Neither of these teams came into the season very highly rated.

West Coast were predicted to struggle in the midfield after the retirements of Priddis and Sam Mitchell. Few pundits picked the Eagles to be in the top eight, but they exceeded expectations with a ten game winning streak early in the season. Even when Naitanui went down and tall forwards Darling and Kennedy were unavailable momentum didn’t drop off for the Eagles.

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West Coast finished second on the ladder and in their qualifying final they snuck home against the Pies before crushing Melbourne in the prelim. Today they enter the Grannie without stars Nic Nat and Gaff, their kick and mark style can beat the Pies pressure, but their tall forwards will be the key to an Eagles victory today.

Collingwood hadn’t made the finals since 2013. Nathan Buckley started this season with a target on his back, sink or swim time for the Pies great. The season started with losses to Hawthorn and the Giants at the MCG. They soon found winning form but injuries started to mount and it felt like a repetition of the tough years gone past. In the face of adversity Collingwood found serious form.

A new look forwardline emerged lead by a swarm of medium forwards like Jordan De Goey, Josh Thomas, Will Hoskin-Elliott and first round draft pick Jaidyn Stephenson. All four of them have booted more than 35 goals for the year. They work with speed and smarts, creating an unpredictable organism. These same forwards plus unlikely talls Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox feasted on red hot favourites Richmond, scrambling one of the best defences in the competition into a dog’s breakfast. They’re backed up by an incredibly deep midfield which will likely give the Eagles all sorts of troubles today. If the likes of Taylor Adams, Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom are waltzing away with the ball from stoppages the Pies will have the day won.

Tip: Collingwood by 7 in a thriller.

Norm Smith: Pies ruckman Brodie Grundy. Grundy has been superb all year and loves the big stage.

Teams:

WEST COAST EAGLES
B Shannon Hurn, Tom Barrass, Will Schofield
HB Thomas Cole, Jeremy McGovern, Lewis Jetta
C Jack Redden, Elliot Yeo, Chris Masten
HF Mark Hutchings, Jack Darling, Mark LeCras
F Willie Rioli, Josh J. Kennedy, Jamie Cripps
FOL Scott Lycett, Luke Shuey, Dom Sheed
I/C Liam Ryan, Liam Duggan, Daniel Venables, Nathan Vardy

EMG Oscar Allen, Jackson Nelson, Brayden Ainsworth, Brendon Ah Chee

No Change

COLLINGWOOD

B Brayden Maynard, Tom Langdon, Jack Crisp
HB Jeremy Howe, Tyson Goldsack, Travis Varcoe
C Adam Treloar, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips
HF Will Hoskin-Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Jordan De Goey
F Josh Thomas, Mason Cox, Jaidyn Stephenson
FOL Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom
I/C Brayden Sier, James Aish, Chris Mayne, Levi Greenwood

EMG Jarryd Blair, Ben Reid, Callum Brown, Flynn Appleby

No Change

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