There were plenty of goal celebrations for the Lions at the Gabba on Sunday evening (Getty Images/AFL Photos)

So that's all we have for you for round 18.

Some things (the likely minor premiers) are getting clearer, while other things (like the exact make-up of the top four, six and 10) are clear as mud with six rounds to go.

The big injuries over this weekend of football may play as big a part as anything in the way this season plays out.

If too much football is never enough, you don't have too long to wait! Round 19 starts in four days time.

The banged-up Geelong will host St Kilda at Kardinia Park to kick things off, and we will be back on the blog to bring you every minute.

In the meantime, thank you for joining us - this is Andrew McGarry wishing you all a very good night.

Dayne Zorko is back ... the Lions veteran had 32 disposals on his return to the side against the Bombers (Getty Images)

Dayne Zorko has made up for lost time as Brisbane beat Essendon by 90 points in the Lions veteran's return from injury at the Gabba.

The 37-year-old, off-contract beyond this season, missed seven AFL games with a quadriceps injury but was razor-sharp with 32 disposals in a 22.17 (149) to 8.11 (59) Sunday win.

Essendon had kicked just one goal and amassed 15 points at three-quarter time to trail by 95, before slotting seven majors in the final term — their highest-scoring quarter of the season — to avoid setting unwanted records.

But, thanks to two late Will Ashcroft goals (33 disposals, three goals), the margin was enough for the Lions (11-6) to jump back ahead of Adelaide and into fourth on percentage.

The Bombers sank to 1-16 and were never in the hunt, with Brisbane bathing in space in a low-pressure contest that created several party time moments for the hosts.

Ruckman Sam Draper dummied and fended off two before curling a banana kick through for a wonderful goal against his former club.

Lachie Neale racked up 40 touches and the Lions had nine multiple goal-kickers.

Hugh McCluggage also kicked a goal after missing four games with a calf injury while Kai Lohmann (three majors) followed up his five-goal haul against Geelong last week.

There also appeared to be extra adulation from teammates after Zac Bailey (two goals, five clearances) slotted a goal to finish the first half.

The theatrics came after coach Chris Fagan said this week he was "optimistic" the free agent would stay with the Lions and knock back a big-money deal to join Adelaide.

Peter Wright kicked 3.4 for the visitors while Archie Roberts had a team-high 23 disposals.

Brisbane's Darcy Wilmot collected 23 possessions in his 100th game.

AAP

So here is how the ladder looks at the end of round 18.

The Dockers have a two-game lead over Sydney in second after their win in Perth.

Hawthorn are third, then Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne are half a game back, separated by just percentage. There is just 0.2 between the Lions and the Crows, so no holding back on stretching leads late in games from now on.

The Bulldogs lead the wild card chase, with the leading clubs outside the top 10 two games back on Luke Beveridge's men.

But with St Kilda (10th) to North Melbourne (13th) separated again by just percentage, we are going to be watching the margins in a lot of games for the next few weeks.

• Inside 50s: 69-39 Brisbane

• Clearances: 43-31 Brisbane

• Centre clearances: 17-8 Brisbane

• Contested possessions: 123-106 Brisbane

• Uncontested possessions: 286-175 Brisbane

• Marks inside 50: 20-11 Brisbane

• Tackles: 52-37 Essendon

• Tackles inside 50: 15-3 Brisbane

Conor McKenna kicked two goals as the Lions thumped Essendon (Getty Images/AFL Photos)

This is a solid win for the Brisbane Lions, but it nearly felt like an opportunity missed.

When you lead by 95 points at three quarter-time, the final margin should at least be three figures, and probably substantially in the 100s.

As the siren sounds at the Gabba, the Lions win by 90 points.

The Bombers may have been soundly beaten, but they led most of the last quarter before a late surge from Brisbane made it seven goals to six for Essendon.

Will Ashcroft's two goals deep, DEEP in time on proved quite important.

The win is Brisbane's fifth in a row, and the final scores mean the Lions end the day just a sliver ahead of the Adelaide Crows in fourth.

The Bombers are still going, and Nate Caddy has bagged another goal in the dying minutes here at the Gabba.

The lead is back to 77 points.

The Lions haven't given up on scoring, and they make a solid forward 50 entry, hitting up Sam Draper in the left forward pocket.

He kicks his second!

The edge has gone out of this one for Brisbane, but that was better with a shift forward.

Lachie Neale handballed out to Conor McKenna on the left wing and the Irishman ran on and drilled a lovely kick on a difficult angle.

McKenna's county Tyrone is well out of the All-Ireland Football Championship at home, but the Lions' number 33 has been doing well in recent weeks with regular goals and he has another two tonight.

The Lions have definitely taken their foot right off the pedal, and the Bombers are happy to restore a bit of positivity to the scoreboard.

Sam Durham has just kicked another goal for the visitors - that's their sixth of the final quarter!

