1. Un-Buddy-believable
All of Buddy Franklin's goal's and goal assists were breathtaking in this clash, but it was his running, bouncing dash and goal from the boundary in the third term which might be goal of the year. The man who enjoyed it most might have been Essendon's Cale Hooker because replays of him trailing Franklin will be replaced with Daniel Talia. Talia and Franklin led up to the members' wing five minutes into the term when the ball went over their heads. Franklin was first back, and the moment the Crows defender slipped everyone sensed something special was about to unfold. Franklin took two bounces as Tallia desperately looked inside for help evoking memories of Hooker when Buddy was a Hawk in 2010. There was no help forthcoming. Franklin even had time for a fumble. In trademark fashion he created a tougher angle than required and slotted it from the boundary. One minute later he and Gary Rohan pcombined for another cracking effort, Franklin brilliantly palming the ball to Rohan who dobbed a 75m bouncing goal.

2. Classic whets September appetite
Hyped-up clashes don't always deliver but this one did in spades. Adelaide and Sydney were pumped up as the two best sides in the competition heading into this clash and few would argue with that assessment post-match. This was a contest from the top-shelf and it felt like it was played at a higher level than we've seen to date in 2017. Sydney came out and put together a memorable first-term with clinical ball handling and hard attack on the ball on a slippery Adelaide night. With Buddy Franklin white hot, the Swans kicked out to a 29-point lead in the second term, but the Crows responded. Adelaide would dominate large periods of the remainder of this contest and perhaps should have won, but the Swans are experts at winning. Down by 10 points 27 minutes into the final term Sydney found a way. Sam Reid kicked a goal following a dubious 50m penalty to Callum Mills. Tom Papley, quiet all night, then pounced on a loose ball to seal an amazing win.

3. Crows' costly 50m penalty 
With the Swans trailing by nine points and just over six minutes remaining, Callum Mills took an intercept mark on his defensive 50. Wanting to get the ball moving quickly, Mills took a step and looked to dish off a handball, but Crows superstar Eddie Betts immediately pounced and laid a tackle. Mills lost the ball and punched the ground in frustration, expecting the call to go against him. However, the umpire hadn't yet called 'play on', so instead of a turnover it was a 50m penalty, much to the frustration of the home fans. The resulting play ended in a Sam Reid mark and goal, which got the Swans back to within a kick. Tom Papley then kicked what turned out to be the final goal two minutes later to seal the Swans' incredible victory.

4. Task still enormous but the Swans will believe
Sydney coach John Longmire won't admit it publicly or privately but, with every brilliant win, a small part of him must be cursing his club's 0-6 start. Even if the Swans started 1-5 they would be clear flag favourites now. They have arguably put together the best back two-thirds of a season since Geelong a decade ago. But the reality remains this: if Richmond wins out as it should and GWS and Geelong avoid disastrous late stumbles the Swans will have to come from the bottom half of the eight to win the flag. We learned last year that coming from the elimination finals is not impossible. If the Swans are forced to do this they will believe. They have now beaten the top four sides - Adelaide, GWS, Geelong and Richmond - on the road in the second half of the year. The level they played for the first 40 minutes of this match was remarkable and they will not be daunted by a trip back to Adelaide if required.

5. Heeney's no tagger
John Longmire followed the 2017 trend of tagging Rory Sloane but his choice was strange. The last time Isaac Heeney came to Adelaide he kicked four goals as an exciting half-forward. On Friday night he was asked to tag Sloane but his lack of experience would prove costly. Heeney gave away plenty of frees as Sloane was awarded six kicks to half-time and eight for the match. The free kicks against the Swans would prove a match trend. At one stage during the third term Adelaide led the count 25-8, with the final count finishing 28-14. Did Dimma forget about Adelaide Oval when he referred to Geelong as the biggest home ground advantage in football?