1. The Crows face a brutal post-season review 

Any way you like to look at it, to miss the finals 12 months after playing in a Grand Final is a monumental failure, and from top to bottom, the Adelaide footy club has to find some answers. From the pre-season camp dramas that bubbled away for months, to the handling of Rory Sloane's foot problem, to the constant stream of hamstring issues, the Crows' 2018 season has been a shocker. There's little doubt that injuries have played a part, but the Giants and Collingwood have also been hit hard, and they're in top-four contention. There are two games to go in the home and away season, but an honest look into their problems on and off the field this year should already have started. - Adam Curley

FROM THE TWOS Key Cat, Crow make their returns

2. The Demons can't win when it matters

Sunday's nine-point loss to Sydney was a gut-wrenching blow to Melbourne's finals chances and perhaps exactly why the club does not deserve to feature in September. Simon Goodwin is confident the group is maturing and he hasn't given up hope of playing finals, but whichever way you look at it, the fact the Demons are yet to beat any of the top nine teams explains why they're yet to take the next step. Their inefficiency going forward, particularly the connection between defence and attack, has been a problem all year and it was again highlighted in the loss to the Swans. The Demons' failure to stop an opposition team's run-on is another trend that has consistently let them down and was again significant on Sunday. With five losses by fewer than two goals this season, the Demons will be kicking themselves if things don't go their way. They have the chance to turn things around with games to come against West Coast and Greater Western Sydney, but only their staunchest supporters would back them in now. Maybe the club is cursed. - Ben Guthrie

THE RUN HOME Have the Demons blown it again?

3. There's no magic cure to solve St Kilda's woes

The Saints have confirmed their interest in bringing Sydney midfielder Dan Hannebery to the club, they're moving several assistant coaches on and will beef up their recruiting department. Football manager Simon Lethlean knows changes need to be made and is making things happen, and what Friday night's loss to Essendon exposed was there's no Mr Fix-It to come in and make this team better. Once again, too few midfielders contributed. Once again, the forward line lacked potency (yes, Josh Bruce and Paddy McCartin are injured but they're not stars). Once again, speed was an issue. Once again, foot skills proved costly. For the second week in a row, St Kilda fell away after a competitive start, and once again, that happened against a team not in the top eight. Improvements need to be made at the club, with the emphasis on the plural. - Dinny Navaratnam

4. Teenage Hawk should be a draft case study

Former Geelong Falcons co-captain James Worpel was always going to be drafted last year, but had to wait until pick 45 to hear his name called out. The 19-year-old Hawk, of course, didn't care about the number, given his AFL dream was realised. But watching Worpel's past month of football and the way he repeatedly stands up in big moments makes you wonder how so many clubs overlooked him. Worpel's at-times questionable decision-making was the knock on him, but possibly too much stock was placed in that and not enough on his courage, leadership, physical gifts, AFL readiness and ability to improve. Too often we are more concerned with weaknesses than strengths. Worpel earned himself an instant fan in Joel Selwood in a special third-quarter moment on Saturday. The teenager charged at the loose Sherrin from the opposite direction to Selwood, pinched it from under the Cats captain's nose, spun out of traffic and dished a left-handed handball that eventually set up a Jack Gunston goal. Worpel's emergence is a timely reminder for recruiters ahead of November's draft. – Marc McGowan

5. Battered and bruised Power will be spectators in September

It's extremely difficult to see Port Adelaide winning their remaining two games and featuring in the finals this season. Before this weekend's round, they had spent 18 weeks in the top eight – equal with Richmond and second only to West Coast (19). But a three-point loss to Adelaide in Showdown 45, followed by a remarkable four-point defeat to the Eagles courtesy of Jeremy McGovern's after-the-siren goal, leaves the Power in a dire situation. To make matters worse, they're without key forward Charlie Dixon (ankle) for the rest of the season, and star ruckman Paddy Ryder (hip flexor) is in serious doubt for next week's clash with Collingwood at the MCG, as is defender Dan Houston (concussion). If Ryder is ruled out, then 21-year-old Billy Frampton faces the unenviable task of making his debut against one of the competition's premier ruckmen in Brodie Grundy. The Power could sneak into the eight with one win from their last two – they host Essendon in a Friday night encounter in round 23 – but even that is no certainty. - Lee Gaskin

