What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club after the third week of finals.
We have dissected both games and offered a number of talking points for each of the four clubs that featured in Preliminary Final weekend.
The following will not apply to each club every week but form the basis of our views.
The Key Takeaway
The Undroppables
The Overreaction
The Positive
The Negative
What no one is talking about
What they need to tweak for next week
The Key Takeaway: Fagan’s first Grand Final
Before 2023, Fagan’s record read six years, three top fours, four top eights. But the kicker read five losses from six finals in the last three years.
Heading into Saturday’s clash, Brisbane had to win to get the hoodoo off the back and prove they’ve matured seven seasons into Fagan’s tenure.
They could hardly have been more impressive in bouncing back from five goals down midway through the opening term.
Brisbane heads into Saturday’s contest with no obvious chinks in their armour as the clear form team of the competition and with a healthy list.
Let’s see how far they’ve come when the pressure goes up another notch.
The Positive: Brisbane achieves its pass mark for 2023
With a win over Carlton on Saturday night, Fagan’s season can’t be considered a failure.
The Lions are now looking at the Grand Final and understandably so. But when the dust settles, this will go down as a successful season for the Lions, regardless of what happens on Saturday.
Brisbane kept a perfect record at home and have finally figured out how to mature in Fagan’s 7th season at the helm.
A blistering attack is now complemented by a stingy defence, while the midfield features the likes of Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley, Hugh McCluggage and more.
As all eyes turn to the MCG on Saturday, Fagan’s tenure and Brisbane’s premiership window are set to extend long past this weekend.
What no one is talking about: Brisbane should be favourites for this game
The Lions have seemingly ticked every box to enter this contest as favourties yet have come up outsiders.
Against Melbourne in Round 18 Brisbane proved it could control a game at the MCG. The Lions have proven through their two finals they can lift the bar and fight back in September when needed, while Fagan’s side is in perfect harmony at both ends of the ground.
There were no passengers on Saturday and there’s a dozen or more players in career-best form.
The only disadvantage is set to come with the crowd. But given Collingwood members have only been allocated 17,000 tickets for the Grand Final, that might not prove as big an advantage as first thought.
The Positive: Kiddy steps into the limelight
Keidean Coleman has had better statistical games, but never as big an influence as he had on Saturday’s contest.
His attacking flair was remarkable in enjoying 627 metres gained, seven score involvements and three inside 50s. But for that to be joined by a game-high 11 intercept possessions speaks to his involvement in both facets of the ground in a balanced performance.
At the very least, it’ll force Craig McRae into a rethink for his plans for Coleman on Saturday.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: They gave the Lions their best punch, but ultimately couldn’t land the knockout blow
Carlton threw everything at Brisbane in the first quarter of Saturday’s Preliminary Final loss at the MCG.
The Blues raced out of the blocks to kick the opening five goals of the game to leave the Lions shell-shocked.
That start was built off elite pressure and repeat inside 50s, it was truly one of the best opening strikes we’ve seen in finals footy in recent years.
As many expected though, the Lions began to work back into the game and once it was on their terms they were simply too good at home.
There’s no shame in losing to Brisbane at the Gabba, they didn’t go down there all year and there’s no doubt the Blues threw everything at a chance of making the Grand Final.
While they couldn’t land the knockout blow and were outplayed in the second, third and fourth quarters … their September campaign can only be looked back on as a success.
From where they were halfway through the year to making it all of the way to the third week of finals, there’s no doubt the Blues’ trajectory is on the way up.
It wasn’t the finish they wanted, but the Blues have set themselves up beautifully for an all-out assault on 2024.
The Positive: Sam Walsh’s finals campaign
What a maiden finals series for Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh.
The hard-working Blue was his side’s best in two of three finals and may have been their second-best in the other one.
That level of consistency saw him average 32 disposals, 6.66 tackles and 14 contested possessions across the finals - all elite numbers.
Walsh was his side’s most bankable product as his work-rate and footy smarts rose to the top on the biggest stage.
While he’s already achieved so much, so quickly, you get the feeling that this campaign will set up the 23-year-old to go to even further heights in 2024.
Hats off to you, Sam.
The Negative: Charlie Curnow’s September
The biggest downer to Carlton’s finals campaign was Charlie Curnow’s return.
The two-time Coleman Medallist was nowhere near his best in September as he was beaten by all of Tom McCartin, Steven May and Darcy Gardiner.
Curnow’s campaign ended with him just adding three goals to the 78 he kicked in the home and away season, while he was too often outworked and outmarked by his direct opponent.
Carlton coach Michael Voss conceded that the 26-year-old himself would be disappointed with his finals series.
Here’s hoping Curnow can use his lacklustre finals campaign as the fuel to the fire ahead of a huge 2024 season.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: They just know how to win close games
It feels like we’ve been saying it for 18 months, but Collingwood are just so good in close games.
