Well, that was fun.
Nine games in Adelaide across four days, footy fans were treated with some enthralling contests across Gather Round.
With upsets, statement wins and close finishes, here’s what we learned from a historical weekend of football.
See the talking points below!
Adelaide are top eight quality
We said things were starting to click for Adelaide last week, and it’s now official that they have.
Their dominant 56-point win over Carlton was probably their best performance since 2017 and was a true statement to the competition.
Their rise has come off the back of a solid base of defensive fundamentals but looking at their forward line, it’s not too dissimilar to that of their 2017 campaign.
This might be reactionary, but you wouldn’t be surprised if any of Darcy Fogarty, Izak Rankine, Josh Rachele or Riley Thilthorpe become All-Australians in the coming seasons, and they’re all under the age of 23.
Add in the emergence of Jordan Dawson as a genuine star and the continued excellence of veterans Taylor Walker, Rory Laird and Brodie Smith and this Crows team is starting to look imposing on paper.
With their current record and fixture, this side should play finals.
If they can knock off a contender away from home, we might just start to believe that they can do some real damage once the whips are cracking too.
Richmond are their own worst enemy
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was filthy at his team following their 44-point loss to Sydney on Friday, and it was warranted.
With the margin fairly tight until the midway point of the last term, it was the Tigers’ own undoing that continually cost them getting their noses in front with ill-discipline and sloppy free kicks letting the side down.
While the Tigers probably got an edge on their opponents in recent years by playing on the line, it’s beginning to cost them now as they’re seemingly getting in their own way week after week.
At 1-1-3 now through five rounds, Richmond are at a point where they simply must change their attitude if they’re to turn their season around.
There’s no doubt injuries are costing them at this point, but discipline is something that is well and truly in their control and you can be sure Hardwick will be drilling his players to ensure those standards rise.
All eyes will be on their huge Anzac Day Eve clash with Melbourne, if they don’t change much there they could be in for another tough day at the office.
New look Bombers are legit
Essendon passed its first true litmus test under Brad Scott with flying colours.
Entering Saturday’s clash with a 3-1 record, everyone was keen to see how the Bombers would fare against a contender after beating the likes of Hawthorn, GWS and Gold Coast to start the season.
While just about no one was brave enough to pick them, Essendon showed that they’re a dramatically improved outfit in 2023 under Brad Scott to beat Melbourne convincingly by 27 points.
With their defensive issues tidied up and a new game plan getting the most out of their best players, teams will need to be on their A-game to beat the Dons this season.
We’re not expecting them to play finals in 2023, but there’s no way they’re going to be an easy beat as they often were in 2022.
Collingwood is up next on Anzac Day, if they win there, maybe we will start to believe that this side can play in September.
It’s going to be a mouthwatering clash for neutrals and supporters alike … something we weren’t expecting to be the case just one month ago.
Jack Lukosius is starting to deliver on his promise
Arriving into the AFL with comparisons to Nick Riewoldt, it was never going to be easy going early on for Gold Coast’s Jack Lukosius.
Trialled in different positions across his first five seasons, Lukosius has the tools to be a star centre-half-forward or centre-half-back and we’re starting to see him deliver in front of the big sticks.
After his huge five-goal performance against Geelong in Round 3, Lukosius was probably again the best player on the ground in the loss to Fremantle even though he kicked 1.4.
While he was inaccurate, his 13 score involvements from 19 disposals prove how good of a field kick he is - he may just be in the top 10 league-wide in that skill.
At just 22 years old, there’s so much growth left in him, he’s going to be a fun watch over the next 10 years.
Ross ball stands up, even in defeat
Yes, they went down to Collingwood, but even in defeat St Kilda showed they can match it with the best in 2023.
Without multiple stars and up against a game style that’s broken the back of many teams, St Kilda again proved that they can play the game on their terms.
While the Magpies wanted to go quick, and ultimately overwhelmed the Saints with a weight of inside 50 entries, St Kilda’s defensive setup held up incredibly well.
They might fall just short of knocking off the best teams in 2023, particularly without the likes of Jack Steele and Max King, but there’s no doubt their style is repeatable and will probably see them win more games than they lose.
It might not be the best watch for neutral fans, but St Kilda supporters won’t care when they’re seeing wins more often than not.
The competition is remarkably even
There may be no standout team in 2023.
We know the likes of West Coast, Hawthorn and North Melbourne are in rebuilds, but it seems that any other side can knock off any of the contenders on their day.
It’s exciting for footy fans knowing that your team can win every week if they bring their best and it could make 2023 a year that’s memorable.
While we think Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Collingwood and Sydney are probably the best in it, each of those teams have shown early weaknesses and chinks that teams have been ready to exploit.
Someone is eventually going to get rolling and separate themselves from the pack - like Geelong did last year - but for now, the AFL has just about reached their best state of parity in recent memory.