WE'RE seven rounds in. That's almost two months gone, near enough to a third of the season done, with clubs having faced nearly half the competition.

With a weekend "off" looming for most players, it's an opportune time to stand back, take a deep breath, and assess where everybody stands.

As usual, it's been a whirlwind start to the year. There's been controversial conclusions, two draws, extra men, three sides undefeated at the end of round seven and another three with one win apiece, and some interesting moves ladder-wise.

The west is no longer being won, with recent dominators West Coast taking a tumble and Fremantle's highly-rated list again failing to reach consistent heights. The Western Bulldogs and Adelaide have bolted to "surprise packet" status at third and fourth position on the ladder.

Geelong might be undefeated, but looks slightly vulnerable with a recent inability to play the four quarters of dominating football that it became famous for last year. The plucky young Hawks have emerged as the main challenger for the Cats and this year's crown. 

We've got three players on track for 100 goals with Hawthorn's Lance 'Buddy' Franklin (36), Carlton's Brendan Fevola (31) and the Brisbane Lions' Daniel Bradshaw (30) all flying, while Brownlow Medal betting has a new – and sentimental – contender, Richmond's Matthew Richardson catapulting into contention.

And the poor old Demons have finally won a game – a brave come-from-behind triumph over the Dockers – right on time to take their winning momentum into a weekend off.

So sit back and relax, make a cup of tea, and have a look at just where your side is at with 31.81 per cent of the home-and-away season done and dusted.

ADELAIDE (5-2)
Surprising
Ladder position: 4th
Next up: Melbourne, AAMI Stadium, Sunday 18 May
The Crows have restored AAMI Stadium to its fortress-like environment having won four from four at their home ground. Neil Craig has defied critics, and his young stars are delivering, with Kurt Tippett, Jason Porplyzia and Jonathon Griffin earning cult figure status among the faithful. Tipped to take a tumble this year, the Crows have responded with positive, attacking football, and should continue to challenge.

BRISBANE LIONS (3-4)
Up and down
Ladder position: 10th
Next up: Carlton, Telstra Dome, Saturday 17 May
The Lions are going so-so. They haven't been able to string together two wins, despite the fact they have the third-highest goal-kicker in the league and one of the most imposing centre half-forwards going around. Unfortunately, they can't get Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown firing together, and they have the added problem of ball-winning Brownlow medallist Simon Black suffering the early onset of osteitis pubis. But with a triple-hit of Gabba appearances coming up after Carlton, they have the perfect opportunity to turn things around.

CARLTON (3-4)
Spiritually reborn, still with a way to go
Ladder position: 11th
Next up: Brisbane Lions, Telstra Dome, Saturday 17 May
The opening three rounds produced more of the same from last year, but the Blues' big off-season recruiting coup seems to be starting to pay off. Chris Judd led his side to a stirring victory in round seven over his former club West Coast at Subiaco. They've won three from their past four, and like the Bombers, their young list will throw up a variety of results this year, but there's certainly plenty of reasons (ie. Judd delivering to 'Fev', 'Kreuz'-control tapping to 'Stevo'), for Carlton supporters to keep going to the footy.   

COLLINGWOOD (3-4)
Work to do
Ladder position: 8th
Next up: St Kilda, Telstra Dome, Friday 16 May
Having come off a preliminary finals berth, Pies supporters would have been expecting more from the first seven rounds. Narrow losses to the Lions and Roos have been unlucky, but for a side that was a kick away from last year's Grand Final, both games were very winnable. An awesome triumph on Anzac Day showed what the Pies are capable of, but both their attack and defence fell apart against the Hawks just over a week later. The bottom line is that they've lost three from their past four, and have some serious soul-searching to do this weekend. 

ESSENDON (2-5)
Game plan beyond personnel
Ladder position: 13th
Next up: Sydney, ANZ Stadium, Sunday 18 May
Matthew Knights is backing his strategy as a long-term solution, but in the interim, it isn't delivering results. An extensive injury list has hurt them, but the directive to take on the game and attack has seen the baby Bombers tumble to four straight defeats. Losing midfielder Mark McVeigh, forwards Scott Lucas and Alwyn Davey, and defender Dustin Fletcher has been bad, but on the up side, Bachar Houli and Andrew Lovett have found form. However, the pastings need to stop before the club's valuable youngsters lose all confidence and it hinders their development.  

FREMANTLE (1-6)
Can fire, but won't do it consistently
Ladder position: 14th
Next up: Western Bulldogs, Subiaco, Sunday 18 May
The tipster's nightmare continues to wound punters. The Dockers lose the unlosable and challenge when least expected – a trend that has begun to define the maligned side. Just a week after bravely pushing the premiers all the way at Subiaco, they travelled to meet cellar-dwellers Melbourne at the MCG, clearing out to a 51-point lead before stopping to a walk and handing the Demons their first triumph of the season. Matthew Pavlich is the consistent provider but he can't do it alone, week in, week out, and the conflicting form of Chris Tarrant is a worry. Rhys Palmer and Garrick Ibbotson are finds, but there have simply been too many passengers so far this season, once again. In a word - disappointing.

