By the time third season began, Blue Heelers was hailed as the most successful Australian drama on television, also seeing significant changes in life at the station. Storylines included: Maggie discovering her brother Robbie was on drugs; Wayne's death, paving the way for his untrustworthy replacement who eventually was caught falsifying evidence and replaced by strong, independent Constable Deirdre "Dash" McKinley; Tom dealing with his young daughter Anna's pregnancy; PJ and Maggie - who had decided that their kiss meant nothing - were torn apart when Maggie fell for her professor Roman Kellerman (Geoff Paine). While PJ's suspicions about Kellerman proved correct, it severely affected his friendship with Maggie and he chose to leave the station. His charismatic replacement, Detective Johnny Kowalski proved to be no picnic - wooing both the women of the station. When PJ eventually returned, with Kowalski gone, relations between him and Maggie were strained. In the season finale, Maggie saved him from being prosecuted for the murder of a local woman - despite the false allegations of the woman's son Luke Darcy and the season ended with renewed hope for all of the cops.