The Best Finals Series Yet? | Thebigtip

 Every year, at this stage of the season, the finals talk kicks off. Not necessarily who’s going to make it and who won’t – for what it’s worth, I think the top eight is finalised – but who will play who, and how good it has the potential to be.

This year, that potential is off the charts.

Let’s say that, for the sake of an exercise, the favourites win from here on, and that there are no upsets.

This will no doubt leave the top two at Collingwood and Geelong, in first and second respectively, hosting prime time clashes at the MCG. Hawthorn will finish third, assuming they defeat the Blues tomorrow night.

Those Blues will then drop to fifth, and West Coast will overtake them into fourth as they only trail by two premiership points having played one less game, and have a run home that they could jog through and still keep winning.

Sixth is St Kilda. Despite their incredible return to A-grade form, they can’t catch the teams above them, yet are too well-placed to slip.

Essendon will finish seventh, although they too have the extra game and a lower percentage on Sydney, who will take eighth. I was convinced that Sydney were a better side than the one that finished fifth last year, but the word ‘was’ is past tense.

That leaves the qualifying finals as Collingwood v West Coast and Geelong v Hawthorn, both at the MCG on the Friday and Saturday nights, and Carlton v Sydney and St Kilda v Essendon at Etihad Stadium on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

That’s an awesome first week alone.

It will be very fascinating to see West Coast against the benchmark, and on the MCG since their loss to Collingwood earlier in the year, and although Collingwood should win, considering how fantastic a side they are, it’s the two best forward presses in the competition up against each other, and anything could happen.

Then it’s one of, if not the biggest VFL/AFL rivalry: Geelong v Hawthorn. Although night games are annoying for the Cats fans in terms of travel, there’s no doubt in my mind it’s the biggest clash of the year to date. Hawthorn will be looking to break a streak that hasn’t seen them topple the Cats since that famous 2008 Grand Final.

On the other side of Melbourne are the two games at Etihad, and the first will be Carlton v Sydney. It’s the easiest game to tip, but I’ve noticed that Sydney have an odd record of losing home games and winning away games. I did state my thoughts on Sydney, but anything can happen.

The other game is St Kilda v Essendon. The Saints are in hot form that their position of sixth doesn’t justify, but Essendon have the wood on them, from ending their winning streak in 2009 to toppling them in the semi-finals in the NAB Cup earlier this year.

Now, to the semi-finals. As mentioned, we’ll assume the favourites win: Collingwood, Geelong, Carlton and St Kilda.

This will leave West Coast hosting Carlton at Patersons Stadium on the Friday night, and Hawthorn clashing with the Saints the next day.

West Coast and Carlton will be interesting as Carlton have good recent form in the west, beating the Eagles on the last two occasions at Patersons Stadium. The winner takes the cake and the bragging rights as being better than the other, as they’ve been so closely linked recently. And it’s also worth thinking about this game potentially being West Coast v Sydney, or even Collingwood v Carlton. How good would that one be?

But Hawthorn v St Kilda, I can’t wait for. Not well-known as rivals as much, but it’s the injury crippled but valiant Hawks up against the firing, charging Saints. Hold me to this, if the draw pans out this way, watch this game. It will be one of the best in recent memory as I can’t seem to split the two of them on current form. The other possibilities?  Geelong v St Kilda, Geelong v Essendon and Hawthorn v Essendon. All of a sudden, I don’t seem to care who wins.

Unfortunately, with some intense and awesome games, come some less exciting ones. Not to take anything away from the teams, but Collingwood v Hawthorn and Geelong v West Coast don’t have the ring to it that the previous games do, although Geelong and West Coast played a belter in Perth earlier in the year.

After that, the penultimate game, the Grand Final. Anything can happen, but Collingwood v Geelong, finally on the big stage, should draw another six-figure crowd, as the 2008 Grand Final did.

All I can say is that despite my team not being involved, it will be an incredible four weeks in the AFL.

Assuming there isn’t another draw, of course.