AFL Power Rankings after round 3

1 Geelong (2-1)
The Cats first loss of the year, a seven point defeat to the high flying Dockers can be partially excused seeing as it did come off a six day break and with a handful of their best and most experienced players missing. Achieved many of their key statistical indicators such as having an abundance of the ball (winning both the tackle count and contested possession) along with big games from the likes of Ablett (33 touches, 4 goals) and Chapman (28 touches and 3 goals). Most of the Cats' concerns however would be in defence. On the one hand would be furious to have blown a three quarter time lead whilst equally concerning would be the 18 goals they let through yesterday. In fact of Geelong's 25 games last year, they conceded more than 90 points just 8 times. They've let in more than 90 in each of their 3 games this year.

2 StKilda (3-0)
Have lost their captain and superstar for an indefinite period of time however for the moment should bask in what was one of the Saints very best wins. StKilda were absolute brilliant against Collingwood with their defensive pressure reaching another level of excellence. They harassed Collingwood all night restricting the Pies to just 4 goals and keeping the Pies to a season low 50% kicking efficiency. Equally impressive they kept Collingwood to just 192 uncontested possessions, the 4th best reading of the year and a sign of how little space and time the Saints granted their opposition. Yes, Riewoldt's injury will hamper the Saints in the short term however if there defensive application remains, they should remain in reasonably good shape.

3 Bulldogs (2-1)
Another imperfect showing by the Dogs yesterday however they were able to prevail in a bruising encounter thanks largely to their last quarter in which they were able to kick 6 goals from under 90 possessions. Prior to the last quarter the Dogs had kicked just 8 from more than 300. For the second week in a row the Bulldogs were excellent from a defensive standpoint winning the tackle and contested possession counts while keeping the Hawks to less than 25% inside 50 efficiency, down from the 33% against Collingwood in round 1. They've also conceded just 15 marks inside 50 over the last two weeks. Big test in Brisbane next week.

4 Fremantle (3-0)
3 zip for the first time in the club's mostly unremarkable history, having reached the mark with wins over three teams who all played finals last year. Were again very direct and very efficient throughout in their win over the Cats, helped by continually having first use of the ball at stoppages thanks to ruck dominance of Sandilands. Achieved a better than 70% kicking efficiency for the second week straight. Paul Duffield the most recent Docker to put his hand up for attention thanks to a 12 possession last quarter which also saw him kick the sealing goal while Hill and Morabito are truly shaping as blue chip draft stocks. Pavlich was once agin supurb with 26 touches and 5 goals.

5 Brisbane Lions (3-0)
Undefeated and playing fairly good football thanks largely to Jonathan Brown who has kicked 17 goals in 3 games. However in reality their draw hasn't exactly pitted them against any team reasonably considered as possible finalists so questions of the Lions will still remain. In each of their 3 games have had less possession than their opponents yet are second in the league for total inside 50's which is saying something about the direct style of football Voss has his team playing and which would needless to say be best suited to their enviable forward set up. We'll have a much clearer indication of where the Lions are after they play the Bulldogs at home this week, the same team who belted them in the finals last September.

6 Collingwood (2-1)
Big opportunity blown by the pies to go 3 zip and beat the Saints without Riewoldt who's proven their tormentor in recent games. Instead the Pies produced one of the most inefficient games in recent memory kicking just 4 goals (and seventeen behinds), and having a kicking efficiency of just 50% coupled with an inside 50 efficiency of just 8%. Also saw their vaunted ruck division beaten for a third straight week while they seem to be continually let down in big games from players such as Davis and Cloke. Face a big test against Hawthorn to justify the attention given to them after their very impressive round 1 win over the Bulldogs.

7 Sydney (2-1)
Clinical victory over to the Tigers which once again displayed their various goal avenues (they've got 7 players averaging a goal or more game this year, up from 4 last year) whilst still showcasing the defensive prowess the Swans have always been famed for. Won the tackles and contested possessions again whilst constricting the Tigers to just 181 uncontested touches, an incredibly low tally. They've had just 23 marks taken against them inside 50 this year and would be very encouraged by the form of its younger players such as Hannebery who's averaging more than 20 disposals as well as excitement machine Leroy Jetta. Should soon move to 4-1 with upcoming and probable wins against North and West Coast.

