• After the siren: The form team ahead of finals wears blue and white
• Finals crystal ball: predicting the week one match-ups

1. There's more than one way to beat the Hawks, but it starts at the contest
On a cold and blustery MCG night in round 18, Richmond stunned the rampant Hawks with a combination of patient possession football and frantic pressure to win the ball back. But after we rushed to pick apart the Tigers' game plan, Port Adelaide outlined its own blueprint for success. In perfect conditions under the Etihad Stadium roof, the Power attacked through the corridor with pace and dare – a formula that has consistently worried the formidable reigning premiers. The similarity between the performances? Beating the Hawks where the match starts: at the contest. Richmond won contested ball by 21, while the Power were +24 on Friday night. Doing it in a final against the likes of midfield bulls Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge won't be easy - though Hodge could yet be suspended for the Hawks' opening final. But the Tigers and Port have given the top eight hope. – Travis King

• Why Luke Hodge could be banned for Hawthorn's first final

2. There's a plausible argument for Nat Fyfe at the Match Review Panel
Nathan Fyfe's chances of escaping a fine and therefore a suspension that would rule him ineligible for the Brownlow medal appear grim. However some hope remains. He attacked the ball low and hard when his opponent Ben Jacobs reached down to pick it up and his forearm made contact with Jacob's head. The Roo tagger went down but was fine to take his free kick. Fyfe did go low, as players are instructed to do, but his ferocious attack on the football meant his elbow caught Jacobs in a vulnerable position with his head over the ball.

The option Fyfe chose was at the less dangerous end of the scale and he may be able to argue the contact was negligible and was incidental to his attempt to pick up the ball. North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein, who was sitting third in the AFL's Brownlow predictor behind Fyfe and Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell before the game, will charge into calculations if Fyfe is suspended. - Peter Ryan

• Has Nat Fyfe just blown the Brownlow? 

3. Nic Nat could be the difference if the Eagles and Hawks meet again
If results go as expected, West Coast and Hawthorn are on track to meet in a blockbuster qualifying final at Domain Stadium just five weeks after meeting at the same venue in round 19. On that occasion, the Hawks claimed the points in an enthralling, tight contest on a wet night, but one man was conspicuous by his absence. Nic Naitanui returned on Sunday after two weeks off following the death of his mother and he dominated in the Eagles' rampaging win against the Western Bulldogs. Naitanui had seven hit-outs to advantage in the first half alone and helped the Eagles to a decisive clearance advantage. His presence in a home final against Hawthorn could swing the advantage back in the Eagles' favour. – Alex Malcolm

4. Tiger Tyrone can be Jack's finals foil
Tyrone Vickery's best-on-ground performance against Collingwood shows he can be a very handy sidekick to Jack Riewoldt this September. With Riewoldt playing a selfless role up the ground on Saturday, Vickery thrived as Richmond's main man in attack. The 200cm Tiger was too strong in the air for a Magpies defence missing the suspended Nathan Brown, taking 10 marks (three contested), while one of his career-high six goals came from a clever snap in general play. As Collingwood kicked itself out of the game with seven behinds in the second quarter, Vickery was a deadeye, returning a perfect 6.0 scoresheet. With Ben Griffiths in doubt for the finals with a finger injury, Vickery now looms as a key part of Richmond's finals campaign. But, as Tigers coach Damien Hardwick noted afterwards, the challenge for him now is to back up Saturday's performance. - Nick Bowen

5. John Longmire can look forward to selection headaches come finals time
The Swans put 20 goals on the Giants with Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid and Adam Goodes all in good touch as talls, and Harry Cunningham, Isaac Heeney, Kieren Jack and debutant James Rose doing well inside 50 at ground level. Considering the Swans have Lance Franklin, Gary Rohan and Ben McGlynn still to return to their forward set up Longmire has some work to do fitting them all in, but it's a great problem to have for the coach. Tippett's ability to play as a ruckman, plus Reid's versatility means that the pair can be used elsewhere if needed, giving the Swans plenty of options. Franklin, Reid, Goodes, Heeney, Rohan and McGlynn looks to be their most dangerous forward line, then you can also throw Tippett into the mix. The competition for spots means the likes of Cunningham, Rose, Brandon Jack and Zak Jones will be putting plenty of pressure on the big guns to fire, keeping the whole side hungry and intense heading into the finals. - Adam Curley

6. Tom Lynch needs to improve his goalkicking
It's hard to be critical of arguably the Suns' best player in 2015 and one of the best on ground against Essendon, but Tom Lynch needs to keep improving his goalkicking. Against the Bombers he was a whisker away from completely taking over the game, but fluffed a number of gettable set shots to finish with 3.3 (and one that missed everything) from six marks inside 50. It almost cost his team victory. Lynch has 37.26 (59 per cent) for the year – only Adelaide skipper Taylor Walker (57 per cent) has a lower strike rate of power forwards inside the top-10. With Jack Martin (also 3.3) another culprit, coach Rodney Eade said the Suns would look to employ people during the off-season to specifically help with goalkicking. - Michael Whiting

7. The Crows won't be finals easybeats
The weekend's results leave Adelaide needing only one further win to reach the finals. And Saturday night's outing – albeit against struggling opposition – has reflected just how damaging the Crows' attack really is. Taylor Walker booted a career-best seven goals against the Brisbane Lions and could have sewn up a Coleman Medal if he'd kicked straighter this year. Eddie Betts is a magician, Charlie Cameron is quickly becoming one, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins are both hugely influential and all are potential match-winners. An elimination final opponent ought to think twice before engaging Adelaide in a shoot-out. - Harry Thring

• Pods kicks a huge bag. Who starred for your club in this weekend's state leagues?

8. St Kilda is one of the feel-good stories of 2015
There were many who predicted the Saints to win back-to-back wooden spoons this year, with some even suggesting Alan Richardson's side might struggle to win a game all season. But their improvement across the season has been one of the positive stories of the year, with their draw against Geelong on Saturday night another step in the right direction. The Saints probably deserved to take home all four points, such was their effort across the four quarters, but had to be happy with sharing them with the Cats. St Kilda's senior players, such as captain Nick Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna and Sam Fisher, are playing important roles, but the form of Seb Ross and Jack Newnes has given the club's midfield another youthful layer. With six-and-a-half wins likely to see out the Saints for 2015, they can set their sights on nine wins next year and really start their move up the ladder. - Callum Twomey

9. Kreuz is the Blues' main man
Since Sam Jacobs left for Adelaide, Carlton has been desperately lacking a significant ruck presence. But a fit-again Matthew Kreuzer gives the Blues a target to aim for around the ground and a player to set the tone around stoppages. The No.1 pick from the 2007 NAB AFL Draft played one of the best games of his career against the Demons, ending the afternoon with 17 disposals, three goals, 22 hit-outs and five tackles. Yet to re-sign with the Blues beyond this season, Kreuzer's importance to the team cannot be underestimated. Long-suffering Carlton fans should be cheered to hear interim coach John Barker say post-match that "Carlton man" Kreuzer is close to putting pen to paper.  – Ben Guthrie

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