It says here that the best win of the round wasn't that of Hawthorn, Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide, as meritorious as they were.

No, that honour goes to St Kilda, the best backs-to-the-wall side in the AFL.

Exposed for pace and having lost two on the trot, the Saints trekked to Perth to take on West Coast, winner of its last two and itching to claim a big scalp.

The Eagles led at half-time and by 17 points at one stage in the third quarter, but were blown away after half-time. With Lenny Hayes leading the way and Nick Dal Santo winning plenty of ball, the Saints were too good. It was reminiscent of the Launceston game against Hawthorn last year, when with half the side looking on, they thrashed the defending champs. It was a win for structure and for gameplan on that particular afternoon, and it was the same at Subiaco this weekend.

St Kilda simply worked harder and it's not hard to agree with the TV commentators who said that the Eagles must have thought it was game over when they led by three goals in the third term.

Such a performance will only increase the pressure on John Worsfold, who keeps on saying that the Eagles are on the improve, only for performances such as that to leave us doubting those claims.

The game of the round was unquestionably in Darwin on Saturday night. The Demons looked in control for three quarters before Port Adelaide booted eight goals in the final quarter and appeared set to snatch a memorable win. The Demons clawed their way back and won the game after Mark Jamar thumped a ball-up over the line and through the goals with about a minute to play. It was a performance full of pluck for the Demons and believe it or not, the Demons are only a game outside the eight.

Much will be made in the next day or so about the treatment meted out to Barry Hall on Saturday and that dished back to North Melbourne full-back Scott Thompson. If the starting point is that Thompson had no business pushing Hall over while he tied his bootlaces then he got his right whack receiving a headlock and being placed in the best sleeper hold since Mark Lewin on World Championship Wrestling. The report for misconduct was, as the great HG Nelson likes to say, a joke, a farce and a hastily-cobbled together sham and if the Match Review Panel - which unlike the umpires comprises members who have actually played football - has any smarts, then the report will be thrown out on Monday morning.

We've already waxed lyrical about Geelong's win over Collingwood here at BPL, so the other win of note was Hawthorn's 50-point thrashing of Carlton, it's most imposing win in a season and half.

They've teased us a bit, the Hawks, since the premiership win and there have been a couple of false dawns along the way, but with their full complement of midfielders, a dominating Lance Franklin and a splash of unsociable football thrown in, they looked good. They're coming from a long way back, but imagine the added intrigue in the second half of the season if they start to make a charge.