Nathan Vardy's four-goal haul against Gold Coast on Saturday night confirmed that he will be a key part of Chris Scott's line-up in the second half of the season. But with James Podsiadly due back soon from his knee and ankle problems and Hamish McIntosh almost over his Achilles and knee issues, Geelong will soon have more fit big men than it can fit into its line-up. Trent West has been very good this season, but with Mark Blicavs improving at a rate of knots, West's position in the team is looking shaky. - Adam McNicol

Essendon has had a worrying habit over the past two years of starting off seasons well, only to fade away. In 2011, the Bombers picked up five wins and a draw from their opening eight matches before falling in a hole, losing five straight and just scraping into the finals, where they were thrashed by Carlton. Last season, an 8-1 start was totally undone; even consecutive losses to end the season had them missing September altogether. Now in 2013, the shadow of that trend has again appeared. Six wins on the bounce to commence the year have now been followed by three defeats in four games to slip out of the top four for the first time this year. It would have to be playing on their minds once again before this Friday night's massive stoush with old foe Carlton. - James Dampney

So often questioned for not using a tagger or run-with player, Collingwood has found a beauty in feel-good story Brent Macaffer. The man who overcame a full knee reconstruction in 2012 picked up his third big scalp in three weeks against the Lions on Friday night. After keeping premier midfielders Joel Selwood (20 disposals) and Josh Kennedy (18) quiet against the Cats and Swans, it was the outside run of Pearce Hanley that was blunted at the Gabba. Macaffer kept the line-breaking Irishman to a miserly 11 disposals, and in doing so, halted any Lions run. - Michael Whiting

When you consider the task at hand and how he has performed, Callan Ward must be considered among the best leaders in the AFL right now. The Greater Western Sydney co-captain, who is only 23, has continued to lift his rating despite the Giants losing their last four games by an average margin of 103 points. In Saturday's heavy loss to Carlton he led by example, finishing with an equal-game high 28 disposals and a goal before pulling his team into a players-only meeting post-match. The young Giants talk highly of Ward's ability to keep morale high, and his ability to keep performing at a high level – despite repeat heavy losses – is just as crucial. - Nathan Schmook

Port Adelaide started the season in blistering fashion, winning its first five games of the season. After that, it dropped the next five games. Despite all their hard work, the Power are now back to an even ledger. And it couldn't come at a worse time. They now enter the bye without momentum, and face GWS, the Sydney Swans, Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn after the break. Ken Hinkley has every right to be frustrated with his team, who are quickly becoming a sinking ship. They're in for a tough few weeks. - Jacqui Reed

7. The Roos are trying to adjust on the hop
North Melbourne has played ahigh-octane brand of attacking football in 2013 that has helped it scoreheavily, but often allowed its opponents to do the same. The Roos havealso struggled to counter opposition run-ons, seemingly unable toabandon their attacking mindset. But the Roos showed a newfound preparedness to slow the game down against St Kilda this round. Bykeeping possession with a series of short passes, North denied theSaints possession when they were threatening to gather some momentum andwas also able to be more precise with its forward 50 entries.  Rooscoach Brad Scott said after Sunday's game he was teaching his players toadjust their style of play during games to avoid the type of fadeoutloss they had to Geelong in round two. - Nick Bowen