Things can usually be explained neatly with the benefit of hindsight. When you look through Hawthorn's 2016 results and see them win six games by under 10 points, while only losing one game by a single figure margin (the first final against Geelong), their slide down the ladder and their urgency at trade time adds up.

While you can train to win close games, and Hawthorn over the last few years had done this and executed better than most, it's unsustainable to bank on always winning them.

Star performer: Jack Ziebell, one of the Kangaroos' top five players, celebrates beating the Crows with Luke McDonald. Credit:Getty Images

The Bulldogs this year have been on the right side of a couple of close games as well, while in some other wins have had significant scoring runs against them, before steadying the ship.

Hawthorn last year, and the Bulldogs this year, share the title of reigning premiers. However, the results they were getting were with a very different age demographic, and hence you'd be foolish to draw the conclusion that should the Dogs continue to win lots of close games for the remainder of the year, a drop down the ladder is on the cards.