What's the big question your AFL club must answer in Round 24? Is it in Richmond's best interests to win this week? Can the Blues avoid 'another 2022'? Are the Hawks being tested enough?
We've looked at every club and answered their biggest question ahead of this week's action.
Adelaide
vs. Sydney, SCG
Can Josh Rachele show some maturity?
It's all well and good to mouth off to the crowd and give the old cheeky goal celebration, but when your club has fallen well short of making finals and you yourself have underperformed, it's not a great look. Josh Rachele needs to go back to basics, knuckle down, attack the footy, kick goals, and earn the respect he seems to think he's already garnered before mucking around with the other nonsense. If he can't do that, he shouldn't be playing at the senior level.
Brisbane
vs. Essendon, Gabba
Can Lachie Neale cement his place in the All-Australian team?
Picking the All-Australian team is difficult. Picking the midfielders in the All-Australian team feels nearly impossible. With many wanting to put true wingers in the team and have a balanced bench, there really is only five or, at absolute most, six midfielder spots available. Patrick Cripps, Isaac Heeney, Nick Daicos, and Marcus Bontempelli feel like absolute locks, and then you can throw a blanket over another five or so. But another Neale masterpiece might just make it impossible for selectors to ignore ... particularly given they snubbed him in last year's Brownlow Medal campaign.
Carlton
vs. St Kilda, Marvel Stadium
Can the Blues avoid another 2022s final round scenario?
Win and you're in; it's a familiar feeling for Carlton fans. The last time the Blues were in this scenario it ended in utter heartbreak. Leading Collingwood by five goals with a quarter to play, the Blues imploded, coughed it all up and were eventually sunk by a last-gasp Jamie Elliott goal. No finals. It's a similar equation this weekend: beat the Saints and a finals berth is secured. Lose, and you'll have to pray Port Adelaide beat Fremantle. They're undermanned, but have the learned anything from that 2022 disaster?
Collingwood
vs. Melbourne, MCG
Can the Magpies save face?
Collingwood can't play finals. Okay, mathematically they can, but they aren't going to make it. Even taking into account last week's heart-stopping win over Brisbane, this has been one of the worst premiership defences in recent history. The last game of the season comes against another side that's been wildly disappointing in 2024, the Demons. Craig McRae's troops won't gain much with a win on Friday night, but a ninth-place finish sounds a touch better than 11th or 12th.
Essendon
vs. Brisbane, Gabba
Can they finish the season on a positive note?
It's probably not going to be a win, but heading into the offseason having put your best foot forward would sit far better in fans' stomachs than a hapless belting at the Gabba on which to ruminate. For the Bombers, you only have to cast your mind back to last year to find a pair of insipid performances to end the season. That simply cannot happen again, particularly given the increased hype and belief around the Dons this year and likely heading into 2025. Need to show something in Round 24.
Fremantle
vs. Port Adelaide, Optus Stadium
How does playing the last game of the round affect their mindset?
The Dockers are in an awkward position. They'll know, when running out onto the ground, whether their season is alive or not, and that's can't be great for mental application. Whether or not the players will admit to being affected by the permutations is irrelevant - of course it affects them, and putting in so much mental energy into the 'what ifs' can't be a good thing when you're potentially fighting for a place in September. How can Justin Longmuir harness the energy? Well, it might not even be needed, and that's the frustrating part of it all.
Geelong
vs. West Coast, GMHBA Stadium
Can they escape with four points and no injuries?
Imagine the home-and-away season being wrapped up by 4pm on the Saturday, and everyone's fit and healthy after a win which secures a top four berth -- that's the dream scenario for the Cats this weekend when they come up against the Eagles at home. With Tom Hawkins and Sam De Koning in line for finals returns, it would be the perfect ending to the points portion of the year as this experienced side looks to threaten for a second flag in three years.
READ: Why RoCo is sticking with the Cats to win the flag
Gold Coast
vs. Richmond, MCG
Can they avoid another final round embarrassment?
It happened last year against North Melbourne, who were on the bottom of the ladder coming into their Round 24 clash. This year, it's bottom-of-the-ladder Richmond who face the same challenge. A win might be enough to get the Tigers off the bottom of the ladder, and knowing the Suns' road form, it's not an unlikely result. So, what's this team got left? Can Damien Hardwick motivate them enough to show up? Tipping this match looms as a nightmare.
GWS
vs. Western Bulldogs, Mars Stadium
Could the Giants knock their rivals out of September?
One of the genuine modern-day rivalries brings with it a clash with huge implications in Round 24. If the Giants can pull off the win, they'll not only give themselves the best chance of locking up a top-two spot, but they could knock the Dogs out of finals if other results fall the right way. Talk about two for the price of one...
