Another week and another set of winners and losers.

Although the road to the last Saturday in September has narrowed ever so slightly, each of the competition's 18 teams still hold their destinies in their own hands.

Whether your side is undefeated, breaking even or without a win to start 2021, there are questions, both new and historic, that must be answered to secure a win this long weekend.

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Melbourne

Have the truly recaptured their former form?

Despite announcing themselves as a contemporary force in 2018, Melbourne has not started a season 2-0 since 2016 โ€“ until now.

Across the season that saw them fall short in a Preliminary Final to the eventual Premiers West Coast, Melbourne averaged 101.3 points across their 25 matches, whilst conceding just 79.5.

Although the contemporary Demons have not quite reached their previous offensive heights, they have become stingier, averaging just 65.5 points per game across the small sample size 2021 has provided so far โ€“ thanks in no small part to their defensive pillars, Jake Lever and Steven May.

So, to answer the question, they may not have recaptured it exactly, but they have appeared to reinvent it.

Despite their focus shifting and an inability to convert the majority of their chances in front of goal, the blue chip players that saw Melbourne scale the bulk football's Everest three-seasons ago have only improved their game.

With Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Max Gawn and the aforementioned defensive partnership surrounded by a smattering of up-and-coming accomplices, Melbourne should really be returning to the eight this year.

Apart from a ten-minute lapse on Saturday night, Simon Goodwin's legion totally controlled Brett Ratten's congregation, and unless something unexpected befalls them โ€“ sorry for tempting fate, Demon diehards โ€“ their record should be no worse than 4-2 by the beginning of May.

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