The Easter long weekend saw AFL action from Thursday to Monday, and there were plenty of talking points across Round 5 of the 2022 AFL season.
The contenders are really starting to be separated from the pretenders as the competition takes shape, with serious question marks hanging over a number of clubs.
SEE ALSO: Dees flying, Power outage - AFL Power Rankings Round 4
See where your team sits after Round 5 ๐
1. Melbourne
What can we say about the Dees that we haven't already?
The reigning premiers are unbeaten after five weeks and, worryingly for everyone else in the competition, appear to have plenty left in the tank.
As things stand they're the clear team to beat. But, as we know, plenty can happen in AFL football in the space of a week, let alone 20.
Something would have to go seriously wrong for @melbournefc not to win the 2022 @AFL premiership. No.1 seeds, daylight second
— Jack Fitzpatrick (@JackFitzT1) April 16, 2022
2. Brisbane
Another workmanlike win from the Lions on Easter Thursday as they overcame a gallant Pies side.
Despite winning by just seven points, the Lions always looked in control as they moved their record to 4-1.
While some of those wins have been solid without being spectacular, Brisbane could arguably be unbeaten if a few key umpiring decisions went their way against the Cats.
3. Sydney
The Swans decimated a struggling West Coast side on Good Friday, running out 63-point winners.
It was the dominant win they needed, coming off a disappointing loss to the Bulldogs and an underwhelming win against North Melbourne.
The Swans youngsters are as good as there are in the competition, and it's always a positive to win by 10+ goals with 'Buddy' Franklin to come back into the side.
4. St Kilda
Another week, another win for the Saints who have got supporters dreaming with their 4-1 start to the season.
Max King continues to excite up forward, while a number of players have improved leaps and bounds into 2022.
Just imagine if they hadn't dropped their Round 1 game against Collingwood ...
5. Fremantle
The Dockers sit second on the AFL ladder with a 4-1 record and a percentage of 141.7 - an imposing start to the season.
And to think that they're doing this without star midfielder Nat Fyfe adds to the excitement for what 2022 could hold.
The only knock on the Dockers is who they've actually beaten - Adelaide, West Coast, GWS and Essendon all sit in the bottom six of these rankings, and on the AFL ladder.
6. Carlton
The Blues needed to respond to a disappointing loss to Gold Coast and, at half-time of Sunday's clash against a winless Port Adelaide, they were doing just that.
However, the second half nearly became a debacle, with Carlton's 78-29 half-time lead resulting in a win by just three points.
It was a similar story to the Round 3 game against Hawthorn, where the Blues held on by just a solitary point, but it allowed the men in navy blue to take their record to 4-1.
On one hand, the record could easily be 2-3 and the 4-1 flatters them, but, on the other, they keep finding ways to win ...
7. Geelong
There's no hiding from the fact Geelong's Easter Monday's loss to Hawthorn was disappointing.
The Cats had the opportunity to go 4-1 against a team most expected them to beat, but they were simply out-hunted by a ferocious Hawks side.
The Cats have a relatively easy five weeks to come - on paper at least - with games away to North Melbourne, GWS and St Kilda while they host Fremantle and Port Adelaide.
A 3-2 record from those games is the bare minimum, which might see Patrick Dangerfield, who is currently out of touch, recapture something close to his best form.
8. Hawthorn
Given they just beat the Cats, you could make an argument to say Hawthorn should be ahead of Geelong on these rankings.
However, come the end of the season, who do you think will sit higher on the ladder?
The Hawks were reportedly told to bring the mouthguards to training during the week and the result was a playing group who simply were more desperate than Geelong's.
The way the Alastair Clarkson-Sam Mitchell handover was handled was ordinary at best, but the decision itself already looks to be paying dividends.
Big Damian Monkhorst v Conor Nash. Gold ๐ @HawthornFC pic.twitter.com/AIIVJOC5By
— Alicia Muling (@AliciaMuling9) April 13, 2022
9. Western Bulldogs
It was yet another Good Friday training run for the Bulldogs, as they conducted an open session in front their fans and defeated a bunch of 22 witches hats by 68 points.
There was no Josh Bruce to kick 10, but Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman both kicked five goals while Bailey Smith (43 disposals) appeared to bring his own footy.
