W2W4, R10: Jake Lever's reunion, the Hawks who must respond

It's often the case that it takes nine or 10 rounds for the AFL ladder to "normalise" and take shape. However, there are a few surprise contenders entrenched in the finals race as we near the halfway point of the season.

Not only do West Coast top the table heading into Round 10, but Melbourne have cracked the top four, North Melbourne are well inside the eight while GWS and Hawthorn are notable absentees.

Only time will tell if the teams inside the eight will be able to hold off the chasing pack, but Round 10 does feature a couple of key clashes which will further shape the makeup of 2018's finalists.

Here's What To Watch For in Round 10.

Lever faces former side in epic clash

Jake Lever's reunion with his former Adelaide teammates was always going to be spicy, but few of us would have anticipated Sunday's clash between the Demons and Crows to also be a legitimate top-four encounter.

Off broadway in Alice Springs and with Crows captain Taylor Walker -- who famously slammed the defender for his defection to Melbourne -- sidelined through injury, the matchup may not be quite as intense as the Round 19 fixture, which will see Lever return to Adelaide Oval for the first time since he departed the club in acrimonious circumstances.

But no doubt the Crows will be desperate to get one over their former star, not just for bragging rights but to also set up a tilt at the top four. There is so much on the line in this game: both clubs sit 6-3, with the Demons having won four on the trot (albeit against weaker opposition) and Adelaide also in hot form, having won four from their past five.

It all adds up to a vital clash for the two teams, with Lever needing to play a pivotal role down back for the Demons. The 22-year-old has rebounded from a poor start to the year to find his feet in the Dees' backline, improving every week and winning season-high 27 disposals and eight marks in Melbourne's 109-point shellacking of Carlton on Sunday.

It's never easy playing against your former team for the first time, so Lever will have to draw upon his renowned leadership and poise to block out the external noise as the Demons hunt a big scalp after a month of flexing their muscles against weaker sides.

Which Hawks need to stand up?

Isn't it funny how two off weeks can alter the entire complexion of a team's football season?

After Round 7, Hawthorn was sitting pretty inside the top four with a 5-2 record thanks to wins over Collingwood, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and Essendon.

But a fortnight later that record has become 5-4 after letting an almost certain victory slip against Sydney in Round 8 before last week finding themselves on the end of a 56-point thrashing at the hands of the previously-winless Lions. Now they face the rampaging Eagles.

After back-to-back losses you would expect a side to look to its leaders but the truth is Hawthorn's more experienced players are performing. Tom Mitchell continues to lead the league in disposals and clearances, Isaac Smith and Liam Shiels have both elevated their games this year while Jack Gunston and Luke Breust have combined for 44 goals in the forward line.

If Hawthorn is to put an end to West Coast's eight-game winning streak, they are going to need to get more out of their less-experienced names.

James Worpel, James Cousins and first-gamer Mitch Lewis all struggled to find the ball against the Lions but what was most disappointing was their disposal efficiency with all three of them tracking at under 65 percent. Jarman Impey has been inconsistent since crossing from the Power and last weekend only laid a single tackle as did Blake Hardwick and Ricky Henderson.

A date with the Eagles at Etihad Stadium is going to be tough, but 6-4 sounds a whole lot better than 5-5. Time for some Hawks to stand up.

The Dockers to beat the Roos

Don't go fetching for your reading glasses, you read that right. Don't be surprised if Fremantle -- who have been plagued by off-field dramas and were spanked by Sydney to the tune of 59 points on Saturday -- have a day out against a North Melbourne side which only last week disposed of the Giants by 43 points.

Why is that, you ask? Fremantle and Optus Stadium are quickly becoming the 2018 version of West Coast and Subiaco, whereby the football public had all the faith in the Eagles putting in a solid performance at home, but barely a whimper on the road.

In fact, from their five games at Optus Stadium this year, the Dockers have won four matches and lost just the one (to cross-town rivals, West Coast). On the road, they're winless from four matches. At home, they've averaged a whopping 96 points per game. On the road, they average just 49.

The Dockers are one of the most perplexing teams in footy right now because at times they look like a dynamic, punchy side which can punish teams in the space of minutes... but when they're not on, they're firmly a bottom-six outfit. If they can manage to replicate their home form on the road, they'll leap back into finals contention, but for now, they're the Jekyll and Hyde team of the AFL.

So, naturally, expect them to be on the ball when North Melbourne come to town on Sunday.