Swans channel Chuck Norris

Saturday night used to be the home of a good late-night revenge flick – Charlie Bronson or Chuck Norris getting square with those misguided souls who did them wrong.

We were treated to some old-school vengeance of the sporting variety this weekend, with the Sydney Swans getting one back on the Hawthorn side that bullied them into meek surrender last September.

• Will Minson sent off for “shoving” umpire 
• Malthouse: ‘I won’t walk away’ 
• Nat Fyfe is Michael Voss with wings

Fittingly, it was men who had dirty days in the Grand Final who stood up when it mattered for the Bloods – Jarrad McVeigh’s last-quarter heroics were massive and Lewis Jetta was also important in the final frantic minutes.

The Hawks have lost a bit of their aura in 2015. Photo: Getty

Dan Hannebery was outstanding, while Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy were very good for the winners.

For the Hawks, men who usually have ice in their veins suddenly felt the collar tightening.

Luke Breust missed a set shot that he’d usually kick in his sleep with a minute-and-a-half left.

Cyril Rioli, who was electric all night, couldn’t get a handle on a Jack Gunston handball with the open goal as inviting as a hot bath and a glass of Bollinger.

McVeigh was anonymous in last year’s Grand Final, so much so that when we computed our player ratings, we had this to say: “Couldn’t find the footy and on the rare occasions when he did, couldn’t find a teammate.”

Of Sydney’s three final-quarter goals on Saturday, McVeigh kicked two of them and created the third for Parker.

While Kurt Tippett and Buddy Franklin were well contained, McVeigh’s effort was, well, towering.

Rort Adelaide

Plenty to ponder: Ken Hinkley. Photo: Getty

What’s going on out at Alberton?

If ever there was a game to shake off the lethargy that’s permeating the club, it was Kane Cornes’ 300th and last.

Yet they were out-hustled by Richmond at Adelaide Oval on Sunday evening.

They were haphazard going forward, and the Tigers brought the ball out of defence too easily.

At times throughout the past three weeks Port have looked in as much disarray on the field as they are off it.

Having entered the season as near certainties for the top four, so far Port Adelaide – apart from a Round 1 thriller against Fremantle and a win over Hawthorn – have been kidding themselves, and look like a team that have been reading their own hype.

Meanwhile, out west…

Ross Lyon’s “working class team” (yep, he really said that), full of Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches, continue to annihilate whatever comes their way.

Ross Lyon described the Chicago Bulls three-peat teams as just “good blue-collar outfits”. Photo: Getty

This time it was a 73-point demolition job on North Melbourne, who made a prelim last year.

Fremantle look so far ahead of the pack they bear a resemblance to the Carlton side of 1995, the Essendon side of 1999, or the Geelong team of 2008.

Of course, only one of those teams won a premiership in said season. The moral of the story is, you want to be playing your best footy come September.

But you’d rather be Fremantle right now than say, Hawthorn, who are sitting 4-4 and seem to have lost a bit of their aura.

The Dockers appear guaranteed to have two finals at home before, potentially, a second Grand Final in three years.

And Nat Fyfe, as hot a Brownlow favourite as we’ve seen in recent times, racked up a career-high 37 disposals in his 100th game.

Eagles, Giants pinch themselves

Adam Simpson and Leon Cameron are riding high. Photo: Getty

Eight rounds into season 2015, the West Coast Eagles and GWS Giants find themselves in the top four.

It would be rare to find a pundit who would have had either side playing finals this season, let alone be riding so high on the ladder.

The Eagles’ form is all the more impressive given Eric Mackenzie, Jack Darling and Mitch Brown haven’t been sighted, while Matt Rosa and Scott Selwood have also missed big chunks of footy.

GWS were a bit of a mystery heading into the season but their youngsters have been most impressive.

Aside from a dreadful effort against the Eagles in Perth, they’ve been competitive every week and, after doing very little in their first three seasons, have stormed past the injury-plagued Suns in the race to be the first expansion club to play finals.

Adam Simpson and Leon Cameron, both in just their second season as senior coaches, can take an early season bow.

Mick Malthouse

Brendan McCartney, Brenton Sanderson, Guy McKenna, Scott Watters, Michael Voss, Mark Neeld, Brett Ratten, Matthew Primus, Mark Harvey, Rodney Eade, Dean Bailey and Matthew Knights could be about to welcome 718 games of experience to their team.

If Malthouse’s job was a bushfire, it would be currently rated as “watch and act”. It could be upgraded to emergency at any moment.