Look, you can see the top of the ladder! Mitch Robinson celebrates another Brisbane goal on Sunday. Photo: AFL MEDIA
We’ve come to expect the unexpected in a season where just about every team is capable of beating any of its rivals.
The upsets have come thick and fast in a scenario that has left big grins on the faces of Gillon McLachlan and his mates at AFL House.
But if the home-and-away season has followed an “Any Given Sunday” theme, then the finals series might be more a case of “Last Man Standing”.
Geelong is wobbling – and a select group of flag fancies is in position and ready to pounce.
West Coast, Brisbane and Richmond all pressed their premiership credentials in round 20, while Greater Western Sydney and Collingwood registered wins that effectively said “don’t count us out”.
Port Adelaide, too, won’t roll over just yet, as its win over Essendon kept its finals dream alive as it attempts to chase down crosstown rival Adelaide.
But back to the Cats. What on earth is going on? If you’ve got the answer, Chris Scott is looking for it.
Almost unbeatable in the first half of the season – the one defeat by less than a kick against GWS – Geelong has taken over Port Adelaide’s title as the AFL’s resident “yo-yo” team since the bye.
Supporters can only hope it comes back up next week instead of going to sleep.
The latest dive was the biggest shock of all, with Geelong outrun, outworked and outhunted by an undermanned and under-fire Fremantle.
The Dockers may have given Tim Kelly a glimpse of the future as the in-demand midfielder weighs up his option for 2020 and beyond.
Kelly was just about the only Geelong midfielder who stood up against a Fremantle unit led superbly by captain Nat Fyfe, with Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood among the long list of Cats below their best.
Aaron Sandilands and Sean Darcy exposed Geelong’s sub-par ruck department as Zac Smith failed to make the most of his chance in the senior side.
Spearhead Tom Hawkins dominated early, but the Cats didn’t take advantage of his form after quarter-time.
Amazingly, Geelong managed only four goals after the first break – a year after it kicked 23 unanswered in the same time frame in a memorable thrashing of the same opponent.
Scott scoffed at suggestions the Cats’ preparation was to blame for the “poor” performance, describing questions around a week spent in Perth after flying direct from Sydney as “superficial and cheap analysis”.
He didn’t offer any answers as to why he thought his side performed so poorly, leaving it open to interpretation.
Is it a hunger issue? You’d hope not. Only three players from Geelong’s 2011 premiership team took to the field against Fremantle.
This is a new group that is yet to achieve any tangible level of success. For Scott’s sake, let’s hope he’s got a plan from here.
Perhaps buoyed by the Cats’ defeat, West Coast and Brisbane registered wins over potential banana-skin opponents on Sunday to draw level with the ladder leaders on 14 wins.
The Eagles dismissed in-form Carlton with relative ease away from home and are building ominously, with arguably the competition’s best spread of contributors across the ground on a weekly basis.
The Lions outlasted the Western Bulldogs to claim a league-best seventh straight win and are gaining new supporters with every step towards the finals. The bandwagon looks likely to overflow in September.
Only percentage splits the top three. Richmond is a win further back with clashes against West Coast and Brisbane (both at the MCG) to come.
The flip-side of Geelong’s disastrous defeat was one of Fremantle’s best wins of the season. It was certainly its gutsiest, with at least eight first-choice players out of the side through injury.
The ramifications could be huge. Kelly isn’t the only player the Dockers would like to convince to be on their list next year, as the likes of Brad Hill and Ed Langdon consider their paths.
Wins like that will only be positive for the port club as it attempts to retain its best talent.
And it was certainly a positive for Ross Lyon, who appears certain to remain at the helm next season as he enters the final year of his contract.
In a pre-match interview, Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich gave an emphatic “absolutely” when asked in Lyon would continue as coach in 2020. Then the pressure valve was released on-field.
The Dockers are still unlikely to replace Adelaide in the top eight this year, but Port Adelaide is right in the hunt after a dominant display in the win over Essendon.
The Bombers still have cracks that were papered over with a series of wins in July. Like their conquerors on Saturday, they are capable of anything – from the sublime to the ridiculous and everything in between.
The Power has been switched on by superstar Robbie Gray and the performances of young guns Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma.
Despite some criticism, the latter won’t put his bow-and-arrow celebration away. Nor should he – he might need it in September.
