Hawthorn claimed back-to-back flags but for the second year running the Hawks' on-field heroics were overshadowed by Essendon's supplements scandal.

And the controversy is set to spill into early 2015 when the case before the AFL's anti-doping tribunal, which starts on December 15, winds up.

The good news for the 34 Essendon players charged with being administered the banned drug, thymosin beta 4, is the case against them could fall over if key witnesses for the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority do not appear. That would result in the players escaping sanction.

Worryingly, players may emerge none the wiser as to what they were given in the program spearheaded by sports scientist Stephen Dank.

James Hird remains at the helm at Essendon despite a humiliating defeat at the Federal Court when Justice John Middleton ruled ASADA had complied with the rule of law with their joint investigation with the AFL.

Hird, who is displaying the same never-say-die attitude he showed on the field, has outlasted eight rival coaches since the saga came to light early last year.

He is also the only major off-field office bearer to have kept his job with the club's chairman (David Evans), chief executive (Ian Robson), football manager (Danny Corcoran) and a former favourite son Mark Thompson among the departed.

Lance Franklin's debut season at Sydney was in danger of becoming, literally, a car crash but he finished the year having re-established his credentials as a bonafide superstar.

Dogged by injury, Franklin had been out of form as rumours swirled about his alleged disruptive influence on the Swans. The claims were magnified by Sydney's awful 1-3 start to the season and a car accident involving four other vehicles.

But he led the Swans' rise up the ladder in the middle stages of the season and was rewarded with his fifth All Australian selection, a third Coleman Medal, and third placings in the Brownlow and club best and fairest.

Franklin's arrival on a lucrative nine-year contract also made the Swans a big deal in one of the Australia's most competitive sporting markets. The Swans posted a record club membership and had a spike in home attendances

Franklin captured the imagination of the city's sports fans with his exuberance and spectacular play and even prompted AFL legend Kevin Sheedy to compare him to the great Tony Lockett. It's safe to say year one of nine was a huge success, despite the sour end on grand final day.

The Winners

Few clubs have overcome as much adversity as Hawthorn did in defending their crown this year to become only the seventh team in more than half a century to win back-to-back flags.

The Hawks had to deal with the loss of their glamour forward Lance Franklin, injuries to key players early in the season and an illness to coach Alastair Clarkson, which had some questioning whether he would return this year.

Clarkson, suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, was sidelined for five games, all of which the Hawks won under caretaker coach Brendon Bolton.

Franklin's absence in the forward line was not missed as Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust and Jack Gunston all had career-best years.

The Hawks finished second in the home and away season and fell into the decider after surviving a late charge by Port Adelaide in the preliminary final.

They started underdogs on the last Saturday of September but obliterated the star-studded Swans team to win by 64 points.

Ominously for their rivals, the club then bolstered their considerable playing list by picking up All Australian backman James Frawley, the biggest fish in the free agency market.

Port Adelaide was the fairytale story of the season with their hot form making a ticket at the transformed Adelaide Oval one of the most sought after items in the city. Along with the Swans, Port will start 2015 as one of the main dangers to Hawthorn's bid for a three-peat.

The Losers

Just like turkeys don't like Christmas, the same could be said for coaches with reviews. Guy McKenna and Brendan McCartney both entered October, once a time when coaches could look forward to the following year, on shaky ground and finished the month out of their jobs. Adelaide also reacted savagely to a below-average season the previous month by punting Brenton Sanderson.

McKenna could consider himself particularly unlucky, punted with a year left on his contract. He appeared destined to take the Suns into a historic debut finals appearance this year, the club's fourth, until Gary Ablett's shoulder gave way. The expansion club won just one of their last seven games to miss the September action, and McKenna fell victim to player power.

So too did McCartney, whose position, despite being contracted until the end of 2016, became untenable after Ryan Griffen decided to leave for Greater Western Sydney. McCartney's savage post-season player reviews won him no favours with his charges, many of whom were already unhappy with his coaching methods. The coach had a point. His team had finished 14th with seven wins, missing the finals for a fourth season in a row.

Sanderson's position was shaky as early as July because of Adelaide's fluctuating on-field fortunes. He was in trouble when the Crows missed the finals and it did not help that cross-town rivals Port Adelaide had become a glamour team. Being in contract until the end of 2016 could not save him either. He was particularly stiff as the club lost key forwards Kurt Tippett, to Sydney, and Taylor Walker, to injury, during his reign.

The "I never guessed Verbal Kint was Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects" moment: Shock of the year

The look on any Sydney supporter's face when they saw the half-time score in the grand final.

I should have turned off my phone: Twitter scandal of the year

In the years to come, former Carlton defender Josh Bootsma will look back on June, 2014 with mixed feelings. He became a father but had his AFL career terminated for posting explicit pictures on social media .

Crystal ball: What's going to happen in 2015

There will be three clubs - Hawthorn, Sydney and Port Adelaide - starting the year well ahead of their rivals and two - St Kilda and Melbourne - a long way behind. You could throw a blanket over the rest. A maiden finals berth is within reach for Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

All eyes in Sydney will again be on Lance Franklin though emotions will be high in what will surely be Adam Goodes' last year.

There's bound to be a coach or three sacked, probably not until after the season, a few players who land themselves in strife through loose lips, trigger fingers on the tweets and too much fizz - or a combination of the three.