It's hard to believe that there are only two rounds left of the 2021 season with the year seemingly flowing by in the blink of an eye.
Round 21 took us one step closer to seeing who will make the eight, however the race for September action is still wide open with the squabbling between teams around the mid-section set to go down to the wire.
Let's now reflect on our Power Rankings and see where the weekend's results left each team.
1. Melbourne (+2)
The Dees held off the fast-finishing Eagles on Monday night in a historic game for the league, with play suspended in the last quarter off the back of lightning strikes in the Optus Stadium area.
Mayzy's reaction sums up how we're all feeling. ๐ #FiredUp | #AFLEaglesDees pic.twitter.com/amzOaf5Nuo
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) August 9, 2021
For all their hardships of the last month, Melbourne moved to top of the ladder with two weeks to go and should solidify their stance this week against the Crows.
2. Western Bulldogs (-1)
The Doggies were upset by the Bombers on Sunday afternoon in a cracking encounter, with Luke Beveridge's side unable to finish the job against the high-flying Bombers.
One would think they would need to win both of their remaining games to secure a top two finish, and will have to be on their game against the Hawks who have been on fire as of late.
3. Port Adelaide (+2)
The Power are looking really dangerous at the minute, this week surviving a close encounter with bitter rivals Adelaide in Showdown L.
Defender Aliir Aliir was imperious down back for Port, putting a stopper in many of the Crows offensive plays with his incredible reading of the game.
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Sitting in fourth and two points off top spot, they are amazingly still in with a chance to get a home qualifying final.
This week they welcome the Blues with scheduling details still to be determined, however this one should be an easy win for Ken Hinkley and his side.
4. Geelong (-2)
The Cats somehow succumbed to the Giants down at Kardinia Park, with the lead blowing out to 38 points at one stage on a shocker of a night for Chris Scott.
Add in the injuries to Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Rohan and Zach Tuohy and things have suddenly gotten bad down in Geelong.
This week they face the Saints who are coming off a huge win over the Swans, with the Cats hoping to keep in the race for the minor premiership.
5. Brisbane (+1)
Brisbane seemed like they were back to their devastating best on Sunday night in Perth, demolishing finals hopefuls Fremantle on their home patch.
Things would have to go perfectly for Chris Fagan's side to make top four from here, and their run of poor form prior to this week might be too much for the side to overturn.
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The Lions face the Pies in Round 22 and one would think they would have to win both their remaining games to have a shot of sneaking into the double-chance spots.
6. Sydney (-2)
The Swans looked untouchable up until this week, with the seemingly lacklustre Saints shocking John Longmire's side down in Melbourne.
With this loss Sydney are still in a position to have a home final, however they would hope the upset against St Kilda would be the last blemish of the home-and-away season.
This week they face North Melbourne who have now proved they aren't pushovers by any stretch and Sydney would be ever wary of this.
7. GWS (+2)
Just when we thought GWS were down and out they go and pull off one of the most triumphant wins in their existence, downing the red-hot Cats in Geelong.
The Giants were fantastic all night, with defender Sam Taylor playing the game of his life to steer his team to a 19-point victory and, more importantly, into eighth spot.
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This week is set to be the deciding factor on whether the Giants play September footy or not, with a grudge match against the Tigers set to have a massive bearing on who makes the top eight.
8. Essendon (+2)
The Bombers produced one of the upsets of the year as they humbled league leaders Western Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon.
With the help of Peter Wright and his staggering haul of seven goals, Essendon now find themselves in the box seat to take eighth spot should results go their way.
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Stuart Dew's Suns are next on the agenda for the Bombers who will have to be flawless from here to make the eight, and look like they could very be that with the football they're playing.
9. St Kilda (+2)
Another shock winner this week were the Saints who, like many other sides wanting to make finals, looked down and out only last week as they were trounced by the Blues.
Their relentless style of play shocked the Swans as four goals from Jack Higgins guided Brett Ratten's side to a ninth win for season 2021.
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Geelong are the next side on the agenda for the Saints who will look to channel GWS' performance from Round 21 and topple the premiership hopefuls to keep their finals dream alive.
10. West Coast (-3)
Finally it seems the Eagles are where they should be on the Power Rankings chart after going down to the Dees at home in a match suspended in the last quarter.
After the resumption of the encounter West Coast came hard and fast at Melbourneย however couldn't overturn the margin, going down by nine points at a wet Optus Stadium.
