1. Plenty on the line in Hobart

With finals footy looming large, the four points on offer in Hobart on Saturday took on far more than face value for both the Kangaroos and Swans. Given their struggles during the second half of the season, the eighth-placed Roos desperately needed a win at their home away from home to hold off the fast-finishing Demons. The Swans, meanwhile, were looking to leap to the top of the ladder and all-but lock in a home qualifying final. And while the Roos showed enough to suggest they could match the Swans – they could probably have won if not for wayward kicking at goal in the second half – they may still go to Etihad Stadium next Saturday night needing to beat Greater Western Sydney to secure that finals berth.

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2. Tight and tough

In front of a vocal 16,495-strong crowd that featured more than its fair share of red and white among the royal blue around the ground, players from both sides attacked the ball with an intensity that confirmed just how important victory would be for the winning outfit. Heavy collisions and desperate tackling typified the opening exchanges and by quarter-time the tackle count (24-23 in favour of the Kangaroos) was evidence of the tight nature of the contest. It was the Swans who managed to find their run first, but every time they cleared out to a comfortable lead, the Roos found another gear to reel them back in. The result was a final term played at a frenetic pace with what felt like the closest thing to a 'finals-like' atmosphere available in Hobart.

3. Parker fires early

While the Swans skipped to an early lead on the back of their hard running and fearsome pressure all over the ground, it was the performance of midfield dynamo Luke Parker that really caught the eye. Having racked up 10 touches in the opening 13 minutes, Parker's 11th possession set up a goal to George Hewett on the back of a clean break from the centre square. By quarter-time, Parker had racked up an incredible 16 possessions, including seven contested, as well as five clearances and three inside-50s. Josh Kennedy (12) and Dan Hannebery (11) weren't far behind and given their dominance at ground level it was no surprise the Swans cleared out to a 24-point lead before the Roos found a couple of majors through Nick Dal Santo before the break.

4. Buddy crunched

Injuries to Nic Naitanui and Jon Ceglar on Friday night have rocked the West Coast and Hawthorn camps just weeks out from finals and when superstar forward Lance Franklin hobbled to the sideline midway through the first term, Swans fans may have also feared the worst for a key player. Crunched in a marking contest, Franklin immediately grabbed his left hip and was taken to the rooms shortly after leaving the field. He returned minutes later but lasted just moments before returning to the rooms for further work. Franklin returned again during the break and re-took his place at half-forward to start the second term, but struggled to make an impact and finished the game with no goals and just nine possessions.

5. The Boomer question

Brent Harvey might still be uncontracted for 2017, but his performance on Saturday afternoon again underlined his importance to the Roos – and confirmed to all that the 38-year-old's pace and guile is still very much required at Arden Street. While North's three tall forward options Ben Brown, Drew Petrie and Majak Daw combined for 3.5 between them, Harvey added 3.2 of his own and loomed as the potential spark the Roos desperately needed as they hunted victory during a frantic final term. His 32 disposals led the way for North and with 14 of them contested, he trailed only skipper Andrew Swallow in that department. Coach Brad Scott refused to be drawn on any talk of Harvey's likelihood of playing on in 2017 but until there's a definitive call one way or the other, he can expect to be asked the question regularly.