Essendon's 'rebuild' is off to a flyer: The six things we learned from Round 3

Another round of footy has come and gone, with sides beginning to find their place amongst the fluid ranks of the premiership race.

A round that saw four contests decided by two kicks or less, Round 3 may prove to have housed a range of six-pointers come the season's end.

From another Blue capitulation to a stellar top-end double header, here are six things that we learned from the weekend’s results.

Essendon's 'rebuild' is off to a flyer

It was widely suggested midweek that the Bombers were entering rebuild mode following a disastrous start to 2025, however many questioned how their potential lack of young talent would stunt their ability to look to the future.

Their result against Port Adelaide proved that with the likes of Isaac Kako, Nate Caddy, Zach Reid, Saad El-Hawli and Archie Roberts, Essendon will stack up just fine.

The kids proved their worth, taking charge in the final quarter and putting the nail in the coffin to bury a poor Port Adelaide side.

21 touches and a goal for Roberts, two majors from Caddy to go with strong performances from their mature core in Jye Caldwell and Nic Martin, and of course captain Zach Merrett, were telling.

If the Bombers can nail the draft in the coming years, all while continuing to build on their already solid young core, it won't take too long before Essendon can once again compete at the highest level.

Carlton simply cannot run out games

The Blues have once again failed to maintain a lead, falling to zip and three after their 75-83 capitulation against the Western Bulldogs.

That’s three straight games in which Carlton have mustered a handy advantage before seemingly running out of legs, failing at the final hurdle when it matters most.

In 2025, Carlton have taken a lead into half time in each of their three games, with a first half tally of 137 points, +48 from their 89 first half points conceded.

This, in contrast to the Blues’ second half tally of -89 (67 points for, 156 points against) rings some pretty major alarm bells.

Whether it’s fitness, game plan, coaching or individual, if Carlton cannot navigate the cause of their closing stage capitulation, 2025 could be yet another wasted season in the midst of a multi-decade rut.

A loss in next week’s clash with Collingwood, and Michael Voss’ job may be on thin ice.

The Suns' patience has finally paid off

It took over a decade, multiple top picks and a three-time premiership coach, but it finally looks like the Gold Coast Suns are ready to make a September charge.

While they have only played two games thus far, against the lowly West Coast Eagles and a temperamental Demons side, the Suns have shown practically every sign you would look for in a top AFL team.

The midfield trio of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Touk Miller has truly peaked, as the Suns lead the league with 45 clearances per game at a monstrous average +16.5 clearances over their opposition per game.

Recruits Daniel Rioli and John Noble have slotted perfectly into Damien Hardwick’s system with their run and carry off half back, while Bailey Humphrey’s adaptation to the Dusty role hands Dimma all the pieces he needs to fire up what could be yet another dominant force.

Win their test against Adelaide next week, and the Suns are every chance to start the season with five wins on the trot.

Flags aren’t won off individuals

The Brisbane Lions have kicked off their premiership defence in style, claiming three wins from three following a gritty come-from-behind win against the Cats on Saturday.

While it was already a given that the Lions were stacked with talent, Saturday night’s impressive victory was a rampant display of the elite depth that coach Chris Fagan has at his disposal.

With Lachie Neale held to just 20 touches at poor efficiency, Charlie Cameron managing just seven touches and Joe Daniher’s supposed replacement Sam Day failing to hit the scoreboard, the Lions still managed a seven goal to two second half to overrun the Cats in the wet.

10 goals, 10 different goal kickers, with the likes of Darcy Fort dominating the ruck battle, Will Ashcroft proving his stardom and super-sub Bruce Reville turning everything he touched to gold.

The strength across the board for the Brisbane Lions will cement their spot in the upper echelon of the AFL for some time.

Hawthorn are every bit the premiership favourite

After a dreamy run to close the 2024 season, a decent September showing and a stellar off-season, it should come as no surprise that the Hawks are off to a flying start.

Down by over five goals in the first term and battling extreme conditions in Tasmania, the Hawks fought back to claim a massive 12-point win over premiership contenders GWS.

While the usual suspects are continuing to get the job done, the Hawks’ young talent have stepped up in a major way, with 'The Wizard' Nick Watson playing arguably his best career game (21 disposals, one goal), Finn Maginness playing a vital role in the midfield (25 disposals), and Josh Weddle proving his value on either side of the ball (20 disposals, one goal).

Arguably most impressive was 21-year-old Cam Mackenzie, whose 30 disposals earnt himself some major praise from SEN’s Kane Cornes.

With depth stepping up all over the park, new recruits slotting in seamlessly and a perfect start to 2025, Sam Mitchell’s army look every bit the favourites to claim major honours come the season’s end.

The Crows have the best forward line in the AFL

A big call… but the Crows are continuing to prove that their ability to score the ball is second to none in the competition.

It cannot be understated that the North Melbourne that the Crows piled 114 points on are not the same Kangaroos we are used to. The ‘Roos put up a great fight in their contest at Adelaide Oval.

But Adelaide’s three-pronged attack once again dominated to full effect. Riley Thilthorpe has been a force since his return from injury, booting another three goals taking his tally to nine in 2025, tied with teammate Darcy Fogarty.

Taylor Walker contributed four goals who - alongside Josh Rachele (6) and Ben Keays (7) - mark five Crows players with six or more majors across just three games.

Averaging a competition-high 21 goals a game, the Crows have managed 410 points thus far - only Geelong and St Kilda have managed over 300 in three games, while Hawthorn have 361 in four.

Matthew Nicks has his Crows humming all over the park, and their ability to apply scoreboard pressure will prove troubling for any side if their synergy remains throughout the season.