1. Goal review confusion again
Late in the last quarter a snap on goal by Jake Stringer was called a touched behind by field umpire Rob O'Gorman, who then second-guessed his decision by calling for a review. The vision appeared to show Lion Dayne Beams touching the ball after it left Stringer's boot, but the crowd and commentators were left dumbfounded when the umpire's call was reversed and a goal awarded, pushing the Bombers out to a game-high 29-point lead.

2. Hodge and Heppell collision
The Gabba crowd saw it coming – a loose bobbling ball along the Gabba surface with hard man Luke Hodge charging in from one side and Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell bounding in from the other. A collision was inevitable and Heppell bore the full brunt of a huge front-on Hodge bump. Heppell left the field with a bleeding mouth and played no further part in the game due to concussion. To that point the Bomber was arguably best on ground at the time, with two goals and an influential 10 touches.

DONS WIN SCRAPPY AFFAIR Full match coverage and stats

3. Forgotten Bomber returns
Welcome back Mason Redman. In his first game at AFL level since 2016, Redman racked up 24 possessions, highlighted by some classy kicking, and seven marks to help fill the void left when Dyson Heppell couldn't return to the game. His solid contribution to the Bombers win eclipsed his previous career stats of 19 disposals in total in his first three games. Essendon fans would be pleased to see Redman carry his hot VFL form into the senior team.

4. Stringer's resurgence continues
After an indifferent start to the season, Stringer's red hot recent form continued with a key role in the Bombers' win over Brisbane. The ex-Dog was lively all day in the forward 50m, with eight score involvements and three goals in a classy performance. He also had 22 disposals, carrying on the form that saw him record a career-high of 29 disposals, (16 contested) last week. Fellow big name off-season recruits Devon Smith and Adam Saad also had solid games.

5. Harris Andrews stars in losing side
The scoreboard could have looked a lot uglier for Brisbane if not for key defender Harris Andrews. The young Lion foiled many attacking forays with his strong intercept marking and pressure in the air. He was best on ground in the losing team, finishing with 24 possessions, 12 marks (six contested), a match-high 13 intercept possessions and 20 one-percenters. He also managed six score involvements. It continues a strong season so far for the Lions' vice-captain.