What's the big question your AFL club must answer in Round 7? Are the Blues really the premiership favourites? Has Collingwood genuinely rediscovered its identity? Will the Roos win a game this year?
We've looked at every club and answered their biggest question ahead of this week's action.
Adelaide
vs. North Melbourne, Blundstone Arena
Has Jordan Dawson rediscovered his sparkling 2023 form?
Considering the extraordinarily high bar set last year, Jordan Dawson's start to this campaign had been a little underwhelming to date. Then came last Friday night's clash against the Bombers. The Crows may have come up short but Dawson certainly played his part, racking up 31 disposals, 14 contested possessions, eight inside 50s, and kicking two goals. Adelaide fans will be hoping this is the standard moving forward.
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Brisbane
vs. GWS, Manuka Oval
How do they make sure this season doesn't slip away?
Just when we all thought the Lions had turned the corner with with wins over North Melbourne and, more impressively, Melbourne, they dish up the sort of performance you'd expect from a bottom eight side. And that's exactly what they are right now, sitting 12th on the ladder after six rounds. It's another stern test this week against third-ranked GWS. Another loss and they could very easily fall two games (plus percentage) outside the top eight. Chris Fagan needs answers quickly to avoid the season being over before the mid-year byes.
Carlton
vs. Geelong, MCG
Are the Blues really the premiership favourites?
If the Blues aren't the team to beat, they have to be next in line for that flag favouritism. If not for Sam Berry's late heroics in Round 5, Carlton would be 6-0. As it is, they're 5-1 this year and have saluted in 16 of their past 19 games. The biggest test may lie ahead this weekend when Michael Voss' side faces the unbeaten Cats at the MCG. With no Tom Stewart, the Blues will fancy their chances. And a win might just make them the ones to beat, after all.
Collingwood
vs. Essendon, MCG
Has Collingwood genuinely rediscovered its identity?
The extremely flat beginning to the year appears to be in the rearview mirror for Collingwood. They've won three on the spin, two of them against sides we expect to feature in September, and are charging back up the ladder. The most impressive part about the turnaround is that they appear to have rediscovered their identity, once again hunting in packs and enjoying swift ball movement. Anzac Day always poses a great challenge, can they maintain the new standard or will old habits creep back in?
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Essendon
vs. Collingwood, MCG
Can the Dons make amends for last year's Anzac Day capitulation?
At three-quarter time of last year's Anzac Day clash, it looked for all money the Bombers were going to down the Magpies and improve to 5-1. The Dons led 74-46 with a term to play, yet fell apart in embarrassing fashion to lose 90-77. It was the start of a four-game losing streak that brought them back to the pack, eventually being swallowed up. The Bombers should be full of confidence after big wins over the Bulldogs and Crows, but can they carry the momentum and make it three on the trot?
Fremantle
vs. Western Bulldogs, Optus Stadium
Are the Dockers tough enough to bounce back?
For what feels like the third year in succession, Fremantle is one of the more difficult teams to assess. You just never really know what you're going to get. Last week's loss to the Eagles in the derby was as low as it gets, and now the spotlight is firmly on Justin Longmuir and his side to respond. But can they? And can they hit the scoreboard? They're riding a three game losing streak and another loss will undo all of that goodwill built up in the first three rounds of the year.
Geelong
vs. Carlton, MCG
How do they fill the Tom Stewart void?
There's no doubt Tom Stewart is one of the best defenders in the AFL and the Cats are going to miss him this week -- Stewart suffered a concussion against the Lions in Round 6 -- when they face the Blues in a mouth-watering top four clash. With Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, Carlton has one of the most imposing forward lines going around, so who can step up in Stewart's absence and organise the back six? The Giants failed to answer a similar question last week, with Sam Taylor missing, and if the Cats can't do any better, there won't be any unbeaten sides remaining.
Gold Coast
vs. West Coast, People First Stadium
Have the Suns actually improved?
If you asked 100 footy fans this question, we reckon you would get close to a 50-50 split of 'yes' vs. 'no' answers. The first half of the year suggested the Suns had made massive strides this offseason, but yet again they fold like deck chairs when the going gets tough. A record of 3-3 after six games feels very 'Gold Coasty'. You know what else does? Losing to West Coast. We probably won't get a true answer to this question if the Suns beat the Eagles, but we certainly will know if they lose...
GWS
vs. Brisbane, Manuka Oval
Was the loss to the Blues an outlier we shouldn't worry about?
The Giants' first loss of the year was hardly a shocker. There was no Sam Taylor and it came against a rampant Carlton side, which, right now, might well be the best team in football. Another challenge awaits GWS in Round 7: the Lions coming off an embarrassing home loss to Geelong. What we want to know is whether last week was a bit of a one off and something that shouldn't raise red flags, or if this side actually does have some problems that need addressing.
