Harvey’s 38 possessions and goal were enough to earn him a spot on the half-forward line, while Wells was named in unfamiliar territory in a forward pocket; though there’s no doubting he’d be a dangerous proposition wherever he’s picked.
Returning for his first game of the season, Ziebell earned a spot on the bench for his 27 disposal, four-goal effort. His long bomb from outside 50 was the icing on the cake in a memorable North Melbourne win.
Meanwhile, Ryan Bastinac was perhaps the unluckiest Kangaroo, overlooked for a position despite earning praise in the media and from both coaches for his second outstanding performance in as many weeks.
View the team below and have your say on where Bastinac could have been selected.
BACKS
Jackson Trengove (Port Adelaide): A fine game by the developing backman against a strong Sydney Swans outfit. Matched against various opponents, he pulled down 11 marks and delivered 25 disposals, and it was no reflection on his efforts that the young Power side was overrun in the final quarter.
Lachlan Henderson (Carlton): Brett Ratten backed him early in the week and the former Lion didn’t disappoint in the crucial role of blanketing Travis Cloke. In a 'statement' game, Henderson kept Cloke to just five marks and a single goal to leave Collingwood's forward line looking suddenly impotent.
Sean Dempster (St Kilda): In arguably his best game for the Saints, Dempster took a handy 14 marks to pick off numerous wayward kicks from the Bulldogs and keep them to just two goals for the first three quarters on Saturday night. Looks a revitalised player under new coach Scott Watters, and has a clearly-defined accountable role.
HALF-BACKS
Heath Scotland (Carlton): With a lot on his mind besides football, Scotland led from the front in the blockbuster against the Pies with 35 disposals and eight marks. His penetrating kicking remains a weapon - his six inside 50s came mostly from the back end of the centre square.
Josh Gibson (Hawthorn): A league-leading 15 marks, 30 disposals and a best on ground display against the Crows make Gibson a lock for the Team this week. He took the in-form Taylor Walker to the cleaners and ran off him consistently to help out on Kurt Tippett in a solid win by the Hawks.
Tendai Mzungu (Fremantle): The weekend’s most dour contest left the Brisbane Lions with a record-low inside 50s (just 20 for the game), and Mzungu played a big part in that stat. Mzungu's 25 disposals and seven clearances made life tough for the Lions, and the mature defender’s work rate helped tip the balance to Fremantle when the game remained up for grabs in the final quarter.
CENTRES
Gary Ablett (Gold Coast): He was certainly due a downer after setting such a cracking pace in the first two rounds and with the redoubtable Heath Hocking for a tagger on Saturday night. Ablett instead went supersonic with 45 possessions, 13 clearances (both more than any other player managed on the weekend) and a couple of goals. Superb.
Marc Murphy (Carlton): Unlucky to miss out last week, Murphy’s career-high 39 possessions in one of the biggest games of the year make him a certain starter in this week’s Team. Currently the most likely contender with Ablett for a Brownlow, the ‘new Chris Judd’ pumped the ball inside 50 10 times to leave the Magpies flat-footed.
Daniel Hannebery (Sydney Swans): The NAB AFL Rising Star of 2010 battled with injury and form last year as the second-year blues took hold. He looks a different player this year, and on Saturday at AAMI Stadium he was the dominant player on the ground with 36 disposals as the Swans wore down Port Adelaide. Combined with Kieren Jack and Luke Parker, Hannebery helps to form one of the most exciting young midfields in the competition.
HALF-FORWARDS
Brent Harvey (North Melbourne): A proud man like Harvey understandably resented giving up the captaincy, but it really was a no-brainer. Without the burden of leading this young team in any official capacity, Harvey is thriving and was at his damaging best in the win over the Cats on Sunday. A tally of 38 disposals (no less than of them 30 uncontested) and a goal spoke volumes for his desire to run all day.
Stewart Crameri (Essendon): The Dons were sluggish against the Suns and would have to rank as one of the weakest 3-0 teams of recent seasons (unlike their 3-0 start to the 2000 premiership year). Crameri’s strong marking and four goals proved to be the difference on Saturday night, and with Michael Hurley starting the year slowly, the Bombers need every bit of Crameri’s forward presence.
Luke Shuey (West Coast Eagles): Amazing to think that Shuey was the Rising Star runner-up last year when he plays most games like a seasoned veteran. His big performances like Sunday’s against the Giants usually come with a bag of goals. He nabbed five drifting forward this weekend and topped it off with 25 disposals despite missing a chunk of the game after getting crunched by an angry Dean Brogan.
FULL-FORWARDS
Eddie Betts (Carlton): No longer plagued by inconsistency, Betts is now one of the AFL’s most damaging players, with a wonderful knack of conjuring a goal when the opposition would least want to concede one. Betts gave Collingwood five of them on Friday night as he consistently left Harry O’Brien clutching at thin air.
James Podsiadly (Geelong): The Cats struggled mightily against North Melbourne in the Sunday twilight, but Podsiadly at least gave them a strong-bodied target up forward and slotted his second five-goal haul inside six days. He’s packed a stack of great memories into his short career - the best way to make up for opportunities denied him in the past.
Daniel Wells (North Melbourne): Wells is lucky to even be playing football after recovering from a blood clot in his lungs during the off-season. Against Geelong he played exactly as he did in 2011 - with dash, flair and sublime movement of the ball. His 31 quality touches left the Cats dispirited as North broke its hoodoo against the premiers.
RUCKS
Aaron Sandilands (Fremantle): Helped by Matthew Leuenberger’s absence with an achilles injury, Sandilands gave Billy Longer a clinic in his first game for the Lions with an astonishing 54 hitouts despite being rested in the final quarter. He continues to be the biggest hurdle all teams must plan for if they hope to gain a midfield advantage over the WA side.
Leigh Montagna (St Kilda): In a danger game for the Saints, Montagna proved a crucial difference, delivering seven inside 50s from his 27 disposals and a classy poacher’s goal to leave the Western Bulldogs winless.
Lenny Hayes (St Kilda): Major knee reconstructions for the over-30s don’t often have a happy ending, but Hayes looks intent on building his own fairytale. Eight tackles and 30 disposals complemented his best performance so far this year, and made it clear that it wasn’t just his leadership the Saints missed in 2011.
INTERCHANGE
Andrew Carrazzo (Carlton): The unsung hero of Carlton’s midfield, Carrazzo performed the impressive double of keeping Scott Pendlebury to a negligible impact while racking up 29 disposals himself on Friday night. Pendlebury had to be moved to half back after the main interval, and Ratten was understandably glowing in his praise of Carrazzo as the Blues claimed a crucial scalp.
Shaun Grigg (Richmond): Richmond traded for Grigg at the end of the 2010 season in the hope he’d produce games like this one against the Demons on Saturday. Playing on a wing, he had a remarkable 37 disposals and 12 marks, running as hard in the final quarter as he did during the first.
Shane Tuck (Richmond): Tiger fans know what they’ve signed up for when Tuck gets his chance on the team sheet. He was at it again in Saturday, delivering no less than 16 clearances (second only to Ablett on the weekend) and 11 tackles to show a desire for the contest that Melbourne couldn’t match.
Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne): Back from a suspension he believed he should have served in the NAB Cup, Ziebell’s 27 touches were immense against the strong-bodied Cats. While that output alone was impressive, it was his four goals - including a beauty from the boundary to seal the game - that put the icing on the weekend for the delighted Kangaroos.
