Nothing, and we mean nothing, should surprise us anymore in season 2017, yet Richmond's woeful first half against the Saints still has everyone shaking their head.
The Tigers have been one of the form sides of the competition and look destined for a top four berth but were left to lick their wounds after an atrocious opening hour against St Kilda on Saturday night, a match they trailed 92-10 at half time and eventually lost by 67 points.
The pressure continues to build on Nathan Buckley after Collingwood were beaten by the Bombers. It will take a miracle for them to resurrect their season from here and play finals. Speaking of needing miracles, the Western Bulldogs; another side which suffered a big loss and have slipped out of the top eight.
Sydney continue their march towards the summit of the ladder after easily accounting for Gold Coast, while the Cats bounced back from last week's draw by posting the highest team score of the year (163) in an 85-point mauling of the Lions.
Elsewhere, the Giants drew their second game in as many weeks, Fremantle held off the Kangaroos while the Blues fell agonisingly short of upsetting the Demons.
HEROES
Tex's aggression:
The Crows have been in a real rut lately but were back to their best on Friday, led by their hard-nosed skipper Taylor Walker, with a comfortable win over the Western Bulldogs. The Texan threw his body around all night, took clever marks and booted three goals. What was most impressive with Walker was his ability to smother, chase down and do all of the little things well. Josh Jenkins was also important with four goals and some strong lead-up work while Rory Sloane, who has struggled in recent weeks, also found form with 24 disposals and a goal.
Leather poisoning:
Tom Mitchell has no regard for the current rules of the AFL as he continues to bring his own football along to every single game. Against the Giants, Mitchell had a lazy 39 disposals which registered as his 12th consecutive game of 30+ disposals. At his current average of 35.67, Mitchell will break Dane Swan's 2010 record of 820 disposals in one season after 23 games, a full three games less than it took Swan to achieve the feat. Opposing coaches may want to consider sending a man to Mitchell in the future.
Port's resilience:
At half time on Sunday it looked as though the Eagles had rediscovered their Subiaco mojo and were set to knock off the Power for the second time in 2017. Port Adelaide had given up an early lead to trail by three goals at the main break and didn't look like the team that was fighting for a top four spot. However, credit should be given to Ken Hinkley's group after a sensational second half to turn the match on its head and run out 32 point winners. Charlie Dixon was again important with five goals while Paddy Ryder dominated the ruck (39 hitouts) and kicked two goals. Maybe these guys are the real deal.
VILLAINS
Dogs done:
Is it time we officially put a line through the Bulldogs? The 2016 Premiers have failed to rediscover any of last season's scintillating form and on Friday were handed a brutal 59-point loss by the Crows. Yet again their efficiency in front of goal was awful, kicking 5-15 for the match and just one goal in the second half. The Dogs' slide has been really disappointing and they have now slipped to 11th on the ladder with just seven rounds to play. Something major has to happen real soon if they're to avoid becoming the fourth premiership winning team in history to miss out on finals the following year.
Tamed Tigers:
At the end of Round 5 the Tigers sat atop the AFL ladder with Geelong and Adelaide after opening their season 5-0. In the 10 games since then? They've gone 4-6. Now that doesn't seem too bad, they still sit sixth on the ladder and should be playing finals. However, of those 10 games, five have come against teams in the top eight and that's where things get interesting. In those five games, the Tigers are a dismal 1-4 with their only win coming against Port Adelaide. Their effort against the Saints on Saturday was awful, easily their worst performance of the season. Perhaps they are too reliant on Dusty...