ROUND FOUR began on Friday night at Telstra Dome, where, despite missing key players and suffering injuries during the game, Essendon almost upset the Western Bulldogs. The loss proved a first of sorts for the Bombers; the defeat was their fourth straight to the Bulldogs, the first time they’ve lost four in a row to the sons of the west since 1977-78. It was also the first time they’ve played a match without at least one of Matthew Lloyd or Scott Lucas in the team since round 15, 1999.

For the Western Bulldogs, it’s the first time since 2006 that they’ve won the opening four games of a season. The winning run is a good omen for the Bulldogs, as since the introduction of the final eight in 1994, 17 of the 19 teams that have opened a season with four straight wins have made the finals.

The same stat applies for Geelong following their impressive victory over St Kilda on Saturday afternoon at Telstra Dome; it’s the first time the Cats have started a season with four wins since 1999; but that was a year where they failed to go on and play finals. Geelong’s win also continued their stunning recent record at Telstra Dome; since the beginning of 2007, they’ve won eight of nine games at the Docklands venue by an average margin of 53 points.

North Melbourne continued Melbourne’s early season misery at the MCG on Saturday afternoon. It was the Kangaroos’ third straight win over the Demons, though the one downside was the low attendance, the crowd of 23,427 was the lowest between the sides at the MCG since round 2, 2000.

Melbourne’s 2008 continued to go from bad to worse – for the second straight season, they’ve begun a year with four consecutive losses. Overall, since the beginning of 2007, they’ve managed just five wins from 26 games. Dean Bailey now remains the only winless current coach in the AFL.

While Barry Hall’s report may have taken the gloss off Sydney’s impressive win over West Coast on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium, the win broke a number of records and streaks. The 62-point final margin was the biggest between the sides following a run of thrilling results since West Coast won by 45 points in 2005, and the biggest margin between the sides since 2000, when Sydney won by 71 points. Sydney’s win broke a losing streak of three games to the Eagles, while it was the Swans’ third-highest winning margin at ANZ Stadium against any opposition.

For the Eagles, the loss leaves them with a 1-3 record. It’s their worst start to a season under John Worsfold; in each of the last three years, West Coast has shot out of the gate with four straight wins. It’s the first time since 1996 that they’ve begun a season 1-3, though that year they recovered and still reached the finals.

The Brisbane Lions’ stunning come-from-behind victory over Port Adelaide on Saturday night was one for the record books. Trailing by 47 points late in the third term, they won by 20 points. It was the second-greatest comeback in Brisbane’s history, just behind their win over Hawthorn in round 16, 1995 at the Gabba, a match where they trailed by 51 points during the third quarter.

The Lions’ final score of 18.16 (124) was their second-highest score at AAMI Stadium behind the 22.15 (147) kicked in round 8, 2006, also against Port Adelaide.

It was a poor night all round for Port Adelaide, with the loss leaving them 0-4 to start the season. It makes the Power just the sixth team in history to have played in a Grand Final the previous season before losing their first four matches the next year. It’s also the worst start for the Power under Mark Williams, and their worst start to a season in club history.

Hawthorn continued its impressive start to 2008 by defeating Adelaide on Sunday afternoon at Aurora Stadium; it’s the first time since 2000-01 that Hawthorn has won two consecutive matches against the Crows. Hawthorn’s 44-point final margin was their biggest win over Adelaide since round 9 in 1994, when they won by 97 points. The Hawks’ final score of 17.12 (114) and their final margin set new records against all opposition at Aurora Stadium.

It was finally Carlton’s day on Sunday afternoon at the MCG, with their defeat of Collingwood breaking a 14-game losing streak. A loss to the Pies would have made for the worst losing run in club history, and the victory was the Blues’ first win since they defeated Port Adelaide in round 11, 2007 at Telstra Dome. It was their first win over Collingwood since round 20, 2005, while Brendan Fevola’s haul of seven goals was the biggest bag against Collingwood by a Carlton player since Simon Beaumont kicked eight in round 17, 1999.

Finally, Richmond’s stunning victory over Fremantle late Sunday afternoon at Subiaco was an amazing win for the Tigers for a number of reasons. Their final score of 20.17 (137) was their highest score against the Dockers since they kicked 19.13 (127) in round 13, 1999, while it was their highest score against any opposition since they kicked 21.14 (140) against Carlton in round 20, 2006 at Telstra Dome. But the biggest hoodoo the Tigers were able to break was winning just their fifth of 22 games at Subiaco - and their first in the west since round 10, 2001.