AFL / Andy Morris / 30 September 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Mick Malthouse may deserve to walk away from Collingwood on a high, but Andy Morris truly wonders how can he possibly lift his team ahead of the Grand Final.

Is it possible to completely discount the meeting between the clubs at the MCG in Round 24, when the Cats won by 96 points?

The Pies have the all-time edge over their rivals, having won 126 of the meetings compared to Geelong's 94, but will that count for anything at the end of a season in which the Cats have won both of the match-ups?

Certainly, Darren Jolly and Ben Reid have the potential to lift the Pies if they are declared fit following adductor strains suffered in the win over Hawthorn.

Geelong hope Steve Johnson can shake off a knee injury suffered against West Coast last Saturday.

Since their hammering against Geelong, Collingwood have been impressive. They beat the Eagles by 20, then overcame the Hawks by three points in the Preliminary Final with a gutsy performance.

Geelong smashed West Coast last week, with James Kelly celebrating his elevation to the All Australian team with a team-high 29 touches and five marks.

Just because the Pies have the fresher memories of what it takes to win a Grand Final doesn't mean they can repeat last year's heroics. Don't forget, the Cats have 17 players who have premiership medals so they've also achieved at the highest level.

The Cats are 1.87 in match odds betting, with the Pies at 2.32.