There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and North Melbourne blowing a lead. Football can be a cruel mistress sometimes, and after a weekend of footy spanning Friday until Tuesday, round 5 is finally in the books.
Adelaide remains at the top of ESPN's AFL Power Rankings this week after yet another clinical display - this time on the road against the Suns, while last week's other bookend, Hawthorn, has jumped off the bottom with a strong victory over West Coast at the MCG.
Like last week, not much has changed in the top six, but the roars at Tigerland are getting louder, while Port has forced its way back into the finals hunt with a 90-point spanking over the baby Blues.
Anzac Day has brought up further doubts about Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley's future, and there aren't many smiles at Melbourne after the Dees lost their third-straight match (all without suspended star Jordan Lewis).
There are plenty of smiles down at Fremantle, however. The Dockers have won their last three after a slow start to the year and, with the western derby taking place this weekend, they're a team to watch with interest over the next couple of weeks.
1. Adelaide:
Last week: 1 (no change)
Round 5: defeated Gold Coast by 67 points
It's little surprise that Adelaide remains the number one side in the competition after yet another cruisy victory. This time, the Crows did it to the tune of 67 points ... on the road against a Gold Coast side which had impressed many in recent weeks. Looking ahead, a clash of undefeated teams looms when the Tigers make the trip to Adelaide Oval this week. Who would have thought that one of the Crows' first 'big tests' for the year would come in the form of Richmond? Encouragingly for Adelaide fans, the Crows have won by an average margin of 10 goals against interstate sides at home this year. They are likely to be without key backs Daniel Talia and Riley Knight, however, after both suffered hamstring injuries at the weekend.
Next: Richmond (Adelaide Oval, Sunday, 4:10pm local)
2. Geelong:
Last week: (2 no change)
Round 5: defeated St Kilda by 38 points
It's time for the footy world to take the Cats seriously once again. Featuring a well-balanced mix of experienced big bodies and exciting kids making their mark, Geelong is a legitimate top four threat in 2017. In addition, the Cats are able to run out matches with ease, having kicked 34 goals to their opponents' 9 in last quarters so far this year. Coach Chris Scott is getting good contributions from his second tier players, while the 'Dangerwood' combination is in scintillating touch. Oh, and they don't play their first of seven matches at Kardinia Park until Round 9.
Next: Collingwood (MCG, Sunday 3:20pm local)
3. Greater Western Sydney:
Last week: 3 (no change)
Round 5: defeated Sydney by 42 points
The Giants ticked off another 'first' last week, notching up a breakthrough victory at the SCG against cross-town rivals, Sydney. The Giants' only loss this year has come at the hands of a rampant Adelaide outfit (on their own turf), and since then, the boys from Sydney's west have been just as impressive. After making his first All-Australian side last year, Toby Greene has stepped it up another notch, while the likes of Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton are in fine form. Scarily, the Giants still need to welcome back Steve Coniglio and off-season recruit Brett Deledio amongst a long list of potential best-22 talent currently out of the side.
Next: Western Bulldogs (UNSW, Friday 7:50pm local)
4. Richmond:
Last week: 4 (no change)
Round 5: defeated Melbourne by 13 points
The Richmond bandwagon is starting to look like one of those Indian trains which are literally crawling with passengers desperate to hitch a ride. Undefeated through five rounds, the Tigers are talk of the town but, let's be honest, who have they really beaten? Collingwood? Brisbane? A Melbourne side with no ruckman and down two rotations? We get it, Richmond fans, your team can only beat those they are scheduled to play, but we're not entirely convinced. Over the next month, the Tigers play Adelaide on the road, the Dogs at Etihad, Fremantle at the MCG and the Giants at Spotless Stadium.
Next: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval, Sunday 4:10pm local)
5. Western Bulldogs:
Last week: 6 (up 1)
Round 5: defeated Brisbane by 32 points
The reigning premiers are doing enough to keep in touch with the best teams without being exceptional. The Western Bulldogs defeated Brisbane by five goals at the weekend, but were wildly inaccurate for the third straight week (having kicked 39.50 in that time). A big test looms this week when the Dogs face the Giants in Canberra. The last time these teams met, of course, was last year's preliminary final, in which the Bulldogs came from behind to snatch an unlikely grand final berth. If one thing's for sure, the Giants will be out for revenge, and will punish any inaccuracy the Dogs bring to the table.
