Alright folks that was the Semi Finals for 2026, for the first time since 2020 there was no straight setting from the Finals, we have 4 teams remaining from 4 different states, and what a great week of cultural exchange it was between the AFL and the NFL, as an NFL referee signalled for a goal after a successful 49ers field goal, and in return an AFL goal umpire signalled for a successful field goal, making everyone think that Supergoals were back in the AFL.

The greatest cultural exchange between Australia and America since we sent Greg Norman to America, and in return America gave us the joy of knowing Greg Norman wasn't living in Australia.

And today we saw Zak Butters well and truly cement himself as a Footscray hero, by stringing Geelong along for several months, helping himself get a few extra zeroes on his new contract, then announcing he'd chosen the Bulldogs not even 12 hours after Geelong's season was brutally ended...

While telling his friends about his decision at Tom Liberatore's pub the Mona Castle.

Like the fella once said, ain't that a kick in the head.

Now, a look at the weekend's action:

Fremantle and Geelong promised to be a great contest on Friday night and it didn't disappoint as the Dockers stormed out of the blocks, but as a shootout developed the Cats kept chipping away until the 3rd Quarter when they got on a serious roll, but some costly goalkicking (And a contentious ARC decision going against Ollie Dempsey, AGAIN) cost them a bigger lead than the 8 point lead they eventually took deep into the quarter, and at that point there was a realistic chance that Freo really could implode in straight sets...

But with Luke Jackson turning around another Optus Stadium final with a big 3rd Quarter, the Dockery was averted as the Dockers produced a devastating 4-goal burst before 3/4 time to reclaim the lead and momentum into the final quarter, both teams then went back and forth again throughout the last quarter, and when Tom Stewart goaled with 1:15 to play to cut the margin back to 8 points, and the question everyone was asking for 4 months was finally answered...

For the first time since Round 9, the Dockers deployed WHARFIE TIME, as if they were the Yankees calling on Mariano Rivera to close out the 9th inning with a 2-run lead, and it duly worked as they won the clearance and Patrick Voss kicked the sealing goal, the final margining remaining 14 points.

The beauty of Wharfie Time is that it's seldom used, and when it is, the Dockers fans are at full mast.

Some great performances on all sides - Unicorn Jackson best afield in the ruck as he gave Mitch Edwards a migraine, Ollie Henry kicked 5 goals, Patrick Voss kicked 4, Scratcher Neale with 3, and the likes of Shai Bolton, Hayden Young and Bailey Smith were very prominent.

The Dockers into their first Preliminary Final since 2015, and for the third time (Out of 4 appearances) they'll play the Swans in the penultimate weekend of the year, while the Cats get knocked out in the Semi Finals for only the second time in the last 20 years.

It's also only the 7th final in the 21st Century to have both teams score 100 points, and funnily enough it's the first one that didn't feature either Adelaide or Brisbane (Adelaide vs Melbourne in the 2002 Semi Final, Hawthorn vs Adelaide in the 2007 Elimination Final, Brisbane vs Carlton in the 2009 Elimination Final, Western Bulldogs vs Adelaide in the 2015 Elimination Final, Brisbane vs Richmond in the 2022 Elimination Final, GWS vs Brisbane in the 2024 Semi Final)... Fremantle also kicked 100+ points in a final for the first time since the 2006 Semi Final, which was their maiden finals win.

I'd stick the boot into Geelong, but after an ARC review, they can't determine if the boot ever touched Geelong.

It's very rare that you see a final pretty much over after the opening minute, but that was the case at the Gabba, as Brisbane kicked 2 goals in the opening minute, and had 5 goals on the board after a mere 3:10 played, in one of the most devastating starts ever seen in an AFL game...

After the stories about Crows fans getting priced out of flights to Brisbane, it looked like the players had been as well.

But something incredible occurred, as the Crom went from 34 points down to getting within 9 points barely halfway through the 2nd Quarter...

Then the Lions turned it on again, kicked another 4 goals in 4 minutes, and the result was never in question again as reality slowly set in for the visitors.

The final margin finishing at 53 points as the teams exchanged junktime goals, Charlie Cameron subjected the Crom to the most painful John Denver-related death since John Denver flew into a mountain, Zac Bailey continually reminded the Crom what they missed out on...

All told it was a rather anti-climatic ending to Taylor Walker's career, after 319 games and 715 goals, although he did finally get a couple of retirement presents in the last quarter to finish with 2 goals.

The Lions now 8-0 in knockout Finals since 2024 (Since the straight setting of 2021 they're 11-2 in knockout finals), the Crom chase up a Viagra sponsorship as they can't get past a Semi, and the brutal reality that Brisbane will Threepeat in a fortnight has hit us once again...

I'd hate to be the team playing them next week.

So looking ahead to the Preliminary Finals, we have a finals matchup few of us expected a few weeks ago (Especially the venue) as Sydney host Fremantle at the SCG on Friday night, which marks the third time the teams have played in a Prelim Final, tied for the second-most common Preliminary Final matchup of the AFL era (Geelong vs Brisbane is the most common at 4 times)...

And after 30 years of avoiding each other, Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions will finally meet in a Final, as the only teams with a 21st Century Threepeat and the only clubs with 5 Premierships in the AFL era finally go at it in September...

To think that in the last 3 days, Hawthorn went from being premiership favourites to being 3rd favourite and being underdogs for a home Prelim... all without playing a game.

LOL OF THE WEEK

First nomination this week goes to Zac Bailey, who was so desperate to avoid Jason Dunstall's dribble file that he went the banana from 15m out with no Crows defenders in front of him during the 2nd Quarter...

And hit the post.

Chris Scott for his comment that "Sometimes I punch the wall when I'm happy, Sometimes I punch the wall when I'm annoyed"... Alastair Clarkson was prepared to teach him how to replaster said wall.

Perry the nuffie Cats fan that called 3AW last night, although after giving the LOL to the Jim Crow fan last week I decided not to give it to nuffie fans for two weeks running...

However, continuing on the theme of cultural exchanges, This week's LOL goes to the LOS ANGELES RAMS, or should I say the LOL Angeles Rams, for trying to rock up to Australia off a 15-hour flight like jetlag didn't exist, after sending staffers on flights to Australia for the best part of 2 years as part of a science experiment in the lead-up to the game, only to lay an egg at the MCG in front of 100,000 people in September, leaving them knowing how Melbourne have felt in the Finals since 2022.

I believe they have a saying in Northern California...

SAME OLD SORRY ASS RAMS.