1. Majak happens for a moment

One of the most anticipated AFL debuts in recent history took place on Sunday, and sadly, lasted just 19 minutes. Majak Daw, the first Sudanese-born footballer to play an AFL game, had fans on their feet in the opening 30 seconds when he took a flying mark over Niall McKeever. Kicking the game's first goal with his first kick, Majak was swamped by his teammates. He tried for a second grab a few minutes later before showing his aerial skills with a gigantic leap against Stef Martin in a rucking contest. Disaster struck at the 19-minute mark when he clashed heads with teammate Ben Cunnington and was helped from the field. The Roos waited until quarter-time before substituting Daw out after a concussion test. It may have been a short stint but it gave Roo fans reason for excitement, and Daw was able to join his teammates on the field post-game after watching the game from the bench.  

2. Top of the table Thomas

Could the formerly wayward Lindsay Thomas be headed for his first Coleman Medal? The small forward kicked an equal game-high four goals, which catapulted him to the top of the competition's goalkicking table. His haul takes him to 16 for the season, tied with Pie Travis Cloke. It's not the first time he's led the table this season but he's doing a good job of ensuring he remains in contention with multiple goals each round so far.

3. Messy Lions

With Daw the story in the opening quarter, it was easy to look past the Lions' calamities. While the Roos weren't setting the world alight on the scoreboard with inaccuracy plaguing their kicking, the Lions couldn't get the ball into their forward arc. Their second inside 50 came at the 22-minute mark when the Roos had 12 on the board, and resulted in their first goal via McKeever. By the end of the quarter, the Lions had made 18 turnovers, which summed up their inability to get the ball forward in any productive manner. The quarter-time inside 50 tally was 20 to six, with the Roos leading by 32 points – a margin that would have been more had some of the home team's 10 behinds snuck through for goals.

4. Missing Brown

One of the biggest victims of the Lions' inability to get their ball forward was Jonathan Brown, who did not touch the ball in the opening quarter. He got a little more involved in the second, taking a strong leading mark at the 18-minute mark before landing another shortly before half-time. However, both set shots launched from the pocket resulted in points. It was a quiet afternoon from Brown, with the co-captain ending with 11 disposals and two behinds. With Scott Thompson blanketing him, Brown was held goalless for just the fifth time since 2011. 

5. The other new guys

Daw wasn't the only player making his debut on Sunday. The Lions unveiled West Australian forward Marco Paparone, who started as substitute but came into the game at quarter-time after Ash McGrath hurt his leg, and defender Sam Docherty. Neither looked out of place – Paparone set up a goal within minutes of coming on and kicked three of his own, while Docherty had 20 disposals and five rebounds.