IN THIS week's Nine Things We Learned, we discover Buddy Franklin might well be finished, Matt Crouch remains a force plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round 20 of the 2023 season.

1) Lach-ing down Neale is key to stopping the Lions

Brisbane's Brownlow medallist is no stranger to being in the crosshairs of the opposition, but Touk Miller reminded everyone on Saturday night how slowing down Lachie Neale is a step towards slowing down the Lions. Miller made it his mission to run with Neale for all four quarters, blanketing the best clearance player in the AFL while also gathering 29 disposals himself and testing Neale with his hard two-way running. While Brisbane reconfigures its midfield following the season-ending knee injury to Will Ashcroft, the Lions' co-captain can expect close attention from opponents for the remainder of the season, and particularly in September. – Michael Whiting

2) The Dees have finally found their best forward mix

It's been an area the Demons have tinkered with all season, but they might have finally found the forward line combination that's going to take them deep into September. Harrison Petty (six goals), Jake Melksham (four) and Jacob van Rooyen (four) were unstoppable in attack as Melbourne flexed its muscles in an old-fashioned shootout at the MCG on Sunday. It's getting harder and harder to see how Brodie Grundy can break back into this finals-bound side, particularly when Petty puts on a show like he did on Sunday. – Alison O'Connor

3) The Saints do have another gear after all

St Kilda's finals credentials have been questioned but they may have silenced some of their critics with a stunning first quarter against Hawthorn on Sunday. Ross Lyon's team proved it can score big and quickly, piling on nine goals in the opening term at Marvel Stadium as it looked almost unstoppable, dominating centre clearances and scoring at will. The Saints' 9.2 (56) kicked in the first quarter bettered any opening half they have produced this year. The 19.8 (122) they finished with was their highest score of the season and just the second time they have kicked 100-plus points. It came against a bottom three side, but the Saints proved they can hit the accelerator, and all without injured gun forward Max King. – Dejan Kalinic

4) We might not see Buddy again

Just last week, there was talk of Lance Franklin possibly playing on in 2024. Within days, that has turned to concern the famed forward may have already played the last game of his brilliant career. Franklin was subbed out of Sydney's win against Essendon on Saturday night with calf tightness, with scans to assess the full extent of the damage. With just four rounds remaining and most expecting Franklin to retire at the end of the season, any kind of injury could rule him out for the rest of the year. As long as finals are a possibility, John Longmire will want to have his match-winning ace up his sleeve, while the rest of the football world will want a chance to farewell the legend, most likely at the SCG in round 24. Either way, it makes sense to keep Buddy on ice and hope we get to see him again. – Howard Kimber

5) The Giants are a genuine September threat

The Giants are no longer a novelty, they're firmly in the premiership conversation. That may seem hard to believe after being 3-7 after 10 rounds, but GWS's seven-game winning streak has seen a distinct and dangerous game style emerge under new coach Adam Kingsley. When the Giants executed their famed orange tsunami surge footy off half-back in the second half of Saturday's win over the Dogs, the game flipped on its head as they reeled in a 35-point deficit. Game style aside, the Giants' triumph in Ballarat improved their away record to 7-3 in 2023. It was the ninth venue they've won at this year and winning away from home will be essential to any potential September charge, given they'll likely need to come from outside the top four. - Ben Somerford

6) This Crow is still one of the game's best ball winners

Matt Crouch is far from done yet. Matthew Nicks has been reluctant to play the All-Australian in the same midfield as Rory Laird across the past 18 months, but after proving he can still play at the level last weekend against Melbourne when he replaced the injured Laird, the 2017 Malcolm Blight medallist backed it up with a timely reminder of his quality against Port Adelaide on Saturday night. The 28-year-old finished second in the Showdown Medal after amassing 32 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 12 clearances, 10 score involvements and seven inside 50s. Crouch is out of contract at the end of the year and has shown he should still be on a list next year, even if it isn't at West Lakes. - Josh Gabelich

7) Carlton's midfield runs deep

Heading into Friday night's match against Collingwood without young gun Sam Walsh and losing Adam Cerra halfway through the game, one could be forgiven for expecting the Blues to struggle at the contest against the Pies' midfield. But what played out couldn't have been further from that expectation with the Blues winning the clearances by 10 and the contested possession count by 33 in their 17-point win over the Pies. Granted, Cerra set the tone early, winning six clearances in the opening half, but the rest of the midfield rose to the occasion. Captain Patrick Cripps finished with seven clearances, substitute Paddy Dow five and Blake Acres four. At the contest, Nic Newman, George Hewett and Cripps combined for 31 contested possessions, an encouraging sign for the Blues as they eye off a first finals series since 2013. - Gemma Bastiani

8) The Cats are running out of time

Many have tipped the Cats to cause chaos in September, but Chris Scott's men are running out of time to even make the eight. Saturday's shock loss to Fremantle has Geelong in a race against the clock, with the door starting to close on its premiership defence. The Cats finished round 20 outside of the eight and with plenty of other teams jostling for a finals berth, they now face an uphill battle in the coming weeks. Dates with Port Adelaide and Collingwood await, and that challenge will likely be compounded by injuries to key players Mark Blicavs and Tom Hawkins. Jeremy Cameron was well below his best against the Dockers, and while Scott is confident Cameron can turn it around "really quickly", he'll have to do it against the competition's two best teams. With Greater Western Sydney and Carlton finding form as they make a late play for finals, Geelong's dip couldn't have come at a worse time. – Sophie Welsh

9) Paul Curtis is an even better find than we thought

Small forward Paul Curtis turned the game on Sunday and ensured it didn't spiral out of control early for North Melbourne after West Coast opened up a 31-point lead in the second term. Many suspected the Kangaroos had found a potential star in the 20-year-old small forward and his four goals in the second quarter – giving him a new career-high in his 32nd game – would have confirmed their beliefs. Pick No.35 in the 2021 draft, Curtis converted from the goalsquare and outside 50 and should have had five for the term after missing another chance from close range. Three goals from his previous seven games was not a great form line, but what we saw on Sunday was worth getting excited about. – Nathan Schmook