1. Fyfe hitting his straps
He won't be winning a second Brownlow this season but Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe might have got a couple of votes against the Suns. He continued his fine recent form with 29 disposals, 10 marks and six tackles. Resplendent in fluorescent green boots, he belted in hard all night to lead the way for the winners. And there’s no finer sight at Domain Stadium than seeing Fyfe soar for his marks. Don’t write him off contending for another Brownlow next season, given an injury-free run.

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2. Why Geelong should not get Gazza
All Cats fans have loved every minute of Gary Ablett’s career (and his dad’s), but the Little Master’s potential return to Geelong at the end of the season would be a big mistake. He turns 34 next May, has slowed down a fair bit and while the game hasn’t quite gone past him, it’s coming around the bend. The Cats have loaded up on first-year players this season, have a brutal two-way game plan with a heavy emphasis on defensive pressure and Ablett is not the right fit. Gaz has missed the past couple of matches and, of course, had a strong impact on his return for Gold Coast against Freo on Saturday night, but he looks like a champion slowing down. Not what the Cats need to win their next flag. 

3. From bad to worse
Gold Coast's 14-man injury list grew by one when Aaron Hall hobbled out of the game with a hamstring strain before half-time. Coach Rodney Eade said it was Hall's "other" hamstring following a similar injury earlier in the season. With three games left it looks like a season-ender, but Eade still said this year’s list is nowhere near as bad as last year's. "This week we left six at home who could've played," he said. Last season it was virtually if you're fit you're in.

Aaron Hall walks the boundary after injuring his hamstring. Picture: AFL Photos

4. Saving private Ryan
They breed them tough out Coburg way as Fremantle’s Victorian recruit Luke Ryan showed early in last night’s clash with Gold Coast. In his second game back from a club ban for drinking during a six-day break, Ryan backed into the path of a charging Tom Lynch and paid the penalty in a frightful collision. However, after hobbling around for a couple of minutes he hardly missed a beat and was still going hard at the final siren. So well in fact that he almost managed to equal the record for most intercept marks. Ryan's total of nine was just one short of the top mark of 10. 

Luke Ryan is tackled hard by Darcy MacPherson. Picture: AFL Photos

5. Suns' injury run gives old faces new chances
The Gold Coast injury list is longer than a queue for kebabs at 12.30am on New Year’s Day, but the upside for Mitch Hallahan, Daniel Currie and Jarrad Grant was that they got their first games for the season on Saturday night in Perth. Currie was matched up with another ruckman up against it, so to speak, in soon to be out-of-contract Docker Jon Griffin, and started perfectly by winning the first hit-out and first clearance of the night at the opening centre bounce. The former Roo contested hard, winning 37 hit-outs and 13 possessions and was far from the worst. Hallahan got some solid time in the middle and was the Suns’ leading possession winner at half-time with 16. He faded understandably but could be proud of his effort too. Grant struggled more as a forward against the Dockers’ packed defence but showed some glimpses of why he was rated highly as a youngster.