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Richmond's resurgence has continued, with the Tigers winning their fourth out of the last five matches with a solid victory over the Dockers in Perth.
Earlier in the day, Hawthorn ensured the Giants' poor record at the MCG continued, and Geelong moved a game plus percentage clear of the pack with a win over North Melbourne.
Tigers beat Freo, but is Fyfe in strife?
The Brownlow medal hopes of Nat Fyfe hang in the balance after he elbowed Tom Lynch in the head during Richmond's 25-point win over Fremantle.
Fyfe collected Lynch in the head just after the Tigers forward had disposed of the ball.
Although Lynch was able to play on and the contact wasn't severe, the high nature of it could land Fyfe in strife.
Fyfe's saving grace could be the fact that Geelong star Gary Ablett successfully appealed his suspension for a similar incident last week.
Richmond overcame the early loss of Toby Nankervis (groin) and Jack Ross (ankle) to post the fighting 17.9 (111) to 12.14 (86) win in Perth.
Nankervis and Ross were both put on ice before half-time, leaving the Tigers with just two fit men on the bench.
With Nankervis forced off, 192cm defender Nathan Broad and 194cm Noah Balta were forced to share the ruck duties against the 206cm Rory Lobb.
Lobb (45 hitouts, six clearances) ended up monstering Broad and Balta in the ruck.
But instead of meekly putting up the white flag, Richmond produced a series of stunning goals in the second half to secure their fifth win of the year.
Shai Bolton booted four goals in a breakout game, while Tom Lynch and Jason Castagna kicked two each.
Lynch finished with six contested marks in a strong display, but missed two simple shots he should have nailed.
Castagna produced a goal of the year contender when he burned off Adam Cerra in the pocket, took a bounce, before snapping truly.
Fyfe finished with 33 disposals, eight clearances, and three goals in a standout display, but he now faces a nervous wait.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon warned his players to prepare for a Richmond ambush, but it didn't seem like they got the message.
The Tigers booted four goals in the opening 10 minutes — including two to Bolton — to open up a 25-0 lead.
But the rest of the term belonged to Fremantle as a rampant Fyfe helped drag his team back into the contest.
The most bizarre moment of the term occurred when Nankervis was slapped with consecutive 50m penalties for not giving the ball back to Fyfe in time.
Nankervis injured his groin in innocuous fashion in the first quarter, and hobbled on in the second before being ruled out.
And when Ross was forced off with a left ankle injury after Fyfe had accidentally trod on him, the Tigers looked to be in trouble.
Richmond led by just 13 points at half time, and needed to find a way to keep Fremantle at bay.
Although Lobb helped Fremantle win the clearances 43-32, Richmond's frenetic run-and-stun game plan produced excellent results.
Ablett in trouble again as Geelong gets over North
Gary Ablett is facing AFL match review scrutiny for a second-straight week after another undisciplined act in Geelong's 24-point victory over North Melbourne.
Having convinced the tribunal last week to overturn a one-game ban for striking Essendon's Dylan Shiel, Ablett is highly likely to be cited for striking Kangaroos backman Sam Wright during Sunday afternoon's 16.8 (104) to 11.14 (80) win at Docklands.
In a near-identical incident, Ablett left his feet, raised his forearm and made high contact with Wright after the North backman handballed to a teammate.
Wright was quickly back on his feet and, unlike last week, Ablett — who was among the Cats' best with four goals — was not reported.
But the clash is certain to be examined by match review officer Michael Christian, and the similarity of the incidents means two-time Brownlow Medallist and 329-game veteran Ablett is again at risk of his first career suspension.
Former Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes told SEN radio it looked worse than the Shiel incident and Ablett was likely to cop a one-game ban.
The incident soured what was otherwise a hard-fought win for the top-of-the-table Cats, who absorbed everything thrown at them by a determined North Melbourne outfit whose performance belied their lowly ladder position.
Fittingly, it was Ablett who iced the victory for Geelong.
The Kangaroos threatened an upset when Ben Brown's fifth major pared back a 28-point deficit to two goals late in the final term.
Enter Ablett, who received a handball deep in the forward pocket and kicked a magical curling goal around the corner.
The 34-year-old then marked on the lead and kicked his fourth major to put the result beyond doubt.
Geelong were led magnificently by Brownlow Medal contender Tim Kelly, who gathered 36 disposals and 11 clearances — the majority during an absorbing, momentum-swinging third quarter — and also booted two brilliant goals.
The Cats started sluggishly but were far better all day at making their opportunities count and, ultimately, had too much class for their 17th-placed opponents.
Shaun Higgins and Ben Cunnington were tireless for the Roos, while Mitch Duncan and Patrick Dangerfield were also important for Geelong.
There was confusion before the game with the Cats adding skipper Joel Selwood to their team then withdrawing him.
Initially named as an emergency after missing last week's win over Essendon with soreness, Selwood was announced as a late replacement for Sam Menegola (knee) in the Cats' team, submitted 90 minutes before the opening bounce.
Some 30 minutes later, the Cats declared Selwood unfit to play and named Charlie Constable as his replacement.
Hawks too strong for Giants at the 'G
Defensively disciplined Hawthorn have strangled the life out of the more-fancied GWS to score an upset 33-point victory at the MCG.
The powerbrokers at AFL House won't be thrilled by Sunday's dour, low-scoring encounter but the Hawks won't care after they grinding the Giants into submission for a 10.11 (71) to 5.8 (38) win in front of a disappointing 14,636 fans.
The super-charged Giants were the free-wheeling, highest-scoring team of the competition going into the match, but master coach Alastair Clarkson made sure they encountered roadblocks at every turn with an ultra-defensive game plan.
Runaway Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron was left with a bloodied head after one encounter and held goalless by James Frawley as Hawthorn kept GWS to their lowest score of the season.
Jeremy Finlayson booted the Giants' only goal of the second half, his third major coming after the final siren.
Former Crow Ricky Henderson continued his impressive season to lead the way with 36 possessions, and James Sicily was important down back with 27 disposals, while also sneaking forward for a late goal.
The Hawks' performance was even more impressive considering gun midfielder Jaeger O'Meara was unable to have his usual influence, kept to 15 possessions by Matt De Boer.
Stephen Coniglio had 30 touches for GWS, but he had precious little support in a lacklustre display.
Clarkson declared his side middle of the road after last week's disappointing loss to Melbourne but they were anything but as they stymied the Giants from the outset.
With Jarryd Roughead dropped and Chad Wingard injured, Clarkson swung the changes inside attacking 50.
Ruckmen Ben McEvoy and Jon Ceglar took turns resting up forward and Jarman Impey switched from defence to attack, with the latter booting consecutive goals to help the Hawks to a 10-point lead at the first break.
Finlayson booted two goals as GWS started to show signs of life in the second term to close the gap to seven points at halftime, but Leon Cameron's men couldn't muster a goal in the third quarter.
The Hawks only managed two majors, but that was enough to extend their lead to 22 points at three-quarter time.
On a good day, the Giants are capable of reeling in such a margin in quick time but they couldn't fire a shot.
Ceglar booted his first and second goals of the season to start the final term, effectively securing the premiership points.
AFL ladder
AAP
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