Geelong champion Patrick Dangerfield and Brisbane superstar Will Ashcroft will have a huge say on Saturday. Photos: AFL MEDIA

2025 AFL GRAND FINAL
GEELONG v BRISBANE (MCG, Saturday 2:30pm local time)
After 215 matches and almost seven months of competition, it all comes down to this: the Cats and Lions battling it out on the grandest stage in football to decide the 2025 premiership team.

It’s not every year it can be said that the two best teams make it to the grand final, but this year it would be hard to find a footy fan who would suggest that isn’t the case this season.

And these are two clubs very familiar with this time of year. Geelong will be competing in its seventh grand final in 19 seasons and Brisbane its seventh in 25, including the last three in a row – something that hasn’t been achieved in a decade when Hawthorn did so (2012-2015).

Both clubs will be going for their fifth flags in those respective timeframes, while the Lions are aiming to become the first team to go back-to-back since the 2019-20 Tigers. The Cats are gunning for their second premiership in four seasons.

Incredibly, this will be the first time that Geelong and Fitzroy/Brisbane Lions have ever faced each other in a grand final.

And before a ball has even been bounced, plenty of drama has already taken place with some big, heartbreaking selection calls involving Brisbane’s Jarrod Berry and Geelong’s Tom Stewart.

Sadly for Berry, the versatile midfielder has had to make way after dislocating his shoulder for the second time in five weeks during the first preliminary final triumph over Collingwood. His loss is fairly significant given he is capable of playing multiple roles.

However, his replacement doesn’t get much bigger or surprising, for that matter. Dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale looked like his season was over when he pinged his calf in the second qualifying final against the Cats earlier this month.

In fact, at the time, the club suggested he would be sidelined for four to six weeks, essentially ruling him out of the remainder of the finals series.

But the champion midfielder has made a miraculous recovery to get himself to a point where he has been named in the team this week. Now, he obviously still has to prove he will be right to go on the day, and no doubt emergencies James Tunstill and Darragh Joyce will be raring to go if any mishaps occur.

Even if Neale does make it to the finish line at 2:30pm, though, the worry and concern won’t stop there. Given what happened to Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury in the opening minutes last week, when he was subbed out with a calf injury, there must be some element of risk to Neale’s selection.

It’s for that reason that Neale could be used as the starting sub. After all, as brilliant a player as he is, the Lions have looked very good in their last two wins against Gold Coast and Collingwood without him in the midfield.

Brisbane has looked more even through the middle and they’ve been able to spread better. Will Ashcroft has flourished and the additional midfield minutes from Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner have given them an extra dimension. If Neale plays, expect Geelong to attack him hard and really test him out physically.

But there’s also agony in the Geelong camp with star defender Stewart ruled out a week ago when he entered concussion protocols after being tackled crudely by Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol in the second preliminary final.

There was plenty of speculation and guesswork surrounding his prospective replacement, and while many thought backman Jed Bews would get the nod, the Cats have opted for Rhys Stanley, which comes as no surprise given how effusive coach Chris Scott has been in his praise for the veteran ruckman.

The fact that Oscar McInerney is now in the team, unlike three weeks ago, to back up Darcy Fort further justifies Stanley’s return after more than a month out due to a hamstring injury.

With Stanley back, the intriguing question now is what will Scott do with the ultra-versatile Blicavs? He has been so good in the ruck throughout the finals, taking him out of that position could run the risk of disrupting things.

With Stewart out, conventional wisdom would suggest Blicavs will head to defence, but given how well Zach Guthrie stood up, in particular, in Stewart’s absence last week, and how reliable their other key defenders in Sam De Koning, Jack Henry and Connor O’Sullivan are, might Scott be tempted to give Blicavs a tagging role on someone like Neale perhaps?

Staying in the midfield, both teams have enviable firepower in that part of the ground, and the best example of that is man of the moment Patrick Dangerfield who produced one of the all-time great finals performances last week.

At 35 and in his 359th game, Dangerfield singlehandedly turned the tide against Hawthorn and willed his team over the line in what was one of the best games of his long and glittering career.

The Geelong captain has been spending more time in the midfield than he was during the home-and-away season, and he has assumed the role of September wrecking ball with glee. He’s looking unstoppable at the moment, and will undoubtedly attract plenty of attention from the Lions, with Josh Dunkley a logical choice to try and curb his influence.

