Malthouse says that despite an unsteady road in their last few games after a week off and with time to regroup the Magpies are completely focussed on getting the win this weekend and getting into yet another Grand Final.

“We’ve had a lot of changes … through the year and we’ve managed well to hide the fact we were hurting from players out injured or suspended,” Malthouse said.

“We kept that focus away from anyone, particularly the media, which may have painted a different picture for us.

“We knew as a match committee what we faced and we stayed very positive to make sure they (the players) didn’t focus on who wasn’t playing, so that’s been a bonus.

“The bonus is we’ve got them back and they’ve all played football. We’ve had a week off to up-train some and down-train others.”

Collingwood are hot favourites to claim back to back premierships despite the fact they copped a hammering from Geelong a matter of weeks ago.

Before a potential shot at retribution though they’ll have to pass through a Hawthorn outfit that continues to find ways to win games.

Malthouse says though that experience means plenty when it boils down to this time of the year.

“We’ve been there and done it, although there are some who haven’t and they’ve come to this football club with a massive hunger for wanting to get there and we know we’re not there yet,” Malthouse said.

“Those players have kept their focus. I’m talking about Leon Davis, Andrew Krakouer, Chris Tarrant.

“Leon is his 14th season, Chris his 12th and their hunger has been profound to the point where our younger players feel an obligation to them and haven’t allowed (the success of) last year get in the road.

“I’ve told them, ‘don’t tighten up, you’re not defending anything’.”

“That was 2010, you’re not defending 2010, no one can take that off you.”

Collingwood are odds on favourites for their match this weekend with online bookmaker Luxbet.

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The key to their success in the game, and indeed all year, is their ability to shut down the attacking opportunities their opposition has up front.

That was exactly the case on Saturday as the swans were starved of shots on goal and Franklin and friends were able to take pot shots at the other end.

The Hawks defenders came under fire after their loss to Geelong for not being up to scratch but their numbers showed they’d made vast improvements where it mattered.

Josh Gibson was especially impressive as he racked up an AFL record of 21 spoils.

Grant Birchall says there’s no reason they won’t be able to continue their good form going into next week against Collingwood either.

“There was a bit of a focus going into the game last night to kill the high ball,” he said.

“I thought we did that pretty consistently throughout the night last night, which was great.

“‘Gibbo’ in particular was outstanding.

“He’s had a great season and hopefully he can continue that this Friday night.”

The task is probably going to be tougher this weekend though with the likes of Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes proving tough to handle all year.

“It’s obviously going to be a big challenge, with Cloke and Dawes and those guys in good touch,” he said.

“We’ll have to help each other out as best we can down there.

“I’m sure that if we work as a team, that sort of thing will sort itself out.”

The two teams only met once in the 2011 regular season with Collingwood running out winners by 41 points in round 15.
“I guess anything can happen from here on in,” Birchall said.

“We’ll go in confident.

“We’re fresh and we’re hungry, so we’ll give it our best shot.”

Collingwood are set to be big favourites for the game with online bookmaker Luxbet meaning there’s plenty of value for Hawthorn should you wish to take it.

Considering the momentum they’ve built up coming through this week there’s every chance they’ll play a big role, especially given Collingwood are still coming off the huge drubbing by Geelong a couple of weeks ago.

The game is there to be won and with Luxbet you can assure your collect is higher than anywhere else!

The bookies have pinned the premiership down to a two horse race this year with Collingwood and Geelong tipped as the grand finalists at the expense of all others.

There are four team which will be hoping to turn that around over the next two days starting with Hawthorn and Sydney tonight at the MCG and West Coast versus Carlton on Saturday at Patersons Stadium in Perth.

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Hawthorn v Sydney Swans, Friday, MCG, 7.40pm (EST)

Hawthorn
B: Thomas Murphy, Josh Gibson, Brent Guerra
HB: Grant Birchall, Ryan Schoenmakers, Paul Puopolo
C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Isaac Smith
HF: Luke Hodge, Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli
F: Brendan Whitecross, David Hale, Michael Osborne
Foll: Max Bailey, Shaun Burgoyne, Brad Sewell
I/C: Chance Bateman, Liam Shiels, Matt Suckling, Benjamin Stratton
Emg: Jordan Lisle, Shane Savage, Luke Breust

In: Benjamin Stratton
Out: Luke Breust

Sydney Swans
B: Rhyce Shaw, Ted Richards, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
HB: Martin Mattner, Alex Johnson, Nicholas Smith
C: Josh P. Kennedy, Adam Goodes, Jarrad McVeigh
HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Sam Reid, Gary Rohan
F: Jesse White, Matt Spangher, Ben McGlynn
Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack
I/C: Tadhg Kennelly, Craig Bird, Daniel Hannebery, Luke Parker
Emg: Paul Bevan, Nick Malceski, Lewis Jetta

