1. Your season is on the line, Tiges
Coach Damien Hardwick charged out into the middle at three-quarter time with a message to deliver and he didn't mince his words. Ten points down, he called his players in to one group and delivered a fearsome spray, demanding a lift at the contest. His team emerged to kick eight goals to four in the last quarter and rescue a season that was on life support. There were two final quarter heroes – Shane Edwards, who kept his composure and converted two set shots, and the superb Dustin Martin. Interestingly, the Tigers didn't erupt on the final siren like a team that had won a thriller. Hardwick's men would know they had got out of jail in a dramatic clash that Gold Coast will look back on as a missed opportunity.  

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2. Free kick umpire?!
The umpiring was notable on Sunday for the lack of free kicks paid. In the first three quarters the Suns were awarded just two and finished with six – only two more than the record low of four, registered by West Coast in round 11, 2003 and Fremantle in round 11, 2014. The total for the game was 23, well below the AFL average of 39.6 in 2016. While the numbers tell a story, it wasn't a match where missed free kicks stood out. Instead, an uncontested game style from Richmond in the first half meant there were few opportunities for either team to give away free kicks. It was just another reason the twilight clash at the 'G was strange.  

3. Lynch pips Rance in heavyweight battle
Alex Rance this week labelled Tom Lynch one of the best two forwards in the competition. "He’s a fantastic athlete, has a massive tank for a big guy, he’s got really good hands, and is a good competitor," Rance said. The All Australian's honest appraisal was spot on, and the game's best defender and most dominant emerging forward went toe to toe. Lynch took the points with 4.2 and 10 marks, but it's scary to think what he could have done without Rance to contend with (and with more than 49 inside 50s, as Hardwick pointed out post-match). Rance won a stack of one-on-one contests and finished with 21 possessions and 13 marks.    

GAMEBREAKER: Dusty storm blocks out the Suns

4. 'Dusty' takes charge
There was a period in the second quarter when Gold Coast threatened to take control of the match, kicking three consecutive goals and opening up an 11-point lead. Someone needed to take charge for the Tigers, and Martin was the man. He broke the Tigers' drought with a brilliant 50m running goal after bolting the length of the ground, and he became the main man in every attacking chain. Martin barely wasted one of his 22 first-half possessions, going at 95 per cent efficiency. While teammates hesitated, he kicked with penetration and used his handball to devastating effect. He didn't let up, finishing with a game-high 36 possessions, including a fourth-quarter goal that settled the result. Three votes in the bag.    

5. No favours for milestone man
Confusion reigned at three-quarter time after Tigers midfielder Brandon Ellis was called to play on as he lined up for a set shot with just seconds remaining. Ellis, playing in his 100th game, was 50m out and ready to take a set shot, but the umpire cut short his preparation, prompting a panicked handball to teammate Alex Rance, who kicked from further out as the siren sounded. Hardwick was fuming as he walked out to his team. "It was an odd decision," the coach said. "You've got the 30 seconds, but (the umpire) obviously thought he was outside striking distance. It's probably the last thing I need coming down the stairs, (but) it was more of a vent from my point of view." Ellis rebounded from his seven-possession game last week to finish with 24.