The big winner of Round 9 is...
GWS Giants, who joined Geelong in the top eight by snapping a three-game losing streak with a very gritty and impressive four-point victory.
It was the Giants' fifth consecutive win at GHMBA Stadium, which is notoriously one of the toughest venues to win at for any travelling team, and it took place despite tagger Toby Bedford being a late withdrawal from their midfield.
The victory was built upon the foundations of what Giants coach Adam Kingsley cheekily described as a "reasonable" seven-goal haul from star forward Jesse Hogan, who has booted a total of 18 goals in his three victorious appearances this season to underline what a crucial asset he is to the side.
With their fourth 100+ point haul of the season, and what now stands as the fifth best defence for points conceded per game (76.4), the Giants should take a lot of confidence forward into a trio of what they must consider very 'winnable' games against Fremantle (home), Carlton (away) and Richmond (home).
At the very least, they should be aiming to spend another three weeks inside the top-eight.
The big loser of Round 9 is...
Sydney Swans, who dropped to 14th with their third loss from four starts as betting favourites this season.
They've enjoyed a recent record at Marvel Stadium rivalling the one of their crosstown rivals down the Princes Highway to Geelong and, heading into the game with an aggressive running half-back setup, were expected by many to be too slick for an Essendon side that was missing key defender Jordan Ridley.
There was much to be admired about their effort and belief after three-quarter time but their execution was lacking, especially in front of goal where they had a set shot accuracy of about 40%.
The Bombers dug especially deep in the final five minutes and found another wind to be able to control possession and ice the game just when the Swans were on the charge.
Along with the loss to Gold Coast where they had a six-goal first term and defeat to Port Adelaide when they kicked 5.8 in the final quarter, this will go down as another one that Sydney perhaps should have won.
Coleman Medal leaderboard
There's no guesses who all of the Coleman Medal focus was on this week, with Jesse Hogan's big bag shooting him up to second on the table despite having played only seven games.
Mark of the Year: Round 9 nominations
Great vertical leap here from Essendon's Sam Durham at full stretch!
Similarly for Dougal Howard, this time behind a bigger pack...
Our favourite mark of the week may not be the most aesthetically spectacular, but this was a very brave grab from Adelaide's Irish import Mark Keane, who had eyes only for the ball.
Goal of the Year: Round 9 nominations
Two of the three nominees for this weekend came from the Showdown, one of which was this crucial steal from Jason Horne-Francis to bring the margin back to two points on the verge of three-quarter time.
It wasn't long after that Adelaide took control of the final term, helped along by Izak Rankine's best audition for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
A long sprint into an open goal from a small forward never gets old and, in the fourth quarter with the Hawks getting away, Kozzie Pickett had something else to say!