Surprise and revelation, shock and disappointment - the emotions that drive every footy fan. They bring people together to either share in their frustrations or revel in their unfiltered joy.
Whether it is through player improvement or through coaching methods, every action has an equal and opposite reaction to what fans have come to expect from the years prior, with a player's form or a lapse in coaching sometimes either making or breaking a season.
Accounting for this, I took a look at each team's surprise player or coach and each team's shocking disappointment.
Melbourne
Surprise: Tom Sparrow
After the departures of club staples Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, many counted Melbourne out before the season and have been proven wrong ever since. A large part of the Demons' improvement has been Sparrow stepping up to become an extremely dangerous midfielder, increasing his disposal average from last year by 10 and averaging career highs in both clearances (5.7) and tackles (6.1).
Shock: Brody Mihocek
Not that much of a shock for the former Pie, but definitely not his best footy this season, albeit he's clearly still getting used to a new environment. Mihocek's accuracy from goal (64%) has actually been quite good; it's just the other parts of his game that have dropped off.
