We’re set to witness the most exciting finish to an AFL season in many years, Cameron Mooney says

The AFL will be licking their lips with fans promised one of the most exciting conclusions to a season in many years, Cam Mooney writes.

The AFL would be licking their lips.

We’re set to embark on the most exciting finish to an AFL season that I can remember.

While the top four looks set, teams from fifth all the way down to 14th will be jockeying for positions over the next five rounds.

And a lot of those contenders will be playing each other over coming weeks.

Who needs a gimmicky wildcard when you’ve got so many teams in with a genuine chance of sneaking into the eight at the 11th hour.

It completely bucks convention, with the final rounds of an AFL season usually throwing up a bunch of dead, meaningless games.

Geelong Cats head coach Chris Scott said his side did well to get within 11 points of Brisbane despite an average performance at the Gabba. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It’s the time of the year where clubs shut up shop and send their players off for surgery.

A 12th v 14th clash, for instance, would usually only trigger interest from the most rusted-on fans.

But right now, the 14th-placed Gold Coast Suns are still a genuine live chance, despite losing their coach a few weeks ago.

Normally you’d be thinking about maybe ninth or tenth squeezing in, but it’s become a mass battle of the mid-table tables and it should be brilliant to watch with plenty of eight-point games coming up.

A few weeks ago, Essendon looked poised to make the eight and possibly win its first final since 2004, but it’s gone a bit haywire for Brad Scott and the Dons.

Conversely, you have a GWS outfit who was nowhere near making finals footy at the start of June, but are now on a 6-0 run.

Kyle Langford after Essendon’s loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 19. Photo: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

They’re the team you wouldn’t want to face, now or in the finals.

In a similar vein, the Swans are back in form while the Blues, admittedly with a growing injury list, have won the past five.

Which takes us to the Cats and their 11-point loss at the Gabba on Saturday.

I wasn’t too worried by what I saw.

I’m with Chris Scott, if the Cats can be beaten so badly in clearances and still almost pinch the win, it’s not a cause for alarm.

They weren’t great, they had one decent quarter of footy but they almost won.

What concerns me slightly is their run home.

They face four teams within the top six in Port Adelaide, Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda.

However, as I’ve said all year, if they stay injury-free they’ll be hard to beat when the whips are cracking.

On the subject of high standards, I didn’t have an issue with Tom Hawkins giving his teammates a bit of a rev up just before halftime at the Gabba.

In fact I thought it was fantastic.

Geelong champion Tom Hawkins provided some stern feedback to his teammates just before half time against Brisbane. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

There’s nothing wrong with senior players demanding higher standards.

You may point to the likes of former Collingwood defender Heath Shaw doing something similar in past seasons, but I’d argue he did it in a screaming fashion.

I haven’t really seen the Hawk like that on a footy field before.

But knowing him as I do, I’m sure what came out was still quite pleasant, and it wouldn’t have been that nasty.

You won’t find a more lovely bloke down at the Cattery.

The only thing is, you’d want to back up your words with action and there’s no doubt a champion like Hawkins will 99 times out of 100.

The only other downer from the Gabba was obviously ladder position.

The Cats slipped from fifth to eighth, and that underlines my earlier point.

There will be plenty riding on most games from here on in, and that’s what makes the rest of this year so exciting.

Bring it on.

Originally published as We’re set to witness the most exciting finish to an AFL season in many years, Cameron Mooney says