ADELAIDE
It didn't take long for Phil Walsh to reveal his plan – what he wanted from the playing group was apparent throughout the NAB Challenge. In his own words, he desires "manic pressure" and team defence is the name of his game. That means winning the contested ball and tackling ferociously – an area the Crows have struggled in over the past few seasons. Last year the side was ranked second last in average tackles with just 62 a game, in 2013 and 2012 the Crows were 16th (59 and 58 a game). Now, Adelaide is leading the AFL for tackles under Walsh, averaging 78 a game. The flow-on effect from that pressure is impressive. It's resulting in a huge clearance improvement at stoppages - last year the Crows were ranked 13th in the League with 25 a game but have rocketed to third in 2015 with 33 a match. Winning those clearances is then allowing players to find space on the outside too; they're second in the competition for uncontested possessions differential (+38) compared to ninth last year (-2). – Harry Thring

BRISBANE LIONS
Since coming to the club at the start of 2014, Justin Leppitsch has wanted to be aggressive with the ball. He wants players to switch or use the corridor as often as possible, rather than going along the boundary line and forcing stoppages (where his inexperienced team tends to get pushed off the ball). The Lions were number one last season for metres gained through handball, showing they were happy to transfer the ball forward with quick hands and go as central as they could. After Saturday night's loss against the Tigers, Leppitsch again bemoaned the safe nature of the Lions' play, saying he would be forced to drop players not adhering to his game style. Statistics don't show a lot in the early going, but they are going sideways a touch less. Last season the Lions went from the defensive 50 to the wing almost 28 per cent of the time, which has now dropped to 22 per cent – last in the AFL. Despite using the corridor slightly more (20 per cent, up from 17), the Lions still go to the boundary line far too much for their coaches' liking, ranked fourth in the competition at 57.7 per cent. – Michael Whiting

CARLTON
Under Mick Malthouse, the Blues remain a low-possession team (18th in the AFL for average disposals) with a high kick-to-handball ratio (1.5:1, third) that prefers to hug the boundary line (15th for defensive 50 to corridor, 14.5 per cent). With the exception of round one, Malthouse has again used a three-tall forward line in 2015, with former Western Bulldog Liam Jones joining Lachie Henderson and Levi Casboult after Jarrad Waite's departure to North Melbourne. Not surprisingly, there have been teething problems as the trio develop chemistry, with the Blues' scoring efficiency dropping dramatically. In 2014, they scored a goal from 26.3 per cent of their inside 50s (fourth in the AFL), but this year that figure has dropped to 22.5 per cent (15th). Carlton's slower ball movement this season could be a factor in this. The Blues played on after a mark 37.8 per cent of the time last year (fourth in the AFL) but have done so just 31.8 per cent of the time in the first three rounds (14th). With Chris Yarran leading the way, Carlton was also ranked first for generating scores from its defensive 50 last year (19.1 per cent) while it has slipped to 14th this year (13.4 per cent). Yarran averaged 3.5 inside 50s a game last year but has had just five in three games this season. Clearly, the Blues need to find other attacking avenues across half-back, but they have also been prepared to tinker with their forward line mix, sending skipper Marc Murphy into attack more often than in previous years. – Nick Bowen

Chris Yarran's limited drive from half-back has left the Blues more lethargic in attack. Picture: AFL Media


COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood Travis Cloke has been spending considerably more time up the field this season, presumably as part of a conscious effort to make the Magpies less predictable and develop other marking targets in attack. The Pies knew they couldn't simply park Cloke inside the forward 50, bomb it long and high to him and hope he'd take a contested mark, and then finish it off with that wayward left foot. In 2013, Cloke won 49 per cent of his possessions in the forward 50, but that figure dropped to 44 per cent last year and is now down to 41.5 per cent, and his goal tally hasn't suffered in the process. Cloke, who has won the Pies' past four goalkicking awards, has tallied 8.6 in three games. He has also averaged 14 disposals – two up on last year. The "roaming Clokey" ploy is of course contingent on a few things, including the ability of fellow key forward Jesse White to become a viable target. White has shown great promise so far, averaging 15 touches and tallying 5.5, and much of it can be attributed to his effort to lose 8kg over the pre-season to help him get to more contests. Like Cloke, he appears lighter on his feet without sacrificing any strength. – Ben Collins

