Geelong were on the wrong end of a modern classic on Friday night, going down to a Fremantle outfit with an instantly perceptible chip on its proverbial shoulder.
Adelaide were left at the starting blocks as the reigning, defending, back-to-back premiers put five goals on their nose before they could blink on Saturday night. The margin shrunk and swelled at varying stages of the contest, but Matthew Nicks would be ruing that start as the primary catalyst for Adelaide's September exit.
Both sides must now turn their attention forward to the trade and draft space, with their on-field seasons over.
Geelong, as is their custom, loom as a major player in October, despite missing out on Zak Butters. Adelaide, having missed out on a Zac of their own (only for him to again scorn them on Saturday night), appear to have a quieter off-season ahead of them.
Take a look at what comes next for the two sides!
Geelong
Port Adelaide's wantaway superstar stunned the landscape in nominating the Western Bulldogs as his preferred destination.
The Dogs themselves are believed to have lost hope that the line-breaking midfielder would nominate them; such was the eye-turning pitch Geelong put to the Darley product.
Even after missing out on the year's biggest free agent, the men in hoops have plenty of deals to get done this October.
The Cats are up to their eyeballs in the race for Toby Greene's services, with the romance of a reunion with best mate and front half colleague Jeremy Cameron front of mind for the greatest ever Giant, as is the pull of home as Greene looks to grow his family.
Rowan Marshall officially requested a trade this week, having flirted with the idea in recent years. Geelong have long been interested in the ruckman, and the deal appears more likely than ever to come to fruition, given Tom De Koning's pay packet at Moorabbin.
The Cats seldom have early draft picks, and that will again be the case this year, with Pick 14 now theirs. The Cats will, however, back their talent identification staff; such is their rich and proud history of plucking players from obscurity and turning them into genuine A-graders.
