A dominant performance for the Cats was the response necessary to stamp themselves back in the premiership picture, with Friday night's win leading Geelong to their 12th preliminary final in 18 years.

The Giants showed plenty of fight late to keep the contest interesting, but Geelong were a class above running away 35-point winners behind a five-goal masterclass from Tom Hawkins.

After a disappointing matchup against Sam Taylor in Round 21 - a game where Taylor dominated, accumulating 17 intercept possessions - the 'Tomahawk' bounced back and had out-muscled the young Giant, kicking five goals and recording a game-high 12 score involvements.

Instant impact was seen from returning star Zach Tuohy, who orchestrated the back-half ball movement from the word go with 12 first-quarter disposals, finishing with 31 for the game.

It was a performance that Geelong fans were crying out for after a disappointing qualifying final loss to Port Adelaide had plenty of analysts questioning their legacy if faced with another unsuccessful premiership push.

With the Cats earning a spot in the preliminary final, the worst is yet to come as they face the top of the table Demons on Friday night at Optus Stadium.

The Demons have been enjoying a well-earned week off after their convincing win over the Lions last week. With no injuries of note, the Demons flew out to Perth where they enjoyed a couple of days off before getting intense training and gym sessions at the West Coast Eagles facilities.

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 30: Steven May of the Demons warms up during the round two AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Demons at GMHBA Stadium on March 30, 2019 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The vibe within the Demons camp is of excitement and eagerness, with defender Steven May sharing his coach's message with his side.

"Goody (Simon Goodwin) had to remind us a couple times to look after each other" May said on melbournefc.com.au after a "match-like" session. "it was certainly like an AFL game... we certainly got what we wanted out of it."

The hub hasn't seemed to affect the Demons, who have embraced being away from their friends and family for the collective goal of premiership glory.

"I think the camaraderie, the boys have just been loving each other whilst we've been here (their Perth hub)" May continued. "The boys have just been embracing it."

Their preliminary final matchup against the Cats will be their third meeting of the season, with Melbourne prevailing on both occasions. The last of which thanks to a Max Gawn goal after the siren, completing an incredible 44-point comeback win to steal the Minor Premiership from the Cats.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 13: Max Gawn (left) and Jake Melksham of the Demons celebrates during the 2017 AFL round 21 match between the Melbourne Demons and the St Kilda Saints at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 13, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

That game has since shaped the outcome of the finals to date, with Geelong arguably facing a much tougher run toward their elusive 10th premiership then if they won that famous Round 23 game.

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Despite having the upper hand in their past matchups, it will be no cakewalk for the Demons. A fact that they are well aware of as midfield coach Adam Yze shared with ABC Radio.

“We know that they’re a strong contested team and that came out in their game (Friday night), and they do like to possess the ball,” Yze said on ABC Radio. “So there was nothing really last night that came out of the game that we didn’t already know.

“We know that their good players, if they play well, they’re a big chance of winning any game – that’s the reason they’ve been so consistent and so strong over a long period of time.”

The Demons, will head into the clash heavy favourites, with 48% of our fans still believing they will prevail as 2021 premiers, compared to the Cats 10% from our poll ahead of the second week of finals.

The other semi-final was an epic. With only an inch of percentage between the two sides finishing inside the top four - in which the Lions snuck in thanks to a last minute behind in their Round 23 win against the Eagles - the semi final contest between the Bulldogs and the Lions was always set to be must watch tv.

And boy were we not disappointed.

One of the games of the year saw the Bulldogs ultimately prevail, keeping their hopes of repeating their fairytale 2016 premiership run alive.

In what was pure euphoria for the Dogs was ultimately devastation for the Lions, who would look back at the game as a huge opportunity missed. After dominating the play throughout the first half, the Lions struggled to convert their dominance into scores on the board.

37 inside 50's at half time saw the Lions only with 6.5.41 to their name, a trend that continued with missed targets entering the forward half costing them dearly.

It will be a long off-season for the Lions after a devastating end to their 2021 campaign being made worse with reports coming out that Brownlow medalist Lachie Neale wants a trade back home to WA.

BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA - MAY 11: Lachie Neale of the Lions runs with the ball during the round eight AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions at MARS Stadium on May 11, 2019 in Ballarat, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

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The Dogs however are still alive. And despite doing so in emphatic fashion in the nail-biter win, the population of Footscray will all be holding their collective breath awaiting updates on Marcus Bontempelli's knee injury, with the Dogs skipper set to face further tests later this week.

After playing an enormous game to help them prevail one-point winners, there were scary scenes late in the game with the Bont going down clutching his knee after a physical marking contest.

The AFLPA's Player of the Year didn't take part in the remaining minutes of the game, but when asked post-match was optimistic about it all.

Injuries at the pointy end of the year is a worrisome sign for the Bulldogs, who have already dearly missed the likes of Stefan Martin and Josh Bruce. Losing young forward Cody Weightman (concussion) will mean the Dogs will be fighting an uphill battle as they face a full-strength Port Adelaide side, who have enjoyed a week off.

As we all know, health is your friend come finals. The sides that manage to be as close to full-strength as possible are generally favourites to go all the way, which this season looks to be the two awaiting sides Melbourne and Port Adelaide.

Port Adelaide have such a luxury, that they are still undecided on what lineup will face the Dogs in this Saturday's preliminary final. With tall forward Mitch Georgiades still to come back into the side from injury, Port forwards coach Andrew Bassett claims he doesn't have a preference of whether they will lineup with their three or four tall model.

"We can go both ways," Bassett said at Alberton on Monday morning. "We will pick the best team available."

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 14: Mitch Georgiades of the Power is congratulated by team mates after kicking a goal during the round 12 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Port Adelaide Power at Metricon Stadium on August 14, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

"I think I know which (model is best) ... (but) no (I won't say)," Bassett added. "The great thing is we have really strong depth... Clearly, the team performed well last time we played, so whoever plays we know we have good people to pick from."

Port Adelaide have also been able to enjoy another huge advantage that the other remaining sides have not; sleeping in their own beds.

The luxury of resting and preparing for a legacy defining finals series in the comfort of your own home is an advantage that cannot be understated. In another year of uncertainty that has seen half of the league upended at one point or another thanks again to COVID-19, the South Australian sides have benefited the most thanks to their state's ability to hold the virus at bay.

That same Port Adelaide advantage only gets bigger as it was announced over the weekend that Adelaide Oval's capacity was to be increased to 26,500 fans (50%) for the preliminary final. This will turn the game into the Power's fortress, another obstacle the Bulldogs will be keen to nullify the best they can.

Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval is not an easy road-trip to take, with the Power holding an impressive home record since entering the league.

But getting the win on these terms is a feat that the Dogs are more than capable of, with their Round 9 victory a reminder that the Dogs are hard to beat on their best day. In a game that saw Port's engine room blow a valve, the Dogs managed to dominate in the middle of the ground with +6 in clearances, +11 contested possessions and +44 disposals, all without their two primary ruckman.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 14: Roarke Smith of the Bulldogs during the round 13 AFL match between Port Adelaide Power and the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on June 14, 2018 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

The final round of the season saw the two sides meet again, with Port delivering what was the final blow in the Dogs' fall from the top four.

The sides meet for a third "winner-takes-all" matchup that should set up to be another epic.

According to our fan vote, it looks like Port Adelaide are favourites, with the Power polling 25% to take out the 2021 premiership, in comparison to Western Bulldogs' 9% from last week.

Have the result of the semi final games changed who you think will win the Grand Final? Can either the Cats or Dogs upset the Demons or Power after their weeks off? Cast your vote for the 2021 flag below to have your say this week.