GEELONG (7-0)
Undefeated, and still in second gear
Ladder position: 1st
Next up: Richmond, MCG, Saturday 17 May
The worrying thing for the rest of the league is the fact the Cats aren't actually playing all that well - yet. They're the first to admit they're playing in patches, with only one big win coming in round two against Essendon. They are sharing the workload and doing enough to get by, but as the "hunted" of the competition, they've had to cope with intense defensive efforts against them and counteract sides more willing to take on the game.

HAWTHORN (7-0)
The contender emerges
Ladder position: 2nd
Next up: Port Adelaide, Aurora Stadium, Saturday 17 May
It's only fitting the Hawks follow the Cats in this analysis, as they've emerged as the most likely challengers to Geelong's reign. Unfortunately, we won't see the two sides butt heads until round 17. The Hawks are high-scoring, fast and exciting, and with Mark Williams attracting the third-best defender in the presence of 'Buddy' and Jarryd Roughead, it's no wonder they've kicked over 100 points every week.   

MELBOURNE (1-6)
Down on skill, up on spirit
Ladder position: 16th
Next up: Adelaide, AAMI Stadium, Sunday 18 May
With round seven usually around the time struggling clubs call for "crisis talks", the Dees have pulled off the unthinkable on the eve of such a meeting. Desperately down on members and with several well-publicised off-field problems, they needed a win – and got it. It would be terribly premature to say the Demons are back in town, but direct and promising football in the second half against Fremantle indicated – finally – they can be competitive and have the spirit to do so more regularly.

NORTH MELBOURNE (3-3-1)
Hard to work out
Ladder position: 7th
Next up: West Coast, Carrara, Saturday 17 May
The Roos, with their reinstated suburban name, started the season in patchy form and looked to be on a roll of sorts after grinding out a close one against Collingwood. A draw against Sydney, which ended controversially with 19 Swans on the field in the dying stages, ended that somewhat, with their first chunk of the season ending with a "disgraceful" loss to Adelaide. A litany of mistakes earned a spray from Dean Laidley, and the Roos are sure to enter the next phase of the season with his stinging words a sure-fire motivation.

PORT ADELAIDE (3-4)
Confidence restored
Ladder position: 9th
Next up: Hawthorn, Aurora Stadium, Saturday 17 May
The Power appear back in town after a slow start to the season. At 0-4, catastrophic was a good word to describe the club's year after a Grand Final berth, but it has turned things around to win the past three. It can't be forgotten they've so far played four of last year's top eight, but their round seven performance over Essendon at times resembled a training drill as they broke from the clearances and booted goals at will. Should only improve with heightening confidence.  

RICHMOND (2-4-1)
Having a crack
Ladder position: 12th
Next up: Geelong, MCG, Saturday 17 May
They might have lost their past two games, but the Tigers are certainly doing all they can to excite their supporters without getting the points. Three close results in as many weeks, a drawn result with the Bulldogs starting off that run, and Richardson in career-best form has given supporters a reason to go to the footy again. The Tigers are having a crack, and while their exuberance often results in turnovers and costly errors, at least their kids are trying.

ST KILDA (4-3)
Injuries are going to hurt
Ladder position: 5th
Next up: Collingwood, Telstra Dome, Friday 16 May
It still baffles how a side with Nick Riewoldt, Fraser Gehrig, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne and Adam Schneider isn't booting unbeatable scores, but that's the conundrum Ross Lyon finds himself in. The potent structure, which could be without Riewoldt for up to two months following a knee injury, simply can't fire together. They started off with two wins, lost two, then recorded two victories from the past three, and it's their consistency that is hurting them most. This could be further affected by a costly injury toll from Saturday night's win over Richmond.  

SYDNEY (3-3-1)
Started strongly, then Barry went bananas
Ladder position: 6th
Next up: Essendon, ANZ Stadium, Sunday 18 May
The Swans have dropped off in the past three weeks and lost winnable games against North Melbourne and the Bulldogs. With poor kicking, they threw away a chance to knock off the Dogs, and they'll have to get used to being without Barry Hall, because he's not coming back anytime soon. At 3-3 with a draw and a spot in the eight, the Swans are well entrenched in the pack, but like St Kilda, need to shake off some plaguing problems and recover their consistency if they want to stay with the movers.

WEST COAST (1-6)
How the mighty has fallen
Ladder position: 15th
Next up: North Melbourne, Carrara, Saturday 17 May
Pardon? Was that 15th on the ladder I heard you say? Possibly the most dramatic fall from grace in recent years has occurred this season, with the loss of Judd and Ben Cousins proving the Eagles relied heavily on their previously premier midfield. With injuries, suspensions, and the fallout from last year's trade/drafting period hurting them, the 2006 premiers have not won since round one. John Worsfold denies the club is in crisis, but with results eluding them and their once-stellar midfield belted by Carlton last weekend, it can't be far from it.   

WESTERN BULLDOGS (6-0-1)
Sneaking underneath the radar
Ladder position: 3rd
Next up: Fremantle, Subiaco, Sunday 18 May
It's fair to say the Bulldogs have surprised, and continue to do so considering the floundering fitness of two of its veterans in Brad Johnson and Scott West. They won on the road on the weekend – something the Dogs have found difficult in recent years – and with a draw the only blip on their radar so far, it's fair to say they've exceeded expectation. They score freely and have a workmanlike midfield, and their much-improved attitude seems to be buoying them to better things after a shattering end to season 2007. Beware the quiet approach.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.