ESSENDON
After switching back to James Hird as coach last year after Mark Thompson's one-season stint, the Bombers spent plenty of pre-season tightening their defensive game plan. That remains, as Hird said last week, a work in progress but the signs are promising after a good start to the year against both of last year's grand finalists. The Bombers have tried to move the ball slightly differently, but the first three rounds have shown that some of the key statistics involving the club's transition remain reasonably similar. Last year Essendon was the second-ranked side for choosing to go into the corridor when taking the ball out of defensive 50. The Bombers have backed away from that marginally according to the numbers (they are now fifth on that scale at 22.2 per cent of the time) but still use it as a prominent way to goal. Problems still persist in turning those forward entries into goals – Essendon scores only 39.7 per cent of the time it goes inside-50 (third-worst in the competition for conversion) but the Bombers are hanging onto the ball a little more than last year and being able to control the tempo of games better. – Callum Twomey

FREMANTLE
The Dockers are reaping the rewards of some of the offensive changes Ross Lyon made in 2014. The Dockers aimed to add two more goals each game and they have done it in a couple of different ways. They trialled a three-tall forward structure in the pre-season and implemented it in the past two games after Matt Taberner missed the first round through injury. The Dockers have taken 13 and 17 marks inside 50 in the past fortnight. Their average in 2014 was 11.3. Lyon has also worked hard with his tall forwards and his resting ruckmen on their positioning inside forward 50 to maximise their height advantage and make the long-ball option more potent. Lyon has also urged his midfielders to press forward at every opportunity to stretch the opposition. That has resulted in 16 midfield goals in the past two weeks from a range of players. The Dockers' team defence remains a constant but their offensive development has many teams very wary of their capabilities. - Alex Malcolm

GEELONG
As has been spoken about ad nauseam this week, Geelong is a side in transition. After two dismal losses to Hawthorn and Fremantle in the opening rounds, the Cats barely scraped over the line against Gold Coast in round three. However, Geelong's problems are clear. The Cats are getting beaten up badly at the contest with a clearance differential of -10.7 ranking them 17th in the competition. But Chris Scott's men are also letting themselves down once the ball moves to the outside of the contest. The Hawks, Dockers, and the Suns (in patches) threatened to run the Cats off their legs. Geelong is allowing opposition teams to score 27.3 per cent of the time (15th in the AFL) when its rivals win possession from clearance situations. The Cats are also struggling badly to turn their own clearance wins into scores. Geelong ranked No.1 in the competition for that stat (28.2 per cent of the time) last season. In 2015, the Cats are 14th in the league with a clearance-to-score percentage of 21.1 per cent. Losing Allen Christensen and Travis Varcoe has hurt the club's run and carry, while the Cats are hopeful youngsters Cory Gregson, Nakia Cockatoo and Darcy Lang can pick up the slack. If Geelong can iron out these deficiencies and continually build its midfield depth, then it can better use Tom Hawkins, Mitch Clark and, to an extent, Rhys Stanley in attack.– Ben Guthrie

GOLD COAST
It was no surprise that when Rodney Eade was appointed coach of the Suns, one of his first mantras was to play quickly. He'd done it with great success at the Western Bulldogs, and now with a young, quick team – think Dion Prestia, Harley Bennell, David Swallow, Jarrod Harbrow and Jaeger O'Meara (before his injury) – Rocket wants to run the legs off his opposition. He wants to play-on as often as possible, especially from marks, and he wants to use the corridor rather than go around the boundary line as they've done in their formative years. Despite the poor 0-3 start, they're at least partly listening. Gold Coast was ranked last in 2014 for playing-on from a mark, doing so just 26.8 per cent of the time. Through three rounds this year, that has spiked to 36.9 per cent – good enough for eighth most in the competition. With that slowly becoming ingrained, Eade also wants to tidy up the Suns' poor skills. – Michael Whiting

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Greater Western Sydney would be happy with their start to the 2015 season, but coach Leon Cameron might not be pleased with his side's pressure – or more accurately, the consistency of that pressure – in the opening three games. When comparing the Giants' in 2014 to 2015, the statistics are surprising. GWS were ranked seventh for tackles per game last season with 68.1, but this year they've dropped to 14th in the competition with 58.3 per game. They've also dropped from fifth to 14th in the league when it comes to physical/closing pressure percentage, and from eighth to 18th in time spent in their forward half. In 2014 the Giants were +2:40 minutes spent in their half of the ground, compared to this season, where they've plummeted to -9:06. Those forward line stats are surprising but a closer look at Rhys Palmer – the Giants' go-to defensive forward – paints a better picture. The former Docker hasn't laid a tackle inside 50 in 2015, but his offensive output has increased. He's ranked first at GWS for inside 50s and score assists, and is ranked third for goals and scoreboard impact. From these stats, it looks like the Giants have sacrificed some defensive aspects of their game style and to focus more on their attacking side of the game. – Adam Curley

