1. Will Nic Naitanui be the most important player on the ground on Friday night?

Absolutely he will be and Jordan Lewis might be the second most.

Naitanui didn't play when the Hawks beat the Eagles at Domain Stadium and neither did Callum Sinclair. The absence of the two main West Coast big men in that game, plus the fact that it was played in wet and woolly weather – most un-Perth like – begs the question of how much store to place in the match played a little over a month ago.

Naitanui has played some spectacular footy against Hawthorn and the selection poser facing Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson is how to counter the dynamic West Coast big man.

Ben McEvoy has been the No.1 ruck at Hawthorn for the last month but he tends to struggle against more athletic types, as was the case against Patrick Ryder a fortnight ago. Jon Ceglar has played two matches for Box Hill since returning from back injury and might offer a bit more mobility around the ground.

Also look for the Hawks to deploy their oft-used third-man up strategy against the Eagles to help nullify Naitanui. In Lewis they have one of the best practicioners at that aspect of the game and what makes this interesting is that it was Adam Simpson – then a Hawthorn assistant coach and now the main man with West Coast – who taught him most of what he knows.

Second qualifying final, West Coast v Hawthorn
Domain Stadium, Friday September 11, 6.20pm AWST

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• Nine things we learned: Finals opponents need to worry about LeCras

2. Is it Buddy time?

It needs to be. The injury bug has bitten the Swans at the wrong time of the year with Luke Parker and now Kieren Jack sidelined for the finals. That's two of the best four Swans midfielders who will be watching from the stands this September.

It adds to the pressure on Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery, clearance kings and midfield jets, but the Swans are going to need to make every clearance count and that's where Franklin comes into play. The last time the Swans went to Perth, Franklin didn't even suit up because of back soreness and it is this condition that has hobbled him the last month of the season.

He played half a game against St Kilda in round 22 and got through the Gold Coast game on Saturday night, not convincingly by any stretch, but he played the entire four quarters.

But the Swans will need to kick 14 goals to win this game. The Dockers have averaged 85.5 points a game in their 12 outings at Domain Stadium for the year, 14 goals seems to be a safe bet as the Swans' requirement. But they'll likely need Franklin, who has kicked just 30 goals in 14 outings at Subiaco, to get on the end of a few more than that if the Swans are going to find those 14 goals.

First qualifying final, Fremantle v Sydney Swans
Domain Stadium, Saturday September 12, 1.20pm AWST

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• Who starred for your club on the eve of the finals in the state leagues?

Does there really have to be a loser on Saturday night?

Saturday's elimination final at the MCG brings together the feel-good stories of the year and the two clubs most neutrals will be pulling for this September.

The Crows could have been excused for throwing in the towel following the mid-season death of coach Phil Walsh. But instead they regrouped and mounted a stirring run to the finals and truly earned, as their song tells us, "the admiration of a nation."

At one stage last October the Bulldogs had no coach, no captain and no chief executive. They seemingly had no hope. But in stepped the man with the Midas touch, new coach Luke Beveridge who together with new skipper Robert Murphy restored an air of calm at the Whitten Oval.

Towards the end of the season, the Crows were playing the type of football Walsh wants implemented when he was in charge – high-octane attacking and team defence when the other team has the ball.

The Bulldogs also know one way of going about it – fast and furious, but they love a scrap around the contest as well, a trait that was there even before Beveridge arrived at the club.

The storylines are plentiful. Patrick Dangerfield seems poised to leave, but not one Adelaide person could complain about what he has given the club this year. Is Scott Camporeale firming to become senior coach on a permanent basis? Does he even want the job?

And what's the ceiling for the Bulldogs youngsters? Mitch Wallis, Marcus Bontempelli and Jake Stringer, to name but a few, seem born to play finals. And Murphy and Matty Boyd, who might have thought September footy was past them, will play with an extra spring in their step.

Second elimination final, Western Bulldogs v Adelaide
MCG, Saturday September 12, 7.20pm AEST

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• Forecast the road to the flag with the AFL Finals Predictor 

Is it Tiger time?

This is the year for Richmond. Perhaps not to win the whole thing but surely to get past the sizeable hurdle that is the elimination final.

Inexperience – and one of the great bursts of football by Chris Judd – brought them undone in 2013. Last year they won nine straight games just to make the finals before being blown away by a withering Port Adelaide. It could be argued that the Port game was their 10th straight knock-out final.

But there is a different vibe about the Tigers this September. This is the first time since 1973 that the Tigers have qualified for a third straight finals appearance on the trot. There was no euphoria once it was confirmed this time around, merely a quick fist pump and then on with the next game.

The Tigers seem to have the right demographic in terms of age and games played, but they keep presenting and history teaches that the teams that keep on presenting eventually break through and have their moment.

Two concerns for the Tigers. In meaningful games against North, they've lost their last five. And North enjoys the MCG in September, having won two stirring finals there last year.

All of which means an anxious week for the Tiger tribe. If we get to three-quarter time next Sunday, and the margin is three goals or less either way, there is nowhere else in the world you would rather be.

First elimination final, Richmond v North Melbourne
MCG, Sunday September 12, 3.20pm AEST

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