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The second week of the 2014 AFL Finals sees the Geelong Cats host the North Melbourne Kangaroos at the MCG on Friday night.
On Saturday evening the Port Adelaide Power travel west for the second time in two weeks to face the Fremantle Dockers at Patersons Stadium.
The opening round of the finals saw all the favourites advance. This week the stakes rise and the intensity should follow suit.
More AFL Finals:
» PREVIEW: Geelong Cats vs North Melbourne Kangaroos
» Expert tips and predictions
» 2014 AFL Draw
» AFL Finals homepage, full coverage
» Latest video highlights
Geelong Cats vs North Melbourne Kangaroos
Friday September 12, 7:50pm (AEST), MCG
TV: Seven Network (LIVE), Fox Footy (LIVE)
Odds: Cats $1.63, Kangaroos $2.30*
Geelong will start as favourite against North Melbourne on Friday night off the back of their two regular season wins against the Roos in 2014.
In Round 10 the Cats got home by 20-points at Skilled, and in Round 19 by 32-points at Etihad Stadium.
With Brent Harvey returning from suspension, the Roos will be fielding their strongest possible team, while Geelong will be sweating on the fitness of Steve Johnson, Steven Motlop and Allen Christensen.
After a busy opening term, Steve Johnson’s impact faded last Friday against the Hawks, and Motlop’s usual flair was also missed as he went goalless. Their ability to get up for this match and impact the scoreboard will be crucial for the Cats.
Despite Geelong holding a clear advantage in terms of recent history and finals experience, if the Kangaroos can summon the kind of performance that has seen them beat the likes of Hawthorn, Sydney and Fremantle this year, fans can expect a tightly fought contest.
TIP: Geelong by 5 points.
Fremantle Dockers vs Port Adelaide Power
Saturday September 13, 5:45pm (local) 7:45pm (AEST), Patersons Stadium
TV: Seven Network (LIVE), Fox Footy (LIVE)
Odds: Dockers $1.55, Power $2.50*
The Dockers will enter favourites against the Power after accounting for them by eight points at Patersons Stadium just two weeks ago in Round 23.
A nine-goal avalanche either side of three quarter time saw the Dockers push out a commanding 38-point lead; a late five-goal charge from Port Adelaide may have saved them some face, but was too little too late.
Travis Boak and Robbie Gray led the clearance count a fortnight ago with 10 and 9 respectively. They will need to get their hands on the footy around the contest again today to curb the influence of Docker big-man, Aaron Sandilands.
Recently crowned AFL Players Association MVP, Nathan Fyfe, was missing in Round 23 and is sure to cause a few headaches for the Power midfielders on Saturday.
He racked up 29 touches, seven clearances and a goal last week against Sydney and should have an impact all across the ground in this match.
How much can be read into Fremantle’s nine-goal rampage last time they met? And how much confidence should Port Adelaide draw from their barnstorming performance last week against the Tigers?
All signs point to a nail-biter.
TIP: Fremantle by 7.
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage as well as post-match highlights of the 2014 AFL finals.
Odds correct as of 10:30am, Monday September 8.
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