2020 AFL Grand Final: Tigers 81 Cats 50

UPDATE 2020: AFL Finals Draw

UPDATE 2020: AFL Finals Draw

2020 First Semi-Final: Geelong 100 Collingwood 32

THE FACTS

GEELONG           4.4.28  9.6.60  9.8.62  15.10.100
COLLINGWOOD   1.0.6    1.0.6    1.1.7       5.2.32

GOALS - Collingwood: Mihocek 2, Elliott, Grundy, Stephenson

BEST - Collingwood: Adams, Crisp, Quaynor, Thomas 

INJURIES - Collingwood: Adams (elbow), Cox (ribs)

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 21,396 at The Gabba

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2020 First Semi-Final: The Team

2020 AFL First Semi-Final COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG Time & Place: Saturday Oct 10, 7:40 PM AEDT The Gabba TV: 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: Temp: 17° - 29°  Rain: 5% <1.0mm Wind: E 25kph Betting: Collingwood $2.25 Geelong $1.65

B: Jack Crisp, Jordan Roughead, Jack Madgen

HB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Isaac Quaynor

C: Chris Mayne, Adam Treloar, Josh Daicos

HF: Will Hoskin-Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Josh Thomas

F: Jamie Elliott, Mason Cox, Jordan De Goey

Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Scott Pendlebury

Int: Jaidyn Stephenson, John Noble, Levi Greenwood, Darcy Cameron

Emerg: Will Kelly, Tyler Brown, Travis Varcoe, Mark Keane

The Age Peter Ryan Collingwood believe they are a realistic chance of winning the premiership from eighth spot with midfielder Taylor Adams saying being the underdog in each match suits the Magpies. Geelong will enter the first semi-final against the Magpies as slight favourites but another tight encounter is expected between the two teams that will play a record 25th final against each other on Saturday night at the Gabba. "We're going into a dogfight where we are again underdogs, which suits us," Adams said. He experienced pure elation when the siren sounded against West Coast last week to keep the Magpies' flag hopes alive as they continue to believe that anything is possible. "We're certainly a team who thought [before the game] we were a genuine flag contender," Adams said. It was Adams' brave decision a week ago that helped the Magpies stay in contention. With Collingwood a point up in the epic elimination final and the Eagles streaming towards goal, he changed tack. Instead of folding back in an effort to defend, he turned his tired body and rushed forward to stop the surging Eagle Tom Cole in his tracks. Adams was like a firefighter running into a burning house as everyone else took cover. The resultant turnover enabled Collingwood hang on for a memorable one-point win. "To be completely honest, it was just another piece of play that was unfolding. If it wasn't me it would have been another Collingwood player," Adams said. "That was just part of my role as a midfielder to get there and protect the corridor." Adams only realised later how momentous his act was for Collingwood supporters anxiously watching the game unfold in locked-down Melbourne. "I didn't think too much of it until I got to my phone after the game and realised there were a thousand messages," Adams said. He would have had a million texts too if his number had been publicly available given his standing among Magpie fans. Adams performs when it matters most having earned coaches' votes in five of the seven finals he has played since his first in 2018. He earned All-Australian selection this season as he became the gaffer tape that held the Magpies' midfield together, challenging the opposition to beat him every time he was in a contest. That makes him an adored Magpie who, despite his Geelong origins, looks at home in the black and white, and, at 181 centimetres, a classic Collingwood "six-footer". With a boxer's flat nose and a 1930s hairstyle he could have been a character in Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory. Instead he's a thoughtful 27-year-old with a burning desire to help the Magpies win the flag. His fixation on that goal has never wavered in 2020 as he relocated with the Magpies who, like their opponents in the semi-final, Geelong, have been one of the few teams forced to play football in five states in this remarkable season. The Magpies shared that vision when they entered the unwinnable match against West Coast with the prize on offer at the end of the month used as a lure. The Magpies spoke about that premiership goal and then zeroed in on the immediate task as they will do again against the Cats. "The motivation is [that] without winning against Geelong we are no chance of going four [wins] in a row," Adams said. Adams' expected battle with Geelong captain Joel Selwood - who had an operation on a dislocated finger last week - is likely to be a short heavyweight bout. Neither will yield as Selwood is a big-game player too but one will prevail and Adams takes confidence into the game knowing he has also delivered in finals. "I'm pretty confident with the block of work I have put in in the last two or three years," Adams said. "Finals are a different game, a more contested game with maybe a little bit more pressure in terms of heat around the ball and that might suit me, to some degree." He sees the challenge against Geelong as similar to the one they overcame against the Eagles, well aware the Cats play football that always makes them tough to beat. Adams thinks effort, clean hands, a good plan and the speed they showed moving the ball forward of centre against West Coast will give them a strong chance. Collingwood supporters know luck will be required, too, as they felt some may have fallen their way when Jack Crisp flicked (some would say threw) the ball to Scott Pendlebury after Adams' famous turnover. Adams, however, is not so sure. Never one to rely on fortune, he suspects such matters favour the brave. "I was alongside Jack. I have asked him and he said he got a hand to it so I will take his word for it that it was a handball," Adams said.

