Round 11 of the VFL season saw a handful of Mid-Season Draft additions take centre stage for their sides, while a number of AFL-listed youngsters pressed their case for recalls or potential debuts.
Footscray continued their undefeated start to the year while Geelong continued to push for top spot following a good win over the Swans.
Here's how the recent weekend of VFL action unfolded and the names that stood tall.
Footscray (95) lost to Brisbane (113)
After taking an early lead, the Lions cruised to a comfortable win over Footscray at Whitten Oval on Friday to hold onto their top 10 placing.
Three goals each from Brandon Ryan, Henry Smith and Jarryd Lyons played a part in the victory, with the latter also having 32 disposals to feature among the Lions' best.
Only in-form Bulldog Cooper Craig-Peters had more touches than Lyon for the afternoon, with the Footscray star collecting 35 disposals, 15 clearances and seven tackles to again be among Footscray's best performers.
Young Dogs defender Jedd Busslinger has continued his push for an AFL debut with 27 disposals and 10 marks in the loss, while fringe Lion Jaxon Prior did his chances of a return to the top flight no harm with 28 possessions and 10 marks of his own.
Port Melbourne (39) lost to Richmond (88)
The Tigers collected their sixth win of 2024 to move up into ninth on the ladder after 10 matches.
Richmond's Sam Davidson kicked four goals from 17 disposals at ETU Stadium to feature among the best on the ground, while Josh Pollocks was the only other multiple goalkicker in the game, which saw a total of 13 players contribute to the 17 majors between both sides.
Tigers defender Sam Banks collected 37 disposals (34 being kicks), nine marks, three tackles and four clearances to press his case for a recall into Adem Yze's side.
Joel Garner was again among his side's best performers, while Oliver Hayes-Brown was prolific in his VFL debut with 43 hitouts and 14 disposals.
Borough star Harvey Hooper did his best to contend throughout the day, collecting 29 disposals and eight clearances as Josh Green was equally as impactful.
Southport (91) defeated Williamstown (46)
The Sharks have returned to premiership contention in 2024 after a disappointing campaign last year, with Saturday's win over Williamstown seeing Steve Daniel's side rise to fourth on the VFL ladder.
The Queensland club steadily improved across the game to record a 45-point win at Fankhauser Reserve, with star Boyd Woodcock leading all ball winners with 28 touches.
He also had an equal game-high nine clearances alongside partner-in-crime Jacob Dawson, who had 27 of his own disposals in the win.
Jay Lockhart booted three goals while Hugh Dixon and Brock Aston also had multiple majors for Southport.
Keegan Gray was also promising for the home side with 27 disposals and 10 marks.
Seagulls recruit Brodie McLaughlin continued his good form with another three goals, while Will Fordham was again at his ball-winning best with 26 possessions.
North Melbourne (66) defeated Coburg (60)
A third-term goal from Roos forward Tyler Sellers proved to be the match-winner for North Melbourne as they went goalless in the final quarter and still managed to hold onto a win.
The home side held a 27-point lead at the final break but conceded 3.4 in the last quarter to their sole point to chalk up their fourth win of 2024.
Sellers booted three goals in the victory from 16 disposals, while Mid-Season Draft selection Brynn Teakle managed 13 disposals and a goal in his Roos debut.
Midfielder Charlie Lazzaro responded strongly to being dropped with 36 possessions, seven clearances and five tackles, while Hugh Greenwood was also among North's best.
Lions pair Donovan Toohey and Max Kennedy were prolific for Coburg, who finished the game with a trio of behinds to fall short.
Sandringham (82) drew with Gold Coast (82)ย
The reigning premiers' flag defence continues to struggle, with the Suns coming away from their trip to RSEA Park with two points against an in-form Sandringham outfit.
The result sees the Suns jump into the top 10 however, while the Zebras fall to seventh on the ladder and now 10 points behind ladder leaders Footscray.
A goal from Saint Cooper Sharman tied up the scores to see the points shared, with the athletic utility again among his side's best since being dropped to the VFL.
The Zebras kicked the final four goals of the game, with rookie Hugo Garcia contributing two in the final 15 minutes to end the day with three majors.
Gold Coast veteran Levi. Casboult led all scorers with five goals for the day while teammate Jy Farrar contributed three majors of his own.
James Tsitas recorded 41 disposals and a goal, with Rory Atkins matching his ball-winning nous with 41 touches also.
