AFL 2019 finals fixture: Who will play where in September?

Which superstars will stand up in September? Who can spring a huge finals upset? See when and where every final is being played in week one and the burning question for each game.

Tom Hickey of the Eagles and Adam Saad of the Bombers contest for the ball.

West Coast Eagles and Essendon will kickstart a massive first round of finals on a Thursday night.

The Eagles finished fifth on the ladder after their loss to Hawthorn on Saturday night and Richmond’s triumph over Brisbane Lions.

The reigning premier will have to come from an elimination final to defend its crown, while Essendon will be chasing its first finals victory since 2004.

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The Bombers were relegated to eighth when the Western Bulldogs defeated Adelaide on Sunday to book an elimination final trip to Sydney to face GWS.

The knockout final will be a replay of the epic 2016 preliminary final between GWS and the Bulldogs at Giants Stadium.

WEEK ONE FINALS:

Thursday September 5: West Coast Eagles v Essendon (Perth, 6.10pm AWST)

Friday Septermber 6: Geelong v Collingwood (MCG, 7.50pm, AEST)

Saturday September 7: GWS Giants v Western Bulldogs (Giants, 3.20pm AEST)

Saturday September 7: Brisbane Lions v Richmond (Gabba, 7.25pm AEST)

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West Coast will kick off the finals against Essendon.

The first of the qualifying finals will be played on Friday night at the MCG when Collingwood clashes with minor premier Geelong, with Brisbane Lions hosting Richmond at the Gabba in a Saturday night blockbuster.

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1ST QUALIFYING FINAL: GEELONG v COLLINGWOOD

1. Patrick Dangerfield has a pair of monster finals at Geelong and two where he was so harried into errors he went at less than 50 per cent kicking efficiency. He is fit, in the form of his career, has a burning desire to win that elusive flag. What he does in September could define his legacy.

2. Collingwood cannot risk Darcy Moore in a qualifying final with his hamstring issues and doesn’t need to given it can flip Jordan Roughead into defence alongside Jeremy Howe.

The risk of losing him in the opening minutes of a qualifying final against Geelong is surely greater than playing a role-player like Jack Madgen in September.

3. Who plays ruck for Geelong? Chris Scott doesn’t have to choose. Rhys Stanley surely stamped his ticket for the qualifying final after his armchair ride to the Cats midfield against Carlton. And Lachie Henderson has played the last four games (averaging 7.5 intercept possessions and 2.5 intercept marks), meaning Mark Blicavs can be released to assist Stanley in the ruck with Harry Taylor also minding the fort down back.

THE VERDICT: Geelong by eight points. Chris Scott’s Cats have spent a full year becoming a team built for finals after last year’s finals failure and are battle-hardened, have few selection issues and will win through Dangerfield’s impact when surging forward.

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Tim Kelly shrugs off Chris Mayne during a Geelong-Collingwood match this year. Picture: Michael Klein.

2ND QUALIFYING FINAL: BRISBANE v RICHMOND

1. The question of whether Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch can form a lethal one-two punch has already been emphatically answered. Jack Riewoldt cashed in against Marcus Adams with four goals yesterday and while Lynch kicked only one major before that he had kicked totals of 3, 3, 5, 3, 2 and 3 goals since Riewoldt’s Round 17 return. Watch for whoever gets the Adams match-up to drag him deep to the goalsquare.

2. Dylan Grimes will hope he has got in Charlie Cameron’s head with his performance on Sunday, keeping him to only seven possessionsdespite two goals. Grimes has a fortnight for his ankle injury to heal, and Brisbane will hope to isolate him deeper but he never got the over-the-topball to be a dominant factor.

3. Richmond won’t tag Lachie Neale in a fortnight despite his 51 possessions yesterday, with 32 of those handballs and Dayne Zorko just as effective with 27 possessions (21 kicks and two goals). The Tigers have Jack Graham with Rory Sloane’s Grand Final scalp yet they will hope Brisbane’s kryptonite is the kind of pressure that was Richmond’s hallmark in the 2017 finals series.

THE VERDICT: Richmond by 3 points. The days of feasting on the Lions at the Gabbatoir are over despite Richmond’s eight straight wins there. Dusty to win the day in a last-gasp thriller.

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Dustin Martin will have a huge role to play to play in Richmond’s qualifying final. Picture: AAP Image/Michael Dodge.

1ST ELIMINATION FINAL: WEST COAST v ESSENDON

1. Essendon rested its stars this week to ensure it didn’t hit September like in 2017 against Sydney, where Orazio Fantasia had seven kicks off a hamstring injury and Michael Hurley was demolished by Cal Sinclair off a calf strain. Now if Hurley plays it will be at 50 per cent after a dislocated shoulder and Cale Hooker won’t have played for a month after his own groin issues.

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2. Whatdo we make of Eagles spearhead Josh Kennedy, who has kicked 14 goals in his last eight games but seven of them against North Melbourne and none or one goal in five of those contests? By his own high standards he is just going but might benefit from Essendon’s injury woes with a match-up on Patrick Ambrose or Michael Hartley.

3. Nic Naitanui is the ultimate game-changer. He will train fully this week and play in the first final, having played three games this year for 99, 88 and 99 ranking points. He averages a superb nine hit-outs to advantage in those games and had 11 clearances against Collingwood before his high ankle injury.

THE VERDICT: West Coast by 24 points. The Dons have a 28-point win over the Eagles away last year, but will Nic Naitanui do to Tom Bellchambers what Brodie Grundy did last Friday?

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Nic Naitanui will be a huge inclusion for the Eagles. Picture: Mark Stewart

2ND ELIMINATION FINAL: GWS GIANTS v WESTERN BULLDOGS

1. Talk about timing your run. The Bulldogs have spent only four of the past 44 rounds in the top eight and were in 15th spot as recently as Round 14. Since then they have won seven of the past nine games on a white-hot run, just as the 2016 version won six of its nine last home-and-away games to retain seventh spot on the ladder. Who would say they can’t win again from seventh?

2. OK Jezza, time to stand up. The Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron can take hold of September after finals tallies of 1.3, 2.3, 0.0 and 0.1 since his four goals in the 2016 qualifying final. He is now the full package — crazy brave, lethal on his left, able to roam far and wide- but with seven goals in five finals that won’t get it done this time in September.

3. What home advantage? The Giants are 24-9 and a draw since 2016 at Giants Stadium, but the Dogs have inflicted two of those defeats. How will Dogs fans not forgot those two victories given the first was the ground-shaking 2016 preliminary final and the second was only last week, a 61-point belting where the Dogs kicked the last 12 goals?

THE VERDICT: Western Bulldogs 24 points. You can’t trust GWS, with four wins from its past nine games part about a lengthy injury list and partly a flaky side which hasn’t stood up under pressure.

GWS and Western Bulldogs will renew hostilities after their recent Round 22 clash.

Originally published as AFL 2019 finals fixture: Who will play where in September?