Saints make right call
St Kilda were heavily criticised for their abrupt sacking of former coach Scott Watters last October but on evidence so far in 2014 it was a smart move.
In their surprise 16-point win over Essendon, the Saints again showed they are a stronger team defensively under new boss Alan Richardson.
It's only early in the season but there is already a pattern forming in St Kilda's game style – they're leaking fewer goals and it is much harder for one-dimensional players such as Terry Milera and Trent Dennis-Lane to get a game.
Richardson applied for the vacant coaching job in 2011 - St Kilda would be in much better shape in 2014 if he had been appointed instead of Watters.
Hawkins a handful
Geelong's hulking spearhead Tom Hawkins showed against Hawthorn that he will again be one of the most imposing power forwards in 2014.
Hawkins took advantage of his considerable height and weight advantage over Hawk opponent Kyle Cheney to kick a match-high five goals.
The Hawks defence simply had no answer to Hawkins' big frame. Should they meet again in the finals, Hawthorn will be desperate to have all of their key defenders on the park – particularly experienced full back Brian Lake.
Goal review cameras too late
The AFL plans to introduce goal-line cameras in the second half of the season after another round of score review bungles.
It begs the question: Why wasn't the technology introduced before the start of 2014?
In Melbourne's match with Gold Coast, James Frawley bagged an early goal with the help of a Suns defender's fist.
At least three of the cameras used in the score review looked to show a conclusive punch but Frawley's unlikely major stood.
And in Easter Monday's tight clash between Geelong and Hawthorn, a Luke Breust goal was ruled touched by the Cats' Corey Enright that earned the ire of Hawks fans.
Had the technology been rolled out during the off-season, and then trialled during the NAB Challenge, the problem would already be solved.
Fire still burns for Swans
With Sydney facing a 1-4 start to the season, Ben McGlynn last week urged his Swans teammates to take pride in their jumper.
That's exactly what they did in their 17-point victory over Fremantle at the SCG.
McGlynn led by example with 24 touches, 12 tackles and two goals and Lance Franklin kicked four important goals.
Their 100 tackles were also the equal-third most in club history – that shows the Swans have plenty of fire in the belly in 2014.
Kangas fail pressure test
North Melbourne was touted as a top-four contender over summer but Saturday's capitulation to a superior Collingwood team shows it might not be ready to win the pressure games yet.
Coach Brad Scott admitted after the match that North needed to find a way to soak up pressure when the match was in the balance.
The Roos entered Saturday's match buoyed by the away win against the Swans, but couldn't back it up.
A top-four finish is still a possibility for North which has three wins and two losses – after playing at least four opponents likely to be around the mark at the end of the season.
A difficult Anzac Day clash against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium on Friday is another chance for North to stand up and be counted as a contender.