September has officially arrived, and every team remaining will naturally have optimism.
Fremantle appears to be the clear front-runner for the flag; Brisbane's experience holds it in good stead, and Hawthorn and Geelong are among the challengers.
So what does every club need to focus on?
Hawthorn
Getting hands on the footy
Not since Round 11 has Hawthorn beaten a top six team, with the best in the competition regularly able to get their hands on the footy first more often than the Hawks and then able to chain from stoppage and give them looks in front of goal.
The midfield more broadly has been questioned all year, but holistically it is perhaps not as weak as suggested, with Will Day primed for his first September, Jai Newcombe having gone to another level this year and Josh Ward establishing himself as a very good - rather than gap-filling - midfielder.
But their ability to defend if they don't win the footy is concerning and puts pressure on the backline, which has probably accentuated the indifferent form of Tom Barrass.
It's not just that Hawthorn is beaten at the source - it is that opponents are then able to score, with losses to Fremantle and Brisbane concerning examples.
