IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover Geelong's Irish pair should not be underestimated, the Crows can match it with the best plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round 13 of the 2025 season.

1) Melbourne will live and die by its forward line

The Demons could cause some damage come finals time – if they manage to get there. It's an odd thing to say about the 14th-placed side in the competition, but the Dees have knocked off Brisbane at the Gabba and came oh-so-close to Collingwood on Monday night. Realistically, Melbourne should have beaten the Pies, but the entries inside 50 left much to be desired for most of the game. The Dees recorded 21 inside 50s in the second term for a return of 2.4, while Jeremy Howe finished with 14 intercepts for the game. Melbourne fought its way back into the game by lowering its eyes heading into attack and utilising run and carry for deeper entries. If the Dees can do it from the opening bounce, they'll be in a much better place. - Sarah Black

2) Dropping Jack Ginnivan was smart coaching

Jack Ginnivan's taunt drew the headlines, but his resurgence deserves the focus. The 22-year-old was dropped for the Easter Monday blockbuster back in April and that decision has proven to be smart coaching. Ginnivan needed to regain confidence in the VFL and since returning from that game for Box Hill, the polarising small forward has kicked 13 goals in seven games, including two on Thursday night in the crucial win over the Western Bulldogs. It is more than the goals, though. Ginnivan also finished with 23 disposals at Marvel Stadium, after collecting an equal career-high 31 against Collingwood a week earlier. He is now averaging 20.8 disposals and 7.0 score involvements since round seven, to go with almost two goals a game. With other Hawks down on form this season, Ginnivan has surged back to near his best. - Josh Gabelich

3) Tom De Koning's form is increasing his value

The talk surrounding the future of Tom De Koning is not going to go away, especially if he keeps putting together performances like he did on King's Birthday Eve against Essendon. The Carlton ruck was arguably the best on ground in his side's win, with 23 disposals, seven clearances and 10 score involvements to go with his goal and potentially game-saving tackle in the dying minutes. Yes, De Koning was coming up against an opponent 11 years his senior, but the tall has been putting together similar performances all year. The fight for his signature will continue with the Blues desperate to keep him, while the Saints have him firmly in their sights. - Phoebe McWilliams

4) The Cats' Irish stoppers should not be underestimated

We've known for some time that Mark O'Connor is an excellent run-with player, but in 2025, Geelong coach Chris Scott has called on fellow Irishman Oisin Mullin to also stifle star opposition players. And on Saturday against Gold Coast, both men played a huge role in bringing down the Suns at a wet GMHBA Stadium. O'Connor was sent directly to Noah Anderson and although the Gold Coast skipper battled hard to finish with 19 disposals that included 10 clearances, he was well down on his usual impact. Mullin had a similar influence in shadowing Touk Miller up to stoppages from half-forward. Miller was his usual tireless self, gathering 20 touches, but the most telling statistic was just one score involvement for a man who has bridged Gold Coast's midfield and forward line all season. The Irish duo are strong, disciplined and athletic and give Scott an excellent lever to pull. – Michael Whiting

5) Pressure is the platform for Mini's Eagles

There are plenty of holes in West Coast's game as it works through a rebuild, but one thing the team is showing is that it knows how to address a weakness and respond. Last week's loss to Geelong included just four tackles inside 50 and an overall tackle differential of -20. It's an issue that needed to be addressed and it was, with the Eagles laying 23 tackles inside 50 against North Melbourne on Sunday compared to just six for the Roos, while the Eagles won the overall tackle count by 15. The Eagles' pressure was relentless for the majority of the game and their tackling efficiency stood out, creating plenty of opportunities that they unfortunately could not take as the Roos ran them down late in the game. Coach Andrew McQualter said earlier this season that he's never watched the tape of a performance and not had answers. The next step was getting his team to execute, and they did on Sunday with their pressure. Conversion will clearly be the next issue they target after a scoring accuracy of just 24 per cent. – Nathan Schmook

6) The Crows can match it with the best

It wasn't pretty and there was a fair chunk of luck involved, but the Crows finally took the four points against a top-four side this season. Despite their strong form this year, there were some doubts about whether the Crows could compete with the very best sides having lost to Collingwood, Geelong and Gold Coast in the first half of the season. But on Friday night, Adelaide held on to beat the reigning premier in what will be a huge boost to their confidence. It wasn't convincing, but the win will give the Crows and their supporters the belief they can match it with the competition's best. Friday night's clash against Hawthorn in Launceston will be another big test of their top-four credentials. - Phoebe McWilliams

7) Sydney can still be too reliant on its stars

The overwhelming pattern in Sydney's season to date has been its reliance on star players to get things moving. In Saturday's 44-point win over Richmond, it was true once more, as Nick Blakey (34 disposals, 886 metres gained) and Isaac Heeney (25 disposals, six clearances) took the game by the scruff of the neck. What the likes of Blakey, Heeney, Chad Warner, James Rowbottom and returning captain Callum Mills do is not just have an impact with their own actions, but they also empower others to influence the contest. It is for this reason above all else that Sydney is still so heavily reliant on its stars to turn the tide and get things moving their way. The load will be spread a little more evenly after the bye, with both Errol Gulden and Tom Papley expected to return, but the challenge for Sydney's next tier of players is to create their own energy and confidence from which to lift. - Gemma Bastiani

8) The Giants need some fresh forward thinking

In his final 10 games of 2024 and first two this year, Jesse Hogan kicked 54 goals at an average of 4.5 per game, slotting three or more in all but one of those matches. But if we take away a bag of seven against Geelong in round nine, Hogan has managed just 12 goals - 1.7 per game - in his past seven matches and the Giants forward half has become inconsistent and predictable to opposition sides. This is not just a Hogan problem, however, but rather the sign of a wider issue, with GWS held to just its third scoreless quarter in 10 years against Port Adelaide on Saturday night. Adam Kingsley needs to reprogram and redesign his attack if he is to keep his side in the finals hunt, let alone getting anywhere near the premiership favouritism many gave them after the Opening Round dominance of Collingwood at the start of the year. – Howard Kimber