After 22 rounds of football, the top seven clubs are guaranteed a spot in September. Sydney, Hawthorn, Geelong, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and Essendon are all through to at least round one of finals action, but Richmond, sitting in eighth spot by a matter of percentage, still isn’t close to guaranteeing its spot in September.

And if the favourites are to triumph this week, the AFL could have as many as four interstate clubs playing a part in the finals, should West Coast or Adelaide win, as the bookies would expect.

Collingwood takes on Hawthorn Friday night, a team it hasn’t beaten since its thrilling 2011 preliminary final triumph. A completely depleted Magpies outfit, with their abysmal second half to the season, were not expected to come close to a red hot Hawthorn, especially after its 10 goal turnaround against Geelong last week. Hawthorn had already all but guaranteed a top-two spot with that win over the Cats.

Saturday proves to be season defining. Carlton hosts Essendon, Port Adelaide travels to Perth to take on Fremantle, Sydney battles it out with Richmond, North Melbourne takes on Melbourne and Geelong and Brisbane will lock horns at Simonds Stadium.

All arrows point to a comprehensive Essendon win over the Blues. Carlton was shocking last week, notching up a lowly five goal display against an inspired Port Adelaide, which comprehensively beat it by 103 points in Adelaide. Meanwhile Essendon guaranteed its first finals berth since 2011, after being disqualified last year because of its controversial supplements saga.

Fremantle hosting Port Adelaide could shape up to be the best game of 2014, with a top four spot on the line for both clubs. Fremantle sits in the four, one win above Port Adelaide, but after the Power’s big win over Carlton last week it has a healthier percentage. Whoever wins this one will guarantee itself a double change.

Dockers’ coach Ross Lyon was coy about his team’s meeting with the Power, in his post-match press conference last week.

“The reality is it’s sudden death for the top four next week. We’re really thrilled by that. We’re excited by the challenge, we accept the challenge, as Port do.

“They’re going to ask some questions of us and we’re going to ask some serious questions of them, so it’s really game on from here.

“You don’t sneak your way into the top four, you’ve got to win your way and we’re excited by that,” Lyon said.

And the excitement doesn’t end there. Sydney taking on Richmond is another do or die game. Whilst Sydney has sewn up a double chance and the right to host a final in week one, with its superior percentage, Richmond comes into this game knowing that a September berth will be all but gone without the four points. Behind it are four teams vying for that illustrious eighth spot and with West Coast taking on the Gold Coast and Adelaide hosting St Kilda at home. Ironically, Richmond’s last defeat, before its eight game run, came at the hands of the Swans in round 14, but another loss to Sydney will all but end its 2014 campaign.

North Melbourne should be too strong for Melbourne, to sew up a home elimination final.

Geelong and Brisbane clash at Simonds, and Cats players may have not-too-distant memories of matches gone by against the Lions. In their two clashes last year, Geelong gave up a 52 point lead late in the third quarter to lose in dramatic circumstances, with an Ashley McGrath goal after the siren gifting Brisbane the win. In the final round of 2013 Geelong held off the Lions (at home) by one point to dismiss any chance Brisbane had of a finals berth. A loss for Geelong this week could be the difference between playing Hawthorn at the MCG or Sydney in the harbour city in round one of the finals.

On Sunday the Suns host the Eagles, Adelaide takes on St Kilda and the Bulldogs host the Giants in their final round for the season.

West Coast and Adelaide are still vying for that eighth spot, and if results go accordingly (with both Richmond and Collingwood), with a 4.5 per cent margin between the Eagles and the Crows, either club can make the eight. It will all depend on results going their way.