The siren sounds in Adelaide, and the other sound you hear is a sigh or relief from the Giants.

This has been a rout early on, with the Crows - leading by 46 points - absolutely determined not to miss their chance.

Taylor Walker has three already, Izak Rankine has two (plus some goal assists), Riley Thilthorpe has a couple of booming goals and Ben Keays has a couple as well.

The lone goal in reply is from Jake Stringer, and the scoreline is an accurate reflection of how things have gone so far.

The home fans are partying already, and the Demons are sitting somewhere ruing that loss.

The home side is going all right at Adelaide Oval.

Izak Rankine is having a day early - he snapped a second great goal on the run from the far pocket, then The Package, Jake Stringer thumped an answering goal from 50.

But Rankine turned provider, hitting up Tex Walker to kick his second from the goalsquare, and just now a rather benevolent free kick has gifted Walker his third!

Approaching time on in the opening term, the Crows are out to a 23-point lead. Not sure who's set for a bigger game, Rankine or Walker.

Either way the Adelaide crowd is very happy right now,

In Geelong, the Cats have found the right gear, and they are firing up against Richmond.

In case we hadn't spotted it in the opening term, Shaun Mannagh is right in form and is eyeing a bag already.

He's just snapped a beauty for his third of the game in the early minutes of the second quarter. The lead is out to 26 points.

It's early days in Adelaide, but the Crows look like they're on a mission.

Izak Rankine's early goal got things started, and now Taylor Walker has got in on the action.

In what is likely his last ever match at Adelaide Oval before his retirement, Tex just got the ball in the left forward pocket after failing to hold a mark, he regathered and then a lazy left-foot snap bounced through to send the crowd crazy!

His team got around him, the roar was immense, and the Crows have made the start they want. They only lead by 11 points with 12 minutes on the clock, but GWS haven't looked particularly dangerous so far.

The siren sounds in Geelong, and the Cats have turned this one right around.

The Tigers had them under pressure and the crowd a little subdued - but then Geelong kicked four in a row to take control.

Patrick Dangerfield capped the run with a kick just before the siren. A 20-point gap at quarter-time is probably what we expected, but it hasn't been as easy as we thought.

The game is underway at Adelaide Oval, and the Crows have made a fast start, with Izak Rankine booting one from near 50 inside the opening 30 seconds of play.

The Crows wouldn't mind a big run of early goals to keep GWS thinking of their holidays.

The home side has a huge opportunity after Melbourne's loss - they can't afford to blow it.

Something approaching normal service is being resumed in Geelong!

Shannon Neale added another goal a few minutes ago, and now Shaun Mannagh has snapped his second of the quarter.

Suddenly the home side is out to a 16-point margin as they enter time on in the opening term.

• R6, 2025: Crows by 18 (Adelaide Oval)

• R16, 2024: Crows by 16 (Adelaide Oval)

• R18, 2023: Giants by 14 (Adelaide Oval)

• R1, 2023: Giants by 16 (Sydney Showground)

• R7, 2022: Giants by 59 (Adelaide Oval)

• R7, 2021: Giants by 67 (Adelaide Oval)

This might come as a surprise, but the Giants have the edge in this matchup, with four wins out of the last six.

The Crows have won the last two, both at home, but before that GWS won four on the spin, including a couple of thumping victories at today's venue.

Overall, the last 10 at Adelaide Oval have gone six to the Crows, and four to GWS.

Well we have a bit of a shootout at the Kardinia Corral!

The Cats move it quickly and go long to the square where Shannon Neale drops a sitter! But he gathers and handballs back over his head for Jay Polkinghorne to boot it into the second tier from a couple of metres out.

Not sure if this one is going to be another wide open game like Pies-Lions last night, but the Tigers are in again!

They are running freely when they get the ball - they're not hanging around, and the movement is to Seth Campbell running inside 50.

He nails it on the run! What a kick! Tigers lead again. Didn't have this on my bingo card, to be honest.

Geelong have fired up, perhaps stung by that brace of Richmond goals.

They shifted it down the left wing, and a chip to the pocket found Ollie Dempsey.

Dempsey nails the kick from wide out! Geelong leads again by a point.

(AFL.com.au)

There are no late changes from either side, and the lineups can be seen above.

For the Crows, James Peatling is out with hip and groin soreness, while Toby Murray is omitted and Callum Ah Chee is managed.

All three ins are strong for Adelaide, however — Alex Neal-Bullen, Taylor Walker and Wayne Milera. They are all important to the team, however Milera may be the most vital to the way the Crows play.

For GWS there is one change — Cody Angove is out injured, replaced by Xavier O'Halloran.

The Tigers aren't starting like they have one eye on Mad Monday here.

They get it to Tim Taranto, and the veteran thumps one through from 50!