The Magpies were able to hold onto their one-point lead for the final six and a half minutes of Friday’s Preliminary win over GWS as neither side scored at the death.
After falling by six points and one point respectively in last year’s finals series, the Magpies have been able to turn it around with a seven-point and one-point win in September this time around.
If the Magpies have a lead late, it’s harder to run over them than any other opposition as they expertly kill time off the clock and force stoppages.
While they looked like they had the running late over GWS, Craig McRae was still happy to turn the game into a statemate and the Magpies executed perfectly until the siren rang out.
Yes, there’s something to say for a side that has only just been getting over the line … but that’s the thing, they constantly get over the line.
If the Grand Final is close like many are expecting, you can almost bet the Magpies will be confident in executing in the final stages of the fourth quarter.
The Positive: De Goey’s huge game and Daicos’ return
Jordan De Goey was utterly immense at the MCG on Friday night.
The 27-year-old’s best is among the best to ever don the black and white, so for him to put together a career-best performance is saying something.
The dynamic midfielder was easily the best player across the entire weekend as he picked up 34 disposals to go with a career-high 13 clearances … imagine what his numbers would have looked like if he could have gotten onto the ground late.
De Goey is a September performer, he’s been best afield in three of the last five finals that he’s played and looms as the Magpies’ key man on Grand Final day.
He certainly won’t be scared of the big stage as he was one of Collingwood’s best with three goals in 2018 when he played primarily as a forward.
This time around he’ll have an even bigger role in the midfield, and if he can perform at anywhere close to the level he did on Friday, it’ll go a long way to Collingwood winning.
Alongside De Goey was his returning midfield mate in Brownlow Medallist Nick Daicos.
While Daicos started slowly after coming off the bench, he was crucial in the second half when the coaches released the shackles on their young gun as he helped turn the game in the third term.
He was clean around the contest all day and finished with 28 disposals, six clearances and five inside 50s.
If that was the tune-up, Daicos may have another level or two to go to on Grand Final day.
The Negative: Dan McStay’s injury
Dan McStay’s knee injury was the sour note on Collingwood’s prelim win.
The key forward will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks with an MCL injury and as a result, will be sitting in the stands come Saturday.
While McStay isn’t a dominant goalkicker, he’s still good for two goals a game more often than not and takes the opposition’s best defender.
With McStay out, the task becomes harder for the likes of Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox too … it’s simply not the injury Collingwood would have wanted.
Collingwood are also hurt that there’s no obvious replacement with Ash Johnson also injured so they’ll have to get creative at selection.
Don’t expect McStay’s injury to cost Collingwood the flag, but there’s no doubt they’re worse off without him.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: Remarkable debut season under Kingsley
The Giants are well placed to have a crack at a flag in the next few years.
What they were able to do on the run in Adam Kingsley’s first season at the helm was simply remarkable.
They sat 15th with 4-8 record at Round 12 before winning nine of 11 to grab a top eight spot. Then came a near dream finals run in beating St Kilda and Port Adelaide before going down narrowly to Collingwood by one solitary point.
The list is in fairly good shape to go again in 2024 and all this to come after only bedding down Kingsley’s game plan from halfway through the season.
There is only upside for the Giants.
The Positive: An invaluable experience
This Giants group does have plenty of experience to count on, but the youngsters and inexperienced in the side will no doubt benefit from this finals series.
The likes of Tom Green, Finn Callaghan, Lachie Ash, Jack Buckley, Connor Idun, Callum Brown and Toby Bedford will only be better for the run.
As mentioned before, things are looking up for Kingsley and co., especially if they can take their emerging crop along for the ride.
The Negative: Missed opportunities
Preliminary Finals are games of inches and the Giants missed plenty of chances by just that.
Lachie Keeffe missing a handball over the top to Toby Greene, Callum Brown and Brent Daniels’ missed set shots, Greene’s banana when he could have centred, missed knock ons, the two ‘advantage’ 50s that weren’t advantageous.
The Pies had their own missed chances but it feels like GWS’ were more gilt-edged and if taken perhaps could have changed the result.
The key word here being could…
What no one is talking about: Ward’s prelim record
It’s not easy to say but Callan Ward now has a Preliminary Final record of 0-5.
He lost two with the Western Bulldogs and has now lost three with the Giants, having missed the 2019 run to the Grand Final with a knee injury.
Ward was fairly quiet against the Magpies when they needed him to chime in and have an impact. He was so quiet that they subbed him out.
It shouldn’t take away from his career but it is a noteworthy stat.
The former co-captain is running out of chances to play in a Grand Final. 2024 might just be his last opportunity.
Andrew Slevison