Collingwoodfc.com.au has enlisted David Natoli aka DaVe86 to write this year's match previews.  David writes what are arguably, the most popular Magpie previews published on the internet.  This is his second season writing for the club website.  Please note his views are not of the clubs but of a passionate, knowledgeable member of the Magpie Army.

I have to admit that at three-quarter time of last week’s preliminary final clash against Hawthorn, I did not think I would be writing another preview for season 2011.

However, Collingwood was able to fight its way to a courageous victory and book itself into its second consecutive Grand Final. That means I have one final preview left in me for the year. As with the previous finals games, this week’s preview is made up of three parts. The first edition is a general overview of the match and analysis of the Collingwood defence/Geelong forward line.

The Magpies opponent for the big game is Geelong. This will be Geelong’s fourth Grand Final appearance in the last five years. Despite the Magpies finishing on top of the ladder, Geelong is clearly entering this week’s Grand Final in the better form. The Cats’ have put together a blistering month of football and have hit their peak at the right time of the year.

Collingwood simply found a way to win against Hawthorn last week. It has been a tough second half of the year considering the Magpies have been cruelled by a number of injuries to key players along with a number of suspensions.

Nevertheless, the belief and courage in the playing group has been incredible. Although Collingwood may not be playing as smoothly as we have become accustomed to, there is enough resolve to find a way to win on Saturday. It may mean that Collingwood will have to close the game up and make it a dogfight. I fear a free flowing game would play into the hands of Geelong.

The Cats made easy work of West Coast last week and should have pulled up feeling fresh. Collingwood on the other hand had an incredibly tough game against Hawthorn and a number of players sustained injuries. However, both sides have a full week to recover and should field close to full strength line-ups on Saturday.

Injury concerns and selection news
As with any Grand Final week, a lot of focus will be on injured players and which players will get the heartbreaking news that they will not be playing in Saturday’s big game.

Both sides have injury concerns. At Collingwood, all eyes will be on Darren Jolly and Ben Reid who pulled up very sore at the end of Friday night’s Preliminary Final. The early indication is that Reid is more likely to play than Jolly, although it will become clearer later in the week. Jolly has indicated that he will be right despite the fact that he battled groin injuries all season.

In other selection news, Alex Fasolo and Tyson Goldsack will be pushing for selection at training. Dayne Beams had a very disappointing game against Hawthorn and was eventually subbed off after picking up only two handballs to three quarter time.

In general, Beams does not have a good finals record. Fasolo may be required for more forward pressure and flare, whilst Goldsack’s tackling and ability to play a number of roles may offer Malthouse a bit more flexibility. That said, Beams is a good midfield rotation and a traditional in-and-under player, which is suited to the style of game typically displayed in Grand Finals. Cameron Wood will be on standby if Darren Jolly is unable to pass his fitness test.

Turning attention onto Geelong, and all eyes will be on Steve Johnson and his injured knee. The incident looked very ugly and his knee seemed to dislocate, however scans have cleared Johnson of serious damage. He remains a good chance to play and all early talk coming out of Geelong is that he will be right. He would be a massive loss for Geelong considering Menzel injured his knee in the qualifying final. That would mean the Cats would be without two of its top five goal-kickers for 2011.

If Johnson is unable to prove his fitness, Mooney, Byrnes and Milburn will all be vying for his position. Otherwise, it seems unlikely that Geelong will make any changes to the side which convincingly beat West Coast in the preliminary final last week.

Despite the fact that Steve Johnson is an absolute star of the game, I think the loss of either Jolly or Reid would impact on Collingwood more. Reid’s absence at centre halfback would leave the Collingwood defence very short and it will struggle to cope with Hawkins, Podsiadly and Ottens. Further, West and Ottens have formed a formidable ruck combination and the absence of Jolly would be a big ask on Cameron Wood who has not played in a month. My tip is that both sides will be full strength.

Collingwood defence/Geelong forward line
Geelong is so strong all over the ground. Its forward line is no exception as it has the perfect blend of talls and smalls. Tom Hawkins has taken huge strides in season 2011, while there are so many dangerous small forward/midfield options that rotate through. It’s nearly impossible to tie everyone down. Importantly, a number of fresh faces like Christensen, Duncan and Menzel have added new flare to an ageing unit. Similarly to Collingwood, Geelong does not rely on any individual to kick a bag of goals to win games of football.

On the other hand, I still rate Collingwood’s defence as the best in the competition. Nevertheless, it has not been able to settle over the last month due to injuries. If Reid is unable to play, I have massive concerns about the ability to cover all the Geelong talls.

