Tight, physical matches were the order of the weekend as Port Adelaide, the Kangaroos and Sydney all posted important wins. Not all of it was predictable, and none of it was pretty. Brisbane caused the upset of the round and the year so far, bottling up ladder-leaders Essendon in a tense Saturday night at the Gabba. Carlton were the big winners earlier that day, smashing the West Coast Eagles to the tune of 119 points at Optus Oval. Melbourne, Adelaide and Richmond picked up the other points in a round that sees three clubs separated by percentage on top of the ladder.