With the home and away season now done and dusted, Geelong have held on to top spot on the Power Rankings table, holding off a fast-finishing Melbourne outfit.
The Blues have seen themselves fall from the eight after their heartbreaking loss to Collingwood on Sunday afternoon, while the Tigers just refuse to go away.
With 23 rounds of football in the record books, here is how Zero Hanger's Power Rankings stand heading into the finals series.
1. Geelong (-)
The minor premiers refused to take their foot off the accelerator on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 85-point win over the Eagles, extending their winning streak to an incredible 13 games.
Having solidified themselves as the premiership fancies, there is truly no other place for the Cats to be other than top of the table, now set to face Collingwood in a qualifying final to determine their September fate.
2. Melbourne (-)
The Demons were back to their polished best on Friday night, beating Brisbane by a comfortable 58-point margin to secure a top two spot.
The reigning premiers look in ominous form heading into finals, having won three of their last five games and now face an in-form Sydney side at the MCG in the qualifying finals.
3. Sydney (-)
The Swans were ever so close to losing their spot to the rampaging Magpies, but showed just enough in Sunday's win over St Kilda to keep their hold on third position.
Sydney managed to leave Melbourne with four points after the 14-point win, but were challenged by the Saints throughout the twilight affair. Now set to face Melbourne away from home in their first September test.
4. Collingwood (-)
The Pies head into September off the back of a memorable win and with a valuable thing in footy, momentum. Their one-point win over Carlton puts Collingwood back on the winners board, somewhere they've gotten quite used to being over the past few months, and secured their spot in the top four.
Have a qualifying final clash against Geelong to look forward to, to be played at a surely packed MCG.
5. Fremantle (-)
With a win over the Giants, Freo maintain fifth spot on the rankings at the conclusion of the home and away season.
While a 20-point win over the struggling Giants isn't indicative of a great performance, it was the Dockers third win in a row heading into September, keeping their Flagmantle hopes alive.
6. Richmond (+1)
Richmond's absence from finals is done and dusted after just one year, having solidified their spot in the eight with a 66-point win over the struggling Bombers.
Forward spearhead Tom Lynch looks in great form heading into September after kicking five goals in the victory, adding extra merit to the Tigers' finals credentials.
7. Brisbane (-1)
The Lions didn't exactly fill anyone with confidence with their Round 23 performance.
While the club has been judged in the past for their ability to give up early leads, they made sure it wasn't an issue against the Demons, ending the match on the wrong side of a 58-point margin after failing to turn the Friday night affair into an even contest. Now face Richmond at the Gabba in what is sure to be a fascinating affair.
8. Western Bulldogs (+1)
The Bulldogs just had to win to keep their September dreams alive, and they did. While they may not be the most convincing team occupying the top eight spots on the table, they have still done enough to keep themselves in contention.
Sunday's win over Hawthorn wasn't a glowing endorsement of the Bulldogs' finals mettle, now set for a tough trip to Perth to take on Fremantle in an elimination final.
9. Carlton (-1)
The Blues tried valiantly, but just couldn't do enough. After overtaking the Bulldogs to reclaim eighth spot last round, Carlton have once again fallen back to ninth spot after failing to get the win over Collingwood on Sunday.
While the Blues were just one point away from making their first finals series in nine years, the narrow margin isn't enough to justify keeping their spot.
10. St Kilda (-1)
St Kilda end the year in tenth spot on the table, having squandered their early season form to miss out on any September action. Sunday's game against the Swans was competitive, with Max King kicking 5.0 to regain some confidence in front of goal.
But like with all things St Kilda, they just weren't quite good enough.
11. Port Adelaide (-)
The Power failed to electrify the competition in 2022. After a prelim final berth in 2021, Port find themselves taking an early holiday in September after failing to qualify for finals.
Saturday night's Showdown win over Adelaide was a positive way to end the season, but a 56-point win over the old arch rivals is a small consolation for an average season.
12. Gold Coast (-)
Finals weren't to be for the Suns this year, but it was a year of improvement nonetheless. Saturday's demolition of North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium to the tune of 67-points shows there is plenty of hope for the future up on the Gold Coast.
Despite their impressive win away from home, there's no movement for the Suns as they contend with several other teams vying for a higher ladder spot.
13. Hawthorn (-)
The young Hawks put in an admirable effort on Sunday afternoon, keeping the Dogs on their toes as they challenged for a finals spot.
In the end, despite their efforts, the rebuilding side wasn't quite good enough. While the Hawks end their year sitting in 13th spot on the table, the future under Sam Mitchell looks promising, with plenty of upward movement expected in the coming years.
14. Adelaide (-)
Losing by 56-points in a Showdown is far from the ideal way to end a season. The Crows end the year in 14th spot, quite reflective of their season as a whole as they try to begin their ascent back up the ladder.
Matthew Nicks' men showed glimpses of promise throughout the year, they just failed to deliver that on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval.
15. GWS Giants (-)
The Giants' season has finally come to an end, finishing with a 20-point loss to Fremantle in Canberra.
To say the Giants have been disappointing throughout 2022 would be an understatement. While the side is far from premiership contention, they surely have enough talent to pull themselves from the bottom rungs of the ladder.
After giving up a 31-point lead to the Dockers to end their season with just six wins on the board, the Giants have plenty to work on heading into 2023.
16. Essendon (-)
If not for the disappointing seasons of West Coast and North Melbourne, the Bombers would find themselves far closer to the bottom of the table than what they are.
A 66-point Saturday night loss to Richmond was quite indicative of where the club finds itself at the conclusion of the home and away season, set to miss out on finals action after an eighth placed finish in 2021.
2022 has been a forgettable season for the Bombers with just small rays of sunshine managing to break through the storm clouds forming at Tullamarine.
17. West Coast (-)
A tumultuous season for the Eagles finally draws to a close. Saturday afternoon's 85-point loss to Geelong wasn't a great watch for West Coast fans, dealt their 20th loss of the season.
A 51-point half-time margin only grew larger in the second half, with Geelong piling on goals against the floundering Eagles, who are now set to begin planning for a hopefully improved 2023 campaign.
18. North Melbourne (-)
North ended the year how they spent much of it, sinking to a big loss on the Marvel Stadium turf. The Kangaroos managed just six goals in the 67 point loss, failing to compete with the dominant Suns for most of the first half to solidify their spot on the bottom of the table.
Fear not though, North fans. Hope is on the horizon in the form of Alastair Clarkson.
