IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover the Suns' are winning the Rioli trade, Collingwood's depth is super impressive plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round nine of the 2025 season.

1) Zach Reid has been worth the wait

Zach Reid, Essendon's vaunted 2020 top 10 pick, played only eight games in his first four years on the club's list as he battled back, foot, hamstring and pectoral injuries as well as a nasty bout of glandular fever. Now into his fifth season, the supremely talented 23-year-old key defender finally has luck on his side and is repaying the club's faith in his abilities. Reid was excellent again on Saturday, producing a near-best-on-ground performance against a depleted Sydney forward line. He finished with 27 disposals, 14 marks, five intercept grabs, eight intercept possessions and seven spoils to help the Bombers cling to a narrow victory at the death. – Riley Beveridge

2) The Daniel Rioli trade has already been a slam dunk

Some raised their eyebrows last October when Gold Coast parted with picks six and 23 in the draft to acquire three-time premiership player Daniel Rioli. The Suns got four later picks in return to help acquire Academy graduate Leo Lombard – the only top-end player they were interested in at the draft - and now, just eight games into his five-year deal, Rioli has already proved the trade to be a slam dunk success. His 24-disposal outing against the Western Bulldogs in Darwin on Saturday night was the latest in a growing list of match-defining performances, which was highlighted by his clean hands, lightning speed and excellent kicking in the tricky conditions. Rioli, along with fellow off-season recruit John Noble, has helped to redefine Gold Coast's ball movement and make it a substantially more difficult opponent to defend against. – Michael Whiting

3) Don't forget this Demon in the Rising Star race

The Rising Star race is a Melbourne Cup sized field, but Harvey Langford is mounting a case to be the favourite after nine rounds. The 19-year-old has made an instant impact to Melbourne's midfield mix with his work inside and outside. Langford kicked three important goals from a wing against Hawthorn on Saturday, slotting them when others couldn't, while finishing with 22 touches and 557 metres gained. Levi Ashcroft, Sam Lalor and Connor O'Sullivan will take some beating, but Langford has banked a handful of dazzling displays to start his AFL career. The 2024 pick No.6 collected 26 touches in his first full game in round three, 23 in round five, kicked two goals from 17 disposals in round six, 21 in round seven and 25 last week in Perth. - Josh Gabelich

4) Jesse is going better than he did in 2024

Jesse Hogan's career hasn't had a linear trajectory. After being taken in the 2012 mini-draft, he has reached some genuine highs and lows of footy – and life – across his three clubs; Melbourne, Fremantle, and Greater Western Sydney. But it is at the latter, during his late 20s, that he has found consistency. As last year's Coleman medallist, he put himself back on the map, and this year he is arguably tracking even better. After six games in 2024 he had kicked 21 goals. This year, thanks to hauls of nine in round four and seven on Sunday against Geelong, he has kicked 25 in the same timeframe. The only reason Hogan isn't yet leading the Coleman race once more is that he missed the three matches due to injury. At this rate, there is no reason to think that Hogan couldn't follow in Charlie Curnow's footsteps and snatch a second-consecutive Coleman, and hand his club the third in its history. - Gemma Bastiani

5) Collingwood's depth continues to impress

A five-day break, a trip west and a game against a team that rarely loses on their home deck would be a huge challenge for any team in the competition. Then take away some of your team’s best and most experienced players, like former captain Scott Pendlebury, reliable goal kicker Brody Mihocek, star mid Jordan De Goey and heart-and-soul player Brayden Maynard. The undermanned Magpies team - albeit, through management as much as injury - that faced Fremantle on Thursday night got it done against a Dockers outfit facing rising pressure and scrutiny. With some of their big names missing and star man Nick Daicos well below his best, the likes of Jack Crisp and Jamie Elliott stood up in a famous win. If you weren't already impressed with the Magpies before this week, you should be now. - Phoebe McWilliams

6) North must ensure this is not a false dawn

North Melbourne may have delivered less than expected so far this season, but an impressive performance against the reigning premier suggests Alastair Clarkson is doing plenty of things right. The most optimistic may even see Sunday's effort in getting a draw against Brisbane as the equivalent of Hawthorn's massive momentum change after a slow start last year. The Roos face Richmond next week, then Collingwood and West Coast after their bye. If they can win the two bottom-of-the-ladder clashes it might just provide the spark to set off the fire everyone has been waiting for. - Howard Kimber

7) Richmond's veterans are showing the Tiger cubs the way

Adem Yze couldn't speak more highly of his leaders in Richmond's two point win over West Coast. With Tim Taranto, Tom Lynch, Nathan Broad and Nick Vlaustin all impressing on Sunday, Yze spoke about their value and influence on his side's younger players. Taranto finished with 27 disposals and seven clearances, Lynch kicked two goals and took six marks, while Vlaustin and Broad had nine intercept possessions each. With Richmond's leaders standing tall, there's no doubt their performances will help fast track the development of the younger players as they witness their veteran teammates leading the way. - Phoebe McWilliams

8) This man mountain is carrying the Crows to the top

Genuine game-changing key forwards are a priceless commodity in football, and the Crows could have the best in the game through the next decade. Riley Thilthorpe has been a force to be reckoned with since returning from a knee injury in round 18 last year, kicking multiple goals in 14 of 18 games. His massive presence in the goal square has turned Adelaide's attack into the competition's most formidable and has the club on track for a return to finals for the first time since 2017. Thilthorpe clunked nine first-half marks in Saturday night's Showdown in a dominant display that made you forget he's only 22 years old and 62 games into what could be one of the great careers. - Howard Kimber

9) The Saints will be OK if they don't land TDK

St Kilda has gone all-in on luring gun Carlton ruck Tom De Koning, offering him a lucrative long-term deal worth a cool $1.7 million per season. And while there's no denying the 25-year-old would be an elite acquisition, if TDK opts to stay put at the Blues, Friday night's clash proved the Saints will still be in good hands if he turns them down. Comparing the two rucks on the night, De Koning had 36 hitouts, 21 disposals, four marks and seven clearances, while Rowan Marshall finished with 33 hitouts, 19 disposals, eight marks and four clearances of his own in a tight battle. Taking a bigger sample size, the numbers tell the same story. De Koning is averaging 29.6 hitouts this season (compared to Marshall's 25.9), has a hitout win rate of 36.8 per cent (compared to 36.3), and is averaging 5.7 clearances (compared to 3.7) and 19.7 disposals (compared 17.2). Either way, St Kilda looks well covered in the ruck department and while TDK has a big choice ahead of him, all won't be lost for the Saints if Marshall remains their main man. - Alison O'Connor