A goalscoring free-for-all in Darwin brings the nostalgia, a Sydney star stakes his claim as the game's best, and a Hawthorn tactical switch has devastating results.

We wrap up round 10 in the AFL.

1. Suns-Cats shootout brings a nostalgia hit 

A certain subsection of footy fans must have been watching Thursday night's game in Darwin with a great big beaming smile on their faces.

So much time is spent bemoaning low-scoring, congested games in modern footy so it felt like a totally different sport when Gold Coast and Geelong decided to forgo all defensive pretence and just traded goals for fun.

So what was the verdict? Is this the sort of footy we would prefer to be watching? Was this a throwback to the early-90s glory days we hear so much about, or was it just a weird game of footy?

The verdict will be the eye in the beholder, but it is fair to say that it was far from the most entertaining and engaging game we will see this year. Goals tend to lose their value in a game when there are 41 of them.

You know who absolutely loved it though? Gold Coast Suns fans. This was pretty close to the best night in the club's history as they smashed a few records and broke Geelong's spirit. They'll take as many 164-100 wins as they are offered.

ABC Sport player of the year votes:

3. Noah Anderson (Gold Coast)

2. Bailey Humphrey (Gold Coast)

1. Matt Rowell (Gold Coast)

(Votes are compiled by the ABC Sport radio commentary team after each match)

2. Warner a true individual, and one of the league's best

Chad Warner has somehow been a bit of a forgotten man in Sydney as Isaac Heeney and Errol Gulden soaked up most of the media oxygen. After his game against Carlton, those days are probably over.

What's so enthralling about Warner is that there is nobody in the game that plays like him. He is an electric small forward, a bullocking inside mid and a dashing half-back flanker all in one package, and when he's in full flight there really is no stopping him.

He is also a player acutely aware of his own skill set — express pace, the best sidestep in the game, incredible strength through his core and hips — and isn't afraid to take the game on with them.

Sydney's embarrassment of riches in their young brigade of stars surely has to lead to a salary cap squeeze at some point, and if both Fremantle and West Coast aren't amassing a war chest to throw at West Aussie Warner at some point, they are being negligent in their list management duties, but for now this group seems completely united and committed.

The Swans are the best, most watchable team in the league right now and they are only getting better.

ABC Sport player of the year votes:

3. Chad Warner (Sydney)

2. Isaac Heeney (Sydney)

1. James Rowbottom (Sydney)

3. Crows again show they're good enough for finals

They didn't come away with the win, but the Crows proved they were a top-eight contender in their gripping four-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG.

Izak Rankine showed again he could stand up when it counted, with his brilliant final-quarter goal putting the Crows in front, only for Jordan De Goey to steal the show for the Magpies in the shadows of full-time.

Rankine also added 30 disposals, while veteran Taylor Walker played a calming influence when the Crows fought their way back from a 17-point deficit at the final change.

The Crows aren't within striking distance of the top eight at this stage, but greater consistency from this point in the season may see them threaten for a finals berth.

Aside from De Goey, the Magpies were able to call upon rising and established stars Nick Daicos and Scott Pendlebury, as both were prominent in the disposal count with 41 and 30 respectively.

ABC Sport player of the year votes:

3. Izak Rankine (Adelaide)

2. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)

1. Nick Daicos (Collingwood)

4. What has happened to the Giants?

The only explanation at this point has to be some sort of Space Jam talent hoovering, because the drop-off at the Giants over the last month has been incredible.

It's not just that they are a little off the boil, but they have gone from the most entertaining and aggressive team in the league to a complete standstill in just a couple of weeks.

The odd injury has played its part, but most of the absolute guns that tore up the back end of last year and the opening weeks of this are still out there, just in a badly reduced state. They can't score, they can't lock the ball in their attacking half and it's Sam Taylor or bust in the defensive 50.

In a horribly ugly game on Saturday afternoon, the Western Bulldogs didn't exactly come to thrill but played the conditions relatively well and completely outfought the Giants. A margin of 27 points was kind to the Giants.

The Bulldogs are now just one game behind the Giants on the ladder and with a much greater percentage. Crazy to think a few weeks ago one was premiership favourite and the other apparently in crisis.

ABC Sport player of the year votes:

3. Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs)

2. Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs)

1. Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs)

5. The Dockers are sitting pretty under the radar

In a week of tedious AFL travel debates, it would have done the Dockers some good to all get away together. They've had a rough fortnight due to tragic events off the field, while also battling to keep a once-promising season together.

The loss last week to Sydney was entirely expected, and there was a legitimate argument that that game should not have gone ahead. The response on the road this week against the Saints was convincing, and proved again there is substance to Walyalup in 2024.

If not for some comical inaccuracy in front of goal, this would have looked like a far more convincing win than the scoreboard indicated. The Dockers are a far better team than the fundamentally broken Saints and owned the vast majority of the game.

If the biggest knock on the Dockers is their ability to score, they are halfway to addressing that problem. Even against Sydney, the issue wasn't so much the creation of chances but the taking of them.

That sort of stuff tends to even itself out over the course of the season, and they got away with a misfiring night here while still banking the points. The Dockers are right in touching distance and will be more unified than ever as the back end of the season approaches.

Don't be surprised to see them put together a convincing late charge.

ABC Sport player of the year votes:

3. Jordan Clark (Walyalup)

2. Caleb Serong (Walyalup)

1. Rowan Marshall (Euro-Yroke)

6. Tough Tiger times only just beginning

Richmond would have headed to Brisbane knowing a result like this was a possibility. Such is the extent of their injury woes, and the discrepancy in talent between them and the Lions on the night, there was always a chance it could get ugly.