West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy kicked his 600th career goal on Saturday against North Melbourne. Photo: AFL MEDIA

You can generally tell how much a particular result means to a club by the amount of gusto with which the team song is sung after a win.

Too many AFL sides these days seem to trot out their post-match tunes because, well, you know, tradition. Or something like that.

But Greater Western Sydney belted out its distinctive Russian-inspired theme with raw enthusiasm and pride in round 19, and with good reason.

Not only did the Giants salute in Heath Shaw’s 300th game, but the gritty nature of the win in hostile territory at Adelaide Oval was a fitting tribute to the unorthodox, yet affable veteran.

The one-point triumph over a capable (albeit inconsistent) opponent in Port Adelaide fanned the Giants’ burning premiership ambitions as they approach a favourable run home in the final month of the home-and-away season.

Toby Greene, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper and Lachie Whitfield are hitting their straps in the absence of gun pair Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly, while Jeremy Cameron and Jeremy Finlayson are firing.

The twin talls kicked six goals between them from 11 shots in another telling contribution, with the win keeping GWS firmly in the hunt for a top-four berth.

Should the Giants’ fellow flag contenders be worried? No, but they should be on guard.

Richmond might be keeping some of its rivals up at night after continuing its winning ways with a 32-point dismantling of Collingwood, leapfrogging its old rival into fourth spot.

Ominously, Dustin Martin has got an early sniff of September. The destructive midfielder’s 38-disposal, two-goal effort was one of his best of the season and the sort of performance he was producing on a regular basis during that magical 2017 campaign.

Tom Lynch is the Tigers’ key point of difference to that year’s premiership side, and they have covered Alex Rance’s absence in defence as best they can.

Lynch, who is linking dangerously with Jack Riewoldt, kicked five goals in a haul that was made to look even better when Mason Cox struggled at the other end to cope with difficult conditions on a wet night.

Injuries appear to have caught up with the Pies, who have a decent run home (on paper) but are the competition’s walking wounded limping towards the finals.

Superstar Jordan De Goey (hamstring) and talented young defender Isaac Quaynor (foot) have now been added to the long injury list.

Nathan Buckley reportedly took his playing group out for a few beers over the weekend in a team bonding session designed to be some sort of circuit-breaker after a tough few weeks.

It came as ladder leader Geelong got back on track with a win over Sydney, Essendon fought off a plucky Gold Coast, Brisbane rolled on with a win at Hawthorn’s “Fortress Launceston”, and reigning premier West Coast clicked in a thumping of North Melbourne.

All of those winners sit neatly in the top eight and are gearing up for a big finals series.

Can you remember the last time a player kicked a bag of 10 or more goals? It feels like a lifetime ago.

Josh Kennedy was on track against North Melbourne, despite some calls last week that it might soon be time to retire.

The West Coast spearhead missed out on the “full moose”, settling for seven snags after failing to kick one in the final term, but he did break through the 600-goal milestone in a decorated career that began at Carlton in 2006 and has now spanned 237 games.

Ironically, the first “non-competitive” loss of Rhyce Shaw’s tenure as Kangaroos caretaker came on a day when reports surfaced that he was on the verge of inking a three-year deal to take the reins full-time.

An announcement seems imminent. But while there has been plenty in recent weeks for North to build upon, this 49-point hiding was not one of them.

Speaking of coaches, David Teague’s training wheels are well and truly off. Footy Gods help us if the proverbial Carlton “lid” comes off too. The Blues now boast more than 64,000 members in a year when they won just one of their first 11 games and sacked Brendon Bolton as coach.

After five wins in Teague’s seven games to date – the latest on the back of Patrick Cripps’ monster 19 clearances – you can expect enthusiasm to grow among a long-suffering supporter base if the trend continues through to the end of the season.

Cripps, meanwhile, is not only a Brownlow Medal fancy, but is making a case to be named All-Australian captain.

St Kilda’s upturn in form under Brett Ratten was illustrated by a second straight win – this time over hapless Melbourne – as well as a second straight week in which it kicked more than 100 points.

That’s after the Saints went 22 consecutive games under Alan Richardson without reaching triple figures.

Shaw, Teague and Ratten are enjoying their time in the sun, but the heat is being turned up on Don Pyke and Ross Lyon.

Adelaide’s defeat to Carlton left Pyke scratching his head and the finals door ajar for clubs like the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle, though only one side was ever in the hunt at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

The Dogs piled on eight first-quarter goals and got around son-of-a-gun Rhylee West when he slotted his first major on debut.

However, there could yet be a disappointing side-note to the uplifting win, with much-loved veteran Dale Morris set for scans on his left knee after hurting it again in his comeback game.

Lyon, meanwhile, will likely face more questions over his future in the coming days after his Dockers’ limp display.

Field umpire Eleni Glouftsis faced a question of her own over the weekend. It came from partner (and fellow whistleblower) Dillon Tee, who got down on one knee in the middle of the MCG.

The happy couple are now engaged, and the vocal minority on social media that had a problem with the proposal need to get a life – or maybe redirect their anger towards the still-faulty score review system.