Where and when: MCG, Saturday September 19, 7.30pm AEST
Head to head: Geelong 90 wins, Collingwood 124 wins, one draw
Last time: Geelong 18.14 (122) d Collingwood 13.17 (95), round three, 2009, at the MCG

FORM
Geelong: LWLWW
Collingwood: WWLLW

SUMMARY
Collingwood is coming off its most inspirational win of the season. After trailing by 26 points at half time, the Pies regrouped and came out a different side in their semi-final clash with Adelaide at the MCG. A six-goals-to-nil third quarter set up a rematch of the 2007 preliminary final with Geelong that the Cats held on to win by five points in their premiership year.

Geelong, perhaps more than any other contender, needed an extra week to heal some wounded soldiers and the Cats earned that when they defeated the Bulldogs by 14 points in the first week of the finals. It was a timely return to form after injuries and below-par performances in the back half of the season had some questioning the Cats' premiership credentials.

Both teams have plenty of injury concerns going into the sudden death final. Amazingly, Pies midfielder Scott Pendlebury appears certain to play despite breaking his leg less than two weeks ago. Josh Fraser (knee) and Dayne Beams (calf) are in the 25-man squad and trained with the main group on Friday morning. But there will have to be a late change for either to earn a call-up.

Steve Johnson (hip) and Max Rooke (quad) are the players of most interest at Geelong. Both have been selected and look set to play, giving the Cats arguably their best line-up for the season.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Alan Didak (Collingwood)
He came good late last week against the Crows, but his finals output has been disappointing. The dangerous playmaker has shown an inability to handle a hard tag of late, but he must find a way here because it's hard to see the Pies winning if he has a quiet one. 

Brad Ottens (Geelong)
Ottens has been the missing link all year after injuring his knee in round two and he might have just won his race against time to regain enough match fitness to have a significant say here. His qualifying final output wasn't great, but with an extra week to continue working he could be a pivotal player.

QUESTION MARKS
- How much did last week's dramatic win take from the Magpies' tank? The Pies had to expend all their reserves to rally past the Crows and they did it with the temperature hovering around 28 degrees all night.

- Who will take the field for the Pies? Pendlebury has been named, but there must be some doubt on his availability. Meanwhile, Dayne Beams and Josh Fraser are among the emergencies. We’ll have to wait until 6pm Saturday before knowing the final 22 for each side.

VFL

Collingwoodfc.com.au will be covering the VFL match LIVE.  Click here to receive a reminder.

Where and when: TEAC Oval, Saturday September 19, 2pm (live ABC, 2pm)

Collingwood’s VFL team takes on North Ballarat in a preliminary final at Port Melbourne’s TEAC Oval on Saturday. The Roosters have beaten the Magpies twice this season but Collingwood will be buoyed by its strong showing in round four when it pushed North Ballarat all the way.

After securing its first finals berth since the stand-alone side was established in 2008, Collingwood has surprised many with its form in the finals.

The Magpies booked their place in the penultimate week of the season with a superb team effort against Williamstown in last week’s semi-final. That performance followed a 115-point drubbing of the Casey Scorpions in the elimination final.

The availability of senior players will influence just how strong the Pies’ VFL team is on Saturday but one thing is certain: Gavin Brown’s side is chock-full of confidence and will give itself a strong chance of progressing to the grand final.

Collingwood VFL line-up:
B: Dyas, N Brown, Cox
HB: Corrie, Reid, Clarke
C: Blight, Medhurst, Barham
HF: Cook, Dawes, Stanley
F: Bryan, Rocca, McCarthy
Foll: Fraser, Beams, Blair
Int: (from) Rusling, Keeffe, K Pendlebury, Rounds, Mugavin, Bennell, Reed, Thoolen

North Ballarat:
B: Watt, Moloney, Greig
HB: Goodes, Searl, Sharkey
C: Roach, Feery, Spolding
HF: McMahon, A Edwards, Wundke
F: Dinnell, Josh Smith, Jones
Foll: Stephenson, Lower, Sewell
Int: (from) Clifton, White, Garlett, Driscoll, Chester, McHugh, Cartledge, Richardson

KEY MATCH-UPS
Ben Reid v Aaron Edwards
North Ballarat’s forward line looms as a major obstacle between the Pies and a grand final berth. With North Melbourne-listed players including Corey Jones and marking duo Aaron Edwards and Josh Smith, Collingwood’s back six will need to be at its best. Reid continues to show promise but will have his hands full with Edwards, who has shown at AFL level that he is dangerous when close to goal.

Jarryd Blair v Myles Sewell
Blair has been terrific in his debut season at the Lexus Centre. He’s only small but is hard at it. This week, he might get the job on Myles Sewell, who earlier in the week won the league best and fairest. The brother of Hawk Brad, Sewell probably doesn’t bustle as much as his brother but runs hard and has neat skills. Barham is another option for the Rooster in a run-with role, but Blair might be the man to stop the in-form star.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.