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Cream rises to the top for prelims

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11th October, 2020
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A week on from the tightest opening round of AFL finals in the final-eight era, the semi-finals proved anything but as the wheat was comfortably separated from the chaff.

Richmond and Geelong overcame the hurdles of their week-one losses to cruise through their semi-finals and set up mouth-watering clashes with Port Adelaide and Brisbane.

It is the first time since 2017 that the top four teams on the ladder have made it to the preliminary finals, and each contender has their own compelling narrative.

Richmond are on the verge of a dynasty – eyeing a third flag in four years and their first without the swelling support of a dominant fan base at the MCG.

In the space of three years, Damien Hardwick’s Tigers have gone from well-liked underdogs to villains – a role they’ve not only accepted, but embraced.

Tom Lynch’s five MRO citings have seen him elevated to the AFL’s public enemy No.1, with the Tigers showcasing the Hawthorn-esque “unsociable football” that surely also draws roots from Hardwick’s own uncompromising playing career.

Richmond sorely missed Lynch in their qualifying-final loss to Brisbane but he was at the heart of everything good – bar wayward goal-kicking and an unsavoury misconduct charge – as they dismantled St Kilda by 31 points on Friday night.

They will meet a well-rested Port Adelaide, who after beating Geelong, will again have the advantage of a parochial Adelaide Oval crowd at their backs.

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The minor premiers have completed a stunning turnaround less than a year after Ken Hinkley was one failed season away from the chopping block.

The Power accounted for Richmond in August but will be acutely aware a plethora of key Tigers were missing on that day.

A day after Richmond secured their preliminary final berth, Geelong surged back into premiership calculations with a stunning 68-point mauling of a listless Collingwood.

In the process, they extended Gary Ablett’s farewell tour – with the 36-year-old delivering two early goal assists that set the tone for a blistering start that Collingwood never recovered from.

Patrick Dangerfield led the way with four goals in a pack-crashing, explosive performance and will take on his fifth attempt at securing a maiden grand final berth against Brisbane – who the Cats beat at the SCG in July – at the Gabba on Saturday night.

“If (our win) was the impetus (for Brisbane’s improvement), certainly they’ve played good footy in the second half of the year,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

“We’ve had some pretty good games against them here too, some tight tussles … we’ve got a healthy respect for their weapons.

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“They finished where they did on the ladder and beat the best side of the last three years reasonably comfortably in the end a week ago – so there’s no risk of under-rating them.”

If Brisbane win next Saturday, former Hawk Grant Birchall will have a shot at becoming a five-time premiership player.

He would become the first player to hit the mark since 1991 – when Michael Tuck won his seventh flag and Dermott Brereton, Gary Ayres and Chris Mew earned their fifth.

© AAP

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