Geelong’s Tom Hawkins looks to handball during the Cats’ Round 13 win over Port Adelaide. Photo: AFL MEDIA

SECOND QUALIFYING FINAL
PORT ADELAIDE v GEELONG (Adelaide Oval, Friday 7.20pm local time)

The 23-week qualification period has come to an end, and we now have our eight cars on the starting grid.

And if this year’s finals series is half as good as what the final round served up by way of determining both the minor premiership and top-four configuration, then we are in for a real treat.

There’s nothing to suggest that the next month won’t be thrilling, either, with season 2021 producing one of the most even competitions in memory.

Kicking things off is a mouth-watering encounter between the Power and the Cats.

Port Adelaide is one of the few lucky teams, along with Brisbane, that will be able to enjoy genuine home-ground advantage as the COVID crisis continues to grip large parts of the nation, and Ken Hinkley’s side will waste no time in putting that leg-up to the test on Friday night.

In a further boost for the Power, the Adelaide Oval crowd cap has been lifted to 20,000 for this weekend.

It took them 23 weeks, but the Power finally showed last week that they can beat a premiership contender in the form of the Western Bulldogs in what was a timely confidence boost on the eve of the finals.

The only knock on Port Adelaide this year has been its inability to claim a big scalp, so validation of its self-belief as a “big dog” is huge at this time of the season.

But while Port Adelaide does welcome back Orazio Fantasia from injury (again), it loses the precocious Mitch Georgiades, who has quickly become an important member of the line-up.

That means more responsibility will be shouldered by Charlie Dixon, whose average form against the best teams this year, coupled with his below-par finals series from last year, means question marks over his reliability in big games persist.

He will, however, be assisted by Todd Marshall and Peter Ladhams, and the absence of star Geelong backman Tom Stewart (foot) certainly helps.

The Cats’ form in the past month hasn’t exactly been crash hot, especially compared to Port Adelaide which has won nine of its last 10 matches.

However, the Cats regain Mitch Duncan, who has missed the past nine games due to a knee injury, in what is a huge boost.

These two sides are so evenly matched. Their midfields are stacked, their forward lines are potent and their backlines are dependable, it’s no wonder their percentage is so similar – Port Adelaide with 126.3 and Geelong with 126.7.

It’s a real flip of the coin, but the Cats have already defeated the Power at Adelaide Oval once this year, and a repeat performance is certainly within their capabilities.

RONNY’S TIP: Geelong by 3 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Geelong by 12 points.

SECOND ELIMINATION FINAL
SYDNEY v GWS (Launceston, Saturday 3.20pm local time)

For the third time in six years, the arch-rivals from the Harbour City lock horns in a final – a fact which is even more amazing when you consider we’re still waiting for our first Western Derby final after 27 seasons.

Unfortunately, though, for COVID reasons, the Swans and Giants won’t be fighting to keep their season alive in Sydney.

Instead, Tasmania, of all places, will play host to what promises to be an absolutely cracking sudden-death final. It will also mark the very first time a final has been staged on the Apple Isle.

In a huge blow for the Swans’ midfield, Callum Mills (achilles) joins Josh Kennedy (hamstring) on the sidelines, while Nick Blakey (leg) won’t be seen again this season.

Meanwhile, the Giants welcome back key trio Tom Green, Shane Mumford and Sam Reid to stiffen the line-up.

Both teams deserve a massive round of applause for the way they have dealt with life on the road for a prolonged period of time. Neither side has played a game in their home city since June, yet they both found a way to qualify for the finals, which is a huge achievement.

The Giants’ journey to the finals was a little bumpier, with losses to Hawthorn and Gold Coast, as well as a draw with North Melbourne along the way, but a strong finish to the season, kickstarted by a memorable win over the Cats in Geelong, saw them through.

As much as they’d love to avenge their spectacular capitulation against the Swans back in round 18 when they gave up a six-goal lead, Sydney looks the stronger side, even taking into account those aforementioned key outs, and should break through for its first finals win against GWS.

RONNY’S TIP: Sydney by 12 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Sydney by 6 points.

