With the penultimate round of season 2021 done and dusted, there were some big results that occurred over the course of the weekend.
The Bulldogs faltered for a second week on the bounce, the Giants all but booked their finals position and Fremantle finally got one over their cross-town enemies as we head into the last week of the home-and-away season.
Let's now see where each team sits with the shaping of the power rankings chart now very close to being set in stone.
1. Melbourne (-)
The Dees were on song against the Crows on Sunday afternoon, running out 41-point winners thanks to Bayley Fritsch's seven-goal haul.
Forward
Goals
Marks
Tackles
The minor premiership is now Melbourne's to lose and four points against premiership rivals Geelong will be what it will take to make it a certainty with the clash on Saturday night set to be a thrilling encounter.
2. Port Adelaide (+1)
The Power put on an utterly ruthless display, piling on 19 unanswered goals to come from 23 points down and run out 95-point winners against a depleted Carlton side.
The momentum is building 📈
Take a look inside our big win over the Blues 🍿👇#weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/7iL69DzMQD
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) August 16, 2021
The Power will take the confidence from this mammoth win into their huge clash against the Dogs on Friday night, with a win here guaranteeing them a home qualifying final.
3. Brisbane (+2)
The Lions, similar to the Power, performed a demolition job of Robert Harvey's Collingwood, running out 85-point winners on Saturday night in Brisbane.
With Charlie Cameron (six majors) and Joe Daniher (three majors) looking unstoppable down forward, the Lions could still claim a top four spot if the Doggies lose on Friday night.
Forward
Goals
Marks
Goal Assists
They will have to put the woeful West Coast to the sword in order to do so however, with their clash on Saturday at home again set to decide their finishing position.
4. Geelong (-)
The Cats didn't have it easy against the Saints but still managed to get over the line in this one with the final margin being just 14 points.
The loss of star defender Tom Stewart for the season will throw a big spanner in the works for Chris Scott and he will be hoping the rest of his rearguard can overcome the adversity to guide the Cats to a flag.
Their fate will be decided based on how they go against the Dees this Saturday night with Geelong needing a win to secure a home qualifying final.
5. Western Bulldogs (-3)
Things aren't looking too rosy at the Doggies at this point in time, with the side slumping to a bitterly underwhelming 27-point loss to the Hawks.
It isn't the first time this year a top side has been humbled by the Hawks however in the context of the Doggies season, this one is arguably the most significant upset of the bunch.
Should Luke Beveridge's side fail to beat the Power then they could potentially drop out of the top four into the sudden death places - something that seemed impossible only weeks ago.
6. GWS (+1)
The Giants could do no wrong against the struggling Tigers on Friday night, putting the reigning premiers to the sword and effectively ending their finals hopes.
Tim Taranto was incredible up forward in lieu of the suspended Toby Greene and Leon Cameron will be buoyed by the massive performances over the past month his side have dished up.
Midfield
Disposals
Tackles
Marks
GWS have a chance now to sew up seventh spot on the ladder with a win against the lowly Blues on Saturday - a distant prospect only a few weeks ago.
7. Sydney (-1)
The Swans were unlucky to drop a place this week and have done so as a result of their crosstown rival's recent form.
Sydney scraped past a tenacious North Melbourne, with John Longmire's side now looking to sew up a home elimination final as they take on Gold Coast in Melbourne for their final match of the home-and-away season.
8. Essendon (-)
The Bombers are truly riding a great wave of form at the minute, dispatching easily of the Suns on Sunday afternoon to the tune of 68 points.
They are looking real value at this stage of the year, and could easily make a dent in any teams premiership ambitions should they meet them in finals.
This ball movement is a thing of beauty 🙌 pic.twitter.com/8XNXhYHQ0Z
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) August 16, 2021
However they first have to make a certainty of a finals appearance and will look to do so against arch rivals Collingwood this Sunday.
9. Fremantle (+2)
The Dockers finally got one over their bitter rivals West Coast on Sunday afternoon in front of a rowdy Optus Stadium crowd.
It was a brilliant team performance which gives Justin Longmuir and his team a slim chance of still make the eight.
