1. The Hawks can go forward without Buddy
We will have to wait until the end of the season to know whether the biggest name in the game, Lance Franklin, stays at Hawthorn or leaves to join Greater Western Sydney on a king's ransom. But Hawthorn's performance against West Coast on Friday night underlined that life will go on inside the Hawks' forward line with or without Buddy. On a night when Franklin was relatively well held by Eagles defender Eric Mackenzie, his long-time partner in crime, Jarryd Roughead, kicked five goals, as did Jack Gunston, while Luke Breust chimed in with three. Throw in David Hale and Cyril Rioli and a 'Buddy-less' Hawthorn would still have plenty of firepower in 2014. - Nick Bowen

2. Saint Nick can get some cheapies
THE point was made on social media during Saturday's St Kilda-Melbourne clash that if anyone deserved to be on the receiving end of a couple of 'cheapies' it was Saints skipper Nick Riewoldt. In his 250th game, Riewoldt kicked three goals, two from soft free kicks. But given his brilliant body of work for St Kilda throughout his career - this year has been as good any by Riewoldt - who could begrudge him earning his goals in whatever fashion they came. His duel with Tom McDonald was entertaining all afternoon and the Melbourne youngster walked away from the afternoon knowing he broke even with, and perhaps even had the better of, a future Hall of Famer. "Tom McDonald can play, don't you worry about that," enthused interim Demons coach Neil Craig afterwards. - Ashley Browne   

3. Brownlow gone, Fyfey might rue his suspension
On a wet day, in a dour game, where skills were at a premium, Nathan Fyfe proved himself a class above with his performance against North Melbourne. The 21-year-old had 28 possessions, 14 contested, seven marks and a goal in a best on ground display. Fyfe is third in the AFL for contested possessions won in 2013 behind Swan Josh Kennedy and Sun Gary Ablett. After finishing second in Fremantle's best and fairest in 2011, and polling 13 Brownlow votes that season, Fyfe polled 14 votes in 2012 when he was restricted to just nine games due to a shoulder injury. He is ineligible to win the Brownlow this year due to suspension but he will again figure prominently among the votes at season's end. - Alex Malcolm

4. The Dogs' drafting was spot on
The Western Bulldogs weren't good enough against Richmond on Saturday night, but look a little bit deeper into the defeat and there's reason for optimism at the club. The club last year had a draft which, at the time, was described as one which could get its fortunes back on track. The early signs are that it got things very right. Jake Stringer (pick five), Jack Macrae (pick six), Nathan Hrovat (pick 21) and Lachie Hunter (pick 49) were the club's first four selections at the 2012 NAB AFL Draft and played together at AFL level for the first time against the Tigers. All had their moments, and you'd suspect the quartet will play a big role in the club's future. - Callum Twomey

5. One job done well is sometimes enough
Chad Wingard was nothing short of sensational, picking up 20 touches and booting three goals, but it was the man who sat on Swan Daniel Hannebery who deserved the plaudits. After destroying Adelaide in round 11 with 42 possessions, Hannebery's influence on Saturday's match against Port Adelaide was insignificant – kept to just 13 touches. Kane Cornes, as has been the case so often in his incredible career, was called upon to eliminate a target and he did so with ruthless effect. Hannebery wasn't the only player kept quiet against the Power, but Cornes' ability to negate his output highlights the value of a quality run-with man in the modern game. An AFL side is bigger than one player but, just like a house of cards, the Power proved that one targeted attack can cause a collapse. - Harry Thring

6. It's hard to play the blame game
To come back from 52 points down late in the third quarter and win, you need nearly everything to go right. And that's just what happened for the Brisbane Lions. Conversely, everything went wrong for the Cats. Where exactly they lost the unloseable is hard to pin down. The Lions' remarkable turnaround started from a lucky deflection off umpire Stuart Wenn's leg that resulted in a goal to Dayne Zorko. Later in the fourth quarter, Steve Johnson uncharacteristically missed an easy shot on the run, Tom Hawkins missed his set shot (but it still gave the Cats a one-point lead) and Dawson Simpson played on with the clock winding down. None of them were terrible errors, but all added up to an amazing comeback. - Michael Whiting