Round 13 saw a young Tiger upstage his champion teammate, the Bulldogs discover a not so hidden gem and a Saint that would like his time again.
Here are this week's Heroes & Villains.
HEROES
Shai Bolton: Anyone who pips Dustin Martin to the Yiooken Trophy in the annual Dreamtime clash has got our attention!
If you haven't been watching too much of the Tigers in 2020, you may want to get familiar with young Bolton who is undoubtedly one of the game's most improved players this season.
Since being thrown into the midfield, Bolton, with his speed and agility, has starred. The 21-year-old was brilliant at TIO Stadium on Saturday night, helping the Tigers move momentarily back into the top four with a 12-point win over the Bombers.
Bolton had 29 disposals, five clearances and seven inside 50s on the night, as well as 544 metres gained and a brilliant early goal. It was an exceptional performance which saw him earn a perfect nine votes in the race for the Yiooken Trophy.
Trent Cotchin and Kane Lambert are just coasting at the moment. Dion Prestia will also soon return to the side. This is going to be one scary midfield come September ... or whenever we play finals in 2020!
Luke Ryan: In the preseason, when the Dockers announced they'd be without star key defensive duo Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce for most of 2020, there were murmurs that Fremantle could be battling it out for the wooden spoon. But Fremantle's defence, led by Ryan, has been outstanding all season.
He's played just 61 games in his short career, but Ryan is firming for a spot in the All-Australian team. After all, he's leading the league's stingiest defence, with the Dockers allowing an average of just 53 points a game. On Saturday night against the Swans, they allowed just two goals as Sydney posted a measly 19 points.
Ryan was magnificent again. He picked up 26 disposals from 94 percent game time. He also had five marks and 416 metres gained. A bit like Sydney full back Dane Rampe, Ryan is incredibly versatile. He can play taller and bulkier than his 187cm frame suggests, while he's also an elite interceptor and excellent rebounding defender.
In 2020, he's No. 1 in the league for rebound 50s and intercept marks per game. He's also ranked eighth for metres gained and fourth for kicks per game. Along with Brennan Cox, who has this year been redeployed in defence to cover the missing tall timber, Ryan and the Dockers are getting it done.
In fact, Freo are a Jack Newnes 'worldie' away from being right in the finals discussion, and while the likes of Matt Taberner, Adam Cerra, Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong are rightly getting plaudits for their form this year, it's Ryan and co. who have been the pillar behind coach Justin Longmuir's side's success so far.
Mitch Wallis: Once a solid midfielder for the Bulldogs, Wallis has transformed himself into one of the game's elite small-to-medium sized forwards.
Not only does Wallis have great hands, but he is proving to be a dead eye in front of goal, having booted 20 goals in 2020 -- already a season career-high -- to lead the way at the club.
He was the difference on Saturday afternoon as the Dogs upstaged the rejuvenated Demons at Metricon Stadium. He only had the ball 11 times, but Wallis kicked four goals straight, and had a direct goal assist, in the 28-point win.
He might not be the first choice of many for an All-Australian berth, but he's firming as an option for a half forward flank, and given the selectors' tendencies to no longer select midfielders as 'small forwards' he has a real shot at claiming that blazer.
Luke Beveridge's side has been crying out for a consistent forward for a number of years and although you wouldn't exactly call Wallis a key forward, he is the type of player who can certainly run their offence.
VILLAINS
Tim Membrey: It's not often you look at a moment from the opening minutes as one which costs a team a win, but Tim Membrey might have nightmares about his first touch during his side's loss to the Lions on Sunday.
Not even two minutes into the big clash, which would have seen the Saints leapfrog the Lions into the top four with a win by a few goals or more, Membrey stopped a rolling kick from Rowan Marshall from crossing the goal line, instead, bizarrely paddling it back into play.
He then got in the path of an oncoming Jack Billings, who would have had the simplest of toe pokes from barely 15 centimetres out. Sounds bad? Check out the vision.
Not often you look at a moment in the first quarter as a costly one, but oh boy, Tim Membrey!#AFLLionsSaintspic.twitter.com/TpnOwKvMSQ
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshMedia) August 23, 2020
We're not saying Membrey's brainfade cost the Saints the win during their two-point loss, but moments add up, and he somehow stopped his side from scoring the easiest of chances - TWICE!
And not to dig the boots in, but the big fella also had a chance with three minutes left to kick the winner, his flying snap in a little bit of space went wide. Let's hope Tim slept well overnight!
Wasteful Blues: Sure, they secured the four points against a young, tired Gold Coast outfit, but Friday night saw Carlton waste a chance to gain some much-needed percentage as the run to the finals heats up.
David Teague's side utterly dominated the Suns at TIO Stadium, but were unable to convert their dominance onto the scoreboard. They ended up kicking 7.18 (60) to the Suns' 4.3 (27), in what was just a 33-point win despite dominating every key metric. In reality, the Blues should have won by 10 or more goals.
Key forward Harry McKay was dominant around the ground but managed just two goals and four behinds, veteran Marc Murphy added just two points to the score and Patrick Cripps, Levi Casboult, Tom De Koning, Jack Martin and Sam Walsh all missed gettable shots.
As expected, there is a log jam in the middle portion of the ladder. Just six points separates the Western Bulldogs (7th, 28 points) and Essendon (12th, 22). The Giants, Blues and Demons are each hanging around on 24 points, with the Pies currently holding onto eighth spot on 26 points ahead of the Round 13 clash against North Melbourne on Monday night.
And to illustrate just how decidedly 'average' Blues this season, they've played 12 matches for six wins and six losses, with 756 points for and 756 points against, for an even percentage of 100.0. They need to step on the throats of weaker opposition if they're to finish in the eight this season.
Speaking of team who need to kick straighter, the Lions -- AGAIN! -- struggled to the line against the Saints.
Giant slow starts: GWS' sixth loss of the season on Sunday seemed familiar.
But not because they stormed home and displayed an ability to score goals in quick succession that has steered them so close to the ultimate prize since 2016, or because they won the clearance battle for the ninth time in 2020 (led by Kelly, Coniglio, Taranto and co. they haven't lost that stat count since Round 6).
It was because they failed to register a goal in the opening term for the fourth time this season and third straight game. In fact, the Giants' past three first quarters read: 0.2 (Round 10), 0.1 (Round 12) and 0.1 (Round 13). That's an accumulative score of 0.4 in three consecutive first terms.
Those results? There was what many would say a lucky four-point escape against the up-and-down Bombers despite trailing at each change of ends; a dismal 41-point defeat at the hands of a youthful Swans outfit; and the weekend's loss to the soaring Eagles.
The Round 13 clash was a massive chance for the Giants to jump back into the top eight with a game in hand on most teams, but they are now one of three sides stuck in a 24-point logjam -- eighth spot and finals so near.
The Giants aren't the only team failing to impact the scoreboard in first quarters, or any quarters for that matter. But in the scope of the season and with so much on the line -- including the contract of senior coach Leon Cameron -- this is a habit from last year's grand finalists that desperately needs a quick fix in a condensed season.
Fun fact: a side has failed to split the two big posts in first quarters on 25 occasions so far in 2020 for a record of four wins, 20 losses and a draw.
It's obvious in shortened matches, but can someone tell GWS fast starts this season are crucial?