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Hawthorn
vs. Sydney, MCG
Should Finn Maginness or Conor Nash do a job on Isaac Heeney?
There's no doubt the form player of 2024 is Sydney's Isaac Heeney. He's averaging a ridiculous 28 disposals, 13 contested possessions, six clearances, six inside 50s, as well as a goal and a half per game. If the Hawks have any chance of causing the boilover, they must restrict the star Swan's impact. Sam Mitchell simply must deploy the full blown tag, as nobody has had success in slowing Heeney down this year. We'll know at the opening bounce if the Hawks have any chance whatsoever.
Melbourne
vs. Richmond, MCG
Can the Demons' forward line finally fire?
Melbourne has only cracked 100 points once this season and, quite often, it feels as though -- with all due respect to Bayley Fritsch and Co. -- it's the forward line letting the rest of the side down. Wednesday night's clash against the struggling Tigers will provide a great opportunity for Melbourne's forwards to find form and hit the scoreboard. Richmond has given up 94 points per game this year, including 109 last time out in an embarrassing loss to the Eagles. The Dees must cash in.
North Melbourne
vs. Adelaide, Blundstone Arena
Will the Roos win a game this year?
It's not exactly a question for this week, but a loss to the Crows in Tasmania will have us all wondering if North Melbourne can actually win a game in season 2024. The Roos have won just once in their past 27 games, and that win, funnily enough, cost them the opportunity to draft the impressive Harley Reid. Suggesting a team could go winless for an entire campaign sounds crazy, because it never happens, but we also rarely see a side as ordinary as this...
Port Adelaide
vs. St Kilda, Adelaide Oval
Have we overhyped the Port midfield?
We've all raved about Port Adelaide's young, exciting and uber talented midfield, but has it gone a little over the top? Skipper Connor Rozee and Ollie Wines were both extremely quiet and had almost zero impact in last week's capitulation at the MCG, while Port has lost the clearance count two weeks in a row. For what it's worth, we don't think they've been overrated, but in order to justify that stance they must respond in a big way at home against the freefalling Saints.
Richmond
vs. Melbourne, MCG
Is this the end for primetime Dusty?
If the rumours from earlier this month are true, and Dustin Martin's glittering AFL career is sadly close to an end, Wednesday night's clash against the Demons might be one of the final times we get to watch him in prime time. That's a sad thought, given Martin will go down as one of the greatest prime time players in league history. Does he have anything left in the tank? Who knows. But enjoy watching him before it's too late...
St Kilda
vs. Port Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
Is it already season over for the Saints?
Not many could have predicted the Saints would suffer a 60-point loss to the Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Tom Liberatore-less Bulldogs last Thursday night. It was a gutless, pathetic effort from Ross Lyon's side, which has shown no improvement on last year's middling campaign. A loss this week away to Port Adelaide will have St Kilda at 2-5 and facing an uphill battle to play in September. Got to find a way to snatch the four points and not allow the season to get away from them.
Sydney
vs. Hawthorn, MCG
Can the Swans become an MCG team?
We all know where the Grand Final is played and every side with aspirations of hoisting the premiership cup must be comfortable running out onto the MCG. For the Swans, they're fortunate to be playing a third game there already in season 2024. They are 1-1 so far, but the loss -- their only one to date -- came against the lowly Tigers in Round 4. Sydney is a far better side than Hawthorn at this moment. They need to build those wins at the MCG, which will give them tremendous confidence later in the year.
West Coast
vs. Gold Coast, People First Stadium
Just how good is this current Eagles midfield?
It's been a whirlwind two weeks for the Eagles, with back-to-back wins for the first time in three years. They're rejuvenated and have a great chance of making it a hat-trick when they travel to the Gold Coast this weekend. The midfield, particularly Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly, and Harley Reid, is looking dangerous, but they will face a tough test this week, with the Suns' greatest asset its midfield group of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, and Touk Miller. If the Eagles can get the better of them, it bodes extremely well for the rebuild.
Western Bulldogs
vs. Fremantle, Optus Stadium
Where is the consistency?
It's been a rollercoaster start to season 2024 for Luke Beveridge and his Bulldogs. They started with a disappointing 45-point loss to the Demons, bounced back with wins over the Suns and Eagles, before falling to the Cats and Bombers. But just when the footy world was prepared to write them off, they go and smash St Kilda by 10 goals. They're an extremely difficult team to get a read on, but if they are one that will do damage at the business end of the year, they must find consistency. Based on what we saw last week, they should be beating the Dockers.