Hawthorn
vs. North Melbourne, UTAS Stadium
Are the Hawks being tested enough ahead of finals?
Hawthorn is absolutely flying. Nobody can deny that. They've won 12 of their past 15 games and have all but locked up a finals berth. But have they and are they being challenged enough ahead of what would be their first final since 2018? Their final two home and away games are against the competition's two worst sides, add in the pre-finals bye and it means they won't have been properly tested for close to a month. Is it a concern? Maybe, maybe not. But it's something certainly worth keeping eyes on.
Melbourne
vs. Collingwood, MCG
Is this the Demons' last marquee game for a while?
Well, it definitely will be for at least six months. But it might just be for longer than that, too. Melbourne has made a mockery of the AFL's late season fixturing, landing a Friday night date with the Magpies despite playing some woeful football throughout 2024 and both sides falling short of a finals berth. With Christian Petracca to return and a full preseason in front of Clayton Oliver, the Demons should be better next year, but they should also be made to earn those prized marquee games as their recent performances have left much to be desired.
North Melbourne
vs. Hawthorn, UTAS Stadium
Could North pull off another final round upset?
North Melbourne ensured they would head into the previous off-season on a high -- even if it meant kissing goodbye the opportunity to draft Harley Reid with pick No. 1 -- beating the Suns by six goals in Tasmania to close their home and away campaign. Could something similar be on the cards this week? You'd think not given they face the rampant Hawks, but few gave them a chance to win this time last year. Hawthorn better not take the Kangaroos lightly or it could end in utter disaster.
Port Adelaide
vs. Fremantle, Optus Stadium
Can they hold their nerve and finish top two?
The benefits of a top-two finish are so big, so it's little wonder that Port fans are worried about their side's ability to lock it up. The equation is simple - a win should be enough (unless the Giants win by a big enough margin). But as we've come to learn with Port over the past few years, nothing is guaranteed, and Fremantle's season might be very much alive come Sunday evening.
Richmond
vs. Gold Coast, MCG
Is it in the Tigers' best interests to win this week?
In last year's final round, North Melbourne beat these very Suns to jump from last spot to 17th on the ladder. Of course, that also meant they lost the No. 1 draft pick, which was always going to be the selection that landed 18-year-old phenom Harley Reid. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen, as Colby McKercher looks a player. But could history repeat itself one year later? The Tigers are currently anchored to the bottom of the ladder and face Gold Coast at the MCG in the final game. Given the Suns' insipid effort last week, there's reason to believe Richmond can knock them off, but should they? We're not advocating anything, and this year's draft seems pretty deep without a clear standout, but...
READ: ESPN's latest AFL Draft Power Rankings
St Kilda
vs. Carlton, Marvel Stadium
Can the Saints ruin Carlton's season?
It's a simple question, but that's what St Kilda's entire year now boils down to. Can they prevent the Blues from playing finals? Given the performance of Ross Lyon's side last week, you'd have to assume the answer could very easily be a 'yes'. The Saints came from behind to stun the Cats and notch their 10th win of the season, only three fewer than the Blues. There's really no reason they can't do it again, and that should terrify every Carlton supporter.
Sydney
vs. Adelaide, SCG
Do the Swans look to rest some bodies?
The minor premiership is all but secured for Sydney, so should John Longmire look to give some rest to a number of his key players? Even with the pre-finals bye, there's merit in sitting players. If anything, to guarantee no injuries. So it's possible we could see this in selection, and don't be surprised if Horse starts pulling some of those stars out of the action late in the game against the Crows, regardless of the score.
West Coast
vs. Geelong, GMHBA Stadium
Is this Jarrad Schofield's last chance?
Before capitulating against the undermanned Blues, Jarrad Schofield was looking like an even money chance to score the fulltime coaching gig at the Eagles. He'd won two on the spin -- admittedly against Gold Coast and North Melbourne -- and the club looked to be embracing his new style of play. But a 65-point loss to Carlton changes things again, and another blowout loss in the final round could cost him that opportunity. It's not going to be easy, either. The Eagles will travel to Geelong to face the Cats.
Western Bulldogs
vs. GWS, Mars Stadium
Can Sam Darcy back it up?
The challenge for young key position players can be consistency. After a day out last week, in which Sam Darcy kicked a career-high seven majors against the Kangaroos, the pressure is on for the Dogs to win, and a big performance from the young tall would go a long way to making that happen. Darcy had kicked three or more goals four times in his young career before his breakout game last weekend, but only averages 1.25 goals the following game. Got to do it two weeks in a row.