1. Defenders lose their best friend
Brisbane Lions defender Pearce Hanley did what many backmen before him have done, but most won't dare to for the rest of the season. Looking for an avenue off the last line of defence, he was corralled by Melbourne midfielder Nathan Jones and decided to seek the sanctuary of a rushed behind. It was the latest example in what appears to be a stricter interpretation of deliberate rushed behind after the AFL sent clubs a memo this week explaining how the rule should be applied. The free kick prompted discussion about whether it was the role of the umpires to force players to take their first option and penalise them if they didn't and wound up in trouble on the goal line.

2. Swaggering Dees
There was a touch of showmanship about the Dees on Sunday, particularly in the first half. They didn't always take the easy option or play the percentages, and they got away with it only because of the Lions' wastefulness in front of goal. There were examples of Demons playing on after a mark in traffic and trying to ramp up the degree of difficulty when the basics would have sufficed. To the Dees' credit, they were workmanlike and tough when they didn't have the ball, earning the right to push the boundaries when they won possession. When it worked, Melbourne's forwards were able to get easy goal out the back, with Jack Watts making an art form of finding space on the MCG.

Full match coverage and stats

3. Effort can't fix the Lions' poor skills
The most important thing to see from the Lions on Sunday was effort. In the wake of a listless performance against Collingwood, they had spoken about embarrassment and letting people down, and a similar performance would have been unfathomable. It wouldn't be right to question their effort on Sunday – they were definitely trying – but their skills and structure make it very hard to challenge teams. They lost the disposal count (-82) but, most critically, they wasted their own chances. In their only real period of ascendency in the third quarter, they kicked 1.5 with Jackson Paine, Stefan Martin, Daniel Rich, Trent West and Ben Keays all culprits.

4. Free kick 'Beastmode'
Young Lion Rhys Mathieson had his jaw broken in the pre-season by Greater Western Sydney forward Jeremy Cameron, but he was unperturbed when it was his turn to run back and win a hard ball in the first quarter on Sunday. The 19-year-old was collected by James Harmes in a clumsy spoil, winning a 50m penalty and proving he wouldn't shirk a contest. Known as 'Beastmode' at the Lions, the midfielder quickly made himself a villain to Dees fans with his ability to earn free kicks for high contact. Having modelled his game on Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, he won six free kicks for the match, four more than any other player.

5. Michie's drought over
It's taken young Demon Viv Michie six seasons across two clubs to kick his first goal, and he wasn't going to waste his chance when it arrived on Sunday afternoon. The 24-year-old pounced on Brisbane Lions midfielder Tom Bell in the second quarter, catching him holding the ball and earning a free kick in front of goal. The Demons players would have known it was his first goal in two-and-a-half seasons at the club, but they might not have known his drought stretched back to his three seasons at Fremantle. A fringe player during his time in the AFL, the Melbourne rookie has had to wait for chances, playing 20 games before his first goal.