1. Selwood battered, but not out 
Already without superstar Cat Patrick Dangerfield, following a one-match suspension, the sight of Joel Selwood limping down the race with what looked like a serious ankle injury minutes before half-time was not what Cats fans wanted to see. Selwood, who stood on teammate Zac Smith's foot in a marking contest, instantly clasped his lower left leg in pain and sought assistance from the club's medical staff. The injury appeared to be a serious one but vision of Selwood testing his ankle out in the rooms at half-time was little surprise given the toughness that he possesses. The Geelong skipper returned to the field after half-time and tried to inspire his team to a comeback. Selwood again clutched his ankle in pain when his leg got caught in a Lance Franklin tackle at the end of the third quarter. Selwood sat out most of the final term with the Cats seemingly eyeing a huge game against Richmond at Simonds Stadium next Saturday.

2. Swans stamp themselves as premiership threats
The stakes were high and the Swans stood up to the pressure. Sydney was one of four teams locked on 40 points heading into round 20 but the Swans separated themselves from the pack with a brilliant win at Simonds Stadium on Friday night. Sydney steeled itself for the contest from the very beginning, leaping out to a 32-point quarter-time lead to set up the result. The Swans' hardened bodies and ability to stack on scores against an inexperienced Cats line-up was telling, with Tom Papley (three goals), Will Hayward (three) and Sam Reid (two) all dangerous inside forward 50. The question now will be whether the Swans can pinch a spot in the top four. If they can do that, they will be difficult to stop in September.

3. Duncan in strife with MRP or did Papley take a dive?
The AFL has clamped down on tummy taps in recent weeks, so it's likley Geelong midfielder Mitch Duncan is going to have a case to answer for an incident with Sydney's Tom Papley in the final term. Papley fell to ground when Duncan swung his arm into his chest, immediately drawing the whistle from the umpire in charge. Papley received a free kick and although he missed his set shot at goal, he was awarded a 50m penalty to make a certainty of his kick from the goal line. The debate will centre on the force of Duncan's punch and whether Papley accentuated the contact and went down too easily. Over to you MRP.

4. Shell-shocked Cats experience prelim déjà vu
Geelong players would have looked up at the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter and thought: how could this happen to us again? The Swans' hot start was reminiscent of last year's preliminary final. In September last year, Sydney kicked 7.2 against a shell-shocked Cats line-up to set up a 37-point victory and book its spot in the Grand Final. On Friday night, the Swans came out with similar intent and had 7.5 on the board before the Cats even had a chance to blink. It was also the highest first quarter score by an opposition team at Simonds Stadium since Hawthorn kicked 8.0 in round nine, 1986. The final margin was 46 points on Friday night, with the Swans now making it three-straight wins over their Victorian rivals.

5. Hawkins continues to walk a fine line
Cats spearhead Tom Hawkins treads a fine line when it comes to the Match Review Panel and a jumper punch on Swan Dane Rampe is the latest example of living on the edge. The Geelong power forward always cops attention from the opposition and Friday night was no exception. First, Hawkins remonstrated with young defender Callum Mills with a light tap into his chest. The Geelong star then turned around and went with aggression at Rampe. The contact appeared to be just below Rampe's throat and the force negligible, but it will be a nervous wait for the gun forward nonetheless. Geelong can ill afford to lose Hawkins to another suspension, with the Cats forward booting three goals in the loss to the Swans.