WATCH Eagles steal victory after the siren

6. Backing in the backmen is the way forward for the Pies

Nathan Buckley can be forgiven for thinking he must have had a black cat cross his path while he drove the team bus under a ladder and into a mirror in a past life after losing yet another key player – and a key position one at that – on Saturday. Ben Reid (torn calf) joins Matt Scharenberg and Lynden Dunn on the Pies' injury list, with Jeremy Howe (corked thigh) not guaranteed for next week and Tyson Goldsack (knee/back) not guaranteed at all this year. But, rather than panic and throw reborn forward Brody Mihocek down back against the Lions, he stuck with Tom Langdon and Jack Madgen in the key back posts with Sam Murray, Jack Crisp, Tom Phillips and James Aish in supporting roles. After quarter-time, the Pies reeled in the Lions after being put to the sword in the first term and kept them to just eight more goals, with Mihocek booting three himself as a result of being left forward. It was a brave move by Buckley, given the Lions' tall forward structure, and one that showed his confidence in his defenders ahead of what's sure to be a testing time for them. - Jennifer Phelan

FANTASY FORM WATCH The gift from the Fantasy Gods

7. North needs outside class

Brad Scott bemoaned North Melbourne's inability to win more of the footy in Sunday's shock loss to the Western Bulldogs. Having led by 28 points at half-time, the Kangaroos conceded eight goals in the third quarter as Luke Beveridge's outside runners began to win the footy at will. Indeed, with the two sides more or less breaking even in terms of contested numbers, it was on the outside where the game was won and lost. The Dogs won the uncontested possession count by 88 at Etihad Stadium, with Lachie Hunter (44 disposals), Caleb Daniel (40 disposals) and Jack Macrae (40 disposals)all getting off the chain. In fact, the Dogs had six players who amassed equal or more of the footy than North Melbourne's highest individual ball-winner in Ben Cunnington (26 disposals). The Kangaroos simply had no one who could run with their opposite numbers, nor did they have anyone who could match their ability to provide polish with ball in hand. North Melbourne has been consistently linked with Jared Polec and Aaron Hall – and it's easy to see why. While the club has plenty of industry on the inside – provided mainly by Cunnington, Shaun Higgins and Jack Ziebell – it's on the outside where the team could desperately use some depth. - Riley Beveridge

8. There's still nothing like a big forward kicking a big bag

From the moment Jack Riewoldt kicked his third goal just 11 minutes into the win over Gold Coast, something special was brewing. Every time the ball went in his direction, the Tiger-dominated crowd of over 18,000 got excited. He had 4.3 at quarter-time, five at the half, eight at three-quarter time and, with just two seconds remaining snapped his 10th and final goal. Jack was excited, the fans were excited and his teammates were excited. For most of the final three quarters any time a Tiger got the ball forward of centre, they had eyes for just one player. Most coaches like to spread the goalkicking load, but with bags of 10 or more occurring roughly once a season, Jack Riewoldt proved one thing on Saturday – nothing excites the wider footy audience quite like a full-forward on fire. - Michael Whiting

9. Lachie Neale doesn't get the credit he deserves

When the cream of the AFL's midfield crop is discussed, rarely do you hear Lachie Neale's name mentioned, but the ultra-consistent Freo ball magnet belongs among the elite. Neale has dipped below 26 disposals only twice this season in another brilliant campaign, but the nuggety onballer is so much more than just an accumulator. He can swing momentum with his impact around clearances, almost never turns the ball over and is dangerous around goals – as Carlton found out on Sunday. After being held to one clearance and six touches by quarter-time, Neale lifted when the Dockers needed a spark, extracting four clearances in the second term alone, before racking up 12 disposals and slotting a superb checkside in the third quarter as Freo broke the Blues' resistance. It was another class performance from a perennially underrated midfielder who will be vying for his second Doig Medal against David Mundy at season's end. - Travis King