No change

Milestones: Adam Goodes – 300 games

West Coast v Carlton, Saturday, Patersons Stadium, 7.50pm (EST)

West Coast Eagles
B: Shannon Hurn, Darren Glass, Will Schofield
HB: Sam Butler, Eric Mackenzie, Beau Waters
C: Luke Shuey, Matthew Priddis, Andrew Embley
HF: Mark LeCras, Josh Kennedy, Mark Nicoski
F: Jack Darling, Quinten Lynch, Nic Naitanui
Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Scott Selwood
I/C: Daniel Kerr, Chris Masten, Patrick McGinnity, Andrew Gaff
Emg: Bradley Ebert, Ashley Smith, Ashton Hams

In: Daniel Kerr
Out: Bradley Ebert

Carlton
B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Jeremy Laidler
HB: Christopher Yarran, Bret Thornton, Nick Duigan
C: Kade Simpson, Mitch Robinson, Heath Scotland
HF: Jeffrey Garlett, Lachlan Henderson, Andrew Carrazzo
F: Eddie Betts, Setanta O’hAilpin, Andrew Walker
Foll: Robert Warnock, Chris Judd, Marc Murphy
I/C: Dennis Armfield, David Ellard, Marcus Davies, Zach Tuohy
Emg: Paul Bower, Jordan Russell, Shaun Hampson

In: Zach Tuohy
Out: Bryce Gibbs (Shoulder)

After investing so much time, effort and money into making your picks there’s absolutely nothing worse than seeing your team go down at the death.

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Our bet tip for the weekend is Essendon @ 1.93 to beat Sydney at home in a close affair.

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With a combination of fantastic teamwork, aggressive tackling, and strong pressure, the Magpies grabbed onto the lead early on in the match and never gave it up. The Saints never really stood a chance. Leading the Collingwood charge were players such as Scott Pendlebury who had an impressive 29 quality disposals and 11 tackles. Heath Shaw (28 disposals), Dale Thomas (27 disposals), and Dane Swan (26 disposals) were also notable performers for the Magpies. Both Luke Ball and Nathan Brown were also key aspects of Collingwood’s success as the latter did a fantastic job of shutting down St Kilda skipper Nick Reiwoldt.

While St Kilda was thoroughly outplayed, the match also saw some impressive moments for the team. Most notably was that of Brendon Goddard, James Gwilt, and Nick Dal Santo.

While it wasn’t quite the down-to-the-wire showdown of the week before, it seems like a fitting end to what has been an unpredictable AFL season. The Collingwood Magpies are the 2010 Premiership champions.

2010 AFL Grand Final Replay Results

The match started out with the Magpies looking set to claim their first Premiership flag since 1990. They took an early lead and even went into the half break with an eight-point lead. Though, overconfidence was their downfall as the team slowly but surely allowed St Kilda back in the game. In fact, an impressive mark and goal from Brendon Goddard at the 18-minute mark of the fourth quarter allowed the Saints to pull ahead. Fortunately for Collingwood, Travis Cloke was able to pull off a goal – the last scoring play of the game – with just 3:25 left on the clock. It locked up the score at 68-68 and sent the AFL nation into a tizzy over how a winner would be decided.

Now, to the displeasure of many AFL enthusiasts out there, the two teams will have another match in which they will once again meet up at the MCG for the 2010 AFL Grand Final replay. While plenty will be bemoaning the fact that the game doesn’t have some sort of overtime system, the 2010 AFL Grand Final replay should be seen as one more week of thrilling AFL action. Not to mention that it’s one more chance to get to Sportsbet for some potentially lucrative Grand Final payouts!

This 2010 AFL Grand Final replay has all the makings of a fantastic game of footy. Both of these teams will be going into this one on fairly equal ground. The Saints will have plenty of confidence as they showed they have what it takes to beat the favoured Magpies. If they can play a full match of that fantastic defence that won the fourth quarter for them last week, they stand a decent chance of pulling off the upset. Once again skipper Nick Reiwoldt will be key. The Magpies will face a very tough challenge if Reiwoldt can rally his team.