How good are those little moments that make you go 'YES!' 👌 #foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/KCgcG3S1hl
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) August 16, 2021
However they will have to be banking on GWS or the Bombers slipping up against their opponents, with the Dockers having to beat the Saints in Melbourne to give themselves a shot of making their first finals series since 2015.
10. St Kilda (-1)
The Saints looked like they might just make it into the eight after last week but have now all but counted themselves out of a finals appearance with their loss to the Cats on Saturday.
It was a tenacious display but they were outlasted by the class of Geelong despite being in front for large portions of the match.
They will have to beat the Dockers and hope for some freak results to even have a sniff at making the eight from here.
11. West Coast (-1)
The Eagles have finally dropped out of the eight, a move that suitably captures their 2021 season.
Adam Simpson's side went down to the Dockers on Sunday afternoon in the Western Derby, a disappointing result considering the dominance they have had over the fixture in recent times.
They will now have to hope they can beat the Lions in Brisbane and that other results go their way in order to make the eight, with an appearance in September looking like it'd be a very short one if they sneak in.
12. Hawthorn (+2)
The Hawks seem like they can do no wrong at the minute as they made it three on the trot against premiership hopefuls in Western Bulldogs.
The team seems like they've found another gear in the last two months, with the departing Alastair Clarkson seeming like he will go out on a high when he leaves after next week.
This is what you call putting the cherry on top of an already very sweet performance. 😎 pic.twitter.com/wGHv1kZ7RR
— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) August 15, 2021
Speaking of next week the Hawks will likely go in as favourites against the reigning premiers as they look to end the season with four wins on the bounce against Richmond.
13. Richmond (-1)
The Tigers will just be wanting for the year to be over, with another pumping on Friday night at the hands of the Giants compounding their woes.
Damien Hardwick will be scratching his head at what needs to be done over the off-season to rebound from their shocking 2021.
They will be going up against the aforementioned Hawks on Saturday and based off of recent form will likely fall short in Alastair Clarkson's final game as coach.
14. Carlton (-1)
The Blues looked like they were up for it in the first quarter as they went into the first break 23 points to the good.
However what happened next will stick firmly in the minds of the Carlton faithful for many years to come, conceding 19 unanswered goals to head back to Melbourne 95-point losers in what could be the final nail in the coffin for coach David Teague.
The misery is set to continue with their final game being against the red-hot Giants at Marvel Stadium with this encounter being Eddie Betts, Levi Casboult and Marc Murphy's final games as Carlton players.
15. Adelaide (-)
The Crows weren't horrible by any means against the Demons but could not get it done against the premiership favourites, stumbling to a 41-point loss at the MCG.
If it weren't for the seven goals kicked by Bayley Fritsch then maybe things could have been different as they Crows struggle to contain the forward all afternoon.
With this the side now face the Roos at home in their final match for the year, with Matthew Nicks looking to head into the off-season on a high.
16. Gold Coast (-)
The Suns were comprehensively beaten by the Bombers in Geelong, going down by 68 points on Sunday afternoon.
It seems like Stuart Dew is running out of time at the Suns, with the sharks circling and rumours flying around about the future of the Gold Coast coaching role.
They face a stern test against the Swans on Saturday, with John Longmire's side determined to seal a home final.
17. North Melbourne (+1)
North were lucky not to be down in 18th spot this week and only jumped out of bottom place due to the Pies' horror show in Brisbane.
The Roos were very competitive against the Swans and gave them a run for their money, only going down by 14 points.
David Noble has some great foundations to work with this off-season, and a win against the Crows in the final match of the season could further their confidence heading into 2022.
18. Collingwood (-1)
The Pies would be wanting to forget this one as they were given a footballing lesson by the Lions, going down by 85 points in Brisbane.
Whoever takes up the coaching role beyond 2021 will certainly have their work cut out for them as they look to take a transitioning Collingwood side back to the top.
Fortunately for the Pies they have a promising crop of youngsters to work with, and they will be wanting to still upset the apple cart of bitter rivals Essendon on Sunday with Ben Rutten looking to secure their place in the 2021 finals series.
