[babytiger2001]

After 22 weeks of the home-and-away season (23, if you count the split round), it's now time to get down to the serious business of witnessing a winner to this season's AFL competition -- and if Round 22 was anything to go by, it could wind up being one of the most thrilling and compelling finals series on record.

And this thread will be the thread of record for the finals series, up until Grand Final week.

This weekend's opening fixtures for the finals, starting from the qualifying final round:

Friday, 4 September
Adelaide v Essendon -- at AAMI Stadium -- 8:15 p.m. Adelaide time (8:45 p.m. in Melbourne)

Saturday, 5 September
Geelong v Western Bulldogs -- at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (M.C.G.) -- 2:45 p.m. Melbourne time
Brisbane v Carlton -- at The Gabba -- 8:10 p.m. Brisbane time (same in Melbourne)

Sunday, 6 September
St. Kilda v Collingwood -- at the M.C.G. -- 2:45 p.m. Melbourne time

Finals system for 2009 explained here, from the AFL's official website.

I'm sure all the regular sites providing live streaming webcasts will continue to do so through the finals, and I'll try and provide that information for the respective games as it becomes available.

As for our post-season tipping competition, with a DVD copy of this year's Grand Final on the line for the winner, I've decided to run with Spartacus's idea and make it a "last man standing" affair along the lines of how the AFL's finals series is run.

Here's the AFL's final ladder, as per the top eight...

St. Kilda
Geelong
Western Bulldogs
Collingwood
----------------------------
Adelaide
Brisbane
Carlton
Essendon

And here's our top eight, from our regular-season tipping competition...

ScouseCat -- 120
RichardL -- 120
Spartacus -- 119
ChrisH -- 118
----------------------------------------------
babytiger2001 -- 113
krudmonk -- 113
mrsbabytiger2001 -- 111
el-capitano -- 107
====================================
NoodlesMacintosh -- 104

Whereas the top four teams get a "double chance" in the AFL finals series, so do our top four tipsters in the finals tipping competition.

And here's our head-to-head pairings for Week 1:

ScouseCat v ChrisH
RichardL v Spartacus
babytiger2001 v el-capitano
krudmonk v mrsbabytiger2001

Those in the top four: win, and you have a bye until the week of the preliminary finals; lose, and you have to play the winners (based on a seedings system) of those placed 5th through 8th who are playing on a single-elimination basis.

Just tip the games -- and since it is very easy to come out with the same number of correct tips in any round, the tiebreakers will be margins of victory, so also tip the margin for each game. In the event of ties, the person closest total margin will move forward. So I'll need a winner tipped as well as how much the winning team will win by, for each game.

This way, we'll certainly have a winner at the end of Grand Final day.

All the news, teams and information to come...

[el-capitano]

You're going down BT!

I don't have to worry about the Swans taking down my tipping average any more!

[babytiger2001]

Originally Posted by el-capitano

You're going down BT!

I don't have to worry about the Swans taking down my tipping average any more!

No, you're going down faster than Matthew Lloyd's chances of playing any finals footy this year!

Speaking of which, and getting into the news of the week for this opening part of the finals thread, Essendon has chosen not to challenge any of the findings of the Match Review Panel from the penalties handed down after the Bombers' win over Hawthorn at the weekend. So Lloyd will miss four games, even if the ban carries over into the start of the 2010 season, and teammates Paddy Ryder and Sam Lonergan will miss one game each.

[babytiger2001]

Updating the news on a Tuesaday evening...

While professing the belief that Collingwood may have an advantage against his team due to their greater familiarity with the MCG, St. Kilda coach Ross Lyon admitted that ruckman Michael Gardiner was unlikely to play against the Magpies while he recovers from a back-related hamstring injury.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig admits that he is impressed with the progress key defender Nathan Bock has made in recent weeks to deal with his recovery from a fractured heel that has kept him out for the last several weeks, but won't say whether the All Australian defender will play on Friday night against Essendon.

The Crows have a host of other players seeking to prove their fitness for the match, in the way of Nathan van Berlo (back), David Mackay (ankle), Robert Shirley (hamstring) and ruck duo Brad Moran (knee) and Jon Griffin (calf).

While crediting the spirit of his young side to the extent that he feels it will provide quite a fight against Adelaide, Essendon coach Matthew Knights believes that the losses of Matthew Lloyd, Paddy Ryder and Tom Lonergan will be covered quite easily by the depth his squad has assembled.

Knights said that former Crow Hayden Skipworth would have the edge over a trio of players to take Lloyd's place in the forward line, Courtenay Dempsey would seem ready to recover from a hamstring injury to take Lonergan's place in the midfield, and Tom Bellchambers would replace Ryder's role in the ruck.

[ScouseCat]

I'll kick things off with my finals tips and margins...

Adelaide by 25 points
Geelong by 43 points
Brisbane by 1 point
St Kilda by 20 points

[babytiger2001]

The teams have been announced for the preliminary final round...

Teams story: Blues recall bad boys -- sportal.com.au

[babytiger2001]

My tips, as I await the response of el-cap's challenge...

Adelaide v Essendon -- Crows by 44 points
Geelong v Western Bulldogs -- Cats by 26 points
Brisbane v Carlton -- Blues by 7 points
St. Kilda v Collingwood -- Magpies by 10 points

[el-capitano]

Adelaide v Essendon by 25
Geelong v Western Bulldogs by 20
Brisbane v Carlton by 15
St. Kilda v Collingwood by 6

[el-capitano]

LOL- almost the simultaneous post!

At least we both know we havent looked at each others first

I actually thought you'd go the Saints over the Pies.

[babytiger2001]

Originally Posted by el-capitano

LOL- almost the simultaneous post!

At least we both know we havent looked at each others first

I actually thought you'd go the Saints over the Pies.

I know -- great minds nearly thinking alike!

(Wait til you check out what I left for you on Facebook, by the way)

I picked Collingwood for two reasons, besides I honestly think they'll win... one, because I knew you would tip them, and two, I know too many St. Kilda supporters at my day job who are getting just a bit smug!

In any event, you and I only disagree on one game, the Saturday night game between Brisbane and Carlton -- which basically means that the tiebreaker need not apply.