IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover Aaron Naughton is a viable defensive option, Brisbane's future is here and much, much more.
Check out what we learned from round 14 of the 2023 season.
1) Port's impact players demand respect
Port Adelaide's stars have rightly attracted a lot of attention in its 11-game winning streak, but their lower-profile teammates are quietly cutting opponents to pieces as well. Before round 14, Port ranked No.17 in the AFL for average disposals and last in the League for marks, underlining that they are a group of high-impact players who do more with less. Sam Powell-Pepper could be the AFL's best high forward this season, according to his coach. He kicked two magnificent goals against the Cats on Thursday night, contributed to Tom Stewart's quiet game, and took just 13 disposals to be among the three most effective players on the ground. Unheralded midfielder Willem Drew won a clearance (eight) with more than half of his 14 disposals, forward Darcy Byrne-Jones had a game-high nine score involvements from 14 touches, and the majority of Kane Farrell's 10 kicks did damage. While the likes of Butters and Rozee lead the way, the second wave of Power players should not be underestimated. – Nathan Schmook
2) Aaron Naughton is a viable defensive option
A common suggestion to kick-start the Western Bulldogs' spluttering forward line has been to move Aaron Naughton into defence and give Rory Lobb more time in attack, a switch Luke Beveridge has resisted all season. It took a double in-game injury to Liam Jones (forearm) and Tim O'Brien (hamstring) for the trigger to be pulled, with Naughton spending the second half of Sunday's game against North Melbourne in defence, where he played his junior football. He played a true full-back role on the last line, and while he didn't see a heap of the footy as the Western Bulldogs pulled away, he out-pointed Callum Coleman-Jones on a number of occasions, underlining his versatility. Beveridge remains firm that Naughton will stay forward, but with the Dogs having struggled to nail down their defence this year and with Jones and O'Brien set for time of the sidelines, it could be a move worth pursuing later in the season. – Sarah Black
3) The Orange Tsunami is back
Greater Western Sydney is starting to play Adam Kingsley's way and it is yielding results, with three wins from the past four games giving the Giants a flicker of hope of a finals charge. There has been a semblance of the Orange Tsunami of a few years ago combined with Kingsley's Richmond influence, with the Giants' pressure and rebound leading to eight front-half turnover goals against Fremantle on Saturday. That turnover pressure also enabled an impressive 21 marks inside 50 as the Dockers' defence scrambled to reset. GWS has managed triple-figure scores in its past three games and is averaging an exceptional 67 inside 50s in that span, which is offering the forwards ample opportunities to score. They're making their move. - Ben Somerford
4) Brisbane's youngsters are worth the hype
Over the past four-plus years of finals campaigns, Brisbane has stuck with a relatively settled, increasingly mature team. However, with a few injuries and the drop-off in form of veterans Daniel Rich and Jack Gunston, coach Chris Fagan wheeled out plenty of youth against the Swans on Friday night. In debutant Jaspa Fletcher, Will Ashcroft, Kai Lohmann and Darcy Wilmot, the Lions played four teenagers with a total of 29 games experience, and they did not disappoint. Ashcroft and Wilmot are regular, high-level contributors already, while Fletcher and Lohmann showed enough to suggest they will have long careers at the top level. With Hugh McCluggage (concussion) and Dayne Zorko (calf) likely to return against St Kilda on Friday night, the selection squeeze is on. But Fagan should now be secure in the knowledge he can play his youngsters to not just help them to gain experience, but to see them contribute to winning football in a top-four team. – Michael Whiting
5) Cerra has been a shining light in the Blues' gloom
Adam Cerra has been one of the few shining lights amid the gloom of Carlton's nightmare two months and again on Sunday, it was the 23-year-old who got the job done. The former Docker did it all against the Suns and might well be leading the John Nicholls Medal at the bye after producing another dominant display. He kicked two goals from 27 disposals, had 17 contested possessions, nine score involvements, six tackles and 459 metres gained. It was in the middle where he inflicted the most damage, with seven of his eight clearances coming out of the centre. Cerra has had 30 or more touches six times since round six, showing why the Blues paid a high price to prise him out of Fremantle. - Josh Gabelich
6) The Tiger machine just needed a quick service
Richmond's poor recent record in close matches proved too much for Damien Hardwick to overcome, but the triple-premiership coach's decision to depart mid-season seems to have provided the circuit breaker the Tigers needed. After losing another close one to Port Adelaide in Andrew McQualter's first game in charge, Richmond has won three tight contests in a row with their interim coach at the helm, including Saturday night's win over St Kilda. In many ways, McQualter has taken his side backwards rather than forwards, returning it to the unforgiving and unrelenting style of football that won three flags. It's a smart man that can recognise a misfiring engine just needs a tune-up and not a complete rebuild. - Howard Kimber
