1. Tigers' bursts far from convincing
Richmond has finished round four in the upper rungs of the ladder, undefeated with four wins. But despite a comfortable victory over the Brisbane Lions, the Tigers still looked shaky. They played very well in patches, scoring quickly and tackling fiercely. But for the majority of quarters they just managed to hold the Lions at bay by the length of a Dustin Martin "don't argue". They were sloppy at times, and struggled to maintain their manic pressure. Upcoming matches against Melbourne and Adelaide will test the Tigers if they continue their inconsistency. Despite this, at the start of the season any Tigers supporter would have taken a 4-0 start – their best since 1995.

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2. Rocky's comeback
Tom Rockliff had a below-average season last year, culminating in losing the captaincy to Dayne Beams for 2017. But he's back to his best this year, running hard, creating and kickstarting the Lions' forward entries. Coming into the round, Rockliff led the competition in clearances, and continued that form against the Tigers. Finishing with the figures of 33 disposals, a career-best 15 clearances, 11 tackles and five inside 50s, Rockliff was the dominant player on the ground. He did leave the ground halfway through the final quarter with a dislocated finger, but returned to finish off an excellent game. 

Tom Rockliff was a rare shining light for the Lions. Picture: AFL Photos

3. Richmond's ruck dilemma
The Tigers were trounced in the ruck, the Lions dominating the hit-outs 53 to 20. Stefan Martin had 52 hit-outs alone. Toby Nankervis was handy around the ground with 11 disposals, but was often untidy with his disposal. Richmond persisted with using the undersized Shaun Grigg in contests in its forward line (despite the presence of Todd Elton), virtually conceding the hit-out and relying on its players to read Martin's tap. It was used with little success, and the Tigers will be sweating on the fitness of Ben Griffiths after his concussion two weeks ago.

4. Promising signs, but Lions not there yet
After a month of footy, the Brisbane Lions have one win and three losses, but its form has been much more promising than last year. Leaders Rockliff, Mitch Robinson and the great Daynes (Beams and Zorko) have been strong and the Lions' youngsters have shown flashes of brilliance. Key defenders Harris Andrews and Darcy Gardiner have clearly benefited from another pre-season, while draftees Hugh McCluggage, Cedric Cox and Jarrod Berry have not looked out of place at the top level. But young forwards Eric Hipwood and Josh Schache have struggled with inconsistent delivery, and the Lions clearly need more steady performances out of their bottom seven or eight players to win matches. 

5. Umpire woes
Goal umpires can often be placed in precarious situations; with players weighing close to 100 kilograms running at full pace towards them chasing loose balls. One goal umpire felt the full weight of key defender Daniel McStay in the second quarter. McStay, with eyes firmly on a Connor Menadue shot for goal, ran straight into the back of the goal umpire, and both hit the turf. The shot sailed over their heads, and a score review was needed to see if the ball was touched on the line. Once the umpire regained his equilibrium, a goal was awarded.