• Finals crystal ball: Week one predictions, plus how the Tigers can finish ninth
• Make your September forecast with the 2014 ladder and finals predictor
• Nine things we learned from round 22
• Around the state leagues: Veteran Swan's case for a recall
• Fantasy round review: Midfields crumble at crunch time

SATURDAY night's Hawthorn-Geelong clash might have told us plenty about what the next five weeks holds for both clubs. Or it might have told us nothing.

It might have told us that Geelong's hold over Hawthorn has disappeared for good, or simply that that Saturday night's game was the best-attended (72,505) practice match ever.

What we know is that when the Cats can play that fast, corridor game on their terms, they are tough to beat. They had 100 more possessions than Hawthorn in the first half, led by five goals at half-time and it could well have been eight given their superiority.

Did the Hawks unlock their key to beating Geelong in the second half? Quick ball movement and repeated entries inside 50 didn't allow the Cats to set up from defence and get that fast ball movement.

The psychology from both coaches was fascinating. Winning coach Alastair Clarkson said similar footy from the Hawks will not get the job done in September. The vanquished Chris Scott said the game was ideal for Geelong's preparation for September.

And there were more apparent contradictions. It was the Hawks who had two days less to prepare and had to deal with a game in warm conditions in Perth last weekend, yet they finished far stronger.

Put that down to the empowerment that Clarkson allows such a veteran group. Players were free to fly to Perth two days before the game if they felt it gave them the right preparation for the Fremantle game. And despite the short week ahead of the Geelong clash, several players took the option of remaining in Western Australia the night after the game and returning at their leisure the following day.

The players were also entrusted with their own recovery sessions after the game rather than some mandated "be here at this time" session. Sam Mitchell told this column on Saturday night that there is a strong element of trust within the playing group. And after such a trying season to date and with a big month ahead, "that makes a big difference."

Sunday takeaways

1. Three goals each to Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters for Fremantle against the Brisbane Lions. Based on the evidence of the past few weeks, the Dockers might be able to keep the scoreboard ticking over just that little bit more come September. Has Ross Lyon found his two extra goals a week?

WATCH: Showreel - Ballantyne and Walters together again
2. By the same token, six to Lance Franklin, four to Kurt Tippett and two to Adam Goodes (Sam Reid didn't play at all) bodes well for the Swans this September. And well done to Franklin for another Coleman Medal (memo Swans fans, he did win a couple before moving to Bondi and partaking in the culture).

3. No concerns about the Tigers merely getting the job done against St Kilda on Sunday evening. They firmly have their eyes on their 'elimination final' against the Swans next week. And you would imagine 10,000 Tiger fans might make the journey north to support them.

4. Three goals on debut from Spencer White will be enough to keep Saints fans excited over the summer. Moved well, nice left foot. Just needs to develop a tank.

Determination > talent

Collingwood was truly off Broadway on Saturday, playing out in the boondocks of the AFL (Homebush) in the less-than-fashionable 4.40pm timeslot.

Among those playing for the biggest club in the competition were the less-than-household names of Josh Thomas, Tim Broomhead, Sam Dwyer, Ben Sinclair, Tony Armstrong and Jackson Ramsay. No disrespect to them, but this was arguably the least-talented team put out by the Magpies since the Tony Shaw era of the late 1990s.

Yet they eked out a famous win. They have won 11 from 21 but this is in the best three of the year, up there with the Sydney Swans in round two and Anzac Day against Essendon four weeks later.

Never mind the long list of stars that didn't make the trip, the Pies then lost Dane Swan and Clinton Young to hamstrings and devastatingly, Brent Macaffer to another ACL. Granted, the Giants had a few out as well but in terms of available talent, the scales were pretty even.

Yet after twice trailing by nearly four goals in greasy conditions, the Pies finished all over the Giants for a win to savour, one that keeps them in the race for the finals.

Whether they can field a competitive team if they somehow do make it to the finals remains to be seen. They need to get over bogey team Hawthorn on Friday night and still hope other results go their way.