Sandringham ruckman Tom Campbell was arguably the best on the field with 29 disposals, 31 hitouts and 12 clearances in the draw.
Werribee (87) defeated Frankston (59)
Tigers hard-nut Dom Brew was again sensational for Werribee over the weekend, collecting 36 disposals, eight tackles and seven clearances in another win for the standalone side.
Werribee had the 15 top-rated players on the field by the final siren, with Hudson Garoni's four goals and Kobe Annand's dominance in the ruck contributing to the 28-point victory.
Louis Pinnuck and Jesse Clark were both formidable for the home side, as was Riley Bice and Jay Dahlhaus, with the latter kicking three goals.
Matt Johnson and Noah Gown made up half of Coburg's goals on the day, while Tyson Mulne led all ball winners for the Lions with 22 touches and four clearances.
Sydney (74) lost to Geelong (83)
Another win for the Cats has Geelong holding onto second spot on the ladder after Round 11, while the Swans remain outside of the top 10 and stuck on four wins for the year.
Geelong's mature-aged draftee Lawson Humphries has strengthened his chances of an AFL debut following the club's upcoming bye, with the dashing outside runner collecting 28 disposals, eight marks, three tackles and a goal in the win.
Defender Daniel Capiron was also strong for the Cats, while young pair Mitch Knevitt and Ted Clohesy continued their strong form at the state league level.
Midfielder Brandan Parfitt will be looking to break back into the senior side after his 26 disposals, five clearances and four tackles against the Swans also.
Sydney defender Joel Hamling was again promising in his new forward role, kicking five goals from 14 disposals and eight marks at the SCG.
Swan Ben Edwards led the way for disposals with 31 possessions and also collected nine clearances in the loss.
Essendon (104) defeated Carlton (101)
The Bombers responded in the second half at Windy Hill on Sunday, killing a 35-point deficit after the main break to snatch a win from their rivals.
Essendon kicked six unanswered goals to start the third term to take back the lead, with draftee Nate Caddy and Mid-Season Draft selection Saad El-Hawli playing key roles in the fightback.
El-Hawli kicked four goals from 27 disposals to be his side's best performer, with a suspected ankle injury souring his starring afternoon.
Caddy kicked three goals to add to a strong maiden season in red and black, while youngster Jayden Davey also contributed multiple goals.
Captain Xavier O'Neill had 33 disposals to be impactful through the middle as ruckman Nick Bryan proved vital with his 22 touches, 39 hitouts and eight clearances.
Carlton spearhead Liam McMahon kicked five goals in the narrow loss while youngster Kristian Ferronato had a strong outing with 23 disposals and five clearances.
Box Hill (128) defeated GWS (60)
The Hawks led for the entire game in what was a dominant outing at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday to hand GWS their sixth loss of the season.
The goals were shared across the day, with top draft selection Nick Watson coming out on top with four goals from his 18 disposals to add to his promising performance last week.
Max Ramsden kicked three as well, while Mid-Season Draft recruit Jasper Scaife got his first goal in the brown and gold from 10 disposals and five marks.
Young Hawk Joshua Bennetts has 20 disposals and two goals, while wingman Harry Morrison collected 31 touches and 13 marks.
Jai Serong was commanding in defence for the Hawks while Denver Grainger-Barras had an equally promising game in the air after an injury-hit opening half to his 2024 season.
Midfielder Henry Hustwaite stood tall in the middle with 22 disposals, nine tackles and 10 clearances.
Lachie Keeffe was among his side's best with 1.2 from 16 disposals to go with 17 hitouts and seven marks.
Toby McMullin backed up his short AFL appearance against Hawthorn after being used as the sub, collecting 21 touches and a goal.
Casey (122) defeated Collingwood (70)
The Demons snapped a three-game losing run in style with a dominant display against a struggling Collingwood outfit.
Both sides combined for 11 goals in the final term to add to the spectacle, with Casey forward Shane McAdam leading the way with four goals.
In-form Demon Oliver Sestan contributed two goals from his 23 disposals, while Mid-Season Draft selection Luker Kentfield looked comfortable with two goals from his few chances.
Demons rookie Koltyn Tholstrup kicked 1.2 from 29 disposals to have arguably his best game in the VFL.
Magpies stalwarts Campbell Lane and Sam Glover were again among the best in the black and white to combine for 60 disposals, with Lane also booting two goals in the loss.
