The Lions look ready to take on the world again after they took down the Dees at the MCG.
Bulldogs supporters are once again screaming out for change as the Dogs were steamrolled by the Bombers on Friday night.
The Power, Crows and Giants all got it done in 3, 2 and 1 points respectively, in a round of close finishes.
While we’d all love a hindsight bet, we can always take in a few learnings heading into Round 6 of the AFL.
1. We’re hearing the mighty roar.
The Lions needed that win.
Beating a quality opposition on a ground that has caused them a lot of difficulty in the past, it’s enough to put them back in the hunt for anything and everything.
They were able to take away Melbourne’s contested game, suffocating them at the contest and taking away their drive to situate a contest further down the line.
Josh Dunkley continues to add an element to Brisbane’s midfield mix, his performance was expansive in Brisbane’s control, finishing with 30 disposals and five inside 50s.
Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher took full advantage of Steven May’s lack of recovery from his injury, both kicking two majors.
Charlie Cameron, who kicked three of his own, showed some of his best work late in the fourth quarter, where he burned off Jake Lever to sprint through to an open goal.
The Lions still have tests ahead of them, with the Cats to come at home next round, where they are amazingly still winless, and the Giants on ANZAC Day in Canberra the week after.
Everything can change in a week of footy, and this is a week of footy the Lions will be hanging on to this momentum for as long as it lets them.
2. Bulldogs lack bite.
It feels like we’ve yet again returned to the beginning of the cycle with the Bulldogs, who suffered another “sack Bevo” loss to the Bombers.
They were dominant and had more than enough chances, but as usual, struggled to capitalise on their possession, and let the Bombers do what they’ve done in all their wins, kick straight off the back of a lack of scoreboard pressure.
The Doggies faithful is yet again up in arms over coach Luke Beveridge and whether his time is up, so is it?
The Dogs rank high in almost every stat in the competition when you look at team stats collectively, and with the list they have, they shouldn’t be struggling like they are.
Young gun Ryley Sanders was substituted off in the first half, and with a stat line of eight touches at 100% disposal efficiency and five tackles, you do have to shake your head at that decision.
The Dogs seem disjointed when it comes to coach connection, they can’t execute gameplans well and it’s hard to blame their lack of consistency on player connection, because they’ve proven they’re capable of competing for a premiership.
The Saints and Dockers (away) to come will continue to push this team and coaching staff to its limits, but knowing the Bulldogs, they’ll beat the Saints and we’ll forget this ever happened.
3. Berry breaks the Blues.
The Crows finally got their first win of the season, and they executed to perfection to get it done.
Sam Berry was the hero in the tale for the Crows, as he snapped late in the quarter to get the Crows home by two points, after facing a 16-point deficit with less than 10 minutes to play.
Let’s face it, the Crows came in with one game plan and it worked, one-on-one around the contest and punished on turnover.
The Blues had three quarters to fix it, but the Crows exploited their poor defensive accountability.
Walker, Rankine, and Keays combined for ten goals in a sharp-shooting display which saw the Crows kick 16.4 to the Blues 14.14.
The Crows certainly have a pulse again, and the task at hand next round against the Bombers would see them as favourites.
Can we consider them finals contenders again? Probably not. If it weren’t for a comedy of errors by the Blues late in the fourth, along with their inaccurate kicking, they would be sitting at 0-5.
The Crows still struggle to assert themselves outside of Victoria, so there’s a long way to go, but what a win it was to kickstart their season.
4. They’re flying high!
The Eagles get a taste of victory for the first time this year as they defeated a helpless Tigers outfit by 39 points.
Harley Reid stole the show yet again, with 27 disposals, 15 clearances, and eight scoring involvements, yet another reason why he is the number one pick.
Most people tuned in for the Reid v Dusty showcase, which provided a little moment when Reid gave a little fend-off that just passed as one.
Jake Waterman had not just a day out, but a career-best day out, finishing with six goals from 18 disposals, finding the footy everywhere inside 50.
It was the veteran experience of the Eagles that stood up, with Yeo, Duggan, and Kelly all digging in and providing some of their class around the contest.
The Tigers had their week go from ok, to as bad as it could get, and the injury list they’ve built has started to crush hopes of a competitive season.
The Eagles have put together two weeks in a row of good footy, which is something to hold on to, and no better way to put it to the test next week in the Derby against the Dockers.
Here’s to many more wins in the Reid Era on the West Coast.
5. Is the 2023 draft crop one of the most impactful early on?
Whilst all the hype was surrounding Harley Reid leading into 2024, it’s easy to look past how good his 2023 draft crop has been to open the year.
We saw it this week with Hugo Garcia, who came in for the Saints as the sub on debut, he had 14 pressure acts, eight contested possessions, and seven clearances all from 11 disposals, all as the number 50 pick in the 2023 draft.
Look at the Suns who have blooded Academy products in Ethan Read, Jed Walter, and Will Graham.
They have all had an instant impact at the level, with both Walter and Read kicking two goals each against the Hawks on Saturday night.
The Roos saw the loss of Colby McKercher who went off with a rib injury against the Cats, but his productivity has been enormous in his early games.
Caleb Windsor has elevated his workrate to the next level as a hard-running wingman for the Demons, while we’ve seen how good Ryley Sanders can be with his classy ball use around the contest for the Dogs.
We’ve only scratched the surface with Nick Watson, Darcy Wilson, and Zane Duursma, but the moments have been there.
Last year’s draft crop might not have the depth in talent compared to 2022 with the Ashcroft, Sheezel, and Wardlaw brigade, but they certainly make an instant impact.