If you had any doubt to the accuracy of the old adage 'a week's a long time in football', then it was surely put to rest after a remarkable round three.
Having been obliterated by 89-points just six days earlier, the Dockers responded in absolute style by knocking off the reigning premiers -- a result only three percent of ESPNfootytips tippers correctly predicted.
Less than 24 hours later, as if finding inspiration from Fremantle's achievement, Gold Coast made amends for a dreadful week two performance by sensationally humiliating Hawthorn by 86-points.
Collingwood also bounced back from a shocker when they took Sydney down on the SCG - sending the Swans to an unfamiliar 0-3 and releasing a fraction of pressure off coach Nathan Buckley.
Round three of the AFL also saw the Cats get out jail, the Crows win a Showdown epic as St Kilda and Carlton both recorded their first wins.
HEROES:
Responding Dockers: They have been criticised, mocked and ridiculed for some awful football, but on Saturday night the Dockers had the last laugh after upsetting the reigning premiers. A week earlier, Port Adelaide had slaughtered Fremantle by 89-points prompting Ross Lyon to make six changes to his side ahead of the clash against the Bulldogs, and boy did it pay immediate dividends as the Dockers kicked the first four goals of the match. David Mundy, Nat Fyfe, Stephen Hill and Lachie Neale all pick up 30 disposals as Fremantle picked up its first win of 2017 and proved anyone can beat anyone on their day.
Super Sloane: Are we surprised? No. Are we impressed? Definitely. There's not much Rory Sloane can't do on a football field these days and on Saturday night he treated us to a Showdown masterclass. Sloane picked up 31 disposals, including 24 contested, had eight clearances and laid nine tackles as well as chipping in a goal on the way to the best afield medal. After the Power had shot out to a four-goal lead it was Sloane, along with skipper Taylor Walker, that inspired the comeback to allow Adelaide to square the Showdown ledger at 21 apiece. Don't write this guy off for a Brownlow Medal.
Collingwood's skills and pressure: Full credit has to be given to Nathan Buckley and his coaching staff for Collingwood's sensational turnaround as they clung on to a one-point win against Sydney on Friday night. The Magpies put on a field kicking clinic in the first half, a stark contrast to their awful ball use a week earlier at the MCG. Collingwood's pressure was also outstanding, led by their superstar midfield quartet of Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom and Taylor Adams who combined for an astonishing 48 tackles. With the Saints and Bombers in the next two weeks, the 'Pies should be looking to string a few wins together.
VILLAINS:
West Coast: If the Eagles want to be taken seriously in 2017 there's two things they need to do. Firstly, they can't drop games against seemingly lesser opposition and secondly, they must win matches at the MCG. This weekend saw them do neither, losing to Richmond in a tough slog at the home of football. The Eagles lacked pace throughout and when their endeavour dropped in the third quarter, the Tigers were in the box seat. West Coast have now lost four of their last five matches at the MCG, poor signs for a team many had tipped for 2017 success.
Wasteful Dees: If there's one certainty to come out of the round it's that the Demons will be spending some serious time practising their kicking for goal. Melbourne fell to the Cats on Saturday, but shot themselves in the foot with some terrible finishing. The Demons had six more scoring shots in the match yet still managed to lose by 29-points. Nathan Jones and Dean Kent were the biggest culprits, both kicking three behinds in the 20.6.126 to 13.19.97 loss. It's still very early, but in such a tight competition a loss like this could be the difference between playing finals or not, so Simon Goodwin will be livid that his side coughed this one up.
Hawthorn's midfield: Absolutely terrible. Hawthorn's 86-point loss to the struggling Suns has to go down as one of, if not the worst performance by the club this century. The Hawks were obliterated in just about every area, disposals (498 - 342), contested possessions (181 - 117), clearances (51 - 26) and inside 50s (63 - 36). A week after copping a barrage of criticism, Gary Ablett starred for the Suns with 36 disposals and two goals while no Hawk could manage to curb his impact. At 0-3 are we looking at the first finals series without the Hawks since 2009?