1. Coaching associates to coaching adversaries in the same week
Alastair Clarkson and Ross Lyon locked horns as coaching opponents at AFL level for the 12th time on Sunday, but the pair will coach together for Australia in the one-off International Rules Test against Ireland in November in Perth. The 2013 Grand F inal coaches got together in Melbourne last weekend for a television interview ahead of the Dockers' clash with Hawthorn at Patersons Stadium but they also met privately, along with Geelong coach Chris Scott, to discuss the make-up of the Australian side for the clash against Ireland. The team will comprise exclusively of All Australian players and Clarkson will be the senior coach, with Lyon and Scott as his deputies.
2. Fyfe's Brownlow blow may be a moot point
There has been a lot of commentary surrounding Nat Fyfe's suspension for an incidental head clash when bumping Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli in round two. Many believe the decision to suspend Fyfe could unfairly cost him the Brownlow Medal if he tops the voting. But Fyfe will surely face scrutiny from the Match Review Panel for two incidents in the first quarter against Hawthorn on Sunday. He felled both Jordan Lewis and Will Langford behind the play to give away two free kicks, one directly handing a goal to Paul Puopolo. He also gave away another 50m penalty against Luke Hodge that gifted the Hawks captain a goal.
3. Surprising shoot-out between defensive scrooges
Before Sunday, Fremantle conceded on average just 69 points per game this season and had on average scored just 64.8 points against Hawthorn in the past five clashes. Remarkably, the two sides engaged in a shoot-out on Sunday, kicking 10 goals apiece in an extraordinary opening half. The ball moved at ballistic speed from one end to the other, particularly in the second term. It was the first time all year the Dockers kicked 10 goals in a first half. It was just the fourth time they'd kicked 17 goals or more this season and the first time against a top-four opponent
4. Pav's first handful for two years
The last time Matthew Pavlich kicked five goals in a match, the Dockers upset Geelong in the 2012 elimination final at the MCG. The veteran returned to his vintage best on Sunday, although he bagged his five goals in slightly unconventional ways. He took eight marks but he kicked just one of his five majors from a set shot. The rest were from snaps, either crumbing a pack or from a forward 50 stoppage. But the Freo captain will take them any way he can and his accurate kicking from half-chances was vitally important in a tight game.
5. Lewis' lone hand
Jordan Lewis has had a phenomenal season and will be hard to beat in Hawthorn's best and fairest. He made life tougher for his teammates after a career best performance at Patersons Stadium. In 211 matches Lewis has never gathered 40 possessions in a match and he had only gathered 35 plus on seven occasions. But on Sunday, when his teammates got monstered in the midfield after quarter-time, Lewis accumulated 44 disposals, took nine marks and laid four tackles. He must be a certainty to gain All Australian selection for the first time.
