The countdown to the AFL finals is well and truly on, but there are just two more rounds to go in the regular season that will ultimately decide the make-up of the final eight, and the final ladder overall.

The penultimate round of the regular season will kick off on Friday night with what had shaped as a pre-finals blockbuster between the Geelong Cats and Collingwood at the start of the season.

But with both sides certain to miss the finals, the meeting between the 2011 grand finalists shapes up as a mockbuster instead. Meanwhile, two finals-bound sides in North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will face off in a match that will see both test out their finals credentials against each other.

To finish the round, the race for the minor premiership will intensify with the two WA clubs to play on Sunday. Depending on how the West Coast Eagles fare in their match against the Adelaide Crows, Fremantle may have the chance to lock up the minor premiership when they host Melbourne in the final match of the round.

Here is your full guide to Round 22.

Geelong Cats versus Collingwood
At the start of the season, many viewed the match between the Geelong Cats and Collingwood as being a potential finals warm-up for both clubs, but with neither set to feature in September this year, the clash shapes as a mockbuster instead.

The Cats’ finals hopes took a huge hit when they were held to a draw against St Kilda last Saturday night, while those of the Pies were officially extinguished after they copped a 91-point thrashing at the hands of Richmond earlier in the day.

This leaves both clubs with nothing to play for but pride and preparation for 2016 this Friday night. Already the two clubs have faced off in the same timeslot, with the Geelong Cats’ fast start proving crucial to their 41-point win in Round 6.

For the Cats, a loss to the Pies will all but end what has been a glorious era for the club, which saw them reach four grand finals, win three premierships, produce three Norm Smith Medallists, two Brownlow Medallists, numerous All-Australians and a sustained period of on-field success.

The Pies, meanwhile, will be out to salvage what has been another disappointing season for the club, their 91-point loss to the Tigers marking their eighth loss in their last nine games.

Their current form is a far cry from their first half of the season which saw them sit in the top four with an 8-3 win-loss record prior to their mid-season bye, and it would seem that the season just cannot end soon enough for the club.

Prediction: Geelong Cats by 20 points.

GWS Giants versus Carlton
Officially out of finals contention following their humiliating Sydney Derby loss last week, the GWS Giants will be out to bounce back and start planning for next season and onwards.

Last week’s match shaped as the perfect chance for the Giants to prove that they had come a long way since entering the competition in 2012, but in the end they were left embarrassed by an 89-point loss that saw their percentage drop below 100 for the first time this season.

This Saturday’s match against Carlton, who has just named Brendon Bolton as its senior coach for 2016 and beyond, will provide the chance for the club to put last week’s result behind them, salvage the season and start planning for next season.

The club will have no excuses against the Blues, whom they defeated by eight points midway through last year before dishing out a 13-goal thrashing at Etihad Stadium in Round 7 this season.

The Blues will, however, pose a different threat to the one that faced the Giants earlier this year, the club having restored some pride within following the mid-season sacking of Mick Malthouse.

However, in a blow to the club’s chances of staying off the bottom of the ladder, captain Marc Murphy looks set to miss after dislocating his shoulder in the club’s 23-point win over Melbourne, their first win since late June.

Forward Levi Casboult and ex-Giant Kristian Jaksch will also not be risked again this season as the dust starts to settle on what has been an abysmal season for the club.

That, and the Giants’ home ground advantage, will see Leon Cameron’s men start favourites to notch up win number eleven of what has already been their most successful season ever.

Prediction: GWS Giants by 30 points.

Hawthorn versus Brisbane Lions
Hawthorn’s shock 22-point loss to Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium last week has all but ended any hopes they have of finishing in the top two for a fourth consecutive year.

Now, the Hawks will have to gear up for a trip to Perth in the first week of the finals by defeating the bottom two sides on the ladder, the Brisbane Lions and Carlton, in the final fortnight of the regular season.

And they’ll have to do it without captain Luke Hodge, who copped his second suspension for the year for rough conduct against Port Adelaide’s Chad Wingard last Friday night.

This Saturday’s game against the Lions will be their final appearance in Launceston for the season, and the two-time reigning premiers will be out to continue their undefeated record at the ground which dates back to mid-2012.

