AFL

Sydney is one of the form sides of the competition heading into the finals having won their past four matches - three of which were against fellow finalists - to earn a home final. Meanwhile, Carlton has lost its past two to Geelong (42 points) and Fremantle (six) and only finished in the top eight thanks to a percentage advantage over North Melbourne. The Swans boast an imposing record against the Blues having won 13 of the past 14 encounters. A key to Sydney's success during that stretch has...

Collingwood ended the home-and-away season on top of the ladder but haven't been at their best in the past couple of weeks having beaten Adelaide by just three points before losing to Hawthorn by the same margin last weekend. It was the Magpies' first loss since round 10. The Western Bulldogs may have finished inside the top four after 22 rounds but their form of late has been nothing to write home about having suffered heavy losses to Geelong (101 points) and Sydney (44) before recording an unspectacular...

Fremantle earned the right to host this cut-throat final with a nail-biting six-point win over Carlton last weekend. The win - which was just the Dockers' second in five matches - came at a cost with small forward Hayden Ballantyne ruled out for the rest of the year after re-injuring his foot. Meanwhile, Hawthorn finished the home-and-away season with three straight wins, although their last two victories were against a severely under-strength Fremantle side and a Collingwood outfit that would have...

Last year's grand finalists meet again on Friday night with the winner earning a preliminary final berth and the all-important week off. Geelong won their last three games of the home-and-away season against the Western Bulldogs (101 points), Carlton (42) and West Coast (44) while St Kilda's three-match winning streak came to an end when they suffered a 28-point loss to Adelaide last Saturday. The last time these two sides met in round 13 the Saints held the Cats goalless in the second half to...

After seeing their slim finals hopes evaporate against Hawthorn in round 20, Melbourne lost to Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium last weekend, while North Melbourne celebrated skipper Brent Harvey’s 300th game with a 16-point victory over West Coast. It was the Kangaroos’ 10th win of 2010. The Demons will undoubtedly be desperate to send retiring captain James McDonald off in style but the Roos have the edge in the midfield and should finish what has been an impressive first season under coach...

Richmond hasn’t tasted victory since round 18 but were competitive in their last outing, going down to St Kilda by just 21 points. Meanwhile, Port Adelaide made it four wins from six starts under caretaker coach Matthew Primus with a 29-point triumph over Melbourne last Sunday. Form lines suggest the Power will win this one but with champion midfielder Ben Cousins playing his last game the Tigers have a big motivating factor. At $3.65 to win by 1-24, Richmond is well worth the punt.

Brisbane celebrated skipper Jonathan Brown’s 200th game with a 27-point win over Essendon last Sunday. It was the Lions' seventh win of 2010. Meanwhile, Sydney has won its past three against fellow top-eight sides Hawthorn, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs. A victory over Brisbane would see the Swans earn a home final. The Lions will be keen to finish what has been a bitterly disappointing season on a positive note but with Brown (groin) out of the side they will struggle to kick a big enough...

The Western Bulldogs have suffered heavy losses to Geelong (101 points) and Sydney (44) in the past fortnight. The loss to the Swans was made worse with star midfielder Adam Cooney and defender Dale Morris suffering season-ending hamstring and back injuries respectively while skipper Brad Johnson sustained an Achilles injury and will miss two weeks. Despite their recent poor form, the Bulldogs are guaranteed of a top-four finish and a qualifying final showdown with first-placed Collingwood. The...

Adelaide - who has been out of finals contention for a few weeks now - put in a spirited performance last weekend, going down to top-of-the-table Collingwood by less than one straight kick while St Kilda stretched its winning streak to three with a hard-fought 21-point victory over Richmond. The farewelling of club greats Simon Goodwin, Andrew McLeod, Brett Burton and Trent Hentschel - who have played their last game for the Crows - will undoubtedly be a motivating factor for the South Australian...

Hawthorn secured a finals berth with a 116-point hammering of an undermanned Fremantle side last weekend while Collingwood claimed their first minor premiership since 1977 with a nail-biting three-point victory over Adelaide. The Hawks have more to play for in this one as a victory could see them earn a home final but without two of their best users of the football in vice-captain Luke Hodge (knee) and Grant Birchall (hamstring) they will struggle to penetrate the Magpies’ defensive structure. Put...