1. Patrick Cripps may need to be saved from himself

Brendon Bolton admitted after the game he would struggle to direct his young midfield bull to have a week off, such is his passion and dedication to the team. But, during another contested possession-heavy performance from the 23-year-old – again with little support - former Carlton coach David Parkin said the Blues' over-reliance on Cripps was becoming dangerous. "We'll kill him," he told ABC Radio. A huge 23 of Cripps' 35 disposals were contested, which was 13 more than the Curnow brothers each managed as the next highest contributors in their team. Someone might have to step in and order Cripps to take a break if he keeps getting battered like his does, especially if his teammates continue to provide a lack of support given seven of them laid just one tackle – or, worse, zero – against the Saints. – Jennifer Phelan

2. Rule changes won't solve everything

It wouldn't have mattered if the AFL introduced zones, starting positions, slashed the interchange cap or reduced the number of players on the field ahead of Sunday's clash between Fremantle and Port Adelaide, because nothing the League can control could have polished one of the ugliest halves of football in memory into a watchable, high-scoring contest. Some of the basic skill errors on show at Optus Stadium were hard to believe. Conditions were a touch slippery, but nothing could excuse some of the mistakes by hand and foot when players were under little or no pressure. After a relatively free-flowing opening term, which featured three goals, the match descended into a shambles, with Freo booting seven unanswered behinds in the second quarter and Port failing to trouble the scorers. Fortunately, things improved after the long break, but it goes to show regardless of which rule changes are brought in, not every game will be attractive to watch. - Travis King

LADDER PREDICTOR Where will your club finish?

3. We're in danger of sucking the fun out of football

We need all the enjoyment we can get at a time when an infinitely unsexy word such as congestion is dominating football debate. Yet what do we do when we get a sliver of fun within the hyper-serious AFL bubble? We find a way to be negative and boring about that, too. Angus Brayshaw's spur-of-the-moment decision (accompanied by a huge grin) to offer a low five to the game's most colourful umpire, 'Razor' Ray Chamberlain, after escaping a deliberate out-of-bounds free kick, should provide everyone with a smile and nothing more. Brayshaw is loving his football right now after a horror patch where he sustained four concussions in 12 months – and is refreshingly not a robot on the field. But some are now questioning Chamberlain's ethics, saying it was a bad look for the sport and somehow – even semi-seriously – pondering aloud whether one or both might face trouble in the coming days. Why are we here? Because Willie Rioli copped a $1000 fine for a friendly bum/hip tap on Chamberlain in round 10. Enough's enough, and the AFL has painted itself into this corner. The solution is obvious: either have some common sense with player-umpire relations, or blanket ban any contact whatsoever – in whatever combination, umpire on player (we're thinking of you, Mason Cox) or vice versa – so it is crystal clear for everyone. - Marc McGowan

4. The Giants' recruiting team deserves a pat on the back

If you push aside the whining about the expansion club's early draft concessions and focus on recent times, 2017 is proving to be a very successful night at the draft table for GWS, with some unheralded picks starting to play pivotal roles this season.  Some eyebrows were raised when they plucked mature-age forward Zac Langdon (selection 56) from the WAFL, but he's played 13 games this year and kicked three important goals against Richmond. Young defender Sam Taylor (pick 28) has been rock solid in his six games as an old-school backman and played inspired footy against the premiers, while forward pocket rocket Brent Daniels (pick 27) has shown glimpses after he made it back from a serious knee injury and made his debut in round 16. Top pick Aiden Bonar (pick 11) hasn't been able to break into the senior side as he continues to build his consistency in the NEAFL, but hard-tackling western Sydney product Nic Shipley made two appearances earlier in the year. Adrian Caruso and his team have grabbed some beauties, and Langdon and Taylor in particular look to be outstanding value. - Adam Curley

FROM THE TWOS Who put their hand up in the second tier?

5. Rayner has poise to match his talent

With a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination safely under his belt earlier this month, young Lion Cam Rayner showed against the Hawks on Saturday he possesses composure beyond his 18 years – and bags of talent to go with it. The top draft pick from 2017 powered his way to a very respectable 19 disposals and proved more than a handful for Hawthorn's vaunted defence by picking up three goals for the afternoon. His first came during the second term as Brisbane stuck its nose in front briefly, but the second and third majors were genuinely noteworthy. As the Lions began to overpower Hawthorn in the third quarter, Rayner bounced up from a marking contest to toe-poke home a real poacher's effort from the top of the square. Better was to come late in the day, however, as he raced clear to finish coolly from 50m and effectively seal the contest. With the prospect of seeing talent like this emerge under his stewardship and a feeling his Lions are a group on the rise during the back half of this season, it's little wonder Chris Fagan was all smiles post-match in Launceston. - Stu Warren

THE RUN HOME The Hawks may have blown it

6. Ben Ronke is no shooting star

After Ronke's brilliant seven-goal performance earlier this year against the Hawks, in what was just the third game of his career, it might have been easy to think he wouldn't produce another effort like that for some time. Well, since that night, Ronke has not only added important pace, hardness and zip to the Swans' forward half, he has also been a regular goalkicker. He showed his bag of tricks against North Melbourne on Sunday, booting five goals, including a late one to put the Swans within a point of the Roos. He then kicked the point to equal scores before Aliir Aliir's matchwinner. Ronke has come from nowhere to be an important member in the Swans' line-up and it doesn't look like it will be a fleeting stay. - Callum Twomey

7. The stage is yours now, Scott Lycett

The Eagles fear the worst for Nic Naitanui, who could be sidelined for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury. Naitanui's injury changes the whole complexion of the Eagles' lineup and raises serious questions over West Coast's premiership chances. Emerging big man Scott Lycett will be central to those hopes and coach Adam Simpson said the ruckman had been yearning for the opportunity to become the club's No.1 big man. Lycett, 25, held his own against All Australian contender Brodie Grundy on Sunday but his real test will come in the back half of the season as West Coast fights to secure a top-four berth. A restricted free agent and a priority signing for the Eagles, Lycett could significantly boost his value with a huge end to the year and a big finals campaign. He, along with contributions from Nathan Vardy, could also be the difference in West Coast's charge towards September. - Ben Guthrie

8. Gold Coast is as bad as Carlton

Although the one-win Blues are deservedly copping heat for their struggling rebuild, there's a team doing every bit as badly – Gold Coast. After watching the Suns lose their 11th straight match on Saturday night, it's hard to see much daylight for Stuart Dew's men. They tried hard for a half against Essendon, but as soon as the Bombers brought some genuine intensity, the Suns went missing. And as has been their habit, they fell away badly after half-time. In the past eight second halves, they've kicked a paltry 15 goals. With St Kilda and Brisbane both winning on the weekend, Carlton and Gold Coast are rooted to the bottom two spots and will get a chance to slug it for just which team is worse when they meet at Metricon Stadium in round 19. – Michael Whiting

FANTASY FORM WATCH Time to cash in a superstar

9. Don't write off the Crows' finals hopes just yet

With crisp ball movement and relentless pressure across the ground, the Crows looked like the confident, attacking side that was so dangerous last year. Thursday night's 15-point victory over Geelong was an outstanding performance from a club that lost five of its previous six games leading into the Adelaide Oval encounter. The boost from Rory Sloane's re-signing was obvious, but it was pressure of small forwards Eddie Betts and Lachlan Murphy to lock the ball in the attacking half, and Wayne Milera's run and carry off half-back, that was crucial in the result. The Crows (8-8) will probably need to win all six remaining games to reach the finals, but they're more than capable of going on a late-season surge. - Lee Gaskin