1. The value of quick scoring 1: Essendon's record opening-quarter score of 15.4 against Gold Coast not only pipped the previous best (twice) of 13.3, it almost beat some clubs' best four-quarter efforts this season. St Kilda hasn't kicked 15 goals in a game yet - and, it has to be said, hasn't really looked like it. And they have to wait another three months before Rd 19, when they make the trip to Carrara.

2. The value of quick scoring 2: When Brodie Moles kicked a point at the five-minute mark of the final quarter today to bring the Bulldogs level with Collingwood on the scoreboard, the Dogs had much of the momentum. Twenty minutes later, the final siren sounded to herald a 48-point win to the Pies. The moral of the story? The stodgy scoring systems of St Kilda, Sydney, Adelaide and others simply don't cut it now in this era of free scoring.

3. Wayward scoring 1: North Melbourne had a record 73 entries into its forward 50 against Port Adelaide yet managed just 18 goals, a woefully wasteful return. In fact, the Roos' final sore of 18.25 completed a season of inaccuracy so far: their five-round total is 66.82 at a conversion rate of 44.6%, the lowest in the league. Collingwood, by contrast, have not finished a game this season with more behinds than goals.

4. Wayward scoring 2: Lindsay Thomas, the Kangas' main culprit, is this season's Lewis Jetta. Thomas had racked up 14 straight behinds until he squeezed a set shot through in the third quarter against Port. Jetta memorably missed 19 shots at goal last season before wobbling through a drought-breaker.

5. Captaincy 1: If Brent Harvey wants to be recognised as a great captain rather than just a much-valued and decorated player at the NMFC, he needs to understand that when he's belting through the centre square, and under presure from opponents, he shouldn't go for the glory goal - but see that Todd Goldstein to his right and Lindsay Thomas to his left, both on their own, represent a far better (and more selfless) alternative than the one he chose (which missed).

6. Captaincy 2: Seeing Nick Riewoldt pole-axed - and flat on his back, arms outstretched - after being shirtfronted by Adelaide's Graeme Johncock brought to mind a similar scene in last year's preliminary final when the Saints skipper was knocked out in a collision with teammate Justin Koschitzke on the MCG wing. There are some Saints supporters who believe Riewoldt has never been quite the same since that incident. Certainly, he hasn't put in a blinder since that September night.

7. Bye 1: It's probably too early to be reading too much into the effects of the bye, but Sydney on Friday night became the fifth team (of five) who lost after coming off the week's rest. Some teams who've had a break (such as Melbourne and West Coast in round five, for example) have played each other the following week. But whenever a 'bye' team has played a 'non-bye' team, the 'bye' team has lost.

8. Bye 2: Round 7 is shaping as the veritable tipsters' nightmare. Bulldogs v Sydney, Richmond v Freo, Melbourne v Adelaide, St Kilda v Carlton - even Gold Coast versus Brisbane, all shape as 50-50-ish games. We're almost tempted to put Geelong v North in with that group, too, given the Cats are coming off the bye, but we won't. The only rolled-gold certs we can find are the Cats, Hawthorn (away to Port) and Essendon (hosting West Coast).

9. Reformed Mug Lair 1: Essendon's Kyle Reimers has shelved the fluoro-coloured boots and is now playing in plain white, part of his new plan to be a modest, selfless and unassuming team player. Even after kicking eight goals against the Suns yesterday, he managed not to talk so much about himself as the team and ''doing the team things''. Good grief - can it really last?

10. (Un)Reformed Mug Lairs 2: Daniel Motlop and Stephen Milne, two small forwards, continue to enthral, excite and exasperate in equal measure, attempting the outrageous when the mundane would have done just as nicely. Motlop was at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, kicking four goals, giving away 50-metre penalties and generally driving his coach to distraction, while Milne, after being virtually unsighted for a half against Adelaide, bobbed up, kicked three goals to get the Saints back into the match, celebrated madly - and had half of Adelaide wanting to throttle him. Gotta love 'em both.