1. Will Bernie feel the bite of the MRP again?
Bernie Vince has already missed three games through suspension this season and the Match Review Panel are certain to look at another incident involving the Demons' defender. In his attempt to spoil the ball in a second-quarter marking contest with Dayne Beams, Vince made heavy contact with Beams' head, forcing the Lions captain from the ground for a short period of time. The underside of Vince's forearm made contact with Beams' head with the Melbourne player only taking his eye off the ball at the last minute to brace for contact. What the MRP will need to weigh up is whether Vince made a legitimate attempt to spoil the ball. If he is found guilty of striking, the fact he has been suspended for four games in the past two seasons impacts his bad record and would add an extra week if he is offered a suspension. A second incident with Dayne's brother Claye later in the quarter is likely to be given the all clear, with the contact to Claye Beams' head in a front-on situation likely to be deemed as unavoidable. Both Beams brothers returned to play out the game.

Full match coverage and stats

2. Hogan's sensational six
With the Demons still trying to settle on their best 22 ahead of a likely first finals campaign in 11 years, they would have relished the opportunity to re-insert star forward Jesse Hogan back into the forward 50. It has been an incredibly taxing year for the 22-year-old, with the stop-start nature of his season impacting on his continuity. The Demons initially thought Hogan would miss between four and six weeks after suffering a broken collarbone against North Melbourne in round 19. However, the burly forward proved this week that he was ready to return, with Sunday's game coming exactly 21 days after having surgery on his collarbone. Hogan made a bright start, kicking a goal and dishing off a goal assist in the first quarter. By the end of the afternoon, in his 50th AFL game, Hogan finished with a season-high six goals. Importantly, he looked to be moving as well as he has all season and with Cam Pedersen also booting three goals, in another great performance, Melbourne's forward line is starting to get back in sync.

3. September calling for Melbourne
Melbourne needed to win its last two games against the Lions and Collingwood to ensure it would play finals football for the first time in 11 years. After a slow start, and a nervous finish, the Demons took care of business to ensure phase one of that scenario has been taking care of. It did not come easily though, as the plucky Lions cut the margin to just seven points late in the final term. However, an Angus Brayshaw goal in the final minute made a Demons win certain. Now, Simon Goodwin's team has to defeat Collingwood next Saturday to ensure they will reach September for the first time since 2006. 

4. Great Daynes inspire Lions
Despite being stuck on the bottom of the AFL ladder, the Lions have shown enough this season to suggest they are rebuilding in promising fashion. Chris Fagan's team have made a habit of pushing high-ranked teams in the past six weeks and that continued against the Demons on Sunday. Star midfielders Dayne Beams and Dayne Zorko, who are both in All Australian contention, were outstanding in driving their side's fighting spirit. Zorko was particularly influential in the first half, with 17 disposals, five clearances and one goal. With Zorko slowing down a little after half-time, as he finished with 26 thanks to a hard tag from Jake Melksham, Beams was there to pick up the slack and bring his team back to within striking distance every time the Demons looked to be kicking away. Beams racked up 33 disposals and kicked three goals to the Lions' best player.

5. Rockliff's forward thinking
Former Lions captain Tom Rockliff has already established a reputation as being one of the best clearance players in the AFL. But those traits of being tough to beat in one-on-one contests has translated into more time up forward. Rockliff only had 16 disposals but nailed two goals and took six marks, including two contested. When he is isolated deep forward, Rockliff is a tough man to stop with his power and footy nous coming to the fore. It is a role that the out-of-contract Rockliff could play more of in the future.