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Bailey Smith, Max Holmes and Tom Atkins have all had magnificent seasons as well, while Ollie Dempsey has made the wing role his own.

However, now with Neale back in the line-up, this promises to be an epic battle between two elite engine rooms.

He will link up with Ashcroft, Dunkley, Bailey and Hugh McCluggage in a bid to cause all sorts of issues for the Geelong midfield.

And they head into this clash with their tails up after kicking 10 goals from stoppage against the Magpies last week, including four from forward-50 stoppage, which is an almost unheard of stat.

After being badly beaten by Oisin Mullin in the first week, McCluggage has been tremendous, averaging 35 disposals, which means you can all but guarantee that Mullin will go straight back to the All-Australian Lion this week.

If that does occur, and Mullin starts getting on top again, the Lions might have to change the way they play McCluggage and possibly shift him to a wing, or even half-forward.

The beauty about the Cats is that they have multiple options for effective shutdown roles, as evidenced by the performances of Atkins, one of the best two-way players in the league, and Mark O’Connor on Jai Newcombe and Josh Weddle respectively last week. Expect O’Connor to get the job on Rayner again.

Up forward, the Cats are wanting for very little, and the crowning jewel of their attack is All-Australian captain Jeremy Cameron who is aiming to become the first player since Lance Franklin (118) and Brendan Fevola (99) in 2008 to kick 90 goals in a season.

Cameron mauled Ryan Lester last time, so they might have to start Darcy Gardiner on the Coleman Medallist, and possibly even Harris Andrews if Cameron starts closer to goal.

Shannon Neale has served as a valuable foil for Cameron all year while the Cats have arguably the best small-forward group in the league, comprising of Gryan Miers, Shaun Mannagh, Tyson Stengle and Brad Close.

But the Lions will back themselves to contain the various threats in that part of the ground.

The red-hot Andrews is one of the best intercepting defenders in the league, Brandon Starcevich can still do an outstanding lockdown job, the likes of Darcy Wilmot and Dayne Zorko provide bucketloads of drive and dash on the rebound and Jaspa Fletcher has become one of the best young players in the league, who can also help out in the midfield.

Brisbane look potent in attack as well with prodigious key forward Logan Morris enjoying a breakout season, while Rayner can play as a mini key forward given his brute strength. With Bailey, Callum Ah Chee, Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann buzzing around at the foot of the pack and creating pressure, Geelong’s backmen will certainly be on high alert for the duration of the match.

And how about Ty Gallop for a revelation? In just his fifth game last week, he stood up tremendously to kick three goals and a play a match-winning role in a preliminary final in front of over 96,000 people. McInerney can float forward as well to stretch the Cats defence.

But De Koning, Henry and O’Sullivan are a sound key defensive trio for Geelong, Guthrie can play tall or small, O’Connor is as disciplined as they come and Lawson Humphries brings class and polish to that part of the ground too. Holmes is even capable of dropping back, producing run off half back, and almost become an extra midfielder with his damaging creativity.

That’s perhaps the biggest strength of Geelong. Its players are so flexible and versatile, which means they can play a number of different roles effectively, making the Cats unpredictable and keeping the opposition in the dark.

Geelong really is the complete side. It possesses elite ball movement, its players are incredibly skilled and make opponents pay severely for the slightest mistake.

It makes for the ultimate game of high-stakes chicken because Brisbane will always take the game on with their frequent passes and propensity for attempting high-risk kicks, particularly into the corridor.

That could very well give Geelong plenty of opportunities to hit the Lions hard on the counter, but if the Cats aren’t set up well defensively, Brisbane’s game style will become incredibly effective, to the point where it could overwhelm Geelong quickly and early.

But one thing about the Scott-coached Cats is they are almost always so very prepared and well-drilled. A prime example was last week. After quarter-time, they outnumbered the Hawks all over the park and their willingness to work hard and dominate the stoppages proved decisive in the end.

Geelong has won its last eight matches by an average of 52 points, and that isn’t by accident. The Cats look the goods to claim their 11th flag.

RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 11 points.
Norm Smith Medal: Bailey Smith (Geelong).

ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 18 points.
Norm Smith Medal: Max Holmes (Geelong).

ROCKET’S TIP: Brisbane by 5 points.
Norm Smith Medal: Cam Rayner (Brisbane).

SEASON TOTALS
ROCO 162
RONNY 154
ROCKET 151