The AFL finals series is finally here and after a week of waiting, eight sides remain in the hunt for the holy grail.
All eyes are firmly set on Carlton, who qualified for the top eight for the first time since 2013, breaking their 10 year September drought when they face the Swans on Friday night.
Meantime, Melbourne’s weather forecast promises wind and hail for both Thursday and Friday night’s blockbusters at the MCG, throwing a spanner into selection decisions for multiple clubs, with the Pies making the first hard call of September.
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Collingwood vs Melbourne – First qualifying final:
Thursday – 7:20pm AEST – MCG
Collingwood face Melbourne at the MCG on Thursday night, with a hard luck story leading the headlines for the Magpies.
Collingwood teammates were seen consoling John Noble during Wednesday’s training session, after his shock omission from the side was confirmed on Wednesday night.
Noble has been left out of the side, meaning his 83-consecutive game streak comes to a bitter end for the defender.
Captain Darcy Moore has been named after suffering a hamstring injury in the Magpies round 22 win over Geelong.
Alongside him on return will be Nathan Murphy and Beau McCreery, but young gun Nick Daicos (knee) has been all but ruled out for the clash.
Meantime, mature forward Ash Johnson has been ruled out with a fractured arm.
The Pies struggled their way through their final home-and-away matches, going down to Hawthorn, Carlton and Brisbane in three of their last five games, with the attention now on the defensive-driven Demons.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has confirmed they will run with both ruckmen, Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox, in hopes of minimising star Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn’s impact.
“The best version of us over the last 18 months is when they’re both (Cameron and Cox) at their best,” McRae said on Tuesday.
As for fan favourite Jack Ginnivan, McRae confirmed the 20-year-old would start as sub, but praised the energy he brings to the club on game day.
“If you’re out of the ground when they call his name out or he touches the ball, it’s an incredibly reaction and our fans clearly get a spark and we get a spark from that too,” McRae said.
Meantime, the Demons are looking to right the wrongs of their straight-sets exit from the 2022 finals campaign.
Premiership forward Bayley Fritsch suffered bruising in round 24 on his previously fractured ankle that saw him sidelined for seven weeks but the Demons have stuck fat, with the forward retaining his spot to face the Magpies.
Meantime, the Demons also welcome back two premiership heroes, Tom McDonald and Michael Hibberd.
McDonald has finally overcome an ankle injury, with coach Simon Goodwin pleased with the timely return.
“He’s got his timing right, Tommy, hasn’t he?” Goodwin said on Wednesday.
Melbourne have been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in the second half of the season, after dropping out-of-favour ruckman Brodie Grundy in attempt to hone his craft as a forward in the VFL.
Grundy has been unable to regain a regular senior spot, with leading AFL journalist Caroline Wilson lauding the 29-year-old’s bold move to meet with Port Adelaide representatives to discuss a possible trade.
Despite the cloud over the Demons, Goodwin remains confident that Grundy’s possible move hasn’t disrupted the team’s ultimate goal.
“He knows he’s got a four year contract and he knows he’s going to keep pushing this year to play finals footy.”
Brisbane vs Port Adelaide – Second qualifying final:
Saturday – 7:25pm AEST – Gabba
Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas looks to be the heartbreak story for the Power, likely being left out of their clash against Brisbane, to make way for Trent McKenzie.
But Jonas says there are no hard feelings, with the defender’s mind firmly set on winning the flag.
“Hopefully I get an opportunity, but at the same time, I’ll continue to support the group in the best way possible,” Jonas said on Wednesday.
“At the end of the day, we’re playing to win, that’s the most important thing, so we’ll pick the best team to go and beat Brisbane.”
The Power are in the spotlight after their peculiar finals theme was explained on SEN Radio on Tuesday.
Port are relying on Hollywood blockbuster Oppenheimer to find a theme it hopes will carry the club to its first premiership in nearly two decades.
