Round 3 was another dramatic one for AFL fans as the early-season twists and turns continued.

Pre-season fancies Port Adelaide remained winless with an after-the-siren loss in the Showdown, while Collingwood threw away a five-goal three-quarter time lead against Geelong.

The Blues remained unbeaten with a heart-stopping win against the Hawks, while Brisbane put on a clinic with a 108-point thrashing of North Melbourne.

Here are 20 thoughts and opinions from Round 3:

1.ย The dynasty is officially over. Richmond's final quarter fade-out against St Kilda on Saturday confirmed one thing - the Tigers can't win the flag this year. While Richmond will still expect to be a top-eight side in 2022, their days as genuine premiership challengers are behind them.

2.ย Max King has arrived (if he hadn't already)! For the second week in a row, the young gun almost single-handedly won the game for St Kilda - and with the performance came plenty of attention of social media!

3.ย Are the Saints the real deal? The last quarter was some of the best football we've seen this year, and, while the Tigers' best is behind them, they didn't dispatch with a bunch of mugs. So what do we make of it? The win in Perth was doing what was required, an often ugly game that saw them come away with the four points. If only they beat Collingwood as expected in Round 1 and were currently 3-0 ...

4. Scoreboard flatters the Bombers. On face value, a 29-point defeat to the reigning premiers by the winless Bombers was a decent effort. But the scoreboard flattered them, losing the inside 50 count by a whopping 27.

5. Losing games, but not admirers. The Hawks and Pies, both under new coaches, suffered their first loss of the season on the weekend. But neither took a hit to their reputation, with Hawthorn fighting back to go down to Carlton by the narrowest of margins while Collingwood were five goals ahead of Geelong at three-quarter time before a nightmarish final term.

6. English rucks first, gathers second. Much has been said about the form of Bulldogs ruck Tim English, who has racked up 20, 24 and 24 disposals across the first three weeks of the season. Despite this, English was comprehensively beaten in his primary craft - ruckwork - across the first two rounds. He rucked far better against Sydney on Thursday night, albeit helped by Tom Hickey's knee injury mid-game. Nevertheless, if English can compete consistently in the ruck and continue to find the ball at ground level, he will become one of the best rucks in the game.

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7. Is Ken under pressure? Port Adelaide's 0-3 start to the season has been nothing other than diabolical, given two of the three losses have come against bottom four sides from 2021. As the heat turns on Port, questions are being asked if Ken Hinkley's time as coach is up. His decade-long tenure has yet to see Port make a grand final, although they have made three preliminary finals - including losing home prelims in both 2020 and 2021. However, despite the 0-3 start, it would be premature to make any move on Hinkley - especially given he is contracted until the end of 2023.

8. What do we make of the GWS vs. Gold Coast crowd? A paltry 4017 people attended the game at GIANTS Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with many suggesting the 'real' figure was lower than that. Unsure what the biggest concern is: The crowd itself, or the fact barely anyone raised an eyebrow.

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9. Ginnivan cops some hate. The eight-gamer player has copped his fair share of criticism already in his short career. After Collingwood's Round 1 win, it was for taking the GoPro post-game - at the wish of the club's media department. On Saturday, it was for trying to get under the skin of Cats legend Joel Selwood - what's he supposed to do, just allow a better-credentialled opponent to do what they like? The only thing he should be copping it for is his new hair 'style' ...

10.ย Derby falls flat. Fremantle's 55-point win over West Coast barely made headlines, almost unthinkable for such a comprehensive victory in a Derby. The harsh reality is this was expected, given West Coast's troubles at the moment. The club has admirably not made any excuses, but they have a myriad of issues and must be cut some slack.

11.ย Speaking of the Derby, the Dockers' win came without the services of senior coach Justin Longmuir who missed the clash due to the AFL's Health and Safety Protocols. That's twice this year a coach has missed their side's game, and both times that side has won. Do we dare say coaches are overrated?

12.ย Of course not. While we asked that rhetorically and with tongue firmly in cheek, the answer is a firm 'no'.

13. Alright, back on track ... While Saturday night was a tough one for North Melbourne, how bloody good is Jason Horne-Francis? Yes, he's been spruiked more than almost any no.1 draft pick in history, but he looks like he could be anything. In what looks like another tough season, JHF could be a shining light.

14. While on that game, how good were Brisbane? They were in second gear as they walloped North by 108 points. The Lions have only beaten Port Adelaide, Essendon and North, who have only won a single game between them, but, as the saying goes, you can only defeat who you play against.

15. Despite being hard to miss with his hulking frame and moustache/mullet combo, Essendon ruckman Sam Draper barely bothered the statisticians on Friday night - finishing the loss with just two touches in open play. With the prospect of contests against Reilly O'Brien, Sean Darcy, Brodie Grundy and Tim English on the horizon, a lift from the big Bomber will be required.

16. With a track star on one side and a hard nut on the other, Melbourne's wingers in Ed Langdon and Angus Brayshaw are the complete package. While Adelaide duo Jordan Dawson and Paul Seedsman can lay claim to the crown, the headband and the helmet are still the pair to beat.

17. Despite the imposing presence of Daniel Rich and the far more awkward frame of Nick Blakey, the current king of the rebounding runners from half-back has to be Changkuoth Jiath. After starting 2021 like a house on fire, the now 22-year-old has found the footy at will this season - averaging 20.6 disposals and five rebounds 50s each week.

18. Hard to believe it's taken this long to bring it up, but how bloody good was Jordan Dawson's goal after the siren? A seriously good kick which sparked amazing scenes in the city of churches.

19. Completely off track, but is it time for a Tasmanian AFL team?

20. Last but not least, the most obvious question of the weekend ... Have Carlton already booked a venue for their 10-year premiership reunion in 2032?