Three rounds remain in the 2022 home and away season, with the battle for top eight positions starting to get very interesting.
Fremantle and Brisbane both disappointed over the weekend, while Geelong continued their impressive form. With movement up and down the Power Rankings table, the Pies have broken into the top four off the back of their tenth consecutive win.
Heading into Round 21, here's how Zero Hanger's Power Rankings are shaping up.
1. Geelong (-)
The Cats continue to impress on the run home towards finals, claiming a win over fellow finals contender the Western Bulldogs by 28 points on Saturday night. It was a jovial affair at GMHBA Stadium as the Cats celebrated Joel Selwood's milestone game, while sending a message to the rest of the competition with a dominant display in the premiership quarter.
With very winnable matches to come against St Kilda, Gold Coast and West Coast and holding a four-point advantage over the second-placed Demons, it's hard to see Geelong finishing anywhere but at the top.
2. Melbourne (+1)
After a mixed run of form recently, the Demons have reclaimed a spot in the top two after an impressive performance over Fremantle. In what was billed as a Friday night finals preview, Melbourne outclassed the Dockers from the get-go, soaring to a 46-point win away from home.
The Dees next face Collingwood in Round 21 in a battle for a top two spot.
3. Brisbane (-1)
The Lions' second-half performance in Round 20 was disappointing as they struggled to contain Richmond's surging momentum, with big ramifications for their finals campaign. Brisbane now find themselves hovering outside of the top four on the AFL ladder behind Sydney on percentage alone, in for an interesting run home against Carlton, St Kilda and Melbourne.
While the first half of their loss to the Tigers showed plenty of promise, the Lions failed to answer questions about their inability to defend under pressure, leaving even more questions about their premiership credentials.
4. Collingwood (+1)
The Pies just can't lose at the moment. Saturday afternoon's win over Port Adelaide brings Collingwood's winning streak to an incredible ten games, now positioning themselves in the top four with just three rounds left.
Momentum is a golden word in footy, and the Pies have plenty of it. Tough matches against Melbourne, Sydney and Carlton are now the last roadblocks between Collingwood and a prime ladder position heading into September.
5. Fremantle (-1)
The echoes of Flagmantle drifting around the competition seem but a distant memory heading into the final three rounds of the home and away season. The Dockers haven't won a match since Round 17 against St Kilda, losing to finals-bound Sydney and Melbourne, and playing out a draw with Richmond and have slipped to sixth position on the AFL ladder.
Freo have shown plenty throughout the season thus far and need to get some wins back on the board before September comes around.
6. Sydney (-)
The Swans did exactly what was expected of them against a lacklustre GWS in Round 20. The highly touted midfield dominated while the forward line clicked, giving the Swans plenty of steam heading into September. Stiff not to climb higher on the standings, but still have three rounds left to prove themselves.
7. Richmond (+2)
Richmond pulled off a mighty win against Brisbane, despite being as much as 42 points down at one point. Given 2022 has been a season in which the Tigers have struggled to win close games, this was a handy win to leave the club just two points behind the Saints in seventh spot.
8. Carlton (-1)
The Blues fall a spot after a loss to the Crows in Adelaide, putting a pause on early September plans. Carlton managed just eight goals on the weekend, exposing some major issues that need to be rectified if the Blues want to feature in finals. Need a win against the Lions in Round 21 to get back on track.
9. Western Bulldogs (-1)
The Dogs were outclassed by premiership fancies Geelong on Saturday night, but still find themselves firmly in the finals conversation. Have arguably one of the easier runs home of those contending for the final spots in the eight, facing Fremantle, GWS and Hawthorn.
10. St Kilda (-)
Sometimes a win can almost feel like a loss, that seems to be the case with the Saints this weekend. While their 12-point victory over Hawthorn did keep their finals chances alive, the fact that it was only a two-goal margin at the final siren is of concern for Brett Ratten's side.
The Saints face a tough run home, facing Geelong, Brisbane and Sydney. If they can manage to pull off enough wins to find themselves in the top eight, they would have silenced some critics along the way.
11. Port Adelaide (-)
The Power fought the Pies all the way to the end, as many have done this season, but couldn't walk away with the four points. Port's tall forwards seemed to struggle against Collingwood, with Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall combining for just two goals.
Finals are out of reach now, but winnable games are still on the horizon, with a looming Showdown an opportunity to end an otherwise disappointing season on a high.
12. Hawthorn (-)
The Hawks at many stages looked like they were staring down the barrel of a big loss, but managed to whittle down a St Kilda lead to be down by just 12 points at the final siren. Hawthorn were no where near their best that we've seen under Sam Mitchell, but the last remaining rounds will be interesting to watch as the club continues to rebuild.
13. Gold Coast (-)
The Suns kept their ever-so-slim finals chances alive with a win over the Eagles, but didn't exactly set the competition alight while doing so. Gold Coast now sit two games outside of the eight with matches to come against Hawthorn, Geelong and North Melbourne.
14. Essendon (-)
A five-goal haul from Jake Stringer helped Essendon to a big 48-point win over North Melbourne. The Bombers, after a disappointing first half of the season, have now won four of their last five matches, with another winnable one against the Giants looming next. It was a solid performance from the Bombers, but given it was against the struggling Kangaroos there's no movement up the table.
15. Adelaide (+1)
Adelaide performed well against the potential finals-bound Blues, pulling off an upset win as their veteran forward Taylor Walker impressed. Led by the stellar efforts of Ben Keays, the Crows fought back against a four-game losing streak to show some fight in the late stages of the season.
16. GWS (-1)
The Giants dished up a performance which was labelled disappointing by interim coach Mark McVeigh against the Swans and continue their descent down the rankings. While the Giants were never expected to set the competition on fire this season, they do have enough talent in their side to make 2022 seem a little inexplicable. Have three remaining games to prove they still want to be on the field.
17. West Coast (-)
West Coast pushed the Suns right to the final siren, putting in another competitive performance. While Adam Simpson's side hasn't shown enough to lift from the bottom two spot, they do have three rounds left to snag an unlikely third win for the year.
18. North Melbourne (-)
More of the same from the Kangaroos, remaining on the bottom after a 48-point loss to Essendon. After a break through win in Round 18 after the departure of David Noble, the Kangaroos have had big losses to bottom eight teams in the Hawks and Bombers, leaving them firmly on the bottom of the table.