And then they win another bit of good ball and hit up Tom Lynch in the pocket. And the big full-forward nails the kick from a difficult angle!

Richmond leads!

That's quieted the crowd down a bit at Kardinia!

It's early days ... but surely not!

The Cats have started as they mean to go on!

With Jeremy Cameron at half-back, Jay Polkinghorne had the early shot which faded for a point.

But then the Cats went inside 50 and Shaun Mannagh ran in from a stoppage to snap a trademark Mannagh goal - and Geelong leads by seven early doors!

Can Bailey Smith and Co provide some delivery to the returning Jeremy Cameron? (Getty Images/AFL Photos)

Here we go for the first game of the evening session!

The Cats have pulled the lever and brought Jeremy Cameron back before finals after his AC joint injury - can his team get him into the game, and how much game time will he see? And can the Tigers provide the upset of the season?

We're about to find out.

The Bulldogs got the win today, but they also had the celebration of the day for Ed Richards after he kicked one without his boot.

Richards brought the house down with his goal, followed by a boot to the ear, Get Smart-style.

Asked about it in the rooms by Fox Footy, he replied:

"It was just a shout out to my boots," he joked.

"I didn't kick that well with them on!

"So it was nice to kick one with them off!"

Nice work Mr Richards. The rest of his game wasn't bad either - 30 disposals, eight clearances and a whopping 12 score involvements.

• R24, 2025: Cats by 39 (MCG)

• R17, 2025: Cats by 72 (Docklands)

• R12, 2024: Cats by 30 (Docklands)

• R9, 2023: Tigers by 24 (MCG)

• R15, 2022: Cats by 3 (MCG)

• R19, 2021: Cats by 38 (MCG)

As you might imagine, given where the Tigers have been the last few seasons, the Cats have had the better of this matchup recently with five wins from the last six encounters.

Focusing on today's venue, there is a reason why we talk about Kardinia Park being a fortress for Geelong. They have won the last two games here by an average of 51 points, and going further, they have won nine of the last 10 against the Tigers.

For the last time Richmond came down the highway and came away with the points, you have to go back to 2006.

Marcus Bontempelli capped a big week as a new dad by kicking the sealer for the Bulldogs against Melbourne (Getty Images/AFL Photos)

The Western Bulldogs have locked in a historic wildcard showdown with Collingwood after holding off an inaccurate Melbourne by 21 points at the Demons' MCG fortress.

Boosted by the return of Marcus Bontempelli after the birth of his first child, the Bulldogs brought finals-like pressure to the end of the home-and-away season.

Entering the match with a 10-1 record at the MCG this year, the Demons were strangely flat and disorganised, despite a win meaning they would finish in the top six and earn a week off before finals.

Trailing by 28 points at the 10-minute mark of the final quarter, Melbourne — inspired by Max Gawn — quickly peeled the deficit back to just eight to have the MCG roaring.

But experienced midfielder Matt Kennedy's classy snap with four minutes left put a pin in the Demons' bubble, allowing the Bulldogs to win 16.12 (108) to 12.15 (87).

Bontempelli made a certainty of the result when the Bulldogs captain slotted his second goal of the game with just two minutes left, capping off a superb 27-possession match.

Regardless of results for the rest of the round, the Bulldogs are locked into eighth and will face the ninth-placed Magpies in a wildcard match back at the MCG, likely next Friday night.

Melbourne will also be heading for the wildcard — a showdown with surging Carlton — unless Adelaide suffer a shock home loss to GWS later on Saturday night.

But in a massive blow for the Bulldogs, star forward Aaron Naughton — who had slotted two goals — was ruled out for the rest of the match after landing awkwardly in the third quarter.

The Demons also lost forward Matt Jefferson, who went down moments after Naughton with a knee injury.

Despite Melbourne smashing the Bulldogs out of the centre, due to ruck goliath Gawn going up against Rory Lobb and journeyman Ryan Gardner, the Demons struggled for connection inside 50 and defended poorly.

Gawn was clearly best-on-ground with 28 possessions, 10 clearances and 59 hit-outs.

Joining Bontempelli in spearheading the Bulldogs' charge was Ed Richards with a game-high 30 possessions and one memorable goal.

In the first quarter, Richards snapped through a ball from 40m out, despite his boot coming off in the preceding contest.

Richards decided to celebrate by holding up the boot to his ear.

Harrison Petty led Melbourne's goal-kicking with three, two of them coming during the Demons' final-quarter surge.

AAP

So there we are, the ladder after four games in round 24 shows where things stand.

The Demons are still in fifth, but perhaps not for much longer.

Both Geelong and Adelaide have better percentage than the Demons, so if the Cats beat the Tigers and the Crows down the Giants then Melbourne will be left outside the top-six and dragged into the wildcard round.