Tom Hawkins checks on West Coast defender Will Schofield after the contact which saw him suspended. Photo: AFL MEDIA

One of footy’s long-standing records remains intact, and a few key figures in the firing line at Sleepy Hollow have breathed a sigh of relief.

Now Geelong – the minor premier that narrowly avoided the ignominy of a straight-sets finals exit for the first time since North Melbourne in 1983 – quickly turns its attention towards a preliminary final against flag favourite Richmond.

But we on the outside can afford to take a few minutes to reflect on a weekend that gave a previously subdued finals series the kick up the backside that it desperately needed.

There was no shortage of controversial moments in week two as the reigning premier’s flag defence screeched to a halt and we waved one of the game’s legends into retirement.

At the heart of it all was one of the games of the season. Sentimental finals favourite Brisbane hosted Greater Western Sydney, and the pair produced a classic.

There was fire and brimstone from the outset as the Giants got the jump, rode the bumps of two strong Lions fightbacks and outlasted a gallant opponent in hostile territory at the Gabba.

Charlie Cameron hurt his right elbow in a collision in the opening minutes and looked done for the night, but returned moments later, took a big mark near the boundary line and produced a classy finish.

The Giants’ treatment of the wounded Lion drew the attention of umpire Shaun Ryan, whose response sparked heated social media debate.

Under AFL rules, the umpire is entitled to protect the injured player and pay a free kick against players who target the injury. But by being on the field, did Cameron declare himself fit? He had been treated and returned to the action. It is finals football, after all. But you can make your own judgement.

Brisbane’s final-quarter dominance in a see-sawing encounter was best illustrated by a 17-6 inside-50 count, however, a GWS backline led superbly by Phil Davis repelled the surges time and again to deliver arguably the best win in the club’s short history.

There was a throw in the build-up to the match-winning goal, when pint-sized Giant Brett Daniels sprinted forward and audaciously executed a checkside kick on the run.

It sparked wild celebrations among the handful of GWS fans and stunned a packed Gabba home crowd into silence.

Hawthorn legend turned Lions leader Luke Hodge called time on his career in understated fashion, the four-time Hawks premiership hero declining the offer to be chaired off by teammates after their season was finished. The tributes have already started pouring in for a guaranteed future Hall of Fame inductee.

GWS has now reached three preliminary finals in four years, and this time, it deserves more credit than it has been afforded in the past.

The “Ferrari” had been written off by all and sundry leading into September, but overcame an in-form Western Bulldogs side in powerful fashion before travelling north to knock off the Lions on their home deck.

The Giants belted out their club song like a team stung by the knocks on their character as a playing group, with a fair bit of Michelle Payne-style “you can all get stuffed” in the big, big sound.

GWS has won finals the way they should be won this season. It has done the grunt work, it has been tough, and yes, it has overstepped the mark at times. But this is September, where the big boys come to play.

Modern football is so often a game of momentum, and without looking at statistical data, it feels like the swings are greater in both size, strength and number than ever before.

The key is knowing how to change and/or maintain that momentum. It’s a task far more easily detected and acknowledged than it is carried out. Both of this year’s semi-finals were cases in point.

At the Gabba, GWS ran riot in the opening 10 minutes, winning the first five clearances of the match in a stoppage dominance that translated to a 25-0 scoreboard advantage inside 10 minutes.

Brisbane kicked the next five goals to lead at quarter-time, but soon found itself trailing by 20 points and was forced to fight back again before a titanic final-quarter tussle ensued.

Geelong kicked seven of the first nine goals against West Coast, which kicked seven of the next eight and hit the front when Andrew Gaff kicked two in a row. But Gaff was also one of 11 Eagles – half the team – who laid just one tackle for the match.

The final term was all the Cats, who were ultimately hard and tougher for longer, and kicked four unanswered goals after three quarter-time to advance.

The Cats were caught napping early in the qualifying final defeat to Collingwood. But their response was eerily similar to the one they produced in similar circumstances in 2017 – only Patrick Dangerfield wasn’t the surprise crux of the forward line this time.

He kicked four first-half goals playing deep in attack against Sydney back then, but was kept relatively quiet by Elliot Yeo until three-quarter time on Friday night.

Instead, it was captain Joel Selwood (back where he belongs in the centre square) and returning midfielder Cam Guthrie who sparked the Cats, along with Tom Hawkins, who kicked four goals.

But the All-Australian spearhead is in hot water after whacking Will Schofield off the ball. The West Coast defender was left groggy by the hit, which was judged as intentional, high contact and low impact by the Match Review Officer.

With nothing to lose, the Cats will challenge the one-week suspension. There is just the small matter of actually coming up with a justifiable defence.

But there is also an argument that the hit could have been judged even harsher as “medium” impact, which would have seen Hawkins banned for two matches and ruled out of action for the rest of the season. The tribunal outcome is anyone’s guess.

You could say the same for the Richmond-Geelong and Collingwood-GWS preliminary finals in a season that has produced more upsets than any other in the AFL era. The Tigers and Magpies start favourites, and could meet in the grand final for the first time since Richmond’s famous 1980 VFL premiership.

What a sight that would be. But don’t discount the Cats and Giants just yet.