It was a long weekend of AFL action, but it was also an incredible one.
A Richmond premiership hero led them to their second win of the year in an upset over the Suns, Zak Butters proved he might be the best player in the competition and Bailey Smith sent X alight with his on-field antics.
Let’s dive into the lessons learned over the Easter Weekend of footy.
1 – Face it, we all want a Tom Lynch on our team
It’s safe the say the biggest (and only) supporters of Tom Lynch at this point are died-in-the-wool Richmond fans.
The two-time premiership star and Jack Dyer Medallist isn’t moving like the Rolls Royce he once was and instead focuses his attention on riling up his opponents and setting an example for his younger and inexperienced teammates.
The example is based solely on aggression, but boy oh boy do the Tiger Army love it.
He renewed hostilities with Gold Coast defender Sam Collins on Saturday night, before taking aim at Mac Andrew and Ben Ainsworth among others.
And you know what? It worked.
The Suns were completely thrown off their game as the $8 Tigers piled on 12 of the first 16 goals.
While the Suns were fighting and arguing, Lynch was laughing all the way to another upset victory and the Suns’ first loss of the season.
2 – Let’s settle on the Blues
Death, taxes and Carlton supporters becoming overly confident at the first sign of positive footy.
After starting the season with a disastrous loss to Richmond and following it up with defeats to Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood, it’s easy to see why the lead has returned to the proverbial pencil of the Carlton faithful on the back of two-straight wins.
But let’s first remember who they’ve beaten.
West Coast (18th) and North Melbourne (16th) are hardly knocking on the door of finals.
While they’ve defeated both sides by 71 and 82 points respectively, any other outcome would’ve resulted in Michael Voss renewing his Seek.com membership on Monday morning.
In fact, North and the Eagles are the only two sides they’ve beaten since June 30 last year.
Let’s cool the jets on the “Carlton are back” discussion and instead see how they fare against Geelong (6th) and Adelaide (5th) over the next fortnight.
3 – Could Butters win the Brownlow?
Surely not, right?
The Port Adelaide midfielder missed the opening month of the season as he recovered from a knee injury, potentially missing out on nine votes in the process.
However, the superstar 24-year-old has not missed a beat since returning in Round 5 with three potential BOG performances.
He amassed a game-high 30 disposals and nine clearances in the Power’s 17-point loss to the Saints, before leading his side to wins over the Hawks (33 disposals) and Swans (27).
Whatever you think Nick Daicos might’ve polled to date, Butters could well be on his tail with nine.
At $41 with Ladbrokes, you’re getting good value to find out.
4 – Easter Monday is must-watch footy
How good is the Easter Monday clash between Geelong and Hawthorn?
One of the top-tier events of any AFL seasons once again proved its worth with the two rivals playing out a seven-point thriller at the MCG.
From an elite three-goal Patrick Dangerfield performance to Conor Nash’s errant forearm and the never-ending Bailey Smith show, this game is well and truly etched into the great rivalries of the modern era.
It matters little where these two sides sit on the ladder when they meet on Easter Monday, but it certainly adds a layer of excitement when they’re both finals bound.
Long may it continue.
5 – Bont is a dead-set freak
This is certainly not a groundbreaking assertion, but Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli showed (again) why he is one of the greatest players of his generation.
Returning from a calf injury for his first game this season, the Bont delivered a 30-disposal, two-goal, eight-clearance performance that led his side to a 71-point victory over the Saints.
It also undoubtedly netted him the three Brownlow votes.
The Dogs have now improved to 3-3 for the season and into eighth spot on the ladder.
With Bont back and in this kind of form, it’s hard to see them slipping much further.