• After the siren: Pies' Anzac Day flop puts heat on Bucks  

1. Michael Johnson has breathed new life into his Freo career
After back-to-back thumpings to open the season, the Dockers looked shot and the finger was being pointed at their senior players – including Johnson. Coming off a year ruined by injuries, the 32-year-old defender appeared shaky with ball in hand and his usually pinpoint disposal had deserted him. It wouldn't have surprised if Johnson had been axed as part of the six-player cull before round three, but he survived and has enjoyed something of a rebirth. With Jonathon Griffin dropped, Johnson has stood up in a back-up ruck role supporting Aaron Sandilands, appears to have rediscovered his confidence sweeping up across half-back – taking several important intercept marks against North Melbourne and gathering 26 touches – and found himself in the right place to kick a crucial late goal in the thrilling win over the Roos. Ross Lyon's faith is being repaid in spades. - Travis King

WATCH: The last two minutes of the Dockers' comeback win

2. The Lions look good when off the leash
They might have gone down by 32 points, but their first-half lead of 38 was no accident as the young team – which featured six 19-year-olds – played fast, exciting football in the opening two terms. Lewis Taylor gave them great spark, Hugh McCluggage did some nice things, the two Daynes did what they do and Stef Martin monstered the ruck while Eric Hipwood bagged a trio of goals. They made the premiers look vulnerable as they forced them into turnovers and transitioned the ball quickly to slot it in behind the Dogs' last line of defence and steal multiple goals out the back. While things changed after the break with player fatigue setting in as the Dogs found their mojo, those two quarters showed just what the Lions are capable of when they apply pressure and move the ball quickly and cleanly. - Jennifer Phelan

3. Power have switched the lights on an exciting forward
Welcome to the AFL, Aidyn Johnson. Given just a couple of hours' notice he would be making his senior debut in place of the injured Hamish Hartlett, the 19-year-old enjoyed the perfect start to his career with his first kick resulting in a goal. Johnson finished with 14 possessions and two goals in an impressive introduction to the big stage. The 45th overall pick in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft, Johnson missed most of last season with a hamstring injury. But he showed he certainly has the pace and goal sense to be a valuable part of the Power side in the future. A blowout game against a youthful Carlton side was the ideal way to be eased into the next level. - Lee Gaskin

4. A roaming Jeremy Cameron is now more dangerous than ever
The star forward is an All Australian, a club champion, and the only leading goalkicker in GWS history, but the knock on Cameron has always been his ability to go missing, a fact he's acknowledged himself. The 24-year-old has in the past been anchored to the Giant's forward 50 and struggled to stay involved in games if he wasn't hitting the scoreboard, but now given a licence to roam by coach Leon Cameron, he's far more dangerous for the opposition. Cameron is aggressively crashing packs like never before, taking marks on the last line of defence, and has the tank to run like a midfielder to get back to his own goal – and while he's spending less time in the forward line than he used to, the goals are still coming. He's never averaged more than 11 possessions per game but is racking up more than 18 this year, and is also on target to crack a career high in goals, marks and tackles, making the GWS forward line an even bigger threat. Cameron torched the Swans opposed to young defender Harry Marsh, and probably should have booted half a dozen. - Adam Curley

• Around the state leagues: Who shone in your club's twos?

5. Geelong is there when the whips are cracking
In the past two weeks the Cats have kicked 18 goals to three in their final quarters and have outscored the opposition 191 points to 38 in final quarters since round two. The late charges have allowed the Cats to overcome three quarter-time deficits against North Melbourne, Melbourne and now St Kilda to remain undefeated after five rounds. The Cats coach says he doesn't know what is behind the Kiwi-like flashes but one thing he suspects it creates is belief. Right now Geelong has that in spades. - Peter Ryan 

WATCH: Selwood staggering in second half

6. Rory Atkins is another triumph for Adelaide's development system
In the past seven years the Crows have lost more top-end talent than any other club in the competition – Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippett, Phil Davis and Nathan Bock to name a few. Throw in the fact they were stripped of first-round draft picks along the way, and Adelaide has had to be astute with its free agent signings, trades and late draft acquisitions. Against the Suns, Rory Atkins was the latest Crow to jump from the pack, with his energetic 29-disposal showing. He was taken at No.81 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, and did not make his debut until late in the 2015 season. He now looks like a draft steal, adding depth to a Crows midfield that is one of the best in the competition. Throw in rookie draft selection Rory Laird, second-round pick Matt Crouch and GWS signing Curtly Hampton – who all excelled against Gold Coast – and the Crows have to be applauded for their smart list build and development program. - Michael Whiting

7. The Hawks aren't done yet
Luke Breust says the way Hawthorn played against West Coast would give it a chance against any other side. That is up for debate, but the match did serve as a reminder Alastair Clarkson's men are not the spent force many thought. The Hawks will fancy their chances against St Kilda, Melbourne, Brisbane Lions and Collingwood in the next month. Win all of those and they will be ahead in the win-loss ledger and those dark days of the first four weeks will be a distant memory. Any hope of that happening depends on Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Ben McEvoy, Jack Gunston, Josh Gibson, Breust and co. reprising the round five versions of themselves. – Marc McGowan

8. Jack is due for a September haul
If Monday's night's best-on-ground performance from Jack Riewoldt reminded us of anything, it's that the star Richmond forward is close to unstoppable when on song. He kept Richmond in the contest when Melbourne looked headed for a win, and then almost won it off his own boot in the final term to finish with a six-goal bag. Richmond couldn't have started its season off any better as it strives to get back to the finals, and Riewoldt has been the beneficiary of a more direct and free-flowing game style this year.  The two-time Coleman medallist performed well in the Tigers' run of elimination final losses from 2013-15 but it will be brilliant to see him back on the big stage at the end of this season if Richmond's form continues. In Monday night's form, anything would be possible. - Callum Twomey

9. Wells will make a difference
After a nervous start, Collingwood recruit Daniel Wells went to work in the second quarter. He settled into the midfield and got his hands on the ball at stoppages winning nine disposals and eight contested possessions to push the ball forward at every opportunity. Two goals in the third quarter kept the Magpies in touch as he combined with Elliott to create some havoc in his first Anzac clash. - Peter Ryan