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FIRST QUALIFYING FINAL
MELBOURNE v BRISBANE (Adelaide Oval, Saturday 7.00pm local time)

The Demons are riding sky high after securing their first minor premiership in 57 years in perhaps the most dramatic circumstances since 1987.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn channelled his inner Stephen Kernahan to kick a goal after the siren to clinch top spot, just like the Carlton captain did against North Melbourne 34 years ago, after the Dees trailed by 44 points at one stage.

And despite the race for the minor premiership going right down to the wire, you could hardly argue that Melbourne isn’t the deserving winner.

The Demons’ record against the best teams this year is exceptional, going 8-2 versus the top eight, and a perfect 3-0 against the top four. And in a further sign of strength for Simon Goodwin’s side, it heads into this highly-anticipated contest unchanged.

The Lions lose Callum Ah Chee (groin) and Ryan Lester (hamstring), but crucially regain star duo Harris Andrews and Mitch Robinson.

And how crucial will their inclusions be considering not only how well Melbourne’s forward line has started to click in recent weeks, but also how powerful its midfield has become this season.

After a worrying slump which seriously threatened their top-four aspirations, the Lions experienced a similarly euphoric result to Melbourne last week, when they grabbed their double chance with fewer than 20 seconds remaining in their match against West Coast.

In fact, Brisbane has well and truly rediscovered its ruthless edge at the right time of the season, winning its last three games by an average of 62 points.

The last time the Demons played Brisbane they were significantly challenged in the first half, before executing a seven-goal turnaround after half-time to clinch a very impressive win.

And while the Lions appear to be firing on all cylinders again, Melbourne is a huge step up in class in opponent from Fremantle, Collingwood or West Coast.

RONNY’S TIP: Melbourne by 21 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Melbourne by 20 points.

FIRST ELIMINATION FINAL
WESTERN BULLDOGS v ESSENDON (Launceston, Sunday 3.20pm local time)

How did it get to this for the Bulldogs?

After spending 20 consecutive weeks in the top four, including eight rounds on top of the ladder, the Dogs got done in at the very last hurdle as they not only lost to Port Adelaide by a measly two points after handing the Power the lead for the first time with just under five minutes to go, but had their torture stretched out over the course of Saturday evening as Brisbane took until the final 18 seconds to wrench the double chance out of their grasp.

It doesn’t get much more traumatic than that.

But they have no choice but to dust themselves off and ready themselves for the prospect of four consecutive victories, just as they achieved back in 2016 when they broke their decades-long premiership drought against Sydney.

As coach Luke Beveridge said after the agonising loss to the Power, they still have plenty to play for. And as fate would have it, they come up against the side that kickstarted their current three-game losing streak, Essendon.

The Bulldogs hadn’t lost consecutive games since midway through last season, so they have timed their run appallingly. In fact, they’re probably the most out-of-form team in the finals.

The loss of Josh Bruce (knee) up forward has been hugely significant, especially with Aaron Naughton’s goalkicking struggles, and their lack of a dominant ruckman is really hurting them.

They head into this clash again without naming a purely No.1 ruck, which in many respects is playing with fire considering how influential Essendon big man Sam Draper was in their Round 21 meeting.

The Bombers’ upset victory on that occasion was also largely due to Peter Wright’s magnificent seven-goal performance, but luckily for the Bulldogs, this time around Alex Keath will be in the line-up, while Ryan Gardner has been named in the squad.

The Bulldogs’ vaunted midfield has lost the clearance count three weeks in a row, and came in for particular punishment against the Bombers’ on-ball brigade (47-31).

Essendon certainly heads into this clash with a lot more momentum, having won its last three games, and it has fonder memories of the ground with a gutsy win over Hawthorn there in round 14, while the Dogs got spanked there by the Hawks only a fortnight ago.

However, to beat the Bulldogs twice in the space of a month would be a monumental achievement, and it just seems almost unthinkable for the Dogs’ season, which has largely been so impressive, to end on Sunday with a whimper.

That means Essendon’s finals drought will have to go on a bit longer, but based on the team’s rapid development this year, it doesn’t look like it will be long before winning in September becomes commonplace at Tullamarine.

RONNY’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 10 points.
ROCO’S TIP: Western Bulldogs by 10 points.

RONNY’S SEASON TOTAL: 126
ROCO’S SEASON TOTAL: 126