling pressure they bring and for Hawthorn's sake it had better be this week.

But the biggest question of all is skipper Luke Hodge. The footballer's footballer is finally showing signs of mortality.

Hodge had 27 possessions on Saturday, equal best for the day for the Hawks with old mate Mitchell. But 15 years of banging and crashing is starting to take its toll and the worrying sign for the champ is that he hasn't taken his game to a higher level despite finally having a good run of consecutive games for the first time this year.

Hodge was never a racehorse but it didn't matter because every other part of his game was from the top shelf, but he might have lost a yard or so and now it is starting to tell.

Hodge, 32, is an unrestricted free agent and his status as one of the all-time greats of his club means that rightfully, he and he alone will get to make the call on his playing future.

Nobody would put it past Hodge to come out this week against North Melbourne, be best on ground and lead his side to victory in perhaps Hawthorn's most important game of the year. The MCG is his playground. 

As stated, he is a champion and this is what he has done for his footy club countless times until now. The mind is willing, but for how much longer his body will follow suit is now the great unknown. 

The big four at Hawthorn are now year-to-year propositions. Mitchell has re-signed for next year, while Josh Gibson and Shaun Burgoyne are still playing well enough to go on. We hate to say it, because he is this writer's favourite player of the last 10 years, but Hodge has a bit to think about. 

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Footy's next great rivalry

Gold Coast versus Greater Western Sydney is the footy rivalry that not many asked for and which many would argue has been foisted upon us.

But if Saturday's game at Metricon Stadium is any guide, then they should be among the more enjoyable and watchable for the next few years.

The Giants got the points and had to dig deep to do so. In terms of their aspirations for the finals, it was a critically important win.

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But they almost fell into the trap laid for them by the wily and canny Suns coach Rodney Eade, who first mentioned how fatigued his below-strength midfield is and then talked up the Giants as almost the "complete package".

The Suns were tenacious throughout and only lacked for some polish at the end. Eade had every right to be pleased with his men and must also be looking forward to the last three weeks of the season but more so, next year when he is certainly overdue some luck in the injury department. 

We've noted before that the Suns are looking good down the spine in the medium to long-term. If they can get their best midfield on the park, they're a big chance at the finals in 2017. Eade has every right to feel bullish.

Other observations

1. St Kilda took care of business on Sunday, belting Carlton by 71 points. The Saints remain an outside finals chance but what would be more pleasing as far the big picture is concerned is that they made it two-from-two so far at the MCG this year. The Saints have a nice blend of inside hardness and outside run that translates well at Etihad Stadium, but in wins over Collingwood and now Carlton, that has translated well to the home of football. They're back there again in a fortnight to play Richmond.

2. Those of us who picked the Western Bulldogs to lose to North Melbourne again underestimated how much ticker resides at the Whitten Oval. Never mind who's playing and who's watching on, the Bulldogs invariably come equipped to go to war and for a while during Saturday night's willing affair, war seemed likely to break out. It was a night when Luke Beveridge's defensive genius came to the fore again and keeping the Kangaroos to just seven goals in such an important game was a fair effort.

3. Two blows for Justin Leppitsch within a few hours of each other. The 138-point loss to Adelaide wasn't all that unexpected. But the formal and public declaration that followed of a formal review of Leppitsch's position is not great news for the Brisbane Lions coach. This isn’t Geelong in 2006 when Mark Thompson saved his job. The Cats were disappointing that year while the Lions are simply non-competitive. It puts club vice-president-cum-powerbroker Leigh Matthews in a difficult position given his steadfast support for Leppitsch until now. The problems run so deep for Brisbane that the status of the coach is only part of what is a very complex jigsaw.

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4. Reason No.437 (and counting) why John Longmire is a great coach: his handling of Isaac Heeney. The 2015 first-year phenom struggled through the first part of the season, so Longmire eased the pressure by giving him a spell for a week and bringing him back through the NEAFL where he could regain some form and touch away from the spotlight. The move worked a treat and Heeney has been terrific since his return, with his latest great performance coming on Saturday with two goals and 25 possessions against Port Adelaide. At some footy clubs, Heeney would have been required to work through things, but Longmire has been in the caper long enough to know when to push certain buttons. And he got it absolutely right with Heeney. 

5. The selection puzzle for the Cats as the finals approach became clearer on Sunday, with Scott Selwood successfully getting through his first game for the club. Make no mistake, he is best 22 for the Cats and he got his career in the hooped affair off to a good start in keeping David Zaharakis to 17 touches in the 11-goal win over Essendon. Next week it will likely be Trent Cotchin as he finesses the run-with role en route to September. 

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