A PRELIMINARY final spot is up for grabs as a red-hot Collingwood hosts an in-form Fremantle in a blockbuster Saturday night semi-final clash at the MCG.

A sell-out crowd is expected with the winner to face Sydney at the SCG next week.

There are no late changes for the clash, with Josh Carmichael and Bailey Banfield the medical subs.

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Collingwood enters the crunch game without star midfielder Taylor Adams after he suffered a complete rupture of his adductor in last week's qualifying final against Geelong.

Trent Bianco is Adams' replacement, with recent experience on his side. Bianco played the final five games of the home and away season before making way when Adams returned from injury.

Fremantle has taken an unchanged line-up in to the match, with the Dockers resisting the urge to recall forward Matt Taberner and instead sticking with impressive teenager Jye Amiss.

SUMMARY

After three months of being the masters of tight finishes, it was Collingwood’s turn to be on the receiving end of a heartbreaking loss in week one of the finals. The Magpies had won nine games by single digits since round 10, but it was Geelong who prevailed by one straight kick in front of 91,525 people on Saturday. Despite the narrow loss, Craig McRae’s side enhanced its reputation by producing one of their best performances of the season. Now they face Fremantle who recovered from 41 points down in the second quarter to stun the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. The Dockers hadn’t played a final since 2015, but will now play two in the space of a week. 

Where and when: MCG, Saturday September 10, 7.25pm AEST

WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR? 

Round 10: Collingwood 12.8 (80) def. Fremantle 6.8 (44)
On a soggy Sunday night in Perth, Collingwood got its season going at Optus Stadium. The Magpies completely outplayed the Dockers to win by 36 points and start a remarkable run of 11 straight wins. While Will Brodie and David Mundy found plenty of the ball for Justin Longmuir’s side, Ollie Henry stole the show, kicking four goals after being activated as the medi-sub in the second quarter. 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Collingwood
Jordan De Goey proved that he is a box-office star again on Saturday, producing a dominant display despite playing under duress. With Taylor Adams ruled out of the rest of the year with a serious groin injury, Craig McRae will need De Goey to overcome the shoulder injury he suffered against Geelong and help lead the Magpies’ midfield at the MCG. Expect De Goey to play, but will the injury hinder him?

Fremantle
While Andrew Brayshaw has emerged as one of the best midfielders in the game this year and Will Brodie has come from nowhere, Caleb Serong has attracted less attention but continues to build from game to game and looks like a star of the future. The 21-year-old earned 10 coaches votes after a dominant first final, finishing with 33 disposals, 16 contested possessions and 10 clearances. Can he back it up on an even bigger stage?

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THE STATS THAT MATTER

Collingwood
The Magpies finished the home and away season ranked equal-second for pressure factor at 186. That went to another level against Geelong in the qualifying final, where the Pies had a pressure rating of 195, compared to the Cats' 176. Collingwood's first quarter rated at 208 - the club's seventh-best quarter of the year and the third-highest quarter of the first week of finals behind the Western Bulldogs' Q1 and Sydney's Q4. 

Fremantle
Fremantle has proven they can perform on the road this year, winning seven games away from home, plus a draw. They have won five, lost one and drawn one in Victoria, winning the only game at the MCG back when they beat Melbourne in round 11. 

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR… 

Collingwood
With Brodie Grundy done for the season, Darcy Cameron will have the big job against reigning Doig Medallist Sean Darcy on Saturday night. Cameron and Mason Cox got the better of Rhys Stanley, but Darcy is a different proposition. The Fremantle star dominated Tim English at Optus Stadium, amassing 47 hitouts to 20. 

Fremantle 
Just like last week, David Mundy could run out for the final time. The 37-year-old collected 20 disposals against the Western Bulldogs in game No. 375 and still showed he has the composure needed to make an impact in cutthroat finals. Mundy has continued to make an impact in his 18th season, averaging 22.6 disposals per game and will provide a young midfield with a wise, old head on Saturday night. 

PREDICTION

Collingwood by 9 points

THE SHOW rolls on. 

Collingwood's fairytale season under first-year coach Craig McRae has at least another chapter after the Magpies dispatched Fremantle by 20 points on Saturday night to progress to a preliminary final date with Sydney at the SCG next weekend.  

Just 12 months after finishing 17th with just six wins, the Magpies dusted themselves off after last Saturday night's heartbreaking loss to Geelong to progress to the second-last weekend of the season after the 11.13 (79) to 9.5 (59) win at the MCG. 

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A preliminary final berth wasn't on Collingwood's radar when it travelled to Perth at 4-5 to face Fremantle on a Sunday night in May. The Pies got going in the wet that night, winning 11 on the trot and have only lost twice since then. Now they are one of only four teams still alive.

After a week of doubt surrounding the availability of Jordan De Goey, the out-of-contract star backed up his standout qualifying final performance with another box office display. 

This time, the 26-year-old shook off any concerns regarding the state of the shoulder he injured against the Cats, impacting from the opening quarter to the last, finishing with 24 disposals, 13 contested possessions, 12 score involvements and a goal.

FIVE TALKING POINTS Jack's box of tricks on show on the big stage

While De Goey had a major say in an even performance, Jack Crisp was equally as important through the middle of the ground, cutting the Dockers apart with 24 disposals, six clearances, 602 metres gained and two goals. 

Collingwood couldn't have started much better, kicking the first four – and only four – goals of the opening quarter, converting them without a blemish to lead the Dockers by 23 points at the first break. 

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Jack Ginnