3 minute read
Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs won their respective AFL preliminary finals to set up an all-Victorian grand final in Perth.
WHO PLAYS WHO IN AFL FINALS, WEEK FOUR
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Grand final
Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium, 5.15pm WST (7.15pm AEST)
Perth's historic first AFL grand final will feature two Victorian clubs under lights as Melbourne aim to end a 57-year premiership hoodoo against the plucky Western Bulldogs that have done things the hard way. The Dogs have so far knocked off Essendon, Brisbane and Port Adelaide in do-or-die finals encounters in three different states. It is a similar route to the one Luke Beveridge's men took on the way to their famous 2016 premiership, but this year's fairytale is far from complete. Melbourne, who deservedly finished the home-and-away season on top of the ladder, present as formidable opponents and have been a dominant force in their finals wins over Geelong (83 points) and Brisbane (33 points). Max Gawn, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver are in fine form, while Steven May is expected to overcome a hamstring complaint to take his place alongside fellow All Australian defender Jake Lever in the league's tightest backline. The week off should help the Bulldogs, who thumped Port Adelaide by 71 points in their preliminary final with third-year midfielder Bailey Smith again among the many star contributors. Captain Marcus Bontempelli will get more time to let his knee injury settle, while key defender Alex Keath (hamstring) and livewire forward Cody Weightman (concussion) are set to return for the season decider. These two clubs last met in an AFL/VFL grand final in 1954; 67 years to the day before this season's decider on September 25.
