2010 AFL Finalists

We take a look at the contenders for the 2010 AFL Premiership and how they might go in the finals.

Collingwood
They may have copped some heat in the early rounds of the season when Darren Jolly and Luke Ball took a few weeks to find their feet but the two recruits have undoubtedly added an extra dimension to a Pies team that had been to at least the second week of the finals in the three previous seasons. In the past, Collingwood has been criticised for a perceived inability to beat top teams but in 2010 they've knocked over Geelong and St Kilda once each, seen off the Western Bulldogs twice and have also beaten every other team that will play finals. With a miserly defence led by Nick Maxwell and a superb midfield headed by Brownlow fancy Dane Swan, the one knock on Mick Malthouse's team is up front. Travis Cloke has had another disappointing year kicking for goal and several team-mates have also been wayward in the front half, with their overall conversion tracking at exactly 50 percent at 322.322. Club great Peter McKenna fears that poor kicking for goal could prove Collingwood's Achilles heel.

Geelong
The hunted after an amazing four seasons in which they have won two flags and were beaten favourites in the other decider (in 2008), Geelong have taken a deliberately more cautious approach with any injury concerns this season. They will be close to full strength come the first week of the finals and their best, such as their second quarter against the Bulldogs in Round 20, remains head and shoulders above the rest. But Mark Thompson still hasn't settled on his ideal formation with Cam Mooney, James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins among his key targets up forward and the likes of Brad Ottens, Mark Blake and Hawkins sharing ruck duties at different times. Mature-age recruit Podsiadly will miss the qualifying final, meaning he could be sidelined for an extra week if the Cats advance straight to a preliminary final. Still the team to beat if they can produce their best when it counts.

St Kilda
After dominating the home-and-away season 12 months ago and then doing likewise in September until a failure to take their chances in the grand final left them two goals adrift against Geelong, St Kilda have learned that the time to be peaking is September. After another impressive display in the first half of the season the Saints have tailed off a little but one gets the feeling that heavy loading in training - which the Cats almost certainly did as well - may have contributed to their flat spot and that they are just priming themselves for another big finals campaign. They do need Michael Gardiner back on deck but otherwise will also be at full strength and have the goods to go one better than last year.

Western Bulldogs
After an indifferent start to the home-and-away season the Bulldogs appeared to be coming good at the right time after winning seven of eight games leading up to Round 20, with the one defeat in that two-month period by just three points to Hawthorn. But then a virus swept through the club leading up to their clash with Geelong, which they astonishingly lost by 101 points, and they followed up