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Second chances are well and truly are a thing of the past, as the Richmond Tigers, Collingwood Magpies, West Coast Eagles and Melbourne Demons face off in the 2018 AFL preliminary finals.
The weekend begins with Richmond taking on Collingwood at 7:50pm (AEST) on Friday, September 21, before the West Coast Eagles clash with Melbourne at 3:20pm (AEST) on Saturday, September 22.
Fox Footy (504) is the best place to catch the preliminary finals, with their coverage featuring no ad breaks during the quarters. Their coverage will begin at 6:30pm (AEST) for the Friday night match, and 2:30pm (AEST) for the second game. Fox Footy requires a valid Foxtel subscription to view.
Channel 7 is the free-to-air broadcaster for all AFL finals matches. They’ll start their Friday night coverage at 7pm (AEST), and will commence coverage of Saturday’s game at 2:30pm (AEST). Be sure to check your local listings, in case the match will be appearing on 7mate (73) in your area.
If you’re already subscribed to Foxtel, you’ll be able to view this weekend’s action via the Foxtel App – which is included in your existing package.
If you don’t want the hassle of a full TV subcription, you can make use of Foxtel’s streaming-only variant Foxtel Now.
Otherwise, an AFL Live Pass allows you to watch the games online although, once again, you’ll need to front for a subscription fee.
Seven’s streaming service, 7Plus, will not be showing the free-to-air broadcast of either match.
If you’re overseas, you’ll need to use Watch AFL.
Date: Friday, September 21
First bounce: 7:50pm (AEST)
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
TV: Live, Channel 7 and Fox Footy
Online: Live, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now, AFL live pass
Betting: Tigers $1.38, Magpies $3.15
Overall record: Played 208, Magpies 117, Tigers 90, 1 draw
Last meeting: Round 19, 2018 – Richmond 16.9 (105) def. Collingwood 12.5 (77)
Record in finals: Played 16, Tigers 9, Magpies 7
Richmond Tigers
B David Astbury, Alex Rance, Dylan Grimes
HB Bachar Houli, Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad
C Shaun Grigg, Trent Cotchin, Kamdyn McIntosh
HF Daniel Rioli, Shane Edwards, Jason Castagna
F Jack Riewoldt, Dustin Martin, Josh Caddy
FOL Toby Nankervis, Kane Lambert, Dion Prestia
I/C Jayden Short, Jack Higgins, Jack Graham, Reece Conca
Collingwood Magpies
B Brayden Maynard, Tom Langdon, Jack Crisp
HB Jeremy Howe, Tyson Goldsack, Travis Varcoe
C Adam Treloar, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips
HF Will Hoskin-Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Jordan De Goey
F Josh Thomas, Mason Cox, Jaidyn Stephenson
FOL Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom
I/C Brayden Sier, James Aish, Chris Mayne, Levi Greenwood
Richmond are the short-priced favourites to make it back-to-back flags, but they’ll have to get past their old enemy Collingwood if they’re to reach a second straight decider.
The Tigers have looked nearly impenetrable all season, including at the MCG where they’ve barely been challenged. They were far too good for Hawthorn in the qualifying final two weeks ago.
The Magpies, on the other hand, have been one of the biggest surprise packets this season – making the finals for the first time since 2013.
They were gallant in a qualifying final loss to the Eagles two weeks ago, before easing past the Giants in last week’s semi-final.
Date: Saturday, September 22
First bounce: 3:20pm (AEST)
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth
TV: Live, Channel 7 and Fox Footy
Online: Live, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now, AFL live pass
Betting: Eagles $1.80, Demons $2.05
Overall record: Played 50, Eagles 33, Demons 17
Last meeting: Round 22, 2018 – West Coast Eagles 14.7 (91) def. by Melbourne 16.12 (108)
Record in finals: Played 4, Eagles 3, Demons 1
West Coast Eagles
B Shannon Hurn, Tom Barrass, Will Schofield
HB Thomas Cole, Jeremy McGovern, Lewis Jetta
C Dom Sheed, Luke Shuey, Chris Masten
HF Mark LeCras, Jack Darling, Mark Hutchings
F Willie Rioli, Josh J. Kennedy, Jamie Cripps
FOL Scott Lycett, Elliot Yeo, Jack Redden
I/C Liam Ryan, Liam Duggan, Daniel Venables, Nathan Vardy
Melbourne Demons
B Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis
HB Christian Salem, Sam Frost, Michael Hibberd
C Mitch Hannan, Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw
HF Jake Melksham, Tom McDonald, James Harmes
F Aaron vandenBerg, Sam Weideman, Alex Neal-Bullen
FOL Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney
I/C Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo, Dom Tyson, Joel Smith
West Coast had to fight tooth and nail to get past the ‘Pies in their home qualifying final but, now aided by a week off, will enjoy slight favouritism over Melbourne as they aim to make their first grand final since 2015.
The Eagles actually entered the season with very low expectations after the retirements of Brownlow medalists Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell but, like Richmond, used scintillating form at home to carry them to a top-two finish.
One of the sides to best them on their home deck, however, was Melbourne. The Demons are featuring in the AFL finals for the first time since 2006, and have made up for lost time with excellent performances against Geelong and Hawthorn in the elimination and semi-finals, respectively.
With the knowledge they’ve defeated the Eagles on this ground – and the lure of a first premiership since 1964 – the Dees will have no shortage of motivation for this one.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.