The three matches earlier this season saw them take care of the Western Bulldogs by 70 points, the Gold Coast Suns by 53 and most recently ladder leaders Fremantle by 72 points.

To say the least, the Hawks should take care of the Lions, who are coming off an 87-point loss to the Adelaide Crows which has again seen them sink to the bottom of the ladder, and do it in ruthless fashion.

Prediction: Hawthorn by 55 points.

North Melbourne versus Western Bulldogs
With finals all but confirmed for both North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs this season, Saturday night’s clash will shape as a finals warm-up for both clubs as the regular season comes to its conclusion.

The Roos produced one of their best performances this season to defeat Fremantle by 11 points last week, inflicting upon them a loss that could potentially cost them the minor premiership at season’s end.

It was their seventh consecutive win dating back to Round 15 and confirms the Roos as legitimate finals contenders after the club had struggled for form and consistency in the first half of the season.

This weekend the Roos will face a Western Bulldogs side which were given next to no hope of playing finals this year following the mass departure of several key personnel at the end of last season.

Tipped by many to win the wooden spoon at the start of the season, the Luke Beveridge-coached side have instead implemented a brand of football that is fast, exhilarating and exciting to watch.

Last week, however, the club suffered just its second loss since their Round 11 bye when they went down to the West Coast Eagles by 77 points in Perth, thus marking their heaviest defeat this season.

Despite that hiccup, the Bulldogs remain in the hunt to finish in the top four, but they would have to first defeat the Kangaroos for the first time since 2012, then hope that both Richmond and the Sydney Swans drop their two remainders, to wrest back the top-four spot they had occupied prior to the loss to the Eagles.

However, the fact that they are coming off a six-day break, following the long trip back from Perth, should swing the favouritism the way of North Melbourne here.

Prediction: North Melbourne by 15 points.

Essendon versus Richmond
A third straight finals series will loom for Richmond this year and Saturday night’s clash against sash rivals Essendon at the MCG will present the club another chance to warm up for what lies ahead.

The Tigers defeated Collingwood for the second time this season last week, doing so last Saturday to the tune of 91 points. That will put them in good stead as they attempt to defeat Essendon twice in one season for the first time since 2008.

After the week from hell which resulted in James Hird’s resignation last week, the Bombers put up a spirited performance against the Gold Coast Suns but ultimately went down in heartbreaking fashion, losing by just two points.

It was a huge improvement from the 112-point thrashing they copped from the Adelaide Crows, a result which initiated Hird’s resignation following months and years of uncertainty following the supplements scandal.

While the Bombers cannot make the finals, they can at least prevent the Tigers from potentially overtaking the Sydney Swans, who play St Kilda on Sunday, on the ladder in the race for fourth place.

Veteran Paul Chapman will also play his final game after announcing his immediate retirement, and while the Dons will be out to send him out victorious, Richmond’s irresistible form will be too much.

Prediction: Richmond by 25 points.

Gold Coast Suns versus Port Adelaide
As it turned out, last Friday night’s 22-point win over Hawthorn, their third in the last four meetings against the reigning premiers, meant nothing for Port Adelaide, who will now miss the finals for the first time under Ken Hinkley’s reign.

The Power had been inconsistent all year as they struggled to perform under the weight of expectations, but their win over the Hawks did keep alive any faint hopes they had of playing in September until North Melbourne’s 11-point win over Fremantle on Sunday officially snuffed them out.

This Saturday night the Power will be playing for pride when they travel to the Gold Coast to face the Suns, who are coming off a thrilling two-point win over Essendon, just their fourth win in what has been a wretched season for the club.

The Suns have been led brilliantly by stand-in captain Tom Lynch, who assumed the duties after Gary Ablett Jr suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Adelaide Crows in Round 17.

Since then, they have drawn with the second-placed West Coast Eagles, defeated the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba and just recently defeated the Bombers for the first time, that coming a week after the club suffered a horrific 83-point loss to Richmond at the MCG.

The fifth-year club’s recent form will have them confident of springing an upset at home and hammering the final nail into the coffin of the Power this Saturday night.

