Fremantle have shut the door to the AFL top eight and should enter the finals flying after burying North Melbourne by 53 points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The 20.12 (132) to 12.7 (79) win was the Dockers’ seventh in eight games and one of their most impressive given North’s hot previous form and the fact that the Kangaroos had never before lost to Fremantle at that ground.
The eight finalists are decided, with Fremantle’s win snuffing out the faint hopes of St Kilda, Carlton and Essendon.
The Dockers climbed to seventh and gave themselves a chance of a home final, although the eighth-placed Kangaroos will also be battling for that right should sixth-placed Geelong fall to Sydney at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.
In Sunday’s other matches, third-placed Adelaide all but sewed up a double chance and kept themselves in the hunt for a home final, by thrashing Melbourne 22.18 (150) to 11.15 (81) at the MCG.
The Crows host Gold Coast on Saturday and if they win that match and Sydney fall to the Cats or Hawthorn lose to West Coast, Adelaide will start the finals at home.
Geelong downed the Western Bulldogs 16.11 (107) to 11.7 (73) at Simonds Stadium.
Worryingly, Travis Varcoe sustained a fresh foot injury in his comeback game, although the Cats are confident it is minor and unrelated to his previous stress fractures.
Hawthorn top the ladder, ahead of the Swans and Crows on percentage, after their thrilling 15.12 (102) to 14.11 (95) win over Sydney at the SCG on Saturday night, in which Lance Franklin made a strong comeback with four goals.
West Coast replaced Collingwood in the top four after convincingly beating the Magpies 15.17 (107) to 8.10 (58) at Patersons Stadium.
Carlton shot themselves in the foot and dramatically increased the pressure on coach Brett Ratten with their 15.8 (98) to 11.20 (86) loss to Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
Essendon’s late-season collapse continued with Friday night’s 13.24 (102) to 8.9 (57) loss to Richmond.
In the weekend’s other games St Kilda thrashed Greater Western Sydney 25.13 (163) to 5.5 (35) and Brisbane beat Port Adelaide 16.8 (104) to 14.9 (93).
The final round will contain an interesting battle for the Coleman Medal, with six players within seven goals of Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich (60).