Due to the AFL's socialist system, the gap between second and 10th on the ladder is as tight as it's ever been. It's the fine-tuning from here that will ultimately determine who claims the flag. And the AFL, through its equalisation measures, couldn't have massaged it any better.

Clubs jostling to finish from fifth to eighth - Port Adelaide, Sydney, Western Bulldogs, Essendon, West Coast Eagles, St Kilda and Melbourne - will be in fine touch come an elimination final, and may even have had to win their three remaining games to still be alive.

Remember, the Dogs got on a roll from round 20 last year, winning three in a row - against fellow finalist North Melbourne and strugglers Collingwood and Essendon - before dropping their final game in Perth when missing a couple of their prime movers.

And this is where the pre-finals bye, even inadvertently, has played a role in adding to the league's socialist approach. It was introduced largely to protect the game's integrity following decisions by North Melbourne and the Dockers to rest many players in the final round, but it's also closed the gap among the finalists.

Previously a team could have been exhausted just from the effort, even the associated hype, of making the finals. That was often seen as enough of a victory, but that excuse doesn't carry weight any more.

The week off gives players more time to refresh and recover from niggles. A hamstring strain that was into its third or fourth week and would have meant another week on the sidelines is now far less of a worry. It's unlikely Leigh Montagna (hamstring) hasn't already thought about the benefits of the week off should the Saints make the finals. The same with Essendon's Orazio Fantasia (hamstring) and now Joel Selwood (ankle surgery).

Bombers coach John Worsfold had argued against the week off but don't be surprised if that opinion changes if his team returns to September.

The Demons, for instance, would already have confidence from toppling the Crows in Adelaide in round eight but the above factors could play an even more important role should their decade-long September drought finally end.

The week off gives those sides from fifth to eighth not only more time to plot their elimination-final strategies but also to get a handle on their higher opponents.

Geelong great Jimmy Bartel has raised another intriguing subplot, declaring this year's campaign could be more akin to a "tennis tournament".

For those lesser seeds aspiring to reach the finals of a grand slam, fortunes can often be swayed by whether they have avoided a nemesis or a top seed, such as Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal, through the opening week. In our case, the Cats would be desperate to avoid the Swans for as long as possible.

"If you get the right match-up through the tournament, you will be fine. If Geelong don't meet the Swans in their half, they might be right," Bartel said on 3AW.

"If they meet the Hawks or another side which they have played well against in recent years, the Bulldogs, and again, vice versa for the Swans, if they play the Hawks, the Hawks provide them with a lot of concerns."

One thing is certain - this September will be one to remember.

BOMBERS HAVE THE BLUES AND WHAT TO DO WITH JOBE

The Blues may have ultimately lost the battle but they exposed one way for rivals to handle the Bombers, particularly come September if the Dons are still alive.

The Bombers love nothing more than a free-flowing contest and that was on display early against the Blues at the MCG. The dash and willingness to create through the middle of the ground is what allows Joe Daniher to do his best work. That changed, though, when the Blues began to defend as a unit, where teammates provided more help. The Blues opted to hold on to the ball and push numbers into defence, making their counter-attack from half-back more dangerous, as shown when Sam Docherty found Jack Silvagni off the leash in the middle of the ground in the third term.

So bad did things get for the Bombers that they went from posting their fifth goal at the 20-minute mark of the first term to finally having their sixth at the 17-minute mark of the third. It would have been game over should that drought have happened against an elite side, and that's got to be a worry for coach John Worsfold. Questions are now being asked as to whether the Dons have the required mental hardness.

"We have to work hard to play our best footy for longer periods, that's our challenge at the moment. If that means our season extends out into finals, that will be great because, hopefully, we are improving right up until then. We will look forward to what that opens up for us," Worsfold said.

What continues to be "open" is debate about Jobe Watson's future. He had seven touches to three quarter-time and a season-low 11 for the match, two of which were kicks. It appears as if the game has gone by him, for he lacks penetration and his decision making is also being questioned. Worsfold said four players underperformed, Watson being one. Would it be best for the champion midfielder to announce he was retiring this year, perhaps allowing him to regain his zest in time for what could be a finals campaign?

CLOCK TICKING

Decision time looms for two favourite sons - one with his fate in his own hands, the other is dependent on his club. Speculation has grown in recent days that Dustin Martin was close to re-signing with the Tigers, even on a deal as long as seven years. That came after his manager Ralph Carr told Fairfax Media last week that he felt Martin would make a call on his future by the end of the home-and-away campaign. The Tigers, to that point, had offered a six-year deal worth about $1.2 million a year.

Martin is a "difference maker" and would immediately elevate any side he joined. Put him with the Blues next year and they could vault into finals calculations. But the question has to be asked - why would he want to leave Punt Road? He is in a top-four-bound side, a core group with years left in the tank, a "love in" with skipper Trent Cotchin and a plethora of marketing opportunities. What else does he need?

For Nathan Buckley, it remains a nervous wait. The Pies, without the pressure of making the finals, have won three of their past four (two against bottom clubs), along with a draw against Adelaide. We said in this column last month he is far better coach now than he was even two years ago, and there's no doubt the players are behind him, as Adam Treloar restated on Saturday night.

However, Eddie McGuire says the Pies will take in the total picture. That means a 5-10 start to this season, a 4-7 start to 2016, a 2-9 finish in 2015 and a 3-8 finish in 2014 should be revisited. These sustained swings in momentum could haunt Buckley, and were a reason why the Blues let Brett Ratten go in 2012. Just why Daniel Wells was handed a three-year deal worth more than $1.5 million is another important question.

TIME TO TACKLE THE CONFUSION

Well, here we go again - more confusion over just how a tackle should be executed. This time there is no Brownlow Medal on the line but debate over whether Brodie Grundy should be cited for his tackle on Ben Brown on Saturday night has already been passionate - and will continue to be on Monday when the match review panel makes its decision.

This column argued last week that Patrick Dangerfield should have escaped censure for his tackle on Matthew Kreuzer. Instead, the MRP declared "the incident was assessed as careless conduct with medium impact to the head" and Dangerfield was handed a two-week ban, reduced to one with an early plea. Kreuzer had gone off with mild concussion and did not return. In Brown's case, he was taken off on a stretcher, sent to hospital and remained there until 3am on Sunday.

Nathan Buckley may have said it was a "perfect" tackle, for Brown was penalised for holding the ball. However, like Dangerfield, this appeared to be "careless" for Brown's arms were pinned and there had been a second or two to release at least one. This even shapes as being higher than "medium impact". Former North Melbourne and St Kilda player Nick Dal Santo was one to say on Sunday Grundy would be suspended.

The bottom line is this: players must modify their techniques and need to show greater caution when pinning the arms (release at least one arm). A clearer statement on what constitutes a tackle also needs to be made - and soon - by the Laws of the Game committee for an earlier incident involving Jack Ziebell was also questionable. It cannot wait until there is a new AFL football operations manager. If that means there needs to be a reworking of the rules heading into the finals, so be it. Said Buckley: "We saw three or four dangerous tackles tonight - a couple were [penalised and] a couple were paid holding the ball. So there's a bit of discussion to take place."