Sydney d Essendon

Ben Rutten’s inability to implement a sound team defence to restrict opposition ball movement was one of the main reasons he is no longer at the helm. As much as the Bombers have improved underBrad Scott,the leaky old Dons have returned. Since the bye,Scott’s men have given up scores of 90 or more in five of their six games – a period in which they have won just once. Their average score conceded of 96.8 is worse than the 94.9 they gave up last year. An undersized defence,weakened further byJordan Ridley’s absence,needs more pressure on the ball up the field. The Bombers had the unwanted double of fewer possessions and fewer tackles,which explains how the Swans were able to freely move the ball to an open forward line for the first two thirds of the game. Essendon’s capacity to run and gun is well known,but perhaps they need to give up some of that flair in favour of defensive stability. When it comes to marketability in Sydney,Isaac Heeney sits second only toLance Franklin. With Franklin likely to miss at least part of the Swans’ run to September – he may even have played his last game – Heeney should take it upon himself to become the alpha male of the Swans’ forward line. And it must happen immediately for Sydney Derby XXVI,which has an added edge with both clubs chasing finals berths. There is no reason why Heeney cannot be the Swans’ version of Toby Greene,who was drafted two years before him. He has all the athletic gifts and skill a player could hope for,but despite an All-Australian blazer last year,there remains a sense he still has much more to give. If Heeney,27,can answer the call,it will ease the burden onLogan McDonald andJoel Amartey,who become the Swans’ primary forward targets in Franklin’s absence.– Andrew Wu

Adelaide d Port Adelaide

Adelaide completed an emphatic season sweep of Port Adelaide but their bid to pinch a last-ditch finals berth will have to be manufactured with a patched-up backline. Full-backJordon Butts was substituted out of the Crows’ 48-point Showdown win in the second quarter with a suspected foot fracture. Butts’ blow continued a run of wretched luck for Adelaide’s key defensive stocks,withNick Murray rupturing his ACL a week earlier in the narrow loss to Melbourne andTom Doedee suffering the same fate last month against Gold Coast in Darwin.Josh Worrell stepped up to play his finest AFL game,loweringTodd Marshall’s colours,while IrishmanMark Keane,making his club debut,performed admirably on Power spearheadCharlie Dixon. Plenty now rests on Worrell and Keane’s inexperienced shoulders. At the other end,Taylor Walker had a night out,celebrating his recent contract extension by bagging seven goals and a maiden Showdown Medal. Walker comfortably eclipsedAliir Aliir,who was involved in a sickening head collision with teammateLachie Jones in the second term. After a handful of minutes on the bench,Aliir was allowed to come back on after club medico Dr Mark Fisher examined the vision and was satisfied no head impact assessment (HIA) would be required. Jones passed a HIA test but was subbed out with a migraine,making him eligible for selection this Saturday night against Geelong,when Port will be seeking to avoid a fourth straight defeat. – Steve Barrett

St Kilda d Hawthorn

The Saints’ first-quarter fireworks,which started with clearance dominance,was a pleasant surprise forRoss Lyon and his fellow coaches. That brilliant start gave them the buffer they needed as the Hawks surged back into the game in the next two quarters,before St Kilda put the foot down again in the last term. They are still a bit unconvincing and have a brutal run home,but the cavalry is on the way,withMax King,Bradley Hill,Tim Membrey andNick Coffield back this week or very soon. The Saints will need them fit and firing if they are to hold on to their top-eight spot. It was a disappointing result for Hawthorn,who actually started OK with the first two goals before being “demolished” at the stoppages,in coachSam Mitchell’s words. The Hawks play exciting football at times,but there is still too much inconsistency from Mitchell’s young troops,which is mostly understandable. On the veterans’ side,Chad Wingard was really good again and has proven in recent weeks he still has plenty to offer this club beyond 2023. – Marc McGowan

Melbourne d Richmond

The Tigers forced Melbourne to respond several times to earn their win,withMax Gawn andJack Viney inspirational in the second half. Gawn has been back to his best rucking solo and can take the team to their second flag in three seasons now that they appear to have a forward structure to compete.Harrison Petty won’t kick six goals every week,but he is a strong mark,and moves well when the ball hits the ground. He looks to work well withJacob van Rooyen,who kicked four goals,whileJake Melksham is the experienced hand inside 50. Their emergence is a relief for the Demons,who still haveBayley Fritsch andClayton Oliver to return. Richmond battled hard,butTom Lynch’s absence is proving hard to cover,despite the brave efforts ofJack Riewoldt in what could be his final season. They had 11 goalkickers,but they conceded too many goals from centre clearances as they gambled on winning them rather than maintaining a balance around the contest. To be fair,it was that sort of game,with 21 of the 35 goals coming from stoppages. Melbourne are capable of going all the way this season;their game is coming to hand at the right time.– Peter Ryan

West Coast d North Melbourne

Interim Kangaroos coachBrett Ratten joked that he was stranded on 198 games as a coach now thatAlastair Clarkson is ready to resume the senior role this week. Ratten thanked the Roos players for their commitment during his games as interim coach. “Jonny Bairstow has whipped the bails off and I’m just short,” Ratten joked. He pointed to small wins,such asPaul Curtis kicking four goals after some lean weeks,as what his club is looking for in the final weeks of the season. “He had an up-and-down day,but the pleasing aspect was that he got some reward. He hasn’t hit the scoreboard as much as we would have liked[at other times this year],so to kick four is a step in the right direction for him. That is what we are getting;we are getting little wins from our players.” Ratten praisedJack Ziebell andTodd Goldstein for,while “leading from the front and showing the way”. Eagles coachAdam Simpson was relieved to notch an overdue win,but was aware his team faced a tough assignment next,coming up against Essendon on a six-day turnaround.Elliot Yeo returned on a 60-minute limit,so he came on as the sub for the second half,taking a vital late mark to stop a late Roos attack.“That’s what you have to do in modern footy;you have to be really good at your craft,competitive,and you have to be able to run – he’s still got plenty of games left,” Simpson said of Yeo. –Roy Ward

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.