1. Suckling's left foot can be lethal in attack too
Matthew Suckling was one of the hard-luck stories of the Western Bulldogs' premiership campaign last year. Forced out of the Bulldogs' team by an Achilles tendon injury after the semi-final win over Hawthorn, he was fit in time for the Grand Final but was overlooked. Suckling has bounced back this year to play every game to date and, in the Good Friday clash against North Melbourne, played a key part in the Dogs' comeback win. After a disappointing first half, the defender/wingman was swung into attack and quickly had an impact. At the seven-minute mark of the third term, he kicked the Bulldogs' first goal in nearly two quarters with a long banana, breaking a run of six unanswered North majors. Then at the 25-minute mark of the final term, he kicked the Dogs' final goal after taking a strong contested mark against Luke McDonald deep in attack. In the second half, Suckling kicked 2.2 from 13 possessions, and had one score assist and four inside 50s. Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge later praised Suckling's ability to rebound from his slow start to the game. More importantly, the former Hawk might have learnt a new trick that ensures he's not overlooked from the Bulldogs' next final. - Nick Bowen

2. Misfiring Pies under the microscope
To put it bluntly, Collingwood's forward line has some serious issues. The Magpies kicked just seven goals against St Kilda in another dreadful loss. A fed-up Nathan Buckley hinted there would be multiple selection changes and who can blame him after what the Magpies dished up against the Saints. Buckley's tall targets are a major cause for concern, with third-year forward Darcy Moore struggling to have a presence and Jesse White seemingly fading into obscurity. American big man Mason Cox has to be in the frame for Anzac Day, for he at least will provide a strong marking target. Collingwood's ball use in the front half was woeful against St Kilda and sharpening up in this area is a must. Marquee recruit Daniel Wells and father-son draftee Josh Daicos would bring that much-needed composure with ball in hand and should be considered against the Bombers. The onus is on Buckley to turn the tide, and quickly, or else this season could be over before it has really even started. - Ben Guthrie

3. Is Eddie among the game's all-time great small forwards? You Betts believe it
When all is said and done in the magnificent career of Adelaide champion Eddie Betts, he is going to be remembered as one of the best small forwards to play the game. Betts put a difficult week behind him to boot six goals against Essendon at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. It was another vintage Betts performance and has him leading the Coleman Medal standings with 16 goals after four rounds. His ability to contort his body, compose himself and take a grab with Mark Baguley hanging off him was a thing of beauty. Betts reads the fall of the ball better than anyone, can play one on one in the goal square and is more than happy to unselfishly hand off goals to his teammates. The way he carried himself during the week after being subjected to racial abuse at last weekend's Showdown showed his character and the respect he has earnt. Betts embraced fellow indigenous star Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti in the middle of the ground before the game as they tossed the coin. It was a beautiful moment as the game takes a stand against racism and says enough is enough. - Lee Gaskin

4. James Sicily should play every week
As the Hawks go through a rebuild and redesign of their list, young forward James Sicily should be right in the thick of it. The versatile tall was left out of the Hawks' side following their loss to Essendon in round one and only came back into its team when Ty Vickery (back) was a late withdrawal against Geelong on Monday. But Sicily made the most of his chance, again showing his marking talents around goal. If not for some missed shots that he usually would slot, he would have left the MCG with a handy haul of goals in the convincing defeat. Sicily is unpredictable and inconsistent at this stage of his career, but that comes with being a young and developing player. But he is also arguably the club's most exciting youngster and after 30 goals last season his performance against Geelong should catapult his confidence for the remainder of 2017. - Callum Twomey

5. McGovern is back in the swing
There was a time when Jeremy McGovern was lauded as arguably the game's most damaging swingman, but in recent seasons he has settled into defence as an intercept marking specialist. However, with Jack Darling missing from last Thursday night's win over Sydney, the Eagles threw McGovern forward again and the 25-year-old star gave Adam Simpson something to think about with two goals, 19 touches and eight grabs as Josh Kennedy's sidekick. Is McGovern more valuable in attack than defence? Could Darling pinch-hit in the ruck to help squeeze the All Australian backman into the forward line? They are questions Simpson will ponder ahead of the Hawthorn clash in round five and, more than likely, we'll see McGovern swung around in the coming weeks to give the Eagles a different look and more versatility again. - Travis King

6. Don't make snap judgments early in the year
It happens time and time again, but we, the media, never seem to learn. And probably won't this time, either. We told anyone who would listen the Dockers were gone at 0-2 and coach Ross Lyon's papers were stamped. Even Lyon's No.1 fan in the media, AFL.com.au's own Damian Barrett, was starting to doubt him. A fortnight later, finals are back on the agenda thanks to wins over the Western Bulldogs in Perth and the Demons in Melbourne. Most impressive was the style Lyon's once-dour side used to achieve them. Yes, the Dockers tackled their way back into Saturday's contest in the third quarter – a defensive trademark – but their hard running and quick ball movement were what stood out most. Bucks tried to warn us against making early calls… - Marc McGowan

7. Tigers aren't a one-man show
Dustin Martin was the talk of the competition over the first three weeks as he led Richmond to a perfect season start. But against the Lions on Sunday night, 'Dusty' was quiet, being outplayed by Mitch Robinson and held to 16 goalless disposals. But that didn't stop the Tigers. Reliable Shaun Grigg racked up 30 touches, former Sun Dion Prestia 22, Brandon Ellis 21, Bachar Houli and Trent Cotchin 20 apiece. Throw in four goals each to Jack Riewoldt and rookie Jason Castagna and you get the picture – it was a good team effort. Sure, the Lions aren't the greatest barometer, but winning without an influence from Martin has to put a smile on coach Damien Hardwick's face before the sterner challenges arrive. - Michael Whiting

8. Brandon Matera might be in for a career-best season
Matera has been with the Gold Coast since the club's inception in 2011, and in the past six seasons has showed regularly he could become a top player with his smarts and goal sense. But he has yet to piece together a really consistent season, sometimes falling in and out of favour. However, his first two games of 2017 show that might be about to change. After a career-best six-goal haul last week against Hawthorn, Matera importantly backed it up with 29 disposals and three goals in the Suns' strong win over Carlton on Saturday night. He took nine marks and used the ball at an efficiency of 86 per cent, setting up vital forward movements and being a key player. At 25 and with 93 games under his belt, Matera is in the right demographic to hit his best form. For the Suns' sake, let's hope it continues.  - Callum Twomey

9. Tom Scully can't be underrated by the footy world for much longer
When the Giants' list of star midfielders is mentioned, names like Dylan Shiel, Josh Kelly, Callan Ward and Stephen Coniglio frequently receive the accolades, but Scully deserves to be listed amongst that quartet as one of his side's most important players. In his 100th game for GWS against Port Adelaide, the 25-year-old dominated on the wing, amassing 32 possessions – nine of them in the last term when the Giants finally managed to shrug off the Power's challenge – seven clearances from stoppages, six inside 50s, and 12 score involvements. You'd be hard pressed to find any player in the competition that runs harder than Scully, and his top shelf tank allows him to be a key link between the GWS defence and their array of dangerous forwards. Critics jumped all over his pay packet when he left Melbourne, but hopefully those same experts are just as quick to heap praise on one of the League's most dangerous midfielders. - Adam Curley