Prediction: Gold Coast Suns by six points.

Adelaide Crows versus West Coast Eagles
Sunday’s clash between the Adelaide Crows and West Coast Eagles at the Oval shapes as arguably the biggest between the two clubs since the pair fought out a pair of preliminary finals in 2005 and 2006.

The Crows have rebounded from the tragic passing of coach Phil Walsh to win five of their seven matches under caretaker coach Scott Camporeale, and thus all but lock up their first finals berth with two rounds still to play in the regular season.

Captain Taylor Walker led from the front with seven goals as they thrashed the Brisbane Lions at home by 87 points last week, but they’ll need to take their game up a notch against a West Coast side that has exceeded all expectations in 2015.

Written off at the beginning of the season mainly due to injuries to their key defenders, the Eagles thrashed fellow finals contenders the Western Bulldogs by 77 points last Sunday to all but lock up a top two finish.

Josh Kennedy’s seven goals against the Bulldogs may have all but sewn up the Coleman Medal (he has kicked 71 goals for the season to date), and he can further extend his lead over GWS’ Jeremy Cameron (54 goals) with another big bag against the Crows on Sunday.

The Eagles’ recent record against the Crows makes for good reading, having won three of their last four meetings while they are also two from two at the Oval, having defeated Port Adelaide by 10 points in Round 6 this year in addition to defeating the Crows by 31 points in Round 19 last year.

This Sunday’s clash promises to be a tight one, and I can see the Eagles winning, but only by just.

Prediction: West Coast Eagles by 10 points.

St Kilda versus Sydney Swans
Although the ladder positions of both St Kilda and the Sydney Swans may suggest otherwise, this Sunday’s game poses as another danger game for the visitors, who simply must win if they are to stay ahead of Richmond and the Western Bulldogs in the race for fourth place.

John Longmire’s men made a mockery of what was supposed to be a close Sydney Derby last week, thrashing the GWS Giants by 89 points to reclaim their place in the top four after having fallen out of it following a recent patch of poor form.

Lance Franklin is a chance to return for the clash against the Saints, the reigning Coleman Medallist having missed four of the last five matches due to ankle and back injuries.

The Saints will have reason to be confident entering their match against the Swans, having forced a draw against the Geelong Cats in arguably their most significant result against them since 2010.

The performance of American-born ruckman Jason Holmes was a huge highlight and his impending duel with Canadian-born Swans ruckman Mike Pyke could shape as an intriguing battle in the only meeting between the two clubs this year.

Saints forward Adam Schneider will also play his final AFL match, fittingly against the club with whom he debuted in 2003, was part of their 2005 premiership side and made his St Kilda debut against in 2008, having announced that he will retire from the AFL afterwards.

But despite St Kilda’s good showing against the Cats, and the lure of sending out Schneider on a good note, the Swans’ class will prove too much in the end.

Prediction: Sydney Swans by 24 points.

Fremantle versus Melbourne
To finish off the round, Fremantle will be out to bounce back from last week’s 11-point loss to North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, which has loosened its grip on the minor premiership.

The Dockers will get no better chance to do that when they welcome Melbourne to Domain Stadium this Sunday, and before the two sides take to the field, the final result from the Crows-Eagles game will be known.

It means that the Dockers can either take back top spot from the Eagles assuming they would have beaten the Crows earlier in the day, or lock up the minor premiership with one round still to play in the regular season.

Captain Matthew Pavlich should return after missing the loss to the Kangaroos with an Achilles injury, while Nat Fyfe remains free to play after his match-day report for high contact to Ben Jacobs was thrown out.

On the other hand, it seems that Melbourne just cannot wait for the season to end, the club crashing to another disappointing loss on the weekend when it went down to Carlton by 23 points in their final match at the MCG for the season.

Not even a strong second half, in which it came from 53 points down to get to within three goals late in the match, would have pleased their supporters, and its poor record in Perth, where they haven’t won since 2004, will only make things worse this Sunday.

That being said, expect Fremantle to show no mercy as they look to rebound from two consecutive losses and tighten their grip on top spot.

Prediction: Fremantle by 65 points.