IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover tagging Caleb Serong won't stop Freo, the Swans are a work in progress plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round two of the 2026 season.

*This article will be updated after the West Coast v North Melbourne match on Sunday night

1) The Bombers are far too easy to play against

The Bombers may be young and inexperienced in 2026, but their start to the season has brought more pain than expected. On Sunday, Essendon was demolished by Port Adelaide by 63 points and while they showed some fight at times after the main break, the game was ripped away from them in the opening term. For the second time in as many games, the Bombers were destroyed in transition, leaving their already youthful defence further exposed. In a telling sign of how easily Essendon was carved up, Port had 25 marks inside 50 after Hawthorn managed 23 against the Bombers last week. Early signs are Essendon is the competition's easiest team to play against in 2026, lacking either dare or execution in its ball movement, pressure on its opposition and cohesion defensively. The Bombers were always unlikely to win many games this year, but they must lift to make life harder for their opposition. - Dejan Kalinic

2) Tagging Caleb Serong is no longer the answer

Young Melbourne tagger Koltyn Tholstrup was as committed as any player on Optus Stadium to his role on Saturday night and took the points against Fremantle star Caleb Serong. But as effective as he was in keeping a three-time All-Australian to 16 disposals and three clearances, the Dockers midfield is deeper this season and turned the match-up to the team's advantage. Andrew Brayshaw (39 disposals and 10 score involvements), Shai Bolton (32 and nine clearances) and Murphy Reid (24 and two goals) were all highly damaging as Serong used his smarts to open up space for them, with coach Justin Longmuir – and his selfless star – happy to let the match-up roll. "The team benefits when he gets tagged," Longmuir said. "He doesn't go into his head and think about his own possession tally. He thinks about how the team can maximise that situation and I thought he did that well from the start."  – Nathan Schmook

3) The Bulldogs bat deep enough to challenge for the flag

It might only be round two, but the Western Bulldogs are sitting 3-0, already having landed gritty wins over both Brisbane and Adelaide away from home. It has been the start upon which a genuine tilt at the flag can be built, and it's all off the back of a deep, reliable list. Sure, the stars shone against Adelaide on Friday – Aaron Naughton kicked three more goals, and Marcus Bontempelli finished with 30 disposals – but the bottom end was really how the game was won. Oskar Baker, who was only elevated from the rookie list over the summer, did the damage on the scoreboard, youngster Ryley Sanders was composed under pressure, and Buku Khamis and James O'Donnell have made the backline his own. It is no longer as simple as slowing one or two players, and that is the list profile that can go deep into September. - Gemma Bastiani

4) This free agent is in rare form

Low disposals, no worries - Gold Coast spearhead Ben King is making the most of his chances. The Suns' key forward has booted 16 goals so far this season, including seven straight in Gold Coast's 68-point win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon, from just 18 kicks in three games. With 71 goals last year, 55 the year before and now leading the Coleman Medal, the 25-year-old is among the most prolific forwards in the competition. And with his current deal coming to an end and several big clubs chasing him, he looks set for a monster pay day, either to stay at the Suns or play elsewhere. - Phoebe McWilliams

5) Sydney's frantic footy is a work in progress

Dean Cox made it very clear - the speedy slingshot Swans' gameplan doesn't work if the defence isn't structured correctly. Given the riskiness of moving the ball by hand through the corridor, the players need to be ready for a rapid turnover, and they were caught out on a number of occasions by Hawthorn on Thursday night. Sydney's disposal inside 50 also suffered when Hawthorn was able to block up the corridor, forcing the Swans into kicking the ball on the heads of their forwards, much to the glee of Tom Barrass, Jack Scrimshaw and James Sicily. The handball gameplan was clearly too much for Carlton and an undermanned Brisbane, but won't work against every side. - Sarah Black

6) Forget the big names, this Saint continues to deliver

St Kilda's big-name recruits have got plenty of attention after the club's off-season cash splash, but there's one under-the-radar Saint who consistently provides value for money. Against the Giants on Saturday, Callum Wilkie kept dangerous forward Jesse Hogan quiet, up until Hogan trod on the defender's foot and left him hobbling for the final minutes of the game. The Saints' newly installed co-captain also took 11 marks, meaning he's snaffled 10 or more in all three games so far this year. Since being drafted as a rookie in 2019, Wilkie has not missed a game, notching up his 158th against the Giants to equal the second-longest V/AFL streak of consecutive games from debut. Undersized and holding the Saints' new-look backline together, Wilkie consistently takes the No.1 forward and is rarely beaten one on one. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera may be the Saints' most important player, but Wilkie isn't far behind. – Sophie Welsh