2020: AFL Finals Draw

2020 First Elimination Final: Collingwood 76 West Coast 75

THE FACTS

2020 AFL FIRST SEMI-FINAL COLLINGWOOD V GEELONG Time & Place: Saturday Oct 10, 7:40 PM AEDT Gabba TV: 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: Temp: 17° - 28°  Rain: 70% 5 - 10mm Wind: ENE 24kph Betting: Collingwood $2.08 Geelong $1.75

COLLINGWOOD   4.0.24    6.1.37  9.4.58   12.4.76
WEST COAST         1.2.8    5.4.34  7.6.48   11.9.75

GOALS - Collingwood: Cox 3, Mihocek 3, De Goey 2, Adams, Noble, Elliott, Hoskin-Elliott 

BEST - Collingwood: Adams, Treloar, Mihocek, Cox, Pendlebury, Mayne

INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 32,865 at Perth Stadium

The Coach 'It was hard-earned': Buckley The Age "We set ourselves for it. We think we're able to execute what we wanted to for the most part ... we've just been scheduled for 7:40 at the Gabba, I believe, on the Saturday [against Geelong in the First Semi-Final]. We know what that looks like going forward. We can only ever take the next step, so we focused on the things we can control and, yeah, we've still got a couple more steps to take.'' Nathan Buckley

The Game Staying alive: Brilliant Pies stun Eagles by a point AFL COLLINGWOOD has stunned West Coast by one point in front of a raucous Optus Stadium crowd to end the Eagles' season. West Coast looked the likely winner of the elimination final after Oscar Allen's running snap put the Eagles ahead midway through the final term. But in a fitting end to one of the games of the year, Collingwood poured on the next three goals to take a 13-point lead with five minutes to play. Despite the Eagles' late surge to within a solitary point, the Magpies held on for a famous victory, 12.4 (76) to 11.9 (75). Collingwood will now face Geelong in a do-or-die semi-final at the Gabba next Saturday, while the Eagles' season is over.  Magpies win the unwinnable final, eliminate Eagles in an epic Fox Footy Collingwood has caused a boilover, handing West Coast its first home loss of the year and ending their rivals’ season in a stunning one-point elimination final win. The Magpies were solid underdogs against an Eagles side that was 7-0 in Perth coming into Saturday night, including a 66-point win over Collingwood, but Nathan Buckley’s side was on early. A three-goal first quarter from Mason Cox set the tone before the lead changed hands seven times - the last one when Brody Mihocek goalled to put the Magpies in front for good. Collingwood defy the odds to topple West Coast and secure a semi-finals spot NEWS.com.au The Collingwood Magpies have defied the odds to secure a gritty one-point victory over the West Coast Eagles in Saturday evening's elimination final in Perth. The Eagles had not lost any of their seven matches at Optus Stadium this season, but Collingwood were able to muster the win without stars Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe. The lead was exchanged eight times during the entertaining contest, with the Magpies narrowly ahead 12.4 (76) to 11.9 (75) when the final siren sounded at Optus Stadium. Brilliant Pies stun Eagles by a point AFL It was the smother that epitomised Collingwood's bravery. Leading by a solitary point with mere seconds left on the clock, the Magpies could feel their season slipping away on Saturday night. West Coast was surging forward in a rush of momentum that had whipped the Optus Stadium crowd into a frenzy. This would surely be it for the visitors. Eagle Tom Cole received Tim Kelly's handball, the ground opening up for him. But with the game and his team's season on the line, Magpies midfielder Taylor Adams appeared. A first-time AFL All-Australian a fortnight ago, Adams threw his body at the ball, blocking its path into the Eagles' forward 50. Just like that, the Pies' semi-final date with Geelong – and their entire season – was saved. Magpies defy the odds to edge past Eagles The Age The great recent finals rivalry between Collingwood and West Coast went to a new level at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. And somehow, Collingwood managed to hold on for an upset one-point win over the Eagles in an elimination final thriller. When Jeremy McGovern took possession deep in the Eagles' defence and pushed his side forward with 40 seconds remaining, memories of them stealing the 2018 grand final came rushing back. But two last-quarter goals from Brody Mihocek were enough to give the Pies an amazing 12.4 (76) to 11.9 (75) victory.

