The big winners of Round 24 were...
Collingwood, GWS and Fremantle - all of whom sealed their place in the finals with wins of varying degrees. Hawthorn came out trumps as well thanks to a favour from Freo and Port Adelaide, both of whom ensured that there wouldn't be a logjam of up to six clubs on 60 points - which certainly would have made Wednesday night super interesting!
The Magpies haven't solved any of their defensive woes and are going to have to go to Adelaide on Thursday night without star defender Jeremy Howe. That leaves Billy Frampton and Darcy Moore with the immensely difficult task of slaying what has been described as the 'Three-Headed Monster' - the trio of tall forwards Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe.
With pre-finals winning streaks of nine and six games each, Adelaide and Geelong are in the Premiership box seat whilst it's tough to make a case for Collingwood based on their late season defensive form, or Brisbane given their constant tripping up as favourites and their own sluggish start against the Hawks on Sunday night.
The big losers of Round 24 were...
Hawthorn got through to the finals by the skin of their teeth after failing to pounce upon the multiple opportunities presented by Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday. In the end, the scoreline flattered them despite them outrunning the Lions in the early stages of the game.
Since they defeated Sydney up north in Opening Round, the Hawks have lost five consecutive games outside of either Victoria or Tasmania.
Depending on where Gold Coast finish on Wednesday night, they face either a trip to Sydney or Perth for a Saturday match, so that's not ideal form to be taking into a cut-throat elimination final as the underdogs.
Head coach Sam Mitchell remained optimistic but grounded, describing their campaign so far as "good, but not great".
"They've all been close ones," Mitchell said of narrow losses to Fremantle, Hawthorn and now Brisbane. "That'll turn."
"We're not writing ourselves off. We're disappointed, but excited. We get to play four finals instead of three.
"Finals footy for the second year in a row is great for our group."
Port fans unleash on one particular delisting
Following the emotional farewell to Ken Hinkley and Travis Boak on the weekend, Port Adelaide announced on Monday that five more players have left Alberton Oval - and one in particular caught the eyes of many.
Ryan Burton, Jeremy Finlayson, Dylan Williams, Lachie Charleson and Hugh Jackson have all been informed by new head coach Josh Carr that they won't be offered deals for 2026, and it's the choice to delist the latter that has drawn ire from many Port fans on social media.
Finlayson's delisting is heartbreaking from a human perspective, considering the very public terminal cancer battle that his wife Kellie has been battling in her mid-20s, but Jackson's effective sacking has been described online as "strange", "very stiff" and "confusing".
See the reactions below:
Coleman Medal leaderboard
It was a whisper quiet weekend for the sharpshooters of the league, with Darcy Wilson's career-best five goals standing out as the biggest return of the round. Mitch Georgiades, Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene added four each to their career tallies.
Cameron inched closer to what appears an increasingly unlikely 100-goal haul - but the romantics amongst us can continue to hope!
Goal and Mark of the Year nominations
The AFL have decided to keep official nominations for the GOTY and MOTY on hold for Round 24 until Wednesday's game is complete - even though it's not officially a Round 24 match!
