• After the siren: Get set for an elimination final with added spice
• Make your September forecast with the 2014 finals predictor
• Nine's a charm: How Richmond stormed into September
1. Fremantle can kick a winning score in finals
Coach Ross Lyon spoke at the Dockers' 2014 pre-season launch in March about their desire to kick two extra goals a week. Over the past three weeks the Dockers have delivered scoring power in spades against good opposition. They've kicked 17 goals against Hawthorn, 15 against the Lions and 16 against Port Adelaide. Matt Taberner has stood up to provide support for Matthew Pavlich. Michael Walters has added an extra element after missing much of the year and they still have Nat Fyfe to return from suspension. The Dockers concede on average only 70 points per game this season. If they can continue to score in finals they will be tough to beat. - Alex Malcolm
WATCH: Match highlights - Fremantle v Port Adelaide2. Jordan Lewis has to be a strong Brownlow chance
In what shapes as a thrilling Brownlow Medal count, it could all come down to round 23. If it does, and Hawthorn midfielder Jordan Lewis is still in the mix, he can be comfortable that he put his best foot forward against Collingwood. Lewis is the popular tip to win the Hawks' best and fairest after a career-best season, and he was arguably best on ground on Friday night, finishing with 33 possessions, 11 marks and a goal. He was one of six Hawks to finish with 20 or more uncontested possessions (24), compared to the Magpies' zero, winning the ball both inside and outside and using it with precision. - Nathan Schmook
3. You still don't know what you're going to get from Essendon
It's driving Mark Thompson nuts – the fact the Bombers seem incapable of playing four quarters of football. There's no denying their best is impressive but when they're not on, they do things like cough up a 30-point lead to a non-finalist like Carlton by quarter-time, and then allow a 27-point advantage to be squandered into a drawn result. North Melbourne will no doubt be anticipating next week's elimination final against them, as long as the Kangaroos are prepared to ride the waves of form the Bombers tend to play with and strike when they're having their off moment. - Jennifer Phelan4. The Tigers are ready for the 'Portress'
Richmond's thrilling three-point victory over the Sydney Swans on Saturday was its ninth in succession and secured a finals berth that looked impossible two months ago. The Tigers' reward? A trip to Adelaide Oval to face Port. The Power fans will be crammed into the redeveloped ground and no doubt in full voice, but it is unlikely to bother the Tigers. They were at the ground just over two weeks ago, upsetting the Crows in Adelaide to keep their finals push alive. It was only back in round 17, meanwhile, that Richmond met the Power, ending that day with a strong 20-point win. As coach Damien Hardwick said after beating the Swans, their end to the season means they fear no one. - James Dampney
WATCH: Tigers hold firm in a famous fourth quarter5. Lenny Hayes gave it everything
Sunday marked the end of St Kilda champion Lenny Hayes' career, after 297 senior games. The three-time All Australian, three-time St Kilda best and fairest and the 2010 Norm Smith Medalist needed eight tackles on Sunday to break former Sydney Swan Jude Bolton's career-record of 1490 tackles and finished with 13 for the day to make him the League's most prolific tackler of all time. Hayes gave the game and St Kilda everything he had to offer and while he'll be missed at Moorabbin, but with a host of young up-and-coming talent his legacy will be long-lived. - Harry Thring
6. The post Dean Cox era looks A-OK
After the Eagles champion played the final game of his glittering career against Melbourne last weekend, West Coast got its first glimpse of life without Dean Cox against the Suns. While Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett had been tried in combination earlier in year, this would be the first time with the safety net of Cox no longer there. They thrived. Lycett dominated part-time Gold Coast ruckman Sam Day to collect 21 touches, 29 hit-outs and eight marks, while Naitanui finished his season strongly with 12 disposals, 28 hitouts and three goals. They will face much sterner exams in 2015, but if Sunday is any indication, the Eagles are still in good hands in the ruck division - Michael Whiting
7. North's new boys are picking up forward slack
North Melbourne's forward line has been hit with its fair share of injuries this year, with Robbie Tarrant, Majak Daw and Robbie Nahas all sidelined for lengthy periods. But in their absence 2014 debutants Ben Brown and Kayne Turner have shown enough to suggest they could eventually become key players in the Roos' attack. Against the Demons, both played the best games of their short careers. Playing his eighth game, Brown, 200cm, took five marks inside North's forward 50 and kicked 3.2, while Turner, in just his third game, kicked a game-high four goals and laid five tackles. Although their best is undoubtedly ahead of them, Brown and Turner already look capable of playing important cameos this September. - Nick Bowen
8. Mitch Duncan might be the competition's most improved player
Geelong's smooth-moving midfielder was already a very good player before this season. But in the past six months he has taken his game to a new level. Further evidence of that came on Saturday night at Simonds Stadium when Duncan produced a best on ground performance in the Cats' 62-point win over the Brisbane Lions. The 23-year-old finished with a game-high 35 disposals and also had four score assists and won seven clearances. He now has a big role to play in Geelong's finals campaign, and when that is done he is a big chance to finish in the top three in the club's best and fairest. - Adam McNicol
9. A mid-table finish beckons for the Giants
The ambitious Giants are targeting 8-10 wins next season, according to CEO Dave Matthews, and on Sunday's evidence that's not out of the question. With only five players aged over 21, and without injured forwards Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton, GWS showed more verve, dare and potency for long stretches than the Dogs, who had plenty to play for in Daniel Giansiracusa's last hurrah. A finals berth in 2016 is on the radar for GWS – who won six games this season - and an era of sustained success looms for the AFL's youngest club. – Travis King
