IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover the Pies have found a midfield talent, there was a silver lining for the Suns plus much, much more.

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

*This article will be updated after the Port Adelaide v St Kilda match on Sunday night

1) The Blues should persist with midfield as experimentation continues

Carlton's call to drop George Hewett was rough on the reigning best and fairest, but something had to give. The Blues desperately need more dynamism around the ball and could hardly carry two contested beasts in Hewett and captain Patrick Cripps for much longer. Sam Walsh benefited from 26 centre bounce involvements on Thursday night, his most since Opening Round, while Adam Cerra, Zac Williams and Jagga Smith were also sprinkled into the rotation. But, even still, coach Michael Voss needs to find more. Is it worth throwing Ben Ainsworth in there for a period of time? Or maybe Ollie Florent? Or Elijah Hollands? There's no doubt speed through the midfield will be a priority for Carlton at this year's trade and draft period. But, for now, any experiment is worth trying. - Riley Beveridge

2) Bomber has found his Wright spot

Essendon – and Peter Wright himself – have landed on the place for the 200cm Bomber to play and it is in the ruck. Wright put in a strong display against Melbourne champion Max Gawn, having 18 disposals, 14 hit-outs and eight clearances, as well as booting the last goal of the Bombers' win. Essendon had a much more agile, flexible forward set up with Wright up the ground and barely bombed it into attack like previous weeks, and part of that was the changes made to the front half, seeing Wright push into the ruck, Kyle Langford shifted to defence and Nate Caddy, Archer May and Thomas Edwards given the keys to their forward line. More than 150 games into his career, Wright has never loved playing in the ruck – but that's where he should stay from here. – Cal Twomey

3) Picking the right Lion to tag is a nightmare

It used to be Lachie Neale, then it was Hugh McCluggage and on Saturday Alastair Clarkson chose to tag Will Ashcroft. Brisbane’s midfield is so deep and so talented, choosing the right player to lock in on is becoming almost impossible. Jy Simpkin was sent to Ashcroft, who had secured 19 of a possible 20 coaches' votes in the previous fortnight, and did a sterling job on the two-time Norm Smith medallist, keeping him to 19 disposals. However, Neale ran free, racking up an influential 30 touches, while McCluggage re-integrated himself with 20 of his own from limited game time in his first game in a month. Who will Steven King tag when the Lions play Melbourne at the MCG next Sunday? – Michael Whiting

4) The Pies have found a midfield talent

Angus Anderson is going to play a lot more for Collingwood. Craig McRae made that point in his post-game press conference on Friday night after the Pies' loss to Fremantle. The 22-year-old looked comfortable from the outset in his debut, picking up where he left off the last time he played at Adelaide Oval when he won the Jack Oatey Medal in the 2025 SANFL Grand Final. Anderson starred in the third quarter, collecting seven disposals, three tackles and a goal to finish with 16 and six plus 482 metres gained in the wet. The Magpies lack youth under Nick Daicos, but have found one in Anderson. – Josh Gabelich

5) Mac Andrew in the ruck is the Suns' silver lining

While it was a tough outing for Gold Coast against Sydney, spring-heeled tall Mac Andrew's performance in the ruck and across the ground was a sparkling positive. Andrew showed impressive mobility and aerial presence, proving he can be a potent weapon for the Suns as they look to recover their top-four aspirations. Coach Damien Hardwick admitted post-match that he shuffled the magnets to find a spark and noted that the change was something the team would explore more moving forward. While Andrew looked dangerous getting a hand on the ball, there is still room for him to improve to capitalise on marking opportunities. – Emily Patterson

6) English's absence leaves big hole for Dogs

Many would argue Marcus Bontempelli is the most valuable player in the League, but there may be a case to say he's not the most important in his own team. Tim English's absence through injury for the clash against Hawthorn saw Luke Beveridge call on debutant Louis Emmett to take on Hawthorn's big men, but the 19-year-old struggled to have any influence, so Bevo turned to 200-gamer Rory Lobb. Little changed as the Dogs lost stoppage clearances 34-16 and hitouts to advantage 21-3. The Dogs need a solution that doesn't rob the defence of Lobb or the attack of Sam Darcy. The untried Lachlan Smith could get a chance, or maybe an undersized option like Ryan Gardner or Jedd Busslinger can bring a harder body and defensive attitude to counter big opponents until English returns – a day that can't come soon enough for Beveridge. – Howard Kimber

7) The Cats' flexibility will challenge teams again

Geelong's ability to throw its players around from one position to the next is set to test opposition sides again in 2026. In the Cats' comfortable win over West Coast on Sunday, Max Holmes played at half-back, a move which surprised the Eagles, going without a centre ball-up attendance for the first time since round nine, 2024. That allowed the returning James Worpel (11 clearances) and Tanner Bruhn (five) to shine alongside Bailey Smith (seven) and Tom Atkins (six), while Holmes himself had 34 disposals and 674m gained. The unpredictability of the Cats from week to week, and within games, is a weapon they are sure to benefit from again this year. – Dejan Kalinic

8) Giants forward will do plenty of damage, if luck prevails

Aaron Cadman kicked 44 goals in 24 matches last year, but if his first outing of 2026 is any indication, the former No.1 pick could be in for an even more profitable season – if he can eventually stay on the park. Greater Western Sydney was incredibly cautious with its gun young forward, who sat out the first month with pelvic soreness, and he moved freely in his first game back at the top level, until his head collided with Noah Balta's knee in a marking contest in the fourth term. Cadman kicked three first-quarter goals – and it could have been four, if Brent Daniels hadn't taken advantage of Cadman's free kick – and finished with four for the match, converting beautifully. His third-term major put the brakes on any thought of a Richmond comeback, after the Tigers had kicked four on the trot. But he will miss the round six clash against Sydney due to concussion, and desperately needs some luck to go his way for the rest of the year. – Sarah Black