There is now a genuine possibility that the Eagles could miss finals footy if they lose both their remaining games and will have to beat one of Fremantle or Brisbane to improve their chances of staying inside the eight, with a victory against both making finals a certainty.
11. Fremantle (-3)
The Dockers had a prime chance to beat the Lions here with Chris Fagan's side very much a wounded one, however instead slumped to a horrid 64-point defeat to let their finals rivals back into the fight.
After their performance last week against the Tigers many thought Fremantle could be on for finals but the side now sit in 12th with the worst percentage of any finals contenders.
The odds are now that they won't be able to make September with their remaining two matches against the Eagles and Saints set to spell misery for Justin Longmuir based off of their performance against Brisbane.
12. Richmond (+1)
The first half of Richmond's clash against North was torrid and was some of the worst football the Tigers had played all year.
The second half however was what we have all come to expect from Damien Hardwick's side as they kicked 11 goals to three in the final two quarters to run over the top of the Roos and keep their year alive.
It was Jack Graham who was the best-on for the Tigers, with the hard-running mid seen as the captain-elect once triple-premiership player Trent Cotchin hangs up the boots.
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Their win last week will be in vain if they don't overcome the Giants this week and, based on their win over the Cats, coming out on top against Leon Cameron's side could be a tough ask.
13. Carlton (-1)
Just as we thought Carlton's season still had some life left in it, Gold Coast came and drew a line through it on Saturday afternoon.
It was an arm-wrestle of a match, the type of encounter that Carlton should be winning if they wanted to play finals, however they could not pull the performance out on the day against a previously insipid Gold Coast side.
Next week they face the Power and will likely be in damage limitation mode as Port Adelaide look to rampage on in the lead-up to September.
14. Hawthorn (+1)
It seems as though Alastair Clarkson is trying to ring as many wins out of his Hawthorn side as he can before he departs, this week getting over the Pies convincingly at the 'G.
There is a lot to be excited about as a Hawthorn fan, with the side looking like they have a fantastic base for Sam Mitchell to build upon in 2022.
Tom Mitchell once again put up some insane numbers around the footy and showed his pertinence to this Hawthorn side
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Additionally the Hawks have all but made sure they won't be receiving the wooden spoon this year barring a catastrophic set of results.
Round 22 sees them go up against the Doggies down in Tasmania who will be looking for redemption following their shock loss to the Bombers.
15. Adelaide (-1)
The Crows fell agonisingly short against cross-town rivals Port on Saturday night in Showdown L, with Matthew Nicks' side putting up a valiant display despite the result.
Adelaide lead for most of the encounter but were eventually bested by the quality of opposition in the final quarter.
This week they face the Dees who will be keen to avenge their loss to Matthew Nicks' side earlier in the year which broke their unbeaten streak.
16. Gold Coast (+2)
After their horror performance the week prior at the same venue, the Suns managed to dig deep and overcome the Blues in a surprise result for Stuart Dew and his men.
It was a back-and-forth match for the best part of three quarters before the Suns stood up in the last term to kick away and win by 19 points.
Another week, another best-on-ground display from Touk Miller who is very much in contention for an All-Australian blazer.
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This bodes well for Stuart Dew's job security with this result giving the board some belief that the club are pulling in the right direction.
A huge test awaits Gold Coast in the penultimate round, with a positive result against Essendon set to do even more for the confidence of the squad.
17. Collingwood (-1)
The Pies came up short in a frustrating display against the Hawks on Sunday afternoon, going down by 19 points at the MCG.
It was Collingwood's first half display that really put them on the back foot, with the side five goals down at the long break and being unable to reel it back to a point of great effect.
The Hawks have now jumped Collingwood on the ladder, with Robert Harvey's side now six points off the wooden spoon. They will have to dig deep against the Lions in Round 22 if they wish to make a good account of themselves.
18. North Melbourne (-1)
Things were going swimmingly for the Roos in the first half, heading into half-time 20 points ahead of the reigning premiers.
However the gulf in ability between the two sides was exposed in the second half with the Tigers putting pedal to the metal and piling on 11 goals to run out five goal winners.
North have now moved above the status of league whipping boys in 2021 but now must move into the next phase which is staying competitive for four quarters.
This week they face the Swans who will be hungry for a win to get secure fifth spot on the ladder and more importantly a home final.
