AFL W2W4, R22: Which Sydney team will continue to peak at the right time?

By Round 22, many would have hoped for a little bit of clarity surrounding the final make-up of the top eight for this year's September action.

But (and we suspect to the big smiles down at AFL House), footy's equalisation measures are in full and glorious effect, considering that 12 teams can still mathematically feature in the finals.

While the Bombers and Crows will require pigs to fly in order to make it (and then get knocked out in the first round), there are also still question marks surrounding the make-up of the top four, and therefore which teams can snag the all-important double chance.

This is What to Watch For, Round 22.

Giants or Swans: Who will peak at the right time?

If people still used diaries, the GWS vs. Sydney Round 22 clash would have been circled by many football fans when the AFL fixture was first released.

As it stands, the Giants are one of just three sides to have guaranteed a place in September and are now looking to lock up a coveted top four spot, while the Swans are one win away from ensuring they get yet another crack at finals.

At various stages this year both sides have looked capable of landing the 2018 premiership as well as missing finals altogether, with either a growing injury list or some insipid performances.

The Giants were humiliated by 61 points in Geelong earlier in the season when they managed to score just 32 points, while only three weeks ago the Swans were stunned by lowly Gold Coast at the SCG -- the fifth time this season John Longmire's side has dropped a home game.

But with two rounds left in the season and with both sides coming off stirring wins -- GWS over Adelaide and Sydney over Melbourne -- this crucial game could determine who takes momentum into finals, and you only need to look at the 2016 Bulldogs to know just how important that is.

Two players to watch for? Isaac Heeney was best on ground for the Swans last week and provides class in the midfield, a steady head in defence as well as the ability to go forward and hit the scoreboard.

For GWS it's hard to go past Josh Kelly. It's no coincidence that the Giants' rise up the ladder began when he returned to the side and although he missed the second half of last week's game with concussion, you can still expect him to have a big say in proceedings at Spotless Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Could the Pies sink the Power, Hinkley?

In a week littered with "eight point games", this matchup has massive ramifications for Collingwood and Port Adelaide -- two teams which sit in the bottom half of the top eight as it currently stands.

The Pies are limping to the post-season bye with an injury list which in itself would be handy side, but they miraculously still find themselves in fifth spot on the ladder and just percentage behind the Hawks in fourth.

Also faltering to the finish line is a Power side which has lost four of its past five to sit precariously in eighth position after a heart-breaking loss to the West Coast Eagles at home on Saturday.

If the Magpies can manage to scrounge a win at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, the effects could be two-fold; Collingwood keeps their slim top-four chances alive which could set up a "home" final against the Tigers, and the Power continue on a path to 2018 failure.

Even before considering this week's result, there's a lot of pressure on Power coach Ken Hinkley. It's been reported that Chairman David Koch continues to lurk in the shadows despite recently having come to an understanding about Hinkley's future at the Power, and a loss to the Pies could result in some furious scribbling into a performance review file.

After actively seeking out free agents in the prime of their football careers in Steven Motlop, Jack Watts and Tom Rockliff, missing finals should be deemed a catastrophe for the Power and could bring Hinkley's job firmly back into the spotlight.

Will Melbourne's self-Deestruct continue?

Not since the moniker "Ninthmond" was befitting of Richmond has a team deserved a nickname involving finishing heartbreaking close to the eight, but 2018 might see the return of "Ninthbourne" should the Dees lose to the second-placed Eagles on Sunday.

Midway through the year, the Dees were flying -- picking off bottom-nine scalps with ease -- but with crunch-time looming, the intestinal fortitude of coach Simon Goodwin and his troops is well-and-truly being tested.

The Dees are seventh with a healthy percentage, but have two of the toughest asks ahead of them in the final two rounds of the season. They travel to play the Eagles this week, who have been fantastic at home this season and deserve a home passage through the finals, while in Round 23 the Dees host a Giants outfit which has won nine of its last ten and may only be stopped by the Tigers at the MCG in September.

The reality for Melbourne fans is that their team may miss the finals again if they lose both of their remaining games. Port Adelaide play Collingwood and Essendon and only need to win one of those to remain in the eight. Geelong currently sit ninth but play both of their last two games down in Geelong -- against Fremantle and Gold Coast, meaning they're likely to secure eight points and overtake the Dees at the last hurdle.

Wouldn't it just be the cherry on a pretty miserable cake if Melbourne's two heart-breaking losses to Geelong come back to bite them in Round 23?