Hawthorn continue to get the AFL job done, and defender Grant Birchall says the Hawks are taking confidence from winning without playing at their best.

Tim Sheens says the walking wounded from his Kangaroos side will not be in any danger of missing the start of next season after edging out New Zealand 18-10 in a bruising Test encounter on Saturday.

AFL is many things. For some it’s a slight distraction for a few hours, for others, it’s the life force that flows through us and surrounds us, overcoming us with emotion and making other trivial aspects of existence seem insignificant (like food shopping).

Sydney, Adelaide and Hawthorn all clambered into the AFL top four with wins on Sunday to further widen the most open premiership race in years.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Well, well, well…what have we here then? It seems that all of a sudden without anyone even realizing, the Swans of Sydney not only have been playing matches all season, they’ve managed to win enough to be on top of the FREAKING ladder!

THE AFL RUBDOWN | It’s happened again. The golden cliché that all clubs are supposed to live and die by has claimed some major casualties, and they don’t get much bigger than Collingwood and Essendon – falling victim to the most ancient rule in competitive team sports – ‘ONE WEEK AT A TIME’.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Hungry Jacks Pty Ltd avoided going into administration on the weekend by the skin of their thickshakes, as the unpredictability of the AFL finally got predictable.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Round 13 has just been completed, and it’s all downhill from here til September. What a cracking weekend it was too, with some true upsets, sublime contests and some of the most captivating beards you’re ever likely to see.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | The spotlight. Whether it’s for the right or wrong reasons, if you’re an AFL player or coach you don’t want it focusing upon you.

THE RUBDOWN | Finals Week 2 – The AFL coaching merry-go-round can’t detract from some superb Aussie Rules footy, with the Hawks and the Eagles setting up some seriously huge showdowns.

THE RUBDOWN: After a very juicy week one of AFL finals footy, there’s a few teams who will be ruing what could have been and a few who will be stepping up to the next level.

Having obliterated their AFL elimination final hoodoo, Carlton are pointing to their strong record on the road as they prepare for West Coast’s Fortress Subiaco.

THE RUBDOWN: Well, well, well – now the real fun starts. For those who didn’t make the 8, it’s party time! For those that did, it’s now or never.

THE RUBDOWN: Round 23 came and went with some interesting surprises! The Swans stormed Geelong’s fortress, Port gave the Bombers an almighty scare and Roos threw it in against the Saints.

THE RUBDOWN | Three rounds left and it’s at that point of the AFL season when it’s all about preservation, survival and what could’ve been.

THE RUBDOWN: The Cats maul another pretender, Goodesy doesn’t have the goods in Bombers-Swans thriller and we preview the ‘Pineapple Cup Mach II’.

THE RUBDOWN: ‘Biblical’ is probably the only way to describe the past week in the AFL. We had two coaches shown the door, two unbelievable turnarounds on the scoreboard, a mini GF in Adelaide and a nasty incident involving a tennis ball.

THE RUBDOWN: West coast classic adds new meaning to the word ‘derby’ while the top eight is looking more and more finalised.

THE RUBDOWN: The trip to the jungle was a bit sticky for the Tigers while Geelong toyed with the Lions, and poor old Heath may not be a Shaw thing for finals footy.