8 Hawthorn (1-2)
Were quite admirable in their loss to the bulldogs yesterday after a six day break and after such a bruising Easter Monday clash against Geelong. However a loss is a loss and we were all quite forgiving of the Hawks after last week's defeat and the excuses simply can't keep rolling out, as they did for the bulk of last year. Franklin went goal-less yesterday (he kicked just 2 the week before) while Brett Renouf looks very much overworked in the ruck, for the third week in a row losing the hit out count. Rioli was simply brilliant (21 touches, 4 goals) while it's encouraging that Clarkson is prepared to give a go to so many of his untried players. Will have a real battle on its hand trying to avoid going 1-3 when they play Collingwood this week who'll be desperate to atone for the poor form they've had in the last two weeks.

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9 Port Adelaide (2-1)
Still in the top 8 on the ladder however probably there on borrowed time and thanks to playing North and West Coast in the first two weeks. There's no doubting that Port are a more accountable and better defensive team this year however they're most definitely lacking in class all over the park, whilst like Hawthorn seem to have some serious concerns in the ruck. They don't seem to have many goal kicking avenues either while they're kicking efficiency has failed to crack 61% this year making them the only team in the AFL to have failed to get above that mark. Their next two matches are against Geelong and StKilda.

10 Essendon (1-2)
Won their first game on Saturday night against the Blues in a match they dominated in almost every area. Had some questions about their forward set up over their first two matches however Williams kicked four against Carlton while Gumbleton looked quite good. Watson and Stanton have had three really productive weeks while Houli's first game of the season netted him 25 touches. When you consider they did play Geelong and Fremantle in the first two weeks the criticism of the Bombers may have been a little premature. A winnable game this week against the Eagles in Perth followed by the ANZAC Day showdown against Collingwood will give us the perfect idea of precisely where Knights has his highly scrutinised team.

11 Carlton (1-2)
Looked pretty bad against Essendon on Saturday night with some doubts really starting to be raised about their ability to score gaols in the wake of Fevola's departure. Had nearly a hundred less possessions than Essendon on Saturday night while for the second week in a row their kicking efficiency failed to climb over 60%. Are badly missing Judd (he returns this week) while they really do need to sort their forward problems out. For me Kreuzer having yet to kick a goal this year should be of utmost concern for Ratten.

12 Melbourne (1-2)
Who knows what we'd be saying about the Demons had they not lost to Collingwood by just a point on Easter Saturday? For now they'd be rapt to have beaten the Crows particularly seeing as they looked headed for their third straight loss and consequently another season of misery. Instead the Demons have a real chance at their second win when they play Richmond this Sunday. Once again much better contributions from their older brigade with James McDonald and Cameron Bruce joining the likes of Davey, Moloney, Jones and Joel McDonald as older players to have really picked up the slack in the wake of their insipid round one loss to Hawthorn. To say nothing of Jamar who has been excellent in the ruck this season. Trengrove again looked impressive with 23 touches while Scully contributed 18. It should also be noted that Melbourne laid 29 more tackles than Adelaide and won the contested possession count, two areas Melbourne are proving to be amongst the best in the competition in.

13 North Melbourne (1-2)
Would be rapt to have won their first game under Brad Scott who seems to be a coach with his head very much on his shoulders. Like Melbourne needed some of their older players to improve in the wake of their 104 point loss the week before and they did with Harvey and Wells accumulating 77 touches between them while Hale kicked 3 goals. Some of their younger players looked good with Ziebell and Anthony again impressing while Bastinac looks a real find for a first year player. Like the Bombers who play the Eagles this week the Roos would like to at least think they're a chance of being 2-2 with a home game against the Swans.

14 Adelaide (0-3)
It looks like it's going to be a really long year for Adelaide going on their first 3 games and having been beaten by three teams who failed to make the finals last year. They're averaging less than 60 points a game this season while a host of other statistic do little more to paint a nicer picture. For the moment Neil Craig needs to be left alone with this team however it is worth noting that the Crows were struggling early last year having won just 3 of their first 8 games yet it was a home game against Carlton when they changed things around. So all might not be lost.

15 West Coast (0-3)
Might be the biggest disappointment of the year thus far, losing their first three games (for the first time in their history) in fairly uninspiring fashion. Have taken an incredibly low 20 marks inside 50 this year which would indicate a forward structure that is giving them no chance of winning matches, raising again the question of why Quentin Lynch isn’t in the team. Again, a lot to be excited about with Natanui however even that's a story that is quickly getting a little old. Big game against Essendon at home this week.

16 Richmond (0-3)
Again beaten badly and shown to be one of the very worst teams in recent memory. Can’t seem to get their hands on the ball, for the second week failing to gain more than 300 touches. Have taken a deplorably low 18 marks inside 50 this season while they've been beaten in the tackle and contested possession count in all 3 of their matches. The form of of Dustin Martin is something to be excited about, news that Tiger players went on a drunken rampage in the wake of yet another pitiful loss isn't.