ADELAIDE
The Crows have registered more inside 50s than any other team in the competition over the last six weeks, averaging 16 more entries per game. This increase - and the club's form reversal in general - has been brought about by greater intensity and defensive pressure across the ground. Adelaide's zone leaked like a sieve in the first half of the season, but was at its miserly best against the Cats in round 16. The Crows denied Geelong the corridor and used a nine-man zone to choke the reigning premier and force it into uncharacteristic errors in defence.

BRISBANE LIONS
In a dismal month for the Lions, Matthew Leuenberger has at least given them something to cheer about. The ruck giant missed most of 2009 with a knee reconstruction and has steadily improved in his return. Not only has he given his midfield a fighting first chance in the clearances, Leuenberger has also improved his work around the ground. He has averaged 23 hit-outs in the last four weeks and had 21 touches in a big loss to Carlton. Coach Michael Voss' move of Daniel Rich to half-back has had mixed results, with the 2009 NAB AFL Rising Star playing one of his best games of the season against the Saints but otherwise struggling. Using him in the Josh Drummond mould with his penetrating left boot is something Voss seems keen to stick with.

CARLTON
Take out the strong victory over the recently-feeble Lions and Carlton has averaged just 70 points a game since round 12. Tall targets Lachie Henderson and Setanta O'hAilpin have fallen off the pace over that period, but Brett Ratten has recently lamented the delivery inside 50 as well. So what's to blame for the sputtering attack? Where Brendan Fevola once demanded the attention - making inside 50 efficiency stats look great - Henderson and O'hAilpin have thrown doubt into the minds of their onballers with their inability to at least create a strong contest. This has in turn created fewer opportunities for Eddie Betts, Chris Yarran and Jeff Garlett at ground level. Whichever tall target gets picked this week, the advice from Ratten will be simple - go hard or go home.

COLLINGWOOD
Darren Jolly has been the only sole specialist ruckman in the Magpies' line-up for four weeks now, and either by coincidence or through greater responsibility, his form has been on an upwards curve. Since Josh Fraser went out of the side, Jolly has spent much more time in the ruck with Leigh Brown pinch-hitting. Collingwood is undefeated from its past four matches and most of Jolly's key indicators have improved. In his first two weeks as the sole ruckman, Jolly had big possession games and booted multiple goals against former side the Sydney Swans and West Coast. Over the past fortnight, his possession count hasn't been as great but his ruck work has come to the fore with season-high hit-out numbers (30 and 29). Will Mick Malthouse be able to find a place for Fraser or Cameron Wood before the end of the year?

ESSENDON
It's hard to assess the Bombers across the field as they've made 15 changes over the past month through omissions, suspensions and injuries. This level of inconsistency has led many to question the coaching tactics that saw five players omitted in round 15 alone. Backline injuries have seen Heath Hocking and Cale Hooker called upon for key defensive roles, which hasn't always worked, while Michael Hurley has been used around the ground and is struggling to settle into a regular role. A move up the field for David Zaharakis is what Bombers fans have been asking for, and that slight shift has seen his effective delivery with 12 inside 50s over two games.

FREMANTLE
Two games after Michael Barlow's season-ending leg injury, it is becoming clearer how Mark Harvey intends to restructure his midfield. They key player in the coach's plans appears to be strong-bodied youngster Anthony Morabito, who had a game-high six clearances against Melbourne, while Rhys Palmer (five clearances) is becoming more productive at stoppages. Adam McPhee is being used in run-with roles, but his bullocking work is also helping Fremantle win contested footy. Rebounding defenders Paul Duffield and Greg Broughton are occasionally sneaking into the midfield to lend a hand.

GEELONG CATS
Having regained ruckman Brad Ottens and midfielder Joel Corey in recent weeks, the Cats are moving closer to full strength, although Mark Thompson now has to make a decision about how much tall timber he can squeeze into his forward line. Whether Ottens, Cameron Mooney, James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins, who's due to return from a foot problem in round 17, will all get a game in the finals remains to be seen. But it's not all smooth sailing for the Cats as they approach September. In their round 16 loss to Adelaide they managed only 42 inside 50s, which was their lowest tally of the season. They need to rediscover their spark in the midfield in a hurry.

