Coming off the back of last week's mega-round, this weekend gave a number teams the chance to consolidate on good results or make immediate amends.
Some passed their tests, but others failed badly.
Welcome to the AFL Round-Up, where we digest the week that was.
Which path will you take?
Almost every turn this week led us to a fork in the road. For the teams still chasing something meaningful in 2022, two distinct paths opened up organically through the course of their games.
Some answered the bell, some faltered. All led to results that could prove pivotal in the final shake-up.
Brisbane's premiership credentials remain an unknown quality, but a loss against the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night would have just about killed off their case.
They trailed early and battled to half-time, at which point their offensive efficiency took over and put the Dogs away. The Lions were smashed around the clearances and beaten for inside 50s, but their forwards — particularly Charlie Cameron — stood up. It was a pivotal win.
Carlton faced the same question on Friday night but couldn't come up with the same answer. With the chance to solidify a top four spot on offer, inaccuracy proved fatal.
The Demons would have had memories of one that got away in Adelaide last year, but the Viney-Petracca-Oliver triumvirate made sure there was to be no repeat this time around.
But the biggest missed opportunity might have been Sydney's, whose inexplicable slip-up against Essendon yet again moved the Swans from top-four fancies to fighting to make finals.
Like the Blues, the Swans had more than enough chances to see this game off but wastefulness going forward and in front of goal was the deciding factor.
It can be a simple game sometimes. Kick straight, add the extra four points to Sydney and Carlton's tallies, things look remarkably different.
The margins are too thin in 2022 to let games like those slip by.
A word on the Suns
Gold Coast aren't the most fashionable team. They don't get the blockbuster timeslots and historically their's have been the easy games to avoid in the fixture clashes.
So you might take a glimpse at the ladder, see the Suns a few games out of the eight and assume they're destined for yet another season without finals.
But that doesn't tell the full story, and it's one worth sharing before fate puts a line through Gold Coast's season.
Losing Ben King before a ball had been kicked this season was a blow that could have finished them off. Coupled with constant speculation around Stuart Dew and the futures of a number of players, the expectation that this would be another season of struggles was justified.
But they patched those holes creatively, players like Mabiol Chol and Levi Casboult finding a new lease on life with their second-chance club.
Jarrod Witts should be in strong All Australian consideration. Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson have finally had a full season together and have delivered on the promise. Sam Collins and Charlie Ballard are quietly one of the best defensive duos in the league.
And then there's been the emergence of Izak Rankine, whose last month and a bit has been everything we thought he could one day be.
All of which is very fawning for a team that almost certainly won't make the eight. They've won seven games to this point, and get to play Essendon, West Coast, Hawthorn and North Melbourne in their run home.
The Suns have never won more than 10 games in a season. They have a very good chance of doing that this year. If they do, they'll look back at this last fortnight and two games lost by a combined margin of seven points as the only thing that stopped them from achieving something really special.
Around the grounds
Essendon really are Jake Stringer in club form. The annual preseason hype, the inconsistent performances, those electric blitzes of champagne footy. We saw the best version of both on Saturday.
We've said many times at the Round-Up that West Coast can make use of this season by trying things with next year in mind and, at last, they are. The upshot? They've got a beauty in Brady Hough, Jack Petrucelle could be dangerous in midfield and players like Rhett Bazzo and Zane Trew have got some exposure.
There's no doubt Geelong would have gone into that game on Saturday night against North aiming for and expecting to win by a massive margin. The top spots are going to be decided by percentage this year, so beating up on the strugglers is a non-negotiable.
Things really did escalate quickly for Fremantle there. It looked an awful lot like a last quarter between one team thinking of the weeks ahead and another fighting like it's an elimination final. Port left everything out there, but that might just be curtains for them in 2022 — though we've said that before.
Hawthorn's season is rather petering out, but on the whole 2022 should be seen as a positive for Sam Mitchell. You could almost say the same for GWS, who have found something within themselves under Mark McVeigh. Hope for the future for both.
In the clubhouse
Here we take stock of who is leading the race for the season's individual awards.
This might have been the week Nick Daicos locked up the Rising Star. He led the game with his 27 disposals and his 674 metres-gained against Gold Coast, all at a remakable efficiency.
As we've said a few times at the Round-Up, this is just scratching the surface of what Daicos is capable of. In time, he will become a genuine midfield weapon and start hitting the scoreboard more consistently.
For now though, boy is he good off half-back for the Pies.
Pretty sure we saw the mark of the year this week two. In fact, we probably saw the top two.
Hayden Young held the crown for about an hour, before Mitch Georgiades took off right on the 3QT siren.
The three best grabs of the year have all been at that end of Perth Stadium. With apologies to Young and Cam Zurhaar, Georgiades now has a clear lead.
The goal of the week field was stacked this round too. With honourable mentions to Izak Rankine, Charlie Dixon and Jesse Motlop, we're going with Docker Caleb Serong on his non-preferred left.
We still have Ed Langdon leading the goal of the year race for now though.
