The big winners of Round 10 were...
...the Western Bulldogs after their fourth win from their last five games, and all four wins have come with significant and notable margins.
They were one of the most under-pressure sides after the first month of the competition with fans demanding they meet if not exceed last season's 14-9 record only to see them throw away winning positions against last year's grand finalists Collingwood and Brisbane Lions.
That period was occupied by Whitten Oval hosting one of the league's longest injury lists as well as the ongoing Jamarra Ugle-Hagan saga, but the returns of guys like Laitham Vandermeer, Jason Johannisen, Marcus Bontempelli have them playing the kind of football they're capable of, whilst they have seamlessly transitioned into life without Sam Darcy thanks in part to three three-goal hauls by new full forward Aaron Naughton and 18 this season from Rhylee West.
The headlines were all about running half-back Bailey Dale after he smashed both the club and venue record for most disposals in a single game, racking up 49 (37 kicks and 12 handballs).
That was despite Dale losing three kilograms in the sapping Darwin humidity during the Dogs' start-to-finish loss to the Gold Coast Suns in Round 9.
The big losers of Round 10 were...
...the Brisbane Lions for failing to win a second consecutive game as huge favourites. They had a -39.5 point line away to North Melbourne only to draw that, and then with a -33.5 point line at home fell away late.
On both occasions they squandered a three-quarter time lead against two sides whom five weeks ago were propping up the bottom-four of the ladder.
The Dees produced 21 inside 50s and 12 scoring shots in the final term alone and their profligacy in front of goal was the only thing keeping the Lions in the game during the dying stages, though in reality it was one-way traffic throughout.
Veteran coach Chris Fagan couldn't hide his concern after the game, conceding the Lions have been down on what he calls "effort stats" such as tackle counts over the past two weeks, whilst hinting he was not at all expecting such a sudden downturn in on-field output.
The Lions have been susceptible to such downturns over the past couple of years and, whilst they have never lasted more than three weeks, a repeat certainly can't be afforded against a Hawthorn side with a 4-1 record at the MCG this year and a thirst for revenge after losing to the Suns.
Coleman Medal leaderboard
Gold Coast sharpshooter Ben King remains at the top of the Coleman Medal leaderboard after shooting 2.1 against the Hawks, continuing a quiet period that has seen him kick just six goals in his last three appearances.
With his seven in the demolition of Port Adelaide, Geelong's Jeremy Cameron made a swift move into third place and is now third-favourite to win the medal behind joint-favourites King and Jesse Hogan.
Coaches Award leaderboard
Some of the best ruckmen of the competition polled big from the AFL coaches this weekend including a full ten for Melbourne's Max Gawn and nine for North Melbourne's Tristan Xerri, who retained his narrow lead over Geelong midfielder Bailey Smith with nine votes of his own.
Smith is co-favourite for the Brownlow Medal alongside Collingwood's Nick Daicos, who is well back on 34 votes in this competition.
Mark of the Year: Round 10 nominations
There were three big fliers this week, two of which lit up Thursday night footy in Darwin during the Suns' exciting eight-point victory over Hawthorn.
In just his second season as a regular starter at the Bulldogs, South Sudanese-born Buku Khamis produced a replica of some of the marks that caught the eye of Dogs recruiters when he was playing for the Western Jets as a teenager.
Goal of the Year: Round 10 nominations
What is now becoming an iconic work ethic in the forward 50 from Mabior Chol was on show once again in the dying minutes of the Hawks' loss to the Suns on Thursday.
Poor old Isaac Cumming, whose double-fisted attempt to spoil the ball through for a behind instead opened the door for Bobby Hill to flay it through in a somehow wonderfully ugly fashion.
North Melbourne's Colby McKercher is another one who won't want to be watching this highlights reel twice after a pretty poor tackling effort here on Hugo Ralphsmith!
