This weekend's opening fixtures... Friday, 5 September Second Qualifying Final: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs -- at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (M.C.G.) -- 7:50 p.m. Melbourne time Saturday, 6 September First Elimination Final: Adelaide v Collingwood -- at AAMI Stadium -- 2 p.m. Adelaide time (2:30 p.m. Melbourne time) Second Elimination Final: Sydney v North Melbourne -- at ANZ Stadium, Homebush -- 7:30 p.m. Sydney time Sunday, 7 September Geelong v St. Kilda -- at the M.C.G. -- 2:40 p.m. Melbourne time
Setanta Sport USA plans on showing all finals this year, either live or tape-delayed for the first airing, and then replays thereafter. And yes, we will have a post-season tipping competition again this season, with a 2008 Grand Final DVD up for grabs. And all are welcome to enter, even if you didn't take part in the tipping comp during the home-and-away rounds. All the news, and so on, to follow... And this will be the master thread for the first three weeks of the finals series, leading up to Grand Final week.
Some news, to get us started... Sydney coach Paul Roos has credited his veteran team's longevity in qualifying for a sixth finals trip on the trot, and feels that it will provide an edge against North Melbourne on Saturday night.
Hawthorn's Campbell Brown will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness to take on the Western Bulldogs on Friday night at the MCG. Meanwhile, Hawks coach Alistair Clarkson has hinted that he will bring Shane Crawford and Simon Taylor off the injury scrap heap, in addition to Brown when he submits his team selection later in the week. While not admitting that his team has suffered from a form slump in recent weeks, Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade has shown that he is tempted to tinker with his team's game plan against the Hawks.
Collingwood captain Scott Burns is optimistic he will be fit to face Adelaide on Saturday afternoon from a calf strain that has kept him sidelined for the last month. North Melbourne's forward-line stocks have received a boost with Nathan Thompson claiming he is fit and in form to face Sydney in a do-or-die match at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. Yet speculation is rife that several Kangaroos players may face the axe after the club's shocking loss to Port Adelaide last weekend.
Meanwhile, one player who won't be fit for selection is St. Kilda's Luke Ball, whose hamstring injury will keep him out against Geelong. However, the Saints' brain trust thinks the influential Ball will be fit enough for the club's second finals match.
And with the reigning premiers, Geelong coach Mark Thompson -- while firing a veiled broadside at St. Kilda and its coach Ross Lyon -- has a full squad to choose from, and has cited forward Tom Lonergan's season as a revelation that other Cats players have drawn inspiration from.
Let me put this in Horse racing terms - "The Cats should win the GF by the length of the straight going away." They have created a new style of playing the game which will take the other clubs a couple seasons to catch up. The only possible hiccup could be the Hawks with their "Twin Towers" up forward. Should be some great games this weekend.
The specific expression is, "by the length of the Flemington straight". Fitting, since I work racedays and functions there, too. But you are right in that there's a lot of football to be played in the next three weeks to see how clinical Geelong can be, and who's going to face them -- most likely! -- on the last Saturday in September. The games this weekend will certainly be a lot more competitive than the Round 22 games were, that's for sure. And I'll take your observation of Hawthorn a step further -- it's not just Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead in the Hawks' forward line, but the depth throughout. Mark Williams, to name one, is still a very decent forward whose presence has to be respected. Yet, in reference to the great Dennis Cometti line in Spartacus' signature, I'd certainly take Geelong's strength in midfield in attacking alphabetically from Ablett to Bartel to Corey over Barlow and Bateman for Hawthorn. Geelong's midfield dominates games like few others have, and that's what sets them apart.
might as well get the ball rolling... Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs Adelaide v Collingwood Sydney v North Melbourne Geelong v St. Kilda ...not very adventurous, but predictability is my middle name. My mother preferred Stephen, but lost the chance to pick on a coin toss. I'm hoping for a Geelong v Collingwood or Hawthorn final. I can't see anything else being anything other than a training session beyond the third quarter, but you never know. Hopefully I'll be able to find a bar in Fukuoka showing the Friday night game live as I've no chance of seeing the other three.
All four finals matches will be aired LIVE for U.S. audiences on Setanta Sport USA. The schedule: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs -- 2:30 a.m. Friday PT/5:30 a.m. Friday ET Adelaide v Collingwood -- 9 p.m. Friday PT/12:01 midnight Saturday ET Sydney v North Melbourne -- 2:30 a.m. Saturday PT/5:30 a.m. Saturday ET Geelong v St. Kilda -- 9:30 p.m. Saturday PT/12:30 a.m. Sunday ET
I'm going one different- stupid loyalties to Sydney & Collingwood! Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs Adelaide v Collingwood Sydney v North Melbourne Geelong v St. Kilda
How is it that the Second Qualifying Final is played before the First Qualifying Final? Friday, 5 September Second Qualifying Final: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs Saturday, 6 September First Elimination Final: Adelaide v Collingwood Second Elimination Final: Sydney v North Melbourne Sunday, 7 September Geelong v St. Kilda What? An all-Victoria final 4?
My tips: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs Adelaide v Collingwood Sydney v North Melbourne Geelong v St. Kilda Home teams, all the way...
The squads are in, to open the finals... Teams story: Crows, Pies without stars -- sportal.com.au AFL teams, finals, Week 1 -- sportal.com.au Previews -- sportal.com.au Multimedia: Teams report -- sportal.com.au
Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs: Western Bulldogs Adelaide v Collingwood: Adelaide Sydney v North Melbourne: North Melbourne Geelong v St. Kilda: Geelong
Well, I've paid almost no attention to the Home and Away season, but that's not going to stop me from predicting what will happen in the finals. My tips: Hawks Crows Swans Cats Really can't see anyone stopping Geelong from winning their second straight premiership. They should be able to roll over whoever they come up against.
I nearly changed my mind and picked those, but changing your mind is just something you can't do. The joy of getting that changed tip right is far outweighed by the pain of getting a changed tip wrong.
Results for the weekend so far... Friday night, at the MCG, Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs: [result]Hawthorn 18.19 (127) Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76)[/result]
Saturday afternoon at AAMI Stadium, Adelaide v Collingwood: [result]Adelaide 14.10 (94) Collingwood 19.11 (125)[/result] And Saturday night, at ANZ Stadium, Homebush, Sydney v North Melbourne: [result]Sydney 17.8 (110) North Melbourne 11.9 (75)[/result] Geelong and St. Kilda to play later today, at the MCG... All are open for discussion.
Sunday afternoon, to close out the first week of the finals series, Geelong v St. Kilda at the MCG: [result]Geelong 17.17 (119) St. Kilda 8.13 (61)[/result]
Next weekend's schedule is set... SEMI-FINALS Friday, 12 September 2008 Western Bulldogs v Sydney -- at the MCG -- 7:50 p.m. Melbourne time Saturday, 13 September 2008 St. Kilda v Collingwood -- at the MCG -- 7:10 p.m. Melbourne time And here's how the draw works... Geelong plays the winner of the first semi-final, between the Western Bulldogs and Sydney. Hawthorn plays the winner of the second semi-final between St. Kilda and Collingwood.