THE AFL RUBDOWN | It’s official. It has begun. Panic has set in. And more often than not, it’s always around this time of year that it hits you…The realisation that footy is about to finish!

Depending on the results of round-23 this week, every position in the top eight could change.

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 | As there is every week, there are winners and losers. If you get a ‘W’, things just seem to make sense. Beer tastes better. You realise you have in fact the best missus in the world. Even the next-door neighbours sewage problem doesn’t smell so bad. They are the blessed, for they are winners.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | The AFL plot has thickened beautifully like all Mother’s Day gravies should after Round 7 threw up some very interesting results.

West Coast captain Darren Glass isn’t losing any sleep over accusations his team are manipulating AFL rules in the tackle, dismissing claims the Eagles are a bunch of duckers.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | Pulling teeth. That’s how this year’s pre season can best be described, as it was just as painful to sit through. But now you’ve got less than a week to mow the lawn, wash the car, go out with the missus, or whatever it is that needs to get done because this weekend, IT BEGINS.

Bernie Vince says his starring role in Adelaide’s AFL pre-season cup win was motivated by guilt.

West Coast skipper Darren Glass says it would be nice to win the pre-season final, but insists round one of the AFL campaign remains far more important.

THE AFL RUBDOWN | It’s almost that time of year again! But before AFL’s season 2012 bounces into action, we look at the ‘alternate universe cup’ and find out if anyone actually cares about pre-season footy.

The top ten most popular articles on Australian Times in 2011

THE RUBDOWN: AFL Finals Week 3 – So after 195 games it comes down to just 4 quarters of football. Collingwood vs. Geelong. If the Pies win, the Black and White army will be ruling the world again. If the Cats win, the rest of the world will be celebrating.

West Coast captain Darren Glass rates Geelong as premiership favourites over Collingwood after the Cats demolished his Eagles in Saturday’s AFL preliminary final.

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.