HAWTHORN
The most noticeable change in the way Hawthorn is going about its football this year has been its use of skipper Luke Hodge. Just when it seemed he would be used primarily as a quarterback/sweeper across half-back, particularly with the injury to key defender James Frawley, Hodge has instead been deployed to the midfield with devastating effect. He leads the Hawks in clearances and is averaging 6.7 a game, compared with 3.6 last season and 2.4 the year before. He is also averaging three centre clearances a match compared to the two previous years in which he barely averaged one. Hodge has been in brilliant touch, and had 44 touches against the Bulldogs last weekend, and it is fair chance that he has polled Brownlow votes in all three games to date. Otherwise, the Hawks seems to be playing a familiar brand of footy in 2015, although close observers have noticed a trend of more long bombs to the forward line in the hope that one of the resting ruckman, Jon Ceglar or Ben McEvoy, will take a grab. They have clunked a few, although the best tall Hawk of all when it comes to contested marks deep in the forward line is David Hale and he is currently playing for Box Hill. – Ashley Browne 

Luke Hodge's return to the midfield has reaped instant rewards for player and club. Picture: AFL Media

MELBOURNE
Paul Roos has already proved to be a master at limiting opposition scores. Despite their lack of talent, the Demons managed to restrict opponents to 1954 points in 2014, one of 12 teams to keep their opponents below 2000 points last season. Having spent time addressing the defence, the coach turned his attention to attack. In round one this   the Demons kicked their first score of more than 100 points under Roos and statistics show their ball movement has improved when measured against the rest of the competition. After three rounds they have moved the ball from defensive 50 to the forward-50 18 per cent of the time, 13th in the AFL. In 2014 the Demons did so 18.4 per cent of the time, last in the competition. Having two fit targets in Chris Dawes and Jesse Hogan has helped, while Christian Salem is smart at setting up play behind the ball and Heritier Lumumba creates run. But it does not come down to individuals. The team is beginning to become more predictable to each other and skills are improving. The steps remain small but the trend is positive. – Peter Ryan

NORTH MELBOURNE
After three rounds, statistics suggest North has reverted to the handball-happy, frantic ball movement that characterised its 2012 season. In 2012, the Roos were ranked 16th in the competition for kick-to-handball ratio (1.24:1) but they kicked the ball more in 2013 (1.46:1, fourth in the AFL) and, to a lesser extent, in 2014 (1.3:1, ninth). But this season the Roos are ranked last in this statistic and have relied on handball even more than in 2012 (1.09:1). Asked whether his team had used too much handball in the first quarter of its round two win over the Brisbane Lions, Scott said opposition pressure often forced teams into over-using handball. However, North's preparedness to play on after marks this season suggests it wants to take the game on 2012-style. The Roos are ranked No.1 in the competition in this statistic (49.5 per cent) up markedly on last year (36.3 per cent, sixth), 2013 (32.6 per cent, 17th) and even 2012 (39 per cent, seventh). Like last year, North's defence is being put under considerable pressure. with the opposition having the ball in their forward half for the majority of games – North is ranked 12th for time in forward half in 2015, -2:40 minutes a game, compared to 13th in 2014, -3:45 minutes a game. In an attempt to counter the power forwards that have hurt them so badly in recent seasons, the Roos have trialled Joel Tippett and Robbie Tarrant in key defensive posts this year, while Brent Harvey has been used across half-back to provide more run. – Nick Bowen

PORT ADELAIDE
If there's one thing the football community has learned from the Power's slow start to 2015, it's the true value of Matthew Lobbe. The ruckman is yet to chalk up his first game of the year as he tries to overcome a quad injury and Port have missed him terribly. Last season Port was sixth for average hit-outs with 42 a game – without Lobbe this season the club is equal last, averaging just 33 a game. But other than his pure ruckwork, the Power are missing Lobbe's pressure and physicality at stoppages. He averaged almost seven tackles a game in 2014, freeing the likes of Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Ollie Wines and Brad Ebert to concentrate on extracting the ball. Patrick Ryder is rucking well, but is averaging fewer than four tackles a game. Wines' tackling has been forced to increase from almost five a game last year to seven a match in 2015; Gray and Boak have also been laying more tackles in the absence of Lobbe. The flip-side of that, though, is that Boak, Wines and Ebert have all experienced decreases in contested possessions and clearances. The return of Lobbe will heap pressure on opposition midfielders and improve the value of Port's.  – Harry Thring

