- West Coast have no sense of time
Following Peter Wright's goal to put the Suns up by two with under two minutes remaining of their clash with the Eagles on Saturday, Wright thenย failed to seal the deal with 46 seconds remaining, as he missed a set shot which saw the Eagles take possession of the ball trailing by three points.
Had they watched the GWS-Richmond game from three weeks ago where the Giants went up the middle and kicked the winning goal, they might have opted for the same approach, but the Eagles did the exact opposite on Saturday.
With just under one minute remaining, West Coast captain Shannon Hurn decided to kick the ball short from the kick-in, and found Sam Mitchell.
Mitchell then took his time and spotted up Lewis Jetta with another chip kick, meaning the Eagles had wasted 15 seconds and not made it out of their defensive 50.
It was a staggering decision by both Hurn and Mitchell not to go long, and by the time Jetta did, Suns co-captain Tom Lynch was back and took a match-saving mark.
If you thought Richmond's defensive effort against the Giants was poor back in round eight, at least they weren't the ones with the ball dictating the play.
2. Joel Selwood is the toughest player in the game
The Geelong captain just does not shirk a contest.
He had his head split open (and it was a pretty decent gash as well) following this contest with Adelaide's Andy Otten late in the first quarter.
Joel Selwood left the ground after this clash with Andy Otten. #AFLCatsCrows pic.twitter.com/SVeDKcsSfE
— AFL (@AFL) June 2, 2017
Less than 20 minutes later, Selwood went back with the flight midway through the second quarter and was collected by Kyle Hartigan, and was elbowed just inches away from where Otten hit him.
The original contest was one thing, but to do it again just a quarter later was outstanding, and the second incident is just as courageous if not more.
The man is a machine.
3. Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly are worth every dime
The midfield pair are two of the hottest commodities this season, and after their respective performances on the weekend, both of them are worth every penny.
Dustin Martin gathered 38 disposals, took eight marks, had six tackles and kicked two goals against North Melbourne, while Josh Kelly also had 38 touches, laid 10 tackles and kicked one goal against Essendon.
The pair will pick up three votes each after their performances, with Martin's effort particularly impressive given it was against a side who have been linked with the superstar.
4. The Pies just won't give up
On the whole, Collingwood's season hasn't gone the way they would have hoped.
But Sunday's win against Fremantle was arguably one of their best performances of the season given the injuries they suffered late in the contest.
Daniel Wells, Jamie Elliott and Tyson Goldsack all succumbed to second half injuries, which saw the Pies down to just two men on the bench, as Goldsack stayed out on the field with effectively one arm.
Despite all of this, the Pies fought extremely hard in the last quarter and came away with what could be a season-defining result.
A massive clash against Melbourne on Queen's Birthday now awaits the Magpies.
5. There's no doubt about who the flag favourites are now
With Adelaide going down to Geelong, the Giants moved to the top of the AFL ladder for the first time in their history, and moved clear in the eyes of supporters around the country as the team to beat.
Their extensive injury list hasn't affected them, as GWS' 9-2 record through 11 games is the best in the league.
The Giants are playing some fantastic football and have all the makings of a premiership contender, and could even become stronger once the likes of Stephen Coniglio, Ryan Griffen, Jacob Hopper, Steve Johnson, Rory Lobb, Devon Smith, Nick Haynes and Brett Deledio all return to the 22.