The thumping win might just be the tonic that sees last year's runners-up go on a run and improve on their 2-3 record.
10. Richmond
A 19-point defeat to Adelaide, even away from home, can't be disguised as anything other than disappointing from the Tigers.
We said a fortnight ago after they were beaten by St Kilda that the dynasty was over and Richmond couldn't win the flag, before they comfortably beat the Bulldogs last week to leave the door slightly ajar.
READ MORE: Lions roar, Port poor - AFL Power Rankings Round 3
However, defeats against bottom-six contenders such as Adelaide - regardless of how spirited they might be - ultimately prove us right.
They'll win their share of games the Tigers, but premiership contenders they are not.
11. Collingwood
It's now three losses in a row for the Pies after a 2-0 start to the season, but an admirable loss to a quality side like Brisbane means they lose no admirers.
The kids are showing plenty and their three losses have come by just 13, 13 and seven points.
With a massive ANZAC day clash coming against what is currently a hapless Essendon outfit, Craig McCrae's men will likely start favourites and can return to the winners' list - taking their record to 3-3 in the process.
12. Gold Coast
The Suns were in the game for a while against the Saints but were no match late as St Kilda turned the screws.
In two of their three losses, Gold Coast have been more than admirable against the 5-0 Demons and 4-1 Saints, with a disappointing loss to GWS their only blemish.
Stuart Dew entered the season as the competition's most under-pressure coach, but, as the only side to beat Carlton after five rounds and with a couple of game defeats, he might just be doing enough to earn himself a contract extension ... For now.
13. Adelaide
You could argue the Crows are stiff not to be higher, given they're three spots below the side they beat by 19 points on the weekend.
Add to that, they only lost to Fremantle by one point in Round 1 and Essendon by four points in Round 4, and things could look very different for the 2-3 Crows.
However, while Adelaide have clearly improved this season after last year's fourth-last finish, whether they can keep this form going remains to be seen - and many would still expect the Crows to finish below the clubs immediately above them on this list ...
14. GWS
The way Melbourne are playing in 2022, a 67-point defeat is probably a par result - especially for a side who has only won once in their opening five games.
However, for a side that won a final last year and with as much stacked talent as GWS are supposed to have, a 1-4 start and an 11-goal loss is simply not good enough.
They do get Toby Greene back this week and not only is he one of the best players in the competition, but his presence alone lifts his side immeasurably.
If Greene doesn't provide an immediate lift however, the Giants could just tread water until season's end where it appears more and more likely that coach Leon Cameron will depart the club.
15. West Coast
It's unfortunate that a ten-goal loss is about what was expected, especially at home on Good Friday.
However that's just the reality of where they're at, having had arguably the most interrupted start to a season in recent times.
When we start judging them harsher, well that time needs to come soon.
But the fact West Coast have just continued to front up and haven't complained, despite their circumstances, deserves some credits in the bank.
16. North Melbourne
All the talk after their witches' hat-like performance against the Bulldogs on Good Friday was whether or not they deserve a 'blockbuster' game.
The simple question is this: On what planet you can make a logical and sane argument that they do?
We expected them to be bad in 2022 and they're living up to those expectations, which is the only reason they aren't lower on this list - they are probably the worst side in the competition, but nobody expected any different.
17. Essendon
Speaking of expectations, that's exactly why Essendon are below North.
This is a side that played finals last year, and they have been so far beyond ordinary it's not funny.
Yes, their first three defeats of the year were against Essendon, Brisbane and Melbourne - all top four sides from 2021.
But they then fell over the line against Adelaide before simply not rocking up against Fremantle.
Frankly, they're lucky not to be 18th.
18. Port Adelaide
You can't be any other than last when you're the only winless side after five rounds.
But record a win and they could shoot up this list given you could argue they're not goingย thatย badly:
In Round 1, Port led at three-quarter time against Brisbane - the side many think are Melbourne's biggest danger.
The Round 2 loss to Hawthorn was simply unacceptable, before they played Adelaide in the Showdown and were literally in front when the final siren sounded.
They were then competitive for a half against Melbourne before class prevailed, and then they recovered from an ordinary first half against Carlton before nearly coming back to win the game.
As we said, 0-5 simply isn't good enough, especially given they hosted a preliminary final in 2021.
But a win or two could see them surpass a few on this list.
