Round 17 saw a Josh Dunkley masterclass and the Pies bounce back in fantastic fashion, but the Swans won't feature in September and the Dockers' finals hopes are now in serious jeopardy.
Here are this week's Heroes & Villains.
HEROES
Under-pressure Pies: Nobody thought they would win, yet nobody was surprised that they did.
Collingwood had been in dire form ahead of their Grand Final replay against West Coast in Perth, but under the Friday night lights, and with their backs against the wall, Nathan Buckley's side conjured up one of the wins of the season to jump back into second spot on what's become a highly volatile AFL ladder.
It was an arm-wrestle for much of the night at Optus Stadium and although the Eagles looked in control, they were never able to bury the Pies. From 18 points down midway through the third term, Collingwood fought back to hit the front by a point -- the eventual winning margin -- keeping West Coast scoreless for a remarkable 45 minute period.
The great news for Pies fans was a number of their much-maligned players stood up. The previously out-of-sorts duo of Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox combined for seven goals and 16 marks, while Steele Sidebottom lead the way through the midfield in a tense final term.
It's amazing what one win can do for confidence and belief, especially now that it's come against a side the Pies haven't been able to beat in more than two years.
Get ready to hear plenty of "I knew the Pies would win" comments at the watercooler this week.
Journeyman Clarke stands tall: It's not often a player who breaks even with a direct opponent is labelled a hero but Zac Clarke's effort against Todd Goldstein in Saturday night's Essendon-North Melbourne thriller was superb.
Of course, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was the match-winner with his snap in the last minute, and big Ben Brown almost stole the show with six majors, but without Clarke's lionhearted efforts in the ruck, there was no way Essendon wins the Marvel Stadium thriller.
Clarke, only playing due to the Dons' depleted ruck stocks, locked horns all night against Goldstein, who had rediscovered his best form in 2019 and loomed as a huge obstacle for the Bombers.
The big Bomber's stats (12 touches, six clearances, three tackles and 35 hitouts) compared favourably with Goldstein's efforts (19 disposals, seven clearances, two tackles, 32 hitouts) in what was an even contest but in reality a win for his team.
Vitally, the big man -- who notched 101 games with Fremantle before being delisted and then joining Essendon after a season in the WAFL -- helped the Dons curtail North's major weapon, their inside midfield and clearance work. The Bombers won the clearances (+12), contested possessions (+1) and inside 50s (+11), beating the Roos at their own game.
He's not fast, he's not overly skilled and he's certainly not fashionable, but the 29-year-old stood up when his team needed him most, and Saturday night's win might just prove the difference between making September or not.
Undermanned Lions: In the lead up to Sunday evening's clash with Port Adelaide, we wondered if the Lions were "legit" or if we were all just "drinking the Kool-Aid".
Well, it's safe to say their blistering first term answered that question and then some: The Lions are entrenched in the top four and will now only be dislodged by a very good team.
Without three of their best players in Hugh McLuggage, Luke Hodge and Eric Hipwood, the Lions could easily have fallen victim to Port Adelaide's bruising style of play - particularly when it started belting down with rain before the first bounce.
But a mammoth opening stanza, in which they piled on the first six goals (and seven straight before registering their first behind), paved the way for a statement-making 48-point win.
Stefan Martin was excellent in the ruck for Brisbane, while Jarryd Lyons (36 disposals and a goal) and Dayne Zorko (24 touches and three goals) dominated in the middle. Charlie Cameron's stellar year continued with another four-goal haul.
With games against North Melbourne, Hawthorn, the Bulldogs and Gold Coast forming their next month, the Lions may even have a cheeky eye on a top-two finish...
VILLAINS
Faltering Freo: Cast your minds back a month, and Fremantle were the talk of the town. They'd beaten the Lions by a point, then they shocked the Pies at the MCG. Some were even asking if they were the best team in Western Australia... September was definitely calling.
But the weight of expectation did not sit comfortably with the Dockers. They lost to the struggling Demons in Round 14. Then the Blues got the better of Ross Lyon's men at Optus Stadium, and in Round 16 it was cross-town rivals West Coast who gave Freo an almighty shellacking.
In fact, it's not unfair to suggest the Dockers' play in the last month of football has been reminiscent of a bottom four team - and that's putting it lightly considering the Blues (currently 17th on the ladder) and Demons (16th) have both handed Freo an 'L' in the last few weeks of footy.
In Saturday's 31-point loss to the Hawks down in Tasmania, Fremantle again lacked a genuine dominant forward presence; after they managed just two goals against the Eagles in trying conditions last week, they kicked just eight goals on Saturday, with three of those from Brownlow medal-winning midfielder Nat Fyfe.
Brandon Matera and Cam McCarthy managed just one goal each, while Michael Walters was held goalless as he worked his way further up the ground.
Making finals would be an almighty achievement for Fremantle considering their current form slump, and with winnable games against the Swans and Bulldogs looming, they cannot afford another limp outing.
The September-less Swans: Take nothing away from Carlton, who were superb against Sydney on Saturday afternoon, but the Swans' meek surrender on their home deck with so much to play for was abominable.
Chasing a possible finals berth and with coach John Longmire freshly committed, Sydney should have had too much spirit and motivation against the visiting Blues.
Add to that the fact Carlton had to play out the second half with one rotation short after debutant Hugh Goddard suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone and it should have been the home team that came home flying after a gritty tug-of-war.
Instead if was the second-last Blues that held firm, brilliantly led by co-captain Patrick Cripps, Ed Curnow, former Swan Nic Newman, Matthew Kreuzer and No. 1 pick Sam Walsh.
Collectively, the Blues midfield smashed Sydney's, winning contested possessions (+19), clearances (+13) and stoppage clearances (+10). It was Carlton's first win at the SCG since 2011.
Make no mistake, this was an insipid performance from Sydney. A victory for the Swans would have lifted them to just one win outside the top eight but instead they're almost certainly out of the September hunt.
At least Longmire has the security of a longer deal now to plot the Swans' 2020 campaign and beyond.
Humbled Giants (and Stephen Coniglio's knee injury): The Ferrari has officially stalled. Having slipped into a three-game rut, with losses coming to Essendon, Brisbane and most recently the Tigers on Sunday, the GWS Giants are in danger of again missing out on a top four spot.
The signs weren't good for the visitors just minutes into their crucial clash with Richmond; star midfielder and free agent Stephen Coniglio was helped off the ground with what could be a very serious knee injury.
The vibe at the Giants isn't good, with the club unable to rule out that it is a season-ending ACL - one which could spell the end for Coniglio in the orange and grey.
The rest of the afternoon wasn't much better; the Tigers kept GWS goalless in the first quarter and never looked threatened on their way to a 27-point win at the MCG.
The Giants have fallen to sixth on the ladder and with the Magpies (in Sydney) and Power (in Adelaide) to come, Leon Cameron would be desperate for a circuit-breaking win to get his side's season back on track.
The silver lining for the Orange Tsunami? Their percentage is second only to the ladder-leading Cats, so a few wins could see them jump comfortably back into the four.