The Blues torment their supporters on a weekly basis

last week with a 45-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium. With key forward Riley Thilthorpe injured, the Crows curiously chose to rest veteran spearhead Taylor Walker. Little wonder they kicked just five goals for the afternoon in what coach Matthew Nicks said was their worst outing for the season.

Adelaide bookends the round with a twilight clash against Brisbane at Adelaide Oval.

Walker, Thilthorpe and Tom Doedee will return to strengthen the Crows, while the Lions have been dealt a blow with much-improved key defender Jack Payne missing through concussion.

Brisbane has won its past seven games and is second on the ladder.

Hawthorn had been anchored to the bottom of the ladder for a good portion of the season, but has put a stake in the ground and the rebuild is happening before the eyes of supporters who have enjoyed a pretty good ride in the past few decades.

North Melbourne has been hit from pillar to post on and off the field and, while Alastair Clarkson’s decision to stand aside was hardly surprising, the timing was most unfortunate.

But I stress it was a perfectly understandable call given the pressures a non-North Melbourne-related issue has caused him.

But where to for West Coast?

Hidden in the opening week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round was the Eagles’ 116-point drubbing at the hands of Hawthorn in Launceston.

Maybe that the game was off Broadway and was proceeding a Carlton-Collingwood blockbuster had something to do with it, but a scoreline like that makes terrible reading.

The Eagles are lacking man power and last Sunday’s team contained just two members of their 2018 premiership team –Liam Duggan and Dom Sheed, the hero of that magnificent victory. Since they lifted the cup, the Eagles’ win-loss record is 41-55; since the start of 2022, it is 3-29 and with 13 games remaining in 2023, the win column is unlikely to fill up.

Well done to fans for sticking fat – West Coast averages a tick over 45,000 at home games this year – and no doubt they will be back to watch their side take on Essendon on Saturday night.

Chris Fagan’s best-laid plans are paying off and the Lions have all the tools in place to make a run deep into the finals.

The Gabba has become their fortress, and they’re getting better on the road, but this will be a huge test against a side that can score quickly and heavily, especially at home.

Brisbane has already been to Adelaide Oval this year, suffering a 54-point loss to Port Adelaide in the opening round.

It is an old-school Saturday afternoon in Melbourne, with simultaneous games at Marvel Stadium and the MCG.

St Kilda has had the wood over Hawthorn in recent times and that should continue, but the Melbourne and Fremantle meeting at the MCG is full of intrigue.

The Demons’ four-game winning streak came to an end in teeming rain with a four-point loss to Port Adelaide, with their disappointment further compounded by a hamstring injury to star midfielder Clayton Oliver.

The Dockers have won three straight and are right back in the finals mix, with their much-vaunted midfield starting to fire. Andrew Brayshaw has found form again after a knee complaint.

But the central figure on Saturday will be Dockers big man Luke Jackson, in his first game against his former club.

Jackson gave the Demons excellent service for three seasons and was a key part of the 2021 premiership team and especially during the Grand Final where his third-quarter ruckwork helped spark that devastating, match-winning burst.

He chose to return home to Western Australia at the end of last season, but in the eyes of Melbourne fans, is