1.Will Nat Fyfe lose his hold on the Brownlow?
Late in the third quarter, Fyfe slid into Ben Jacobs as the Kangaroo bent down to pick up the loose football. He did so at pace and Jacobs fell back after receiving the knock. Fyfe put his hands up as he made contact with Jacobs but the action was careless. Fyfe only needs to be fined to receive an automatic suspension, given he has already been fined twice this season for tripping Bulldog Koby Stevens and rough conduct on Hawthorn's Taylor Duryea. There is a lot of pressure on the Match Review Panel, because a fine may cost Fyfe the Brownlow Medal.

2. A critical four points
North Melbourne's seventh win in a row cemented its spot in the final eight. The Roos are well behind the Western Bulldogs and Richmond on percentage but they play both teams in the final two games. For the Dockers, having lost their second game in succession for the first time for the year, they still remain two games ahead of third place and although likely to finish top two, are yet to seal the spot. They should do that against Melbourne next week but with losses now to Hawthorn, West Coast, Richmond and North Melbourne, the questions remain.

3. Brent Harvey, a giant among smalls. 
Brent Harvey re-signed to play another season midway through the week and showed why against Freo. The 38-year-old kicked three goals in the first half of his 404th game and hit the post once. Apart from giving away a 50m penalty when he lost concentration in the first quarter, he was electric and kept his team in the match. He received good support from Robin Nahas who kicked two goals and roamed far and wide for his kicks. It was only just that Nahas hit Harvey on the lead late in the last quarter for Harvey to kick the sealer. The Dockers' Michael Walters excelled too and although big men were critical up forward all day, the smalls influenced the contest.

4. Can Fremantle's forward line do the job?
The Dockers' forward line is the subject of much scrutiny and many wondered how it would function in Matthew Pavlich's absence. In the first quarter it looked outstanding with Jonathon Griffin and Aaron Sandilands kicking three goals as they took seven marks inside 50 for the quarter. However, the success was more a function of the Dockers' ball movement than those inside 50, with scoring drying up once North Melbourne stopped the Dockers defence from moving the ball from one end to the other. Nat Fyfe looks likely to pinch-hit up forward but when the pressure is on, he is still needed in the middle. The Dockers only managed five goals in the next three quarters. North Melbourne's defenders were very good in the one-on-one contests after quarter time.

5. Todd Goldstein v Aaron Sandilands
Two of the game's best ruckman went head to head and were significant influences on the contest. However it was not in the way expected, with Sandilands (43 hit-outs) and Goldstein (28) having their moments around the stoppages. Sandilands managed to kick two goals in the first quarter, pushing deep into the forward line and making North Melbourne defenders very nervous. Goldstein, as he has done all season, ran around the ground and won the ball either as the outlet kick or drifting back into defence. He also created a goal for Ben Brown in the first term and kicked two himself in the last quarter including the sealer. His six last quarter disposals were critical. If Fyfe finds himself ineligible, Goldstein will become a justified Brownlow Medal favourite.