Finals are around the corner, which means 10 clubs basically get disregarded by the media aside from list and trade news. We don't think that's right, so in this two-part endeavor, we give each non-finalist side a postmortem for their 2023 campaign. This is part 2 of 2, so if your club isn't discussed here, look back at the first half of "So You Didn't Crack the 8" for them!

Finals are around the corner, which means 10 clubs basically get disregarded by the media aside from list and trade news. We don't think that's right, so in this two-part endeavor, we give each non-finalist side a postmortem for their 2023 campaign. This is part 1 of 2, so if your club isn't discussed here, look for the second half of "So You Didn't Crack the 8" soon!

After 207 games, we have our 8… and as he's writing this description, Benjamin remains surprised by who nabbed the final spot! While no games were down to the wire, Round 24 was a culmination of the past 6 months of AFL drama, and it had enough twists and turns to make us do some double-takes. Join us as we take a look back at this final nine-game slate, from Souv kicking an anti-tank bag to a key defensive out in the Sunday night clash.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:42 ESS v COL

0:11:08 NM v GC

0:19:57 HAW v FRE

0:26:02 BRI v STK

0:33:27 GEE v WB

0:49:50 WCE v ADE

1:00:49 PA v RIC

1:07:35 SYD v MEL

1:15:43 CAR v GWS

1:25:07 The 8 / Awards

Yes, drama remains for the final home-and-away round! We'll see how much of it gets preserved for the three Sunday fixtures, though. Friday sees a massive venue streak continue, while most of Saturday's games revolve around tanking and family. Then there's the Bulldogs' do-or-die trip down the highway — if they can come away with a rare result, the top-8 tension will persist through regular-season game 207 of 207.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:51 ESS v COL

0:08:06 NM v GC

0:14:02 HAW v FRE

0:20:06 BRI v STK

0:25:14 GEE v WB

0:33:20 WCE v ADE

0:39:15 PA v RIC

0:45:15 SYD v MEL

0:50:40 CAR v GWS

0:59:33 Main Characters / Conclusion

What do you get when you cross Luke Combs, a shirtless bloke, retirements, and terrible goal umpiring, among many other things? You get Round 23! Deven Robertson aside, the drama didn't come from the 1st v 2nd matchup on Friday — rather, we got a heavy dose of it Saturday, with final-gamers taking hangers and the missed call heard 'round the country. Then Sunday happened… and the Bulldogs wish it didn't.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:52 COL v BRI

0:17:35 RIC v NM

0:25:54 GC v CAR

0:36:56 GWS v ESS

0:47:43 STK v GEE

0:59:40 State Leagues

1:01:35 ADE v SYD

1:12:02 WB v WCE

1:27:22 MEL v HAW

1:34:53 FRE v PA

1:40:18 Awards / Conclusion

Round 23 is a curious case — a penultimate weekend with just a single dead rubber, even though the top 2 face each other! The pack for spots 5 through 8 remains extremely tight, and the last three games on Saturday will have the most say toward final-round scenarios. Join us as we discuss 1v1s, play styles, tiny towns, and Thai restaurants.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:02:00 COL v BRI

0:09:27 RIC v NM

0:15:04 GC v CAR

0:24:35 GWS v ESS

0:30:25 STK v GEE

0:38:17 ADE v SYD

0:44:11 WB v WCE

0:49:51 MEL v HAW

0:54:41 FRE v PA

1:01:04 Main Characters / Conclusion

Round 22's drama came in spurts, from questionable goals on Friday to the "umpire's call" of "umpire's calls" on Saturday and a Tasmanian upset on Sunday. The footy may have taken a backseat on a national scale — and we celebrate the Matildas alongside everyone in Australia — but with the finals race becoming more desperate, some clubs are in much more peril of missing out than we expected they'd be…

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:34 COL v GEE

0:13:50 NM v ESS

0:22:31 SYD v GC

0:30:30 BRI v ADE

0:40:00 CAR v MEL

0:56:42 WCE v FRE

1:04:40 HAW v WB

1:18:23 STK v RIC

1:25:53 PA v GWS

1:35:56 Awards / Late News

It's time to give it everything you've got, because your backs are against the wall, and at the end of the day, it's all about who wants it more. *gags* Okay, had to play into the title there. Amazingly, with three rounds to play, there's only one dead rubber, and it's a rivalry at that. Highlights of the R22 fixture include two key rematches at the G, a surprisingly recurrent Launceston fixture, and North farewelling one of their club's most perseverant players.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:54 COL v GEE

0:09:41 NM v ESS

0:14:58 SYD v GC

0:19:43 BRI v ADE

0:25:49 CAR v MEL

0:34:02 WCE v FRE

0:42:50 HAW v WB

0:48:10 STK v RIC

0:54:57 PA v GWS

1:01:08 Main Characters / Conclusion

It's a soundbyte-heavy, but efficient round recap! We completely called how Friday night would shake down, only to be shocked by happenings into Saturday afternoon. Ethan can breathe a slight sigh of relief after his Cats got the job done at home. That game and Sunday's affairs helped prime us for even more drama in the final three rounds, with a three-club race for P2 and a jumbled pack beyond the top four.

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:03:16 WB v RIC

0:11:52 ESS v WCE

0:21:17 ADE v GC

0:28:51 HAW v COL

0:40:09 GEE v PA

0:52:13 GWS v SYD

1:00:39 NM v MEL

1:09:08 STK v CAR

1:20:23 FRE v BRI

1:29:15 Awards / Conclusion

Ethan's in Georgia and is feeling the effects of some particularly spicy Ethiopian food, so hopefully that heat translates into this preview and this round of footy! Friday night has some extra desperation after both the Dogs and Tigers fell last week, but our eyes are firmly on late Saturday, between the Cats taking on the Power and Sydney Derby XXVI. GWS fans: please prove Benjamin wrong and show out at the Showground!

Sections

0:00:00 Intro

0:03:13 WB v RIC

0:11:59 ESS v WCE

0:17:34 ADE v GC

0:23:58 HAW v COL

0:32:30 GEE v PA

0:41:28 GWS v SYD

0:52:03 NM v MEL

1:01:52 STK v CAR

1:08:59 FRE v BRI

1:14:49 Main Characters / Conclusion