The match-ups are absolutely mouth watering.

Chris Tarrant v James Podsiadly - Podsiadly has hit terrific form towards the latter half of this year and will be the main focal point for Geelong this week. He is coming off a three-goal game against West Coast and was a great target all match. His opponent this week will be Chris Tarrant who has been a rock in defence all year for the Magpies. Although Franklin kicked three goals last week, Tarrant was terrific and was able to limit the influence of the Hawthorn superstar.

Ben Reid v Tom Hawkins - Reid’s presence is so important for the Magpies. He’ll start on Hawkins, however will get the responsibility on Ottens or West when they play forward. His groins have been an issue throughout the season and he really seemed to struggle against Hawthorn last week. Nonetheless, he battled his way through the game and was terrific on Hale. Hawkins however has really improved in 2011 and will be feeling confident after a solid two-goal game in the preliminary final. Nick Maxwell will also get the responsibility on Hawkins when Reid moves onto Ottens. Maxwell enjoys zoning off his opponent, so he’ll be forced to play much tighter this week.

Harry O’Brien v Steve Johnson - Despite the injury drama, Collingwood will undoubtedly be planning for Johnson to play. If he does, Harry O’Brien will get the job. Harry had a great game against West Coast, but was slightly jittery last week against Hawthorn. Nonetheless, he is also in good form. Given Johnson’s injury, it is unlikely he will push into the midfield. Therefore O’Brien will be able to play him very closely.

Alan Toovey v Matthew Stokes - I think this will be a crucial matchup as Stokes has a history of sneaking under Collingwood’s radar in big games. Toovey has had a terrific season and his last month in particular has been incredible considering the disruption with personnel down back. He has really stood tall and has been asked to play on all sorts of opponents. He’ll have yet another massive task on Stokes who has quietly gone about his business all season. You get the feeling that if the Cats can get two or three goals out of Stokes then they are going to be very hard to beat.

Heath Shaw v Paul Chapman - Heath Shaw has been a crucial player for Collingwood this finals series after missing eight games. His return has solidified the defence. This week I think he’ll start the game on Chapman and hold his position across halfback while Chapman pushes into the midfield. Chapman has probably had a quieter season in comparison to recent years, however he has still been influential. He is built for Grand Finals and needs to be shut down if Collingwood is to go back to back. The other option is for Cameron Ling to go forward and play on Shaw. Ling started forward last week on the dangerous Shannon Hurn.

Leon Davis v Allen Christensen - Geelong will have taken note of how Hawthorn played Leon Davis last week. Paul Puopolo went to Davis and attacked him. He allowed Davis the ball, but got himself in scoring positions. It forced Malthouse to move Davis into attack where he was able to kick a crucial goal. I think Geelong will use Christensen in a similar role. He has had a terrific breakout year for the Cats and kicked two goals in last week’s preliminary final. His pace and clean hands around packs makes him a real handful and it would force Davis to pay attention to him.

Ben Johnson v Travis Varcoe - Varcoe is the real X factor in the Geelong side and he adds pace. I think Collingwood will elect to tag him with Ben Johnson or Sharrod Wellingham. Varcoe will most likely start up forward and push into the midfield. He must be watched as he is a goal kicker (he kicked two goals last week against West Coast) and he breaks the lines. Johnson appears sore, but has the guts to stick to his task.

Loose Man - Nick Maxwell
Maxwell was so influential in last year’s drawn Grand Final, and has been fantastic so far this finals series. It goes to show how courageous Maxwell is considering he has had a poor year form wise and missed the last few weeks of the home-and-away season with a broken finger. With no match-fitness, the skipper has added real stability to a vulnerable defensive unit and has led from the front. He won’t have it all his own way this week as Geelong will push its resting ruckmen forward meaning Maxwell will have to help cover. Geelong will look to play through Maxwell’s opponent, as it will prevent him from zoning off to make himself third man up in the contest.

Conclusion
On paper, the matchups appear very even. A lot will rest on Reid’s ability to pull up for the game and run it out strongly. Steve Johnson’s availability will also make a huge difference. Without Johnson and Menzel, Harry O’Brien will be able to move onto Stokes and that will free Toovey up to cover Varcoe or Christensen. This in turn will give Davis far more freedom.

Geelong needs one of its big men to stand up. Podsiadly and Hawkins have solid form, and Ottens and West will really stretch the Magpies when they play forward. If a tall forward can have a presence, it could be the decisive factor on Saturday.