Individual acts in games can sometimes help spur a team on to victory.

Whether it is a goal-saving tackle, a spectacular mark or an important goal from the boundary – such moments can often have lasting effects on a team.

I thought the entire team really lifted after quarter time of our match against Richmond last Saturday – but there were two specific incidents which really stood out on the field.

The first was Luke Power’s contested mark running back with the flight of the ball against Tigers forward Jack Riewoldt in the second quarter.

It was as good as any mark I have seen so far this season – particularly given he took it against one of Richmond’s key forwards.

At only a touch under 180cm and 80kg, Luke may not be the biggest guy out on the field, but he is as tough as they come.

His mark probably saved a certain Richmond shot on goal and set an example for the rest of the team to follow.

Troy Selwood was another one who really put his body on the line for the team.

Troy is one of the most fearless and courageous players in the AFL in my opinion, although quite often his bravery results in him getting hurt.

This happened again last Saturday when he literally approached a contest ‘head on’ and collided with Tigers defender Alex Rance. It was a sickening head collision that was shown on the MCG replay screen half a dozen times after the incident.

The reaction from the crowd was enough to know that something pretty serious had happened.

Both guys showed nothing but commitment for the ball and ended up motionless on the ground.

Fortunately both guys came out of it okay considering the impact. Unfortunately Troy won’t play this week because of the lingering effects of the hit while young Rance suffered a fractured cheekbone which will keep him out for a few weeks. But the alternatives could have been far worse.

Vossy made mention of Troy’s commitment to the team during our three quarter time huddle and stressed that we needed to get the job done as his team-mates.

As it turned out, we kicked the first few goals of the last quarter and ran out comfortable winners.

After the final siren, I think every player went across and acknowledged Troy who had since regained consciousness and was sitting on the bench.

While these are probably the two incidents that stood out most on the weekend, they certainly aren’t the only ones that helped inspire our team.

I could have also included any of Browny’s four clutch goals up forward which kept us in the contest, Sammy Sheldon’s strong tackle, Daniel Merrett’s run from defence, Simon Black’s running goal in the third quarter – the list goes on.

The truth is, while stand alone incidents can help lift a team out on the field, it’s then up to the rest of the players to respond and do their part. I believe we did that on the weekend – and we ended up getting the four points.