It has been fashionable of late to pile on Collingwood, and chief executive Gary Pert was ill-advised in his remarks earlier this year about a top-four finish, which created unrealistic expectations about the football club. But there was a lot to like about the win over the Giants because given events of the last fortnight, the Magpies could almost have been excused for putting the remainder of 2014 in the "too hard" basket.

QUESTION TIME

Can Port Adelaide beat Fremantle next Saturday?
What we know about the Power is they won't die trying. That frenetic, almost kamikaze-like running game appears to be back after a sluggish couple of months. Interestingly, the second half of the Hawks-Cats game could provide some sort of blueprint. As noted, when the Hawks moved the ball quickly, the Cats couldn't set up in defence. By the same token, Port will need to take Fremantle on, move the ball at speed to try and break through the formidable Freo defensive zone. Do that, and as long as Justin Westhoff, Jay Schultz, Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard take the opportunities presented, then Port has a fighting chance.

Should Jimmy Bartel be called to account for his dive?
Should be, but won't be. Bartel is a champion, a better player than that and when you win a Brownlow and play in three premiership sides, this episode will not define him in the way it might someone like Lindsay Thomas. But Hawthorn fans have been waiting five years to rag on Bartel since the "point of the century" and didn't waste the opportunity. There were lots of images of Bartel with diving gear and Olympic divers on social media and the Hawthorn message boards on Sunday.

Has it been a wasted season for the Crows?
That's two seasons out of the finals for Adelaide after the barnstorming run in 2012 that finished one kick shy of the Grand Final. Lose the first three games of the season and you're playing catch-up for the rest of the season, and after squaring the ledger at 3-3, the Crows could not string together more than two wins on the trot for the remainder of the year. They'll be disappointed not have turned Adelaide Oval into a fortress in quite the same fashion as Port Adelaide and will rue home losses to Melbourne and Richmond, when they were in positions to win both games. Indeed, Adelaide's ability to hold onto leads became an issue as the season progressed.

They also need to help Patrick Dangerfield. The Adelaide champ is cooked as the end of the season approaches but the fortunes of the side too often rest on his shoulders. Adelaide's other big issue is that their big three – Dangerfield, Rory Sloane and Taylor Walker – are out of contract at the end of next season. Item No.1 for the new chief executive will be to get these deals sorted because otherwise, it will cast a huge pall over the club in 2015.

Watch the last two minutes from Saturday's North Melbourne-Adelaide thriller


Ashley Browne: Collingwood can't beat Hawthorn with a full-strength side, so you can forget the Pies making the eight. If John Longmire makes good on his promise to play his best available side, the Tigers won't beat them. Richmond has played some good footy during the eight-match winning streak that has captivated us all, but they haven’t beaten a top-shelf side like the Swans. Which leaves us with Sunday's games. West Coast should beat Gold Coast, while Adelaide should do the same to St Kilda. Indeed, if the Crows do a number on the beleaguered Saints, they could make up enough percentage to squeeze in. But my (Monopoly) money is on West Coast. And yes it is a tough call.


AB: Like the sentiment in the banner. Try and hit the Swans where it hurts. Now, according to Wikipedia, the Westgate Bridge certainly has the Sydney Harbour Bridge covered for length, but not for height. And at least the Dogs cheer squad was smart enough not to talk about the view. I think the Sydneysiders might take the points there as well.

AB: From my vantage point, which happened to be pretty close to where Jarryd Roughead and Joel Selwood tangled, it was just a case of push and shove and over in an instant. I would expect the Match Review panel to take a look at it and move on quickly. But you can point to the incident as a bit of a turning point in the game; it is as if Roughead had determined that enough was enough and after half-time, the game was played out on different terms.



AB: Get out the popcorn on Brownlow night because this one is going to be a doozy. Gary Ablett will jump to a massive lead and then we're going to wait and see which players can reel him in over the last seven rounds. Port coach Ken Hinkley estimates eight best on grounds for Gray, which would nearly win him the medal. My (Monopoly) money is on Ablett to hang on. I'm not sure whether any of those close enough will catch him over the final few rounds.