HAWTHORN
Onballer Jordan Lewis has really added something to the Hawks' attack in recent weeks playing as a defensive forward. He got right under Corey Enright's skin in the near-miss against the Cats and rendered Travis Johnstone near-ineffective in the big win over the Lions. A defensive forward has done his job when he's nullified his opponent's run out of the backline, but he's gone over and above the call of duty when he's found his own ball and kicked goals as well. Lewis kept Enright (season average of 25 disposals) to 13 touches and Johnstone (22) to 16, while booting six goals. Lewis' ability to find the ball - he had 26 touches against the Lions - had Michael Voss trying to tag him with Pearce Hanley which upset the applecart even further. He's been good early in games as well with his physical approach helping set the tone.

MELBOURNE
Coach Dean Bailey has long said that the Demons haven't been able to set up their ideal forward structure for the first half of the year because of the unavailability of key components. Now with Jack Watts and Liam Jurrah back in the fold, the Melbourne front half is taking shape. Watts is playing as a tall option pushing up the ground rather than close to goals. Jurrah is the main goalkicking option whose strength is to be isolated one-on-one with an opponent.

NORTH MELBOURNE
From rounds 10 to 13, small forward Lindsay Thomas had 31 shots on goal from 13 marks inside 50. Isolated with a defender of similar size and strength - Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Ashley McGrath and James Hawksley (Brisbane Lions), Aaron Joseph (Carlton) and Jacob Surjan (Port Adelaide) - Thomas was often able to drag his opponent inside 25m to force a marking or ground contest. However, Geelong's zone allowed burly Josh Hunt to keep Thomas to one goal from limited opportunities, while Swans Nick Smith and Tadhg Kennelly used a congested backline to their advantage at the SCG in round 15. Will North revisit the tactic when Thomas returns from a knee injury in round 19, or have opposition coaches cottoned on?

PORT ADELAIDE
You can't change the game plan in a week, but there were some positive signs in Matthew Primus' first game as coach against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin last weekend. The Power moved the ball more quickly and directly inside 50 to blitz the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter, but their confidence dropped away after the break and they managed just two goals for the rest of the game. Primus experimented with Daniel Motlop in a midfield role against the Dogs and is likely to make more subtle changes over the next six weeks.

RICHMOND
There's been plenty to like in the last month, with the Tigers' new and improved game plan paying massive dividends with four wins from the past five games. The defensive pressure has been maintained all over the ground, but has intensified at the back, where the Tigers are currently the hardest team to score against when the opposition gets the ball inside 50. At the other end, kicking it long into the forward line has continued to work, with Jack Riewoldt booting 26 goals in the past five weeks. Andrew Collins has also benefitted, kicking nine of his 12 for the season in the past month.

ST KILDA
The Saints are readjusting to life with Nick Riewoldt back as the main forward target. After a couple of months of relying on smaller goalkickers such as Stephen Milne and Adam Schneider, the Saints are slowly reverting to the traditional game plan of targeting Riewoldt on a long lead. Schneider is increasingly being used in the midfield rotation with Jack Steven being developed as the second crumber behind Milne.

SYDNEY SWANS
Daniel Bradshaw's absence has been a blow to the Swans' forward line, but it's arguable that the infrequent appearances of smalls Ben McGlynn and Jarred Moore have been even more pivotal. The Swans have won four of the six games the pair has played together, averaging about 99 points a game in that time, compared to 81 points when one or both are out. In contrast, they have a 55 per cent winning ratio with only one of the pair in the team and a 25 per cent success rate when neither plays. An in-form Bradshaw and Goodes certainly help the Bloods, but it seems a strong marking target - see Ted Richards and Rhyce Shaw in recent weeks - and clever crumbers are just as effective, if not more so.

WEST COAST
While disposal efficiency remains a problem for West Coast, coach John Worsfold has unearthed three young players across half-back who are among the club's best kicks. Brad Sheppard, Lewis Stevenson and, most recently, Ash Smith have taken on more responsibility bringing the ball out of defence, with Smith notching a game-high five rebound 50s on debut against Adelaide. Stevenson, an elevated rookie, and first-round draft pick Sheppard invariably make good decisions when they have the ball and have the vision and ability to execute a better kick than some of their more senior teammates.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
After spending all year getting used to Barry Hall, the Dogs got their first taste of life without him against Port Adelaide. An even spread of goalkickers still produced 12 majors for the side with Rodney Eade experimenting with Brad Johnson deep, Jarrad Grant in front of him and a range of players - including Lindsay Gilbee, Daniel Giansiracusa, Callan Ward and Adam Cooney - rotating through attack. It's hard to underrate the performance of Brian Lake this year. Over the past four games, the versatile defender has taken a total of 56 marks, which completely destroyed the Blues when they continually tried to bomb the ball in to find a target.

The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.