Collingwood come from the clouds yet again, Jason Horne-Francis inspires a resurgent Port Adelaide and Toby Greene breaks Sydney's hearts.
Welcome to the AFL Round-Up, where we digest the week that was.
Magpies make us believe in miracles
Well, the cheeky sods have done it again.
This Collingwood team — this completely ridiculous, totally unprecedented, utterly engrossing Collingwood team — has once again turned certain defeat into season-defining victory.
Adelaide will bemoan so many factors they will rightly say made this reversal possible, with poor goal kicking right at the top of the list. But as is becoming abundantly clear, there are forces at work here we couldn't possibly comprehend.
Collingwood have their own gravity that means opposition teams can never get too far away from them. Then once they find themselves in with a sniff in the final quarter, something changes in the atmosphere and the construct of the game changes.
Crucially, the opposition can feel it. There were Crows players in that last term that you could tell were stuck in their own bad dream, watching familiar events unfold without the power to influence them.
That only makes the Pies' belief grow stronger, and by the frantic closing seconds, a perfect storm is ready to erupt.
How clever was Ash Johnson in rushing that behind with about 90 seconds left? In making sure the scores were tied, Adelaide's entire outlook on the game was forced to change. It was a singular moment of brilliance just as valuable as the goals from John Noble and Josh Daicos.
And around these parts, we choose to believe Steele Sidebottom missed that shot on goal on purpose. A behind left Collingwood with the lead and a far more defendable position than a goal would have. Or maybe it wasn't intentional, maybe it was those mystery forces again pulling the ball right of the stick.
Cue celebration. Even though their confidence is clear, there is still an element of giddy shock when they pull these Danny Ocean heists off.
What's clear is we are watching something truly special. If you are one of those letting your generational hatred of Collingwood get in the way of relishing this staggering football story, then you really are missing out.
The scheduled live chat has been cancelled due to the news of Andrew Dillon's appointment as AFL chief executive. You can read more and follow breaking updates live here.
Power of emotion driving Port
Ken Hinkley's Port Adelaide have always been a team built on strong emotions.
How could they not be? From their president to their outspoken former players to the fans and the wider city of Adelaide, all the way back to Hinkley themselves, this is a heart-on-your-sleeve, feel all your feelings and speak all your truths organisation.
When things are going badly, as they were this time last season, that can be a terrible thing. But when they start cooking, you better watch out.
In the middle of a fantastic game of footy against St Kilda — who still have lost no admirers despite their second defeat of the season — Hinkley on the bench was a highlight. He rode every bump and fist-pumped every goal, like an overenthusiastic dad at an under-12s game.
The players loved it. There is belief and buy-in at Port Adelaide, and a growing sense of momentum after a tough fixture to start the campaign.
It's hard not to get swept up by it all, not least when you watch Jason Horne-Francis play.
At his ever-more-frequent best, this young man is a whirlwind of energy and single-minded determination. His ferocity at the ball and explosiveness is worthy of those Buckley and Dangerfield comparisons. His game against the Saints was mighty.
That he is doing it in the face of one of the weirdest and stupidest side plots in AFL history is all the more admirable. It's hard to tell how much he is listening to the crowd at this point, but he can probably take comfort in the fact those boos aren't really for him — seems like most of these fans would boo a lamp post if Kane Cornes told them they shouldn't.
But all of it combined is just making the Port Adelaide of 2023 stronger. Strong emotions can easily turn into mood swings, but for now this is a team riding a well-earned high.
Toby time leaves Swans in the mire
For the second time in a month, the Swans have stumbled out of the SCG with a sore head and some missing memories. What the hell just happened there?
Having fallen to bits late against Port Adelaide in round four, the Swans found themselves stunned yet again by a last-quarter surge from the Giants.
A four-goal lead eaten up in about 10 minutes, and a heartbreaker of a late goal coughed up. Injuries have whittled away at them, but as they stare at a 3-4 record they largely have themselves to blame.
Well, themselves and Toby Greene. What a footballer that man is, and what a leader he has become.
His is an uncomplicated style of leadership, one that is largely centred around winning his team games off his own boot. And you can see the reverence with which his teammates hold him all over their faces.
His last quarter was titanic, all the way to a winning goal that was as inevitable as it was singularly brilliant. Of course, the ball would fall to Toby at the stoppage, and of course, his hurried snap while falling onto his backside would split the middle. That's what Toby Greene does, and there aren't many ways you can stop it.
The Giants are an enigma this year but have made good on their promise to return to their highly watchable, attacking ways. The fixture is about to get a little scary but, in a year of stabilisation for the club, the progress is already clear.
Around the grounds
The Western Bulldogs put out a Marcus Bontempelli highlights video this week ahead of his 200th. He wouldn't have added any to the reel against the Hawks but, in truth, it's already pretty jam-packed. A special player and an admirable man.
What a fun Saturday night it was waiting to see which of West Coast or North Melbourne would get obliterated by the greater margin. Congrats to the Eagles who saw their losing margin tip over 100 — true dedication in the race for the Harley Reid Cup.
He may have spent most of the night effectively playing on nobody, but man it was fun watching Charlie Curnow go to work. Here's to a Coleman shootout between him and Jeremy Cameron for the rest of the season.
Speaking of bags, how's Tom Hawkins kicking a PB eight at the age of 34 and only a few weeks after some were questioning how his body would stand up to another season. He may be getting older, but he remains absolutely ginormous.
Fremantle deserves credit for trying something different against Brisbane. It wasn't enough to get the win, but it was recognition they need to evolve to return to the group of challengers — something that now may have to wait for 2024.
We may have been treated to the first-ever Gold Coast chant at Docklands Stadium on Sunday. The Suns yet again proved they have the weapons and growing maturity to catch any team off guard, not least a waning and weary Richmond.
In the clubhouse
Here we take stock of who is leading the race for the season's individual awards.
We've got a genuine three-horse race for the Rising Star brewing now. Will Ashcroft and Harry Sheezel got the early attention, but in the last week or two the wider public has woken up to the work of Mitch Owens at St Kilda.
Ashcroft had a stormer for the Lions against Freo and Sheezel was back to his prolific best, albeit in a heavy North loss. But the versatility and strength of Owens, even in a comparatively quiet game, was eye-catching.
Gonna be one hell of a battle.
Speaking of Ashcroft, I think the rookie Lion just sewed up the goal of the year this week with a boundary-line Daniel Wells.
Fancy this one over Charlie Cameron's last week because it is both slightly more impressive and definitely more intentional.
A lowkey week for hangers though. We'll give Charlie Curnow the nod for the hell of it, but nothing here that will threaten Harry Himmelberg's crown.