Next: GWS (UNSW, Friday 7:50pm local)
6. West Coast:
Last week: 5 (down 1)
Round 5: lost to Hawthorn by 50 points
It's the same old story for the same old West Coast Eagles. In Round 1, this column was tempted to declare West Coast's Melbourne hoodoo dead, but after gracing the MCG twice in the last three weeks and losing both in disappointing fashion, what else can you say? The flat track bully moniker is back, and with Fremantle hitting some form ahead of this week's western derby, the Eagles would want to win on their home turf to keep pace with the top four. Despite the week from hell, West Coast fans will be happy to know that they don't play on the MCG again this season ... unless they have genuine designs on winning the flag.
Next: Fremantle (Domain Stadium, Saturday 6:10pm local)
7. Port Adelaide:
Last week: 8 (up 1)
Round 5: defeated Carlton by 90 points
Is there any bigger confidence boost than spanking a young team by 90 points in front of 43,000 adoring fans? Port Adelaide bounced back from two straight defeats (to two very good teams in Adelaide and GWS) with a rousing win over Carlton last Friday. The Power are back above parity at 3-2 for the season, and travel to Brisbane on Saturday to take on the struggling Lions. Port ranks first in the league for inside 50s per match, while the Lions are ranked 17th for 'points against' per match, meaning the result could get ugly. While they're probably not top four material (at this stage), it's becoming more likely that we'll once again see Ken Hinkley's men feature in September.
Next: Brisbane (Gabba, Saturday 4:35pm local)
8. Fremantle:
Last week: 10 (up 2)
Round 5: defeated North Melbourne by 5 points
It would be easy to describe St Kilda's loss to Geelong as a blown chance, but the fourth quarter onslaught from the Cats is more of a reflection on how good Geelong is rather than St Kilda's poor last term. The Saints do find themselves in a challenging position, and are set to tumble down the rankings with another loss this week, and with matches against GWS, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs before the bye, Alan Richardson will be hoping his side can bounce back and stay in the hunt for finals in 2017.
Next: West Coast (Domain Stadium, Saturday 6:10pm local)
9. St Kilda:
Last week: 9 (down 2)
Round 5: lost to Geelong by 38 points
It would be easy to describe St Kilda's loss to Geelong as a blown chance, but the fourth quarter onslaught from the Cats is more of a reflection on how good Geelong is rather than St Kilda's poor last term. The Saints do find themselves in a challenging position, and are set to tumble down the rankings with another loss this week, and with matches against GWS, Sydney and the Western Bulldogs before the bye, Alan Richardson will be hoping his side can bounce back and stay in the hunt for finals in 2017.
Next: Hawthorn (University of Tasmania Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local)
10. Gold Coast:
Last week: 9 (down 1)
Round 5: lost to Adelaide by 67 points
Much like St Kilda's loss to Geelong, it would be hard to judge the Suns too harshly after their defeat to Adelaide. The Crows are far and away the league's best side at present, and the Suns have the hallmarks of a solid side. Their dash off half back and their strong centre clearance work (ranked No. 1 in the AFL) is exciting to watch, and with a winnable game against North Melbourne coming up this week, the Suns could once again find themselves at parity at 3-3.
Next: North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium, Saturday 7:25pm local)
11. Essendon:
Last week: 12 (up 1)
Round 5: defeated Collingwood by 18 points
If last week was Essendon 'hitting the wall', then this week was mighty effort. In the rain, in the biggest home-and-away match of the year, the Bombers slugged out a strong win over arch rivals Collingwood. There were good signs from the young guns, with Darcy Parish, Aaron Francis and Orazio Fantasia already proving to be handfuls for the opposition. On the other hand, the Bombers have won matches over three sides with three wins between them - Collingwood, Brisbane and Hawthorn. The next three weeks will give punters a greater indication about where the Bombers are at, with matches against Melbourne, Fremantle (in Perth) and Geelong (at the MCG) to come.