The Magpies certainly looked battle worn after last week’s AFL Grand Final. They’ll need to bounce back in time for this 2010 AFL Grand Final replay if they want to remain competitive. Nathan Brown will be a key factor in this replay. He did a fantastic job of filling Simon Prestigiacomo’s shoes and showed he knows how to handle St Kilda’s captain. He’ll need to do the same again in this 2010 AFL Grand Final replay should be get called up again. Dane Swan will also be another big player for the ‘Pies. Watch for him to make up for a lacklustre performance last week.

The 2010 AFL Grand Final replay is slated to start this Saturday, October 2 at the MCG. Of course, SportsBet is offering odds on the upcoming match, including the following. Punters may want to consider the 41.00 odds on another draw.

Many fans were anticipating this showdown between the top two teams in the AFL. Pre-match predictions were going both ways as this year’s Minor Premier was taking on the reigning champions. Though, the winner was very clear from the start of the game as the Magpies clobbered the Cats 120-79. It was a stunning display of their talent that saw the ‘Pies go up 17 points within the first ten minutes. Each member of the squad did their part to shut down the former champion Cats, but credit must be given to certain players. This includes Travis Cloke (3 goals), Dane Swan, and Scott Pendlebury.

Despite the thorough trashing, the Cats had their moments. They were able to put together a short-lived rally late in the game. This included the tireless efforts of Gary Ablett who played a fantastic game regardless of the score. He had an amazing 40 possessions. While the Geelong Cats will miss out on their first AFL Grand Finals in four years, the Collingwood Magpies will be heading to the Grand Finals for the first time in nearly ten.

They will be facing the St Kilda Saints who came out over the Western Bulldogs in their Preliminary Final on Saturday. It wasn’t quite the landslide of the previous match, but it had fans on both sides on their feet. It seemed the Saints underestimated the Bulldogs as the Western team hit the grounds hard to grab the upper hand. In fact, the Dog went into the long break with a one-goal lead.

Feeling their Grand Final hopes slipping away, the Saints came back with a very impressive third quarter performance led by skipper Nick Riewoldt. With seven goals in the third term they were not only able to catch up to the Bulldogs, but they surpassed them to secure the 88-64 victory. Riewoldt finished with 21 possessions and three goals. Other impressive St Kilda performances came from Leigh Montagna (33 disposals), Lenny Hayes (26), and James Gwilt (24).

While the Saints had an impressive come-from-behind victory, it is hard to see them overtaking the likes of the Collingwood Magpies. The ‘Pies are going in as heavy favourites, but this should be a ruthless battle to the end. Both teams will be missing two players apiece as the Saints will be without Raphael Clarke and Jesse Smith and the ‘Pies will be without Tom Hunter and Brad Dick.

Be sure to check out the odds available at SportsBet to place your bets before the game kicks off Saturday, September 25.

2010 AFL Grand Final Odds

The Collingwood Magpies will be taking on the Geelong Cats in a can’t miss game. This match will see one of the heavy favourites to take the title this year kiss their 2010 AFL Grand Final hopes goodbye. As both teams are packed with talent this should be a high scoring affair that comes down to the very end before the victor is named.
The Cats are slight underdogs going into this one. There are still some questions surrounding the team despite their huge AFL Final Week 2 win over Fremantle. There are also plenty of questions surrounding Andrew Mackie, which makes fans and punters a little nervous backing the team for a win.

On the other side of the field, the Magpies are returning after a full week’s rest. While this has given the team ample time to recover and prepare, many are worried that the time off will cool the ‘Pies down. Both Simon Prestigiacomo and Sharrod Wellingham have been cleared to play in the upcoming match, so watch for both to return to the named squad. Tarkyn Lockyer, Tyson Goldsack, and Paul Medhurst could also be serious considerations.

The second game will see the St Kilda Saints take on the Western Bulldogs. While both teams have fully earned their position in this game, most punters are backing the Saints for a big win. Not only are they going into this game with a higher ranking, but they’ve also had a full week’s rest to prepare for their upcoming bout. There’s still some uncertainty about the return of Steven Baker, otherwise the team is looking fit to take the win.

The Bulldogs are have had a very tough AFL Finals road. They had a massive loss to Collingwood in the first round, and just managed to get past the Swans in the second with very close 77-72 win. While they’ve been courageously fighting it out to the bitter end, they will be facing their toughest test yet and it’s not looking good for the team. Defender Dale Morris will be returning, which could be a shot in the arm for their Grand Finals hopes. Morris provides a much needed defensive boost.

With the third week of the AFL Finals quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to get to SportsBet to back your favourite team. You won’t find better odds anywhere else, so log in now for your shot at some hefty AFL Finals week 3 payouts.

AFL Finals Week 3 Fixtures