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 been their ability to dominate the contested ball. With ruckman Shane Mumford and NAB Rising Star winner Daniel Hannebery back into the side you would expect the Swans to once again be too good in close for Carlton.
Expect Sydney to extend the careers of coach Paul Roos and retiring veteran Brett Kirk by at least another week with a win by 1-39, which is paying $2.25.
Carlton was unfortunate to lose the game by a kick. If it wasnt for the brilliant 2010 Brownlow Medalist, Chris Judd, I think Sydney would have won by a bigger margin. Carlton can now look forward to 2011.