The Brisbane Lions might pay a price for their 10-point win over Essendon after first-quarter incidents involving defenders Daniel Merrett and Justin Clarke. A Merrett sling tackle left Bomber spearhead Michael Hurley concussed, while minutes later young Don Elliott Kavanagh had to be helped from the ground after Clarke crashed into his back late in a marking contest. But even if Merrett and Clarke are suspended, it is a price Lions coach Michael Voss says he is prepared to pay. Voss said the Lions had been focused on a physical opening against the Bombers, mindful of overcoming their recent poor starts. In the afterglow of his team's best victory of 2013, Voss said his players had to match the aggression they showed against the Bombers every week. "You're going to walk a line sometimes and we've got to walk that line a little bit more," he said. - Nick Bowen

Channel 7's coverage of Geelong's narrow loss to Collingwood was littered with shots of a sidelined Steve Johnson sitting in the coaches' box offering advice to the men who are usually telling him what to do. But even if it was him who made the moves on the magnetic board that helped spark Geelong's nine goals to two third-quarter burst, the final stats showed how much the Cats missed him. Johnson has been a ball-magnet this season, regularly amassing more than 30 possessions. But without him, Geelong struggled to control the ball in the midfield, and the Cats finished with 27 fewer uncontested disposals than Collingwood, which senior coach Chris Scott admitted was a significant factor in their loss. - Adam McNicol

On a day when Port Adelaide lacked composure and direction, Kane Mitchell was a shot of life when he came on midway through the third quarter against Carlton. Starting as the substitute for the fifth time in his six games, the reigning Sandover medallist ran hard and used the ball well when he got his chance, finishing with eight disposals and two inside 50s. Mitchell's only full game this season was against North Melbourne in round six when he "wasn't quite as effective", according to coach Ken Hinkley. Based on his efforts against the Blues, however, he should earn a full game against Geelong next Saturday. - Nathan Schmook

Although they appear some way from scoring their first win of the season, the Giants’ willingness to have a dip can’t be questioned. They broke even with the Hawks during a tight third quarter on Saturday, largely due to a disciplined defensive display. In the wash-up, GWS out-tackled the Hawks 82-57 and managed to hold their own in clearances and contested possessions, too. Of course, these stats alone won’t secure premiership points, but they do serve as another indication of just how tough the young Giants’ outfit will be if they maintain the same approach in seasons to come. - Stu Warren

They had 96 fewer uncontested possessions, 19 fewer inside 50s and 14 fewer scoring shots but Melbourne at least had a crack against Richmond. Lambasted in the past week for a non-competitive showing against Gold Coast in round seven, the Demons displayed dogged determination and a will to compete against Richmond, laying more tackles (67-65) and losing contested possession by only seven. If that effort can be maintained, coach Mark Neeld will have something to build on over the remainder of the season. - Mark Macgugan

Is there a more likeable workhorse in the AFL than Adelaide's Rory Sloane? The blonde-haired 23-year-old was at his absolute best on Sunday night, leading from the front with his trademark effort and involvement in plays from end to end. Sloane managed 15 disposals in the second term alone at 93 per cent efficiency. He finished with 25 possessions to be best afield in a performance that enhanced his status as one of Adelaide's most-loved players. - Harry Thring

If there was any doubt about the resilience of Ross Lyon's Dockers, they dispelled it against the Swans on Saturday night. For the third time in the past four weeks, a depleted Fremantle suffered an injury to a key player (Michael Walters this week) yet managed a late surge that directly influenced the result. On the back of stirring wins against Richmond and Collingwood at Patersons Stadium, this draw against the reigning premiers on their own turf after trailing by 27 points in the last quarter might be the most significant result yet. - Michael Rogers 

West Coast could easily be 6-2 to start the year. Instead the Eagles are 4-4, and without Nic Naitanui's heroics against the Roos, they would be 3-5. The reason is their goalkicking. In the losses to Carlton and Port Adelaide, they kicked 17.42. In the wins against the Bulldogs and Brisbane they managed 38.17. But against North Melbourne their waywardness in front of goal nearly cost them again, kicking 12.18 to North's 13.10. It's an issue they must address ahead of September. The Eagles' goalkicking cost them a premiership in 2005, as it did Hawthorn last year, St Kilda in 2009, and Geelong in 2008.  - Alex Malcolm