“It’s a little bit about just how much work goes into something,” Wines said.
“In the movie, it was (the work) to go into the atomic bomb that ended World War II.
“So many people have to come together and work hard for a number of years, this finals campaign isn’t something that’s just been building for this year, it’s probably been the last four years.”
Meantime, Brisbane are keen to lock in a preliminary final on home soil, after their dismal 71-point loss to Geelong at the MCG in last year’s preliminary.
Their 1-14 record at the MCG doesn’t sit comfortably with the Lions, but coach Chris Fagan believes 2023 is their best chance to win it all.
“We have to (believe this is our year). That group of young players that started playing finals three of four years ago, (Hugh) McCluggage, (Brandon) Starcevich, (Jarrod) Berry, (Cam) Rayner, they’re all mature now,” Fagan said on Fox Sports.
“I think this is our best opportunity without doubt.”
It comes as veteran Daniel Rich announced he will hang up the boots when the Brisbane Lions’ finals campaign comes to an end.
However, Rich hasn’t ruled out a return to contribute in the push for a premiership.
“The focus is the next month and to be there in any way to support or get out there with the boys,” Rich said on 3AW on Tuesday.
Carlton vs Sydney – First elimination final:
Friday – 7:50pm AEST – MCG
Blue Blake Acres will face a critical fitness test on Thursday to prove he has recovered from a bruised collarbone to face Sydney in their do-or-die clash at the MCG.
Acres trained normally with the main Carlton group on Tuesday, but if he is ruled out, Sam Docherty looms likely to be his replacement.
The last time these sides met, Sydney dominated and won by 26 points, led by a monster performance from Isaac Heeney, who notched up seven clearances, 10 tackles and had five inside 50s.
Heeney was unleashed through the midfield for that clash. Not only did he quell Patrick Cripps’ influence, but he won seven clearances, 10 tackles and had five inside 50s.
Carlton coach Michael Voss has spoken on his hopes for Carlton, despite the obvious nerves for the inexperienced group.
“I just want to see the full version of ourselves, because I know it’s a good version,” Voss said on Wednesday.
As for the Swans, their heartbreaking 2022 grand final loss at the hands of Geelong is one they want to put behind them, with coach John Longmire adamant their clash against the Blues at the MCG is “a chance for a new story”.
“We just have to keep improving, that’s all we can do,” Longmire said on Wednesday.
“I’m really proud of the resilience of the footy club and the players to keep pushing along and keep working at what we need to do … they’ve been able to do that to give us a chance on the starting grid. I’m really pleased with that.”
St Kilda vs GWS Giants - Second elimination final:
Saturday – 3:20pm AEST – MCG
The Giants fate lies in Thursday night’s tribunal hearing, with the club deciding to head to the league’s appeals board in the hope of overturning Toby Bedford’s controversial one-match ban for his off-ball hit on Blue Zac Fisher in round 24.
Bedford flattens Fisher with high hit
Giants forward Jesse Hogan sung the praises of Bedford in hopes a successful appeal that would see him be able to face the Saints.
“These players (Bedford) have become absolute locks for our team,” Hogan said on Fox Footy.
Hogan also lauded his captain and newly crowned All-Australian leader Toby Greene ahead of their must-win match.
“He puts more time into his craft than anyone I’ve see over my time, to be honest,” Hogan said.
Meantime, St Kilda got a chance to sneak onto the MCG on Tuesday, a place unfamiliar to the group, who last played finals in 2020, when the league was quarantined up in Brisbane.
Dougal Howard and Josh Battle have been cleared to play, but the Saints have been forced to draw a line through Jack Hayes, who suffered a calf injury.
All eyes will fall on the return of key forward Max King after he was rested in round 24.
As for their mercurial coach Ross Lyon, he has taken the Saints from a “fumbling, stumbling mess” who were “not worthy of playing finals” after their loss to the Suns in round 18, to an elimination battle.