We are all set for the biggest day in September and a fitting Grand Final matchup.

Once again, Collingwood closed out a thriller to secure their spot on the grand stage after the most enthralling possible sequel to 2019's preliminary final classic.

Their opponent will be Brisbane, who have maintained a perfect home-ground record, edging out Carlton with three quarters of class to dig themselves out of an early five-goal hole.

Well over 97,000 packed into the home of football on Friday night to witness the classic, fittingly described by Gerard Whateley as the "quintessential preliminary final".

The pressure was relentless, possessions were contested and goals were hard-earned all night long.

34 game-breaking disposals for Jordan De Goey may have been the difference on the night, as he broke tackles, won clearances, created countless chances for his Magpie mates and earned a perfect 20 from our MVP voters!

For Brisbane, their offensive charge was led by the long-bombing left-foot Lion Keidean Coleman, who cut Carlton to shreds with lethal kicking through the middle of the Gabba, similarly creating countless chances for his forwards and earning best-on-ground honours himself.

Reminder: Votes are given out in a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 system for each game, meaning the maximum number of votes any player can record in any game is 20.

Votes for the grand final will be counted as double.

Collingwood vs GWS

In the famous words of Anthony Hudson; "who would've thought the sequel would be just as good as the original?"

The sequel may have been better this time around, as Collingwood conquered another close game in front of more than 97,000 spectators and brought about a palpable final siren roar felt suburbs away.

MVP votes varied on either side, but the one constant was Jordan De Goey, who lifted his finals reputation into rare air with a performance for the ages.

His 34 disposals, 13 clearances and six score involvements were all pivotal in a contested scrap where it seemed no one could find the footy.

One guy who did find plenty of it was Nick Daicos on return. Starting on the bench, the 20-year-old found his footing quickly and racked up touches to finish with 28 on the night, evading tackles and displaying some ball-using tricks in the process.

Steele Sidebottom was typically effective at finding the footy and making quick smart decisions with it, while Isaac Quaynor and Jack Crisp rounded out the votes for Collingwood.

For the Giants, voters were captivated by athletic intercepter Connor Idun, who was called on to stabilise his side all night, and did so with poise and a cool head under immense pressure.

While not as impactful as De Goey on the other side, Josh Kelly was still a ball-winning machine on the night with 34 disposals and over 600 metres gained in a territory war.

Tom Green too established himself as a finals gem of the future with his ability to break tackles and find teammates where others couldn't. Unfortunately for the Giants, his 31 disposals weren't enough to carry his side over the line.

Mitch Keating Ed Carmine Jack Jovanovski Nick Splitter
5 Jordan De Goey Jordan De Goey Jordan De Goey Jordan De Goey
4 Nick Daicos Connor Idun Connor Idun Josh Kelly
3 Connor Idun Steele Sidebottom Steele Sidebottom Connor Idun
2 Josh Kelly Nick Daicos Josh Kelly Tom Mitchell
1 Isaac Quaynor Josh Kelly Tom Green Jack Crisp

Brisbane vs Carlton

The Blues fired a powerful shot early in the piece with a five-goal blitz, setting the stage for Brisbane's ultimate test of character.

From late in the first to the end of the match, the Lions stemmed the flow, took control, and eventually overwhelmed Carlton in what culminated in a dominant win.

Brave ball use set the tone for the momentum switch, and it was young cub Keidean Coleman who mesmerised onlookers with his trademark effortless left-foot swing kicks that blew the Blues' zone into disarray and turned the tide of the match.

21 disposals don't jump off the page, but the highlights reel was something to behold. All evening he won the ball via intercept or handball receive and unleashed game-breaking projectile punts ending in a score involvement or score assist.

He was seconded clearly by perhaps the recruit of the year; Josh Dunkley.

Again, his 23 touches weren't particularly eye-catching, though they were made evermore impressive by an imposing job on Patrick Cripps, who was held to just 13 disposals on a stage made for him.

Big Oscar McInerny dominated the ruck duel against Marc Pittonet and Tom De Koning while adding some scoreboard damage. He was rightly recognised by the voters.

Lincoln McCarthy, too, hit the scoreboard and was lively all match with 18 disposals and seven tackles.

Rebounding defender Connor McKenna rounds out the Brisbane tally while Sam Walsh earns Carlton's solitary vote with another outstanding finals performance.

Mitch Keating Ed Carmine Jack Jovanovski Nick Splitter
5 Keidean Coleman Keidean Coleman Keidean Coleman Oscar McInerney
4 Josh Dunkley Josh Dunkley Josh Dunkley Josh Dunkley
3 Lincoln McCarthy Lincoln McCarthy Lincoln McCarthy Keidean Coleman
2 Lachie Neale Oscar McInerney Oscar McInerney Lincoln McCarthy
1 Oscar McInerney Lachie Neale Conor McKenna Sam Walsh

 

Finals MVP Leaderboard

VIEW THE FULL LEADERBOARD HERE.