Just six games were played in Round 17 of the VFL season, which still saw plenty of movement among the top of the competition's ladder.
Werribee have moved into second place off the back of a 144-point win, while Box Hill have overtaken Casey in fourth spot.
Richmond saw a young forward thrive in his return from suspension, while a Kangaroos veteran made his case for a potential return to AFL level.
Here are some of the standouts and summaries from the weekend's action.
Bulldogs star Lachie Sullivan's 45 disposals and 11 clearances led the way for Footscray on Friday as the Dogs notched up their eighth win of the season to move into the top 10.
Sullivan was the leading man in midfield as he and Ewan Macpherson worded under ruckman Jordon Sweet to win the centre battle as Swans Dylan Stephens and Matt Roberts put up a fight.
Footscray forward Buku Khamis booted a game-high four goals while Oskar Baker (three goals), Rory Lobb, Arthur Jones and Harvey Gallagher (two goals each) also chipped in.
Galagher had his best game at VFL level for the year, adding 29 disposals and five marks to his pair of majors. Bulldogs defensive duo Jedd Busslinger and Josh Chatfield were impressive, each recording nine marks and over 20 possessions.
Swans ruckman Peter Ladhams kicked two goals in a mostly forward-positioned role for the Bloods as Tom Hickey led the game for hitouts with 28 to Sweet's 25.
The Tigers moved into the top eight with their 13-point victory in Queensland, with returning forward Rhyan Mansell leading the way for Richmond on Saturday.
After serving a three-game suspension, Mansell played his first game in a month through the VFL and looked back at home on his way to recording 25 possessions, eight marks and two goals against the Sharks.
Kaelan Bradtke and Noah Cumberland would also have a hand in the Tigers' score for the day, booting three and two goals respectfully, while midfielder Tyler Sonsie would also slot home a major from one of his 27 possessions for the day.
Sonsie led Richmond's engine room alongside Thomson Dow (21 possessions), while Southport's main men couldn't capitalise on their own midfield dominance. Boyd Woodcock and Jacob Dawson combined for 64 disposals and 18 clearances in the loss, with the Sharks' inaccurate kicking in front of goal costing them a chance of inching closer to the top 10.
Jake McQueen was among Southport's best with three goals from 22 touches, while Brayden Crossley was dominant through the middle with 31 disposals, nine marks, 36 hitouts and five clearances.
It was another tough result for the Bullants as Werribee piled on 46 scoring shots at Avalon Airport Oval to move into second on the ladder.
The Tigers would keep their fellow stand-alone club to just one goal from the opening three quarters, with an eight-goal third term seeing Werribee put their foot to the floor to notch up their 12th win of the year.
Hudson Garoni was one of 15 goalkickers for the Tigers on Saturday, with his five majors leading all scorers in the 144-point win. Jack Henderson booted two goals from his game-high 31 possessions as midfielders Dom Brew, Tom Gribble and Shain Mannagh also impacted the score.
Brew collected 13 clearances from his 27 possessions for the day, while Matthew Keast notched up 30 possessions, seven tackles and six clearances of his own. Kye Declase managed multiple majors from his 24 touches.
For the Bullants, Saad El-Hawli and Jackson Barling would be their two goalkickers in the defeat, as star midfielder Jean-Luc Velissaris was kept to just the 13 possessions.
Spencer Johnson was the only player from the away side to collect at least 20 disposals.
Sunday's opening result saw the Hawks claim a thrilling win at Arden Street, with a Max Hawll goal being the decider on the day as Box Hill managed to remove a three-quarter time deficit to snatch the victory.
Box Hill booted four goals to North Melbourne's two in the final term to win by five points, with Roos defender Aaron Hall having 15 more touches than any other player on the park with his 43 possessions in the loss.
Ruckman Todd Goldstein (28 disposals, 35 hitouts, five clearances) was also among North Melbourne's best along with Hugh Greenwood (24 disposals, 13 tackles and seven clearances).
Young Hawk Ned Long was among Box Hill's best with 22 possessions, four tackles and six clearances, while Callum Brown led all ball winners for the brown and gold with 28 touches.
Sam Butler was Box Hill's only multiple goalkicker for the afternoon in what was an evenly shared performance for the top four side.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Dolphins as a Max Williams kick after the siren fell agonisingly short of recording a score and adding some more points on the board for Frankston.
The last six scores for the game were all behinds before the game was brought to a close, with GWS holding on by a single point after both sides managed just the one goal each in the fourth term.
The Dolphins were dominant through the middle thanks to Trent Mynott, Will Fordham and Connor Riley, while Ryley Stoddart was again among his side's best performers.
Cameron Fleeton was a standout for the Giants with 25 possessions and 13 marks in defence, while Josh Fahey impressed after featuring at AFL level the night prior against Adelaide. Fahey would record 22 possessions, equal to first-year midfielder Harry Rowston.
The low-scoring affair would see Wade Derksen as the only multiple goalkicker for the afternoon with two majors, while mid-season Frankston recruit Jack Newnes would kick a goal from one of his 23 possessions.
Essendon's young VFL side would stave off the Cats on their home deck to record their fourth win of the season and second in as many games.
After snapping their nine-game losing run prior to their Round 16 bye, the Bombers could make a late dash for finals, however currently sit 16 points from the top 10.
Once again it was first-year midfielder Elijah Tsatas that helped lead Essendon to a win, with the top five draft pick amassing a game-high 31 disposals ad 11 clearances in the 10-point victory.
Massimo D'Ambrio would manage 26 possessions in the win, while defensive pair Kane Baldwin and Rhett Montgomerie would lead from the back, combining for 51 possessions and 26 marks.
The loss for Geelong comes as the Cats look to hold onto their own finals chances, with the defeat seeing them sit six points from the finals frame.
Veteran onballer Sam Menegola showed signs of potentially being ready for AFL level after a long period on the sidelines due to injury, with the Western Australian recording 31 touches and six marks.
Oliver Dempsey was once again among Geelong's best performers while returning ruck-forward Shannon Neale continued to add to his season with 15 possessions and two goals.