RICHMOND
Alex Rance has elevated himself from All Australian in 2014 to arguably the best defender in the game, but it is his attacking assets that are becoming a key to how the Tigers play. Rance has taken 12 intercept marks in 2015 (ranked No.5 in the AFL), with Richmond conceding 24 marks inside 50 (also ranked No.5). Rance sets up the Tigers offensively, and his improved efficiency (91.2 per cent) is a key reason why he is now trusted to take risks. At the other end of the ground Ben Griffiths has become the Tigers' preferred second tall ahead of Ty Vickery. Between the arcs the Tigers are kicking more, with their kick to handball ratio lifting from 1.27 in 2014 to 1.32 this season. Captain Trent Cotchin has been part of this trend, handballing less and lifting his kick average from 15.7 last year to 17.3 in the first three rounds. As a result the skipper is more damaging, gaining 552m with his possessions in round three, more than any other Tiger except Bachar Houli (634m). – Nathan Schmook 

Alex Rance's improved efficiency has changed his role at Richmond. Picture: AFL Media

ST KILDA
Alan Richardson's first year in charge was about setting training and work-rate standards, but the coach can now set about teaching his game-plan in more detail. Richardson wants the young Saints pressing aggressively when they have the ball in their forward half, but that is leaving them vulnerable to quick counter-attacks. This was never more evident than against Collingwood in round three when they conceded 66 inside 50s after quarter-time. St Kilda's style of play has allowed them to concede fewer scores from stoppages, and their opponents aren't converting rebound 50s into inside 50s as frequently (down 4 per cent on 2014). However, they are conceding more points from turnovers. In 2014, 57.8 per cent of their opponent's scores came from turnovers and that has risen to 59.7 per cent in 2015. When the Saints have the ball they remain the No.1 team for using the boundary out of defence. However, they are using the corridor slightly more, taking the more dangerous option out of defence 14.9 per cent of the time (up from 13.4 per cent in 2014). – Nathan Schmook  

SYDNEY SWANS
The Swans have maintained their high-pressure style of play, but a couple of personnel changes have made them a slightly different looking unit. A healthy Kurt Tippett has spent more time in the ruck and his output has changed accordingly. Tippett's marks inside the Swans forward 50 have decreased from 56.9 per cent in 2014 to 44.4 per cent this season, but he's become more influential at clearances and stoppages, and his tackle output has also increased. In 2015, the former Crow averages 20 hitouts, 4.67 tackles and one goal per game, in stark contrast to his averages of 2014 (5.5 hitouts, one tackle, 2.4 goals) and 2013 (1.3 hitouts, 2.4 tackles, 2.9 goals). The 27-year-old started in the centre square at the first bounce against Greater Western Sydney last week and has taken 41 per cent of the centre bounces this season, compared to last year's six per cent. Meanwhile, the much-discussed move of Lewis Jetta to the half-back line hasn't happened, with Dane Rampe having more influence as a running defender in the role vacated by Nick Malceski, who left for the Suns. Rampe had a career high 10 rebound 50s against Port Adelaide in round two and averages 5.3 per game in 2015, up from 3.84 in 2014, and 3.03 in his debut year of 2013. – Adam Curley

WEST COAST
There has been no noticeable new trend with the Eagles so far this year, as they are battling for consistency in winning the ball in the middle. The Eagles midfield has been smashed in two of the first three weeks. They have dropped from seventh for inside 50 entries in 2014 to 16th so far in 2015, and from 12th to 17th for rebound 50s. That means they are losing the midfield battle and their defence is so depleted that they are getting scored against regularly when the ball goes in their defensive 50. Adam Simpson has worked hard on the Eagles' ball movement over the last 18 months and it was noticeable against both the Western Bulldogs and Carlton how they used the corridor more often in attacking raids. This has led to more corridor shots at goal and the forwards have delivered with incredible accuracy so far this season. They have kicked 46.20, with three rushed behinds, to be the most accurate team in the AFL. - Alex Malcolm

WESTERN BULLDOGS
There has been a stark difference between the game-plans of Luke Beveridge and his predecessor Brendan McCartney. While pressure around the ball is a hallmark of both coaches' philosophies, Beveridge has been able to teach his young Bulldogs another trick without neglecting the core defensive value. The Dogs' new 'fast footy' style has seen them go from last (-67.9) on pressure points differential to first (+104.5). That means they're still applying heaps of pressure on their opponents when they don't have the ball, but when they do have the ball, they're moving the ball so quickly their opposition can't do the same to them. – Ryan Davidson