Next: Melbourne (Etihad Stadium, Sunday 1:10pm local)
12. Melbourne:
Last week: 11 (down 1)
Round 5: lost to Richmond by 13 points
After such a promising start the year, Melbourne has lost its third-straight match. The Dees had a real opportunity to burst Richmond's bubble on Monday night, but were unable to stick with the Tigers after being left two rotations short on the bench. Three weeks on, Jordan Lewis' cheap shot on Patrick Cripps and Jesse Hogan's errant fist on Sam Rowe have proven to be extremely costly, while without Max Gawn and likely without Jake Spencer, Melbourne's ruck stocks will be stretched to the limit. The Bombers are next at Etihad Stadium, followed by a resurgent Hawthorn and unstoppable Adelaide (in Adelaide)...
Next: Richmond (MCG, Monday, 7:20pm local)
13. Hawthorn:
Last week: 18 (up 5)
Round 5: defeated West Coast by 50 points
Hawthorn has finally claimed its first victory of season 2017 with a 50-point drubbing of West Coast at the MCG. The Hawks played with renewed vigour, but we're hesitant to give them too much credit considering West Coast's laughable form at the 'home of footy'. Regardless, the Hawks have leapfrogged a few teams with zero wins (and a few teams with one) and have the chance to make it two on the trot when they welcome St Kilda to their home away from home in Tasmania on Saturday.
Next: St Kilda (University of Tasmania Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local)
14. Collingwood:
Last week: 13 (down 1)
Round 5: lost to Essendon by 18 points
Hear that sound? It's the sound of a blowtorch being lit. The wash-up to Anzac Day hasn't been pretty, with Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley once again firmly under the pump. Club president Eddie McGuire has backed his embattled coach, but with the league's worst accuracy in front of goal (39.4%), and questionable moves at the selection table (Cox AND Grundy on a wet day?), how much longer can Buckley last? They play Geelong this week and then the Blues after that, and if the Pies manage to lose to Carlton, it could be lights out for Nathan.
Next: Geelong (Adelaide Oval, Friday 7:20pm local)
15. Sydney:
Last week: 16 (up 1)
Round 5: lost to GWS by 42 points
Still winless, the Swans were brave against the Giants at the SCG, but were unable to stem the flow during a fourth quarter onslaught. Encouragingly for Sydney - and the reason they're not further down the rankings - is that they will continue to welcome key players back from injury, and get game time into those who have recently come back into the side, such as Gary Rohan and Kurt Tippett. The Swans have a wonderful chance to get on the board in 2017 this week - they play Carlton (fresh off a 90-point loss) at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Next: Carlton (MCG, Saturday 2:10pm local)
16. Carlton:
Last week: 14 (down 2)
Round 5: lost to Port Adelaide by 90 points
Realistically we could have the Blues ranked above the Swans and possibly above the Pies (considering the mess they're currently in), but after a 90-point drubbing, the boys from Ikon Park need to take a tumble down the rankings. Yes, they played seven teenagers, and yes, more than half their list has played fewer than 50 games, but no one forced coach Brendon Bolton to feed his kids to the wolves. Admittedly, there were some signs from their draftees; Samo Petrevski-Seton and Tom Williamson look like players, while second year tall Charlie Curnow had somewhat of a breakout game. An interesting match-up with the winless Swans looms at the MCG.
Next: Sydney (MCG, Saturday 2:10pm local)
17. North Melbourne:
Last week: 15 (down 2)
Round 5: lost to Fremantle by 5 points
It must be tough to be a North Melbourne supporter. So far in 2017, they haven't won a last quarter, while they've lost 15 of their last 17 matches when they have been leading at three-quarter time. Last week's loss to Fremantle was a heartbreaker, but with Gold Coast coming to Etihad Stadium this week, the Roos have a genuine change to win their first match of the season. Coach Brad Scott will be sweating on the fitness of skipper Jack Ziebell and big man Todd Goldstein, but both are likely to get up - something which won't harm their chances of victory.
Next: Gold Coast (Etihad Stadium, Saturday 1:45pm local)
18. Brisbane:
Last week: 17 (down 1)
Round 5: lost to Western Bulldogs by 32 points
It's Brisbane which finds itself down the bottom of the Power Rankings this week. They lost to reigning premiers by 32 points at the weekend - not a huge loss, but the Dogs were woefully inaccurate in front of goal. Worryingly, the Lions rank in the bottom four for a number of key stats, including inside 50s, contested possessions, disposal efficiency and marks inside 50. Brisbane faces a tough month, with the Power, Swans (in Sydney), Hawks (in Tassie) and Adelaide to come.
Next: Port Adelaide (Gabba, Saturday 4:35pm local)