2020 First Elimination Final: The Team

2020 AFL First Elimination Final COLLINGWOOD V WEST COAST Time & Place: Saturday Oct 3, 8:10 PM AEST Perth Stadium TV: 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: Temp: 7° - 19°  Rain: 10% <1.0mm Wind: SW 28kph Betting: Collingwood $3.00 West Coast $1.39

B: Jack Crisp, Jordan Roughead, Jack Madgen

HB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Isaac Quaynor

C: Chris Mayne, Adam Treloar, Josh Daicos 

HF: Will Hoskin-Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Jaidyn Stephenson

F: Jamie Elliott, Mason Cox, Jordan De Goey

Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Scott Pendlebury 

Int: Levi Greenwood, John Noble, Josh Thomas, Darcy Cameron

In: Chris Mayne, Darcy Cameron

Out: Tyler Brown, Travis Varcoe (omitted)

Emerg: Tyler Brown, Callum Brown, Travis Varcoe, Mark Keane

The Age Peter Ryan Can Collingwood Find A Way To Score? The Magpies have lost the scoring power that propelled them to second and third in consecutive seasons, ranked 17th for percentage of goals once inside 50. The personnel is similar to 2018 with Mason Cox, Jordan De Goey, Jaidyn Stephenson, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Josh Thomas and Brody Mihocek inside 50, however, only De Goey has looked really threatening, with Cox improving. The rest are out of form, while Jamie Elliott has had to plug midfield holes in Steele Sidebottom's absence. The real cause of the problems, however, is the ball movement, which is both slow and unpredictable because Collingwood's midfield tends to overuse the ball around congestion and doesn't use their legs enough to create space. With centre clearances also a problem, the only run the Magpies generate comes from rebounding defenders Jack Crisp, Isaac Quaynor, Brayden Maynard and John Noble, which means the entries are too shallow. How Does Collingwood Curb Nic Nat's Influence? Having had an ordinary season by his standards after back-to-back All-Australian selections, Collingwood's Brodie Grundy faces rucking's biggest challenge when he takes on this year's All-Australlian ruckman Nic Naitanui at Optus Stadium. Add in Collingwood's poor recent form in winning centre clearances and it all points to a significant advantage for the Eagles, as the high-leaping Naitanui not only wins the ball but fights hard on the ground. Grundy has not been taking the ball out of the ruck because his ball use is ordinary but against the Eagles he might have to revert to that tactic and gain ground, however possible, to bring ground level forwards into the game. The Magpies' sweeper also becomes important at stoppages so that the Eagles can't, under any circumstance, run out of the front of a stoppage. What Weaknesses Can Collingwood Exploit? If the Eagles have a weakness it is winning ground balls in defence, which makes the job of bringing the ball to ground when opposed to the Eagles' key defenders vital. Jeremy McGovern has dominated them in the past, forcing Collingwood into a defensive posture to limit his impact. If Cox, Mihocek or even Chris Mayne can stop Tom Barrass from marking then the Magpies' small forwards, led by the powerful De Goey, are a chance of scoring. One option is to select Stephenson to play out of the square, allowing him to impact off short bursts, with his form in 2020 a reminder that few players can perform off an interrupted pre-season. Can Anyone Stop Liam Ryan? The forward has gone from strength to strength since being a vital link in the match-winning Eagles' play late in the 2018 grand final that led to Dom Sheed's goal. No one debated his All-Australian selection as he is brilliant on the ground and in the air, with ''Flyin' Ryan'' now a catchcry among AFL fans. Maynard is likely to win the unenviable job of trying to control Ryan but he will have no hope if the ball is coming in fast, as Ryan feeds off chaos, particularly at home, where the Eagles are virtually impossible to beat. Can The Travelling Magpies Beat The Homebody Eagles? The Eagles have scored 21 more points at home as opposed to away and are in the top four on many counts - scores from turnover differential, scores from clearance differential, points for and against and percentage of goals per inside 50s - when playing at Optus Stadium, while languishing in the bottom half of the competition for the same measures when interstate. They have won their past eight games at the venue and defeated the Magpies by 66 points at Optus Stadium in round eight. That shows how big the Magpies' task is as they crawl out from their sleeping bags in the Winnebagos at Joondalup to play a final. They didn't push back hard on the conditions imposed so they have to deal with their lot and hope their outstanding record on the road helps them pull off an interstate finals heist not seen since they beat Port Adelaide in the 2002 qualifying final. Scott Pendlebury, De Goey and Cox are big inclusions from that game while the Eagles are missing Elliot Yeo, which improves their chances of being competitive. The Final Word West Coast will win but the margin will be tighter than many expect with the Eagles to prevail by 18 points.