We're one week into September action and six teams remain in the running to lift the cup aloft.
Who were the big winners out of finals week one? And which teams had the biggest woes?
See our assessments of each game below:
Positive
They've got the double chance...?
Just about nothing went right for Port Adelaide in their 84-point loss to Geelong on Thursday night.
They couldn’t even draw level in the one area of the ground where they looked to have a serious advantage – the midfield – and as a result, everything else fell apart around it.
The sole positive for the Power is that they did enough during the home and away season to finish second and earn the double chance.
Usually, a performance like that in finals equals the end of a season. But Port now have the chance to right the wrongs of last week.
It won’t be easy against the Hawks on Friday night, but they’ve earned the ability to at least show they can respond.
Negative
Everything, but the Dixon selection stood out
As we said, it was a horror night for Port Adelaide on so many fronts against the Cats, but one thing that stood out was the Charlie Dixon selection.
While Dixon wasn’t picked to dominate up forward, the veteran’s return of just three disposals, one mark and seven hitouts was well unders from what the club would have been hoping for.
The 33-year-old was picked for the big game over 25-year-old Todd Marshall who has only played once since Round 18 but was named an emergency for finals week one.
While on 2024 form alone, Marshall hasn’t been dominant, he is, without doubt, Port’s future up forward and should be ahead of Dixon in the pecking order – even if the veteran offers more in the ruck.
Surely that decision will be flipped at the selection table this week.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive
Patrick Dangerfield’s still got it in him
Geelong fans going into Thursday night knew their midfield was, on paper, at a disadvantage – especially once Tom Stewart was out and that option was taken off the board.
But up stepped Paddy Dangerfield, who put on a brutal midfield performance and led the Cats in the first half with his power around stoppages.
You’d always back Chris Scott to win the coaching match-up in the box, their forward line is firing on all cylinders and they’ve got an experienced defensive group.
The question was always going to be about the midfield and if Dangerfield has three games of this quality left in him, coupled with the continued emergence of Max Holmes, Geelong can absolutely win the flag.
Negative
Selection headaches
Selection headaches aren’t technically a negative, but you try picking one out after an 84-point Qualifying Final win on the road without your best player.
The Cats have a big decision to make regarding Tom Hawkins, who will have played his last AFL game for the club if he isn’t named for the Preliminary Final you would imagine.
Hawkins was lively in the VFL on the weekend, without setting the world on fire. Could you really bring him in at the expense of Shannon Neale now given how well everything flowed on Thursday night?
Neale kicked 2.2 and took nine marks in the dominant win.
Then there’s Sam De Koning and Cam Guthrie, both of whom will also be in the selection frame after getting through the VFL. Gary Rohan unfortunately will not be after fracturing his skull.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive
Hot Start
Although not much went right for Luke Beveridge and his men, they did manage to start the game looking every bit a dangerous side.
A goal within the first 30 seconds set the tone, as the Dogs went +7 in clearances for the quarter for a four-goal-to-two advantage.
Unfortunately, that was about the only period of dominance for the rest of the night.
Negative
Use of the Bont
The Dogs were screaming for a hero in the third term as the game began to slowly slip away, and despite having the perfect man for the job… they refused to use him.
Marcus Bontempelli spent a significant part of the quarter in the front half, while the Hawks dominated field position and managed repeat entries en route to their 12 scoring shots to two in the term.
Thrown back into the middle to commence the fourth, and the Bont immediately answers with a goal to kickstart a nine-disposal, four-clearance all-too-late final quarter.
Regardless of reasoning, the champion should have been in and around the contest at the crucial moments.
Jaiden Sciberras
Positive
Ball movement and potency of young forward line
Hawthorn’s ball movement was electric on Friday night.
On the back of breaking even around the midfield, the Hawks were able to cut the Dogs to pieces with their kicking and as a result, enjoyed 59 inside 50s to 39.
While Hawthorn’s forward line had a lot of players that had no prior finals experience, they played to their strength against the Dogs – with smalls Nick Watson, Jack Ginnivan and Connor Macdonald pushing up high before running back to goal – while Mabior Chol, Jack Gunston and Calsher Dear kept the Dogs’ backs accountable in the air.
In particular, Watson (4.1) and Dear (3.4) were potent with both first-year forwards arriving on the big stage.
So many aspects of Hawthorn’s game were humming against the Dogs, but none of it looked better than their work inside 50.
They’ll hope to keep that going against the Power.
Negative
Frost’s injury
The one big negative from Hawthorn’s victory was the injury to Sam Frost.
The improved key defender suffered a bone stress injury against the Dogs, with scans over the weekend ruling him out for the rest of the season.
With James Blanck sidelined with a knee injury, Frost has been a crucial piece for the Hawks in 2024 and they’ll miss his presence down back.
They could be bringing in Ethan Phillips for just his second AFL game if they want a like-for-like replacement, with the club’s key tall depth being tested.