It wasn't pretty, but it was pretty effective for the Lions.

A scrambly inside 50 fell to Zac Bailey who kicked the goal through a pack.

Bombers fans must be sitting in the stands at the Gabba asking "where was this the first three quarters?".

Nate Caddy has kicked another for Essendon, and that makes it four goals to one in the final term so far.

There are 13 minutes on the clock. Can the Bombers keep going?

Better from the Bombers!

Isaac Kako has kicked another for Essendon, and the small margins are highlighted - the goal drops the Lions from fourth to fifth on percentage!

The Lions are a little off their level here in the final term.

But Brisbane breaks down the left and sends Charlie Cameron inside 50, and he steers it home for his second.

The familiar chorus of Country Roads starts up in the stands, and the lead is back out to 88 points after a decent start to Essendon with a second goal to Andrew McGrath.

The Bombers have made a start to the final quarter, with an intercept mark, and then a kick inside 50 leading to Peter Wright kicking Essendon's second goal of the day.

What's next?

• Inside 50s: 56-26 Brisbane

• Clearances: 31-24 Brisbane

• Centre clearances: 11-4 Brisbane

• Contested possessions: 99-77 Brisbane

• Uncontested possessions: 214-145 Brisbane

• Marks inside 50: 16-5 Brisbane

• Tackles: 39-29 Essendon

• Tackles inside 50: 13-0 Brisbane

Sam Draper wasn't trying to rub it in after his goal against his old side Essendon (Getty Images/AFL Photos)

Brisbane keep pumping the ball inside 50 right to the end of the term, and Levi Ashcroft took a high shot late on to kick his second of the game.

The Bombers are, quite obviously, in a lot of strife here.

The lead is out to 95 points with a quarter to go, and if heads go down here in the final term then any sort of margin is in play.

As things stand, the Lions are up to fourth spot on the live ladder, a full percentage point clear of Adelaide. And if they hit their straps in the last half-hour, who knows how high they can get?

That was not a passage of play that Essendon would want to watch back.

There seems to be a bit of dew on the ground, as players are starting to slip over.

But two downfield free kicks in the one movement against the Bombers did not help matters, as they went from just outside D50 to Logan Morris kicking from close range.

That's the ton!

We're in time on in the third term, but the lead is out to 89 points. This is shaping as a monster win for Brisbane unless they take the foot off the pedal.

We're halfway through the third quarter and the Bombers are still stranded (or given that we're in Queensland, perhaps marooned) on one goal for the game so far.

The Lions are still streaming forward in search of goals.

They thought they had one there, with Logan Morris marking inside 50, but his kick hooked late to go just to the left, prompting an audible groan from Brisbane fans at the Gabba.

The Lions are 14.12 (96) to this point, and the century should come up soon. The question is how high they can go, and where they will end up on the ladder at the end of the day.

Jacob van Rooyen has continued his sparkling form with an equal career-high six goals as Melbourne secured a comfortable 46-point win over battling Richmond.

The Demons extended their perfect MCG record this year to 9-0, after being given some trouble by Richmond in the first term before coasting to a 16.15 (111) to 9.11 (65) win in front of 32,893 fans.

Sunday's result consolidates Melbourne's position in the top-six, with the Demons virtually guaranteed to feature in at least the wildcard round in Steven King's first season as coach.

After a starring five-goal effort in Melbourne's surprise demolition of Hawthorn last week, van Rooyen took that confidence into a date with the rebuilding Tigers.

He became the first Demons player to have back-to-back five-goal hauls since now-GWS forward Jesse Hogan in 2018.

Kicking just two goals in a lean four-week patch, van Rooyen has notched 14 in his past three appearances.

The 23-year-old's efforts took him to 35 goals this season — his best return in a single campaign since debuting in 2023.

Melbourne colossus Max Gawn put in a typically masterful shift in the ruck, and pushed forward to slot two goals.

His opposing captain and ruckman Toby Nankervis also kicked two goals for Richmond, but Gawn easily won the battle around the ground and in the middle.

Superstar Kysaiah Pickett was serviceable without being game-changing, but still provided arguably the game's highlight — a mark of the year contender after standing on top of Nankervis in the second quarter.

Veteran Jake Melksham played an important role up forward with two goals after being a late inclusion for Harrison Petty (hamstring).

Richmond, who slumped to 2-15 and 10-54 in the Adem Yze era, had a few reasons to celebrate, including when their eighth debutant of the season, Zane Peucker, slotted a goal with his first kick in the AFL and was mobbed by teammates.

Before the match, both teams paid tribute to community footballer Nathan Fitzgerald, who tragically died following on an on-field incident earlier in July.

Fitzgerald, who played for the Epping Football Netball Club, was a diehard Richmond supporter and his brother Matt tossed the coin before the match.

AAP