IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover the Dockers rely on too few, Essendon's injury issues are starting to bite plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round eight of the 2025 season.

1) Bailey Smith is in career-best form

While Patrick Dangerfield was the star of the show in Geelong's comeback win over Collingwood, it was the work of Bailey Smith in the middle of the field that helped turn the tide in the third term. On the comeback from a torn ACL, Smith has been a class above this season, providing plenty of speed and carry over the field, and appearing to have tidied up his disposal on the run. The 24-year-old is averaging 30 disposals this year (up from his career average of 23) and has kicked four goals from his seven matches. His 2021 finals campaign for the Bulldogs will live long in the memory, but the 2025 version of Bailey Smith is the best we've seen. And, as his work post-game showed, he remains the ultimate entertainer. - Sarah Black

2) Josh Dunkley is the glue for Brisbane’s midfield

He doesn’t have a lot of speed, he doesn’t have many tricks, and he doesn’t grab many headlines, but Brisbane’s midfield would be so much worse off without Josh Dunkley. The Lions are blessed with two-time Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft and the smooth-moving Hugh McCluggage, but it is Dunkley that brings it all together. Against Gold Coast on Sunday night, the 28-year-old finished with 26 disposals and six clearances, but it was his diligent shutdown job on Gold Coast terrier Matt Rowell at stoppages that was just as important. Dunkley is the defensive-minded, ball-winning complement that glues the Lions midfield together. – Michael Whiting

3) The Dockers are simply too reliant on too few

Although coach Justin Longmuir is reluctant to admit it, Fremantle is too reliant on ball-magnets Caleb Serong and Andy Brayshaw to get going. On Friday evening, when St Kilda came at the contest with all guns blazing, the Fremantle pair were shut out of the game, and things just went from bad to worse. The Dockers were smashed at the contest, losing clearances by 28 and contested possessions by 48, from which they were forced to defend grimly for the duration of the game. With the duo unable to get their hands on the footy, and Hayden Young going down with a third hamstring injury in as many months, Fremantle was dangerously exposed in the midfield, and it's shown the footy world how to shut down the Dockers; stop them at the source, and you stop them as a whole. – Gemma Bastiani

4) Callaghan is the future and the present of the Giants' midfield

Greater Western Sydney could not quite rein in Sydney after giving its heated rivals a five-goal head start on Sunday, but the Giants should take heart from Finn Callaghan being the one to stand up and spark a fight back. The 22-year-old partnered with on-ball bull Tom Green to lead the Giants' engine room that was outmuscled early and appeared to have a huge hole without the injured Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio. Callaghan had 15 disposals just in the second term to drag the Giants back to within a goal, and finished with 33 touches and six clearances in a powerful but typically stylish display. The former No.3 pick has loomed as the future of the Giants midfield since inking a long-term deal, but the time has come for Callaghan to take control now while he waits for experienced reinforcements to return. - Martin Pegan

5) Essendon's injuries are starting to bite

With talls Sam Draper, Nick Bryan and Tom Edwards already out for the season and key midfielder Darcy Parish not yet sighted in 2025, Harrison Jones (ankle), Jordan Ridley (hamstring) and Jade Gresham (adductor) all went down on Thursday night. Essendon has registered four wins this season by an average of 14 points; the biggest against Melbourne by 39 points, with the other three by margins of two (West Coast), three (North Melbourne) and 12 (Port Adelaide). But the injury toll to key personnel in all parts of the ground is starting to mount. While the 4-3 Bombers are hanging tough for now, matches against the in-form Western Bulldogs and Brisbane in the next month will be massive tests. Next up is Sydney, the only side to be hit as hard by injury so far this season. - Phoebe McWilliams

6) This former Hawk can help the Eagles' midfield woes

Tyler Brockman hasn't clicked as a forward yet at West Coast, but his second half against Melbourne on Saturday night showed he can contribute as a midfielder. The Eagles have big issues in the centre and turned to their small forwards at stages for some fast feet in the engine room. Brockman delivered and had an equal game-high five clearances after half-time, attending eight centre bounces in the final quarter. The Eagles are wrestling with how much positional change is useful versus how much it can be destabilising within games. But they have midfielders who aren't performing at ground level and experimenting with Brockman both taught them something and helped on-field. – Nathan Schmook

7) Sicily's temperament can still be an issue

There's no doubting James Sicily's football ability or his leadership qualities, but his temperament can still be a problem. Suspensions seem to be a thing of the past, but the Hawthorn skipper remains capable of elevating a situation unnecessarily and did so against Richmond on Sunday when he dumped Maurice Rioli after winning a free kick. The resulting melee saw the Hawks get a 50m penalty and an easy goal, but it also set a fire under the Tigers at time when the Hawks had it all their own way. Richmond does not currently have the ammunition to explode, but plenty of better teams do and an uncalled-for firestarter could turn a big game, or final, against his side. - Howard Kimber

8) These Crows give Adelaide's midfield another edge

With Matt Crouch injured and No.4 draft pick Sid Draper dropped, plenty of eyes were on the Crows' midfield in Saturday's clash against Carlton. And it was James Peatling and Josh Rachele who had an uptick in midfield responsibility, and it paid off for the Crows, who won centre clearances by 10 (and overall clearances by eight) in an impressive display through the middle. Rachele was terrific around the ball, mostly in the first half when used at centre bounces, while Peatling, who attended his biggest percentage of centre bounces as a Crow, had five clearances (the equal second most for the home side). The dynamic duo added to the flair of Izak Rankine and power of captain Jordan Dawson plus the evasiveness of Jake Soligo to give Adelaide what may be its ideal midfield mix. – Dejan Kalinic

9) There's life on Mars for the Bulldogs

The 90-point thrashing of Port Adelaide would have been a delight to watch if you were a Bulldogs supporter, with Luke Beveridge labelling it his team's best win of the year. But the redevelopment of Mars Stadium in Ballarat, with half the stadium brown dirt and machinery, meant a crowd of just 4,814 was able to attend, reduced from its usual capacity of 11,000. Not that the Bulldogs will mind. Saturday's win was the Dogs' 10th from 14 appearances in Ballarat, with Beveridge saying in his post-match press conference, "the good thing is, we're winning most often when we come here". Clubs often come unstuck when they sell home games to new regions, but the Dogs have found a second home on Mars. - Phoebe McWilliams