They’ll hope that they can cover for their big man down back over the next few weeks.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive
Braeden Campbell the super sub
In a week where some teams got their sub selection wrong (looking at you Carlton), the Swans nailed their pick with Braeden Campbell.
Campbell came in for Justin McInerney during the third quarter and made an instant impact. In just 31% of time on ground, Campbell picked up nine touches, three inside-50s, two tackles, two score involvements, a clearance and a crucial goal in the final quarter.
It was the exact impact that coach John Longmire would’ve wanted particularly as McInerney had struggled to get into the game prior to him being subbed out.
Such was the impact of Campbell’s performance that captain Callum Mills addressed his players after the final siren in the middle of the SCG to praise the 22-year-old’s efforts.
Negative
Defenders struggle in the finals heat
The lack of cohesion and communication between the Swans defenders during the first three quarters was alarming. Lachie Keefe’s soft goal in the second quarter was on the back of three Sydney defenders going up for a marking contest and leaving Keefe on the ground free. This happened on numerous occasions and resulted in a momentum swinging goal for Darcy Jones.
The worst example was Lewis Melican and Tom McCartin colliding during a marking contest which allowed Aaron Cadman to boot a goal late in the third quarter and push the lead to 27 points.
Charles Goodsir
Positive
Peatling’s role on Gulden
The Giants assigned utility James Peatling the role on Swans superstar Errol Gulden, and it certainly paid off in inhibiting the All-Australian’s effect on the contest.
Peatling held Gulden to just 12 touches to 3QT, limiting one of the competition’s best users to just over 30% efficiency. When left alone in the final term, Gulden found 11 disposals at 91% efficiency with five score involvements… evidently the tag worked when deployed, significantly enhancing Peatling’s role and involvement in the weeks to come.
Neale this weekend?
Negative
Clearance capitulation
The midfield mix just couldn’t withstand the Swans firepower for four quarters.
In the final term, the Giants went -8 in clearances, with Tom Green’s five making him the only multiple clearance winner in the term. Chad Warner amounted seven alone in the term, with Ollie Florent (three), Errol Gulden (three) and James Rowbottom (two) also collecting several.
Simply put, they were overwhelmingly overrun in the contest too often when it mattered most.
Jaiden Sciberras
Positive
Early shutout and domination
Brisbane couldn’t have started their Elimination Final in better fashion on Saturday night.
While they missed their first couple of chances at goal, the Lions didn’t let that phase them, opening up a 35-0 lead at half-time before extending that to 60-0 during the second quarter.
While the Lions were potent up forward, it was probably their defence during that early run that stood out most as the Blues seemingly couldn’t get it past halfway.
It was a few of their big names that did a lot of the early damage, with Dayne Zorko dominating down back while Cam Rayner, Joe Daniher and Zac Bailey had a field day up forward.
That burst saw them through to week two, and they know that type of footy will take them far in September.
Negative
They weren’t challenged
It’s hardly a real negative, but Carlton absolutely rolled over on Saturday night.
While it meant Brisbane got an easy win, they weren’t challenged whatsoever and will be set for a different type of game against GWS this Saturday.
The Giants are renowned for their pressure and their forward line will no doubt put some serious heat on Brisbane’s defence.
If they’re ready for that, then no one’s doubting Brisbane can progress to a Prelim.
If they think it’s going to be another easy victory, they’ve got another thing coming.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive
No injuries? Probably?
Carlton rolled the dice on half a dozen players fresh off injuries, and they seemingly all got through it unscathed?
We won’t know for sure as Carlton likely won’t release another injury update until March given their general apathy towards injury transparency.
But Sam Docherty kicking a fourth quarter goal and Adam Cerra playing out the game in particular was pleasing given the risks that were taken.
Negative
Tom De Koning, Matt Kennedy and whatever it was they were thinking with all of that rubbish
Michael Voss and his team made many mistakes in the lead up to Saturday and then during the game, but chief among them was naming Tom De Koning as the sub.
De Koning’s injection into the contest immediately coincided with the Blues turning the game in their favour, where they ultimately won the second half.
Voss said the options were to either not play him or name him as the sub, which is interesting given the third option could have been to start him and then substitute him out of the game when he was out of gas?
It’s easy to forget De Koning was Carlton’s best player for over a month there before he began stacking up injury concerns.
The decision to sub out Matt Kennedy in the second term was also baffling. One of the only players who has played every game this season. Who has done everything from ruck, to full forward, to midfield, to full back, to the sub role – Kennedy has been the ultimate team player and even played on Saturday night the day after welcoming his son into the world.
It ultimately feels disrespectful to Kennedy to bench him in the second quarter because they needed to get De Koning in the game, particularly while leaving the likes of Docherty and Cerra out there, both of whom were well off the pace in their return from injury, while Fantasia, Motlop and Durdin struggled to get near it at any point of the game.
Nic Negrepontis