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So much on offer in 2011 AFL Grand Final

Roar Guru
27th September, 2011
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Roar Guru
27th September, 2011
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Collingwood Magpies 2010 AFL premiers

Collingwood celebrates on the dais during the 2010 Toyota AFL Grand Final replay between the Collingwood Magpies and the St Kilda Saints at the MCG, Melbourne.

It’ll either be damn close or a massive blowout in the 2011 AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. Whatever the result, this decider will be the most intriguing finale in a while.

After all, it has been five years in the making. Since that epic 2007 preliminary final, football fans have waited for the day that these two clubs would come together and battle for a premiership.

This day will finally come on Saturday – and there is so much to watch for. I only have limited words so I will limit my analysis to three areas which will be the most intriguing of day:

Game styles

Both teams play the forward press well, but have different game styles. Collingwood love going round the boundary and forcing other sides to do the same, as they have confidence of winning the clearance at the stoppages (number one in goals from turnovers).

Geelong’s a bit more varied in their approach. While not unaccustomed to using the boundary, Geelong also likes to go through the corridor and be very direct to their targets in Podsiadly and Hawkins. If Geelong can dictate the game by breaking open the press, they will have the advantage – but if Collingwood gets Geelong playing around the boundary, it will be difficult for the Cats to break free.

Match-ups

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Adding to the intrigue of the match is the tantalising match-ups on offer. Will it be Lonergan or Taylor to get the job on Cloke? Who will tag Dane Swan and stop him breaking the lines? Will Jolly or Ottens dominate the ruck contests? Will Luke Ball win the more hard balls than Selwood? There are so many match-ups that are 50/50 across the ground and are crucial to the outcome of the match.

Coaches

One is the master of the AFL dance; the other is a novice who has inherited a master side – one season versus 28 years as a coach, 662 matches in charge versus just 24 matches in charge, three premierships versus a potential premiership.

Whatever way you look at the coaches, there is a story to come out of it. Malthouse is looking for that fourth premiership as a coach that will put him level with coaching gurus Sheedy, Parkin, Jeans and Barassi. Chris Scott is looking to become the first coach since Hawthorn’s Allan Joyce in 1988 to win a premiership in his first season as a coach.

Both are intense characters and love the game. As much as the battle for the premiership is done on the field, the dueling coaches will be as tantalising as the players.

Like election night last year, this grand final is too close to call. Geelong have the better form but Collingwood cannot be discounted (20-two win loss this year). So much rests on whether Jolly, Reid or Stevie Johnson play.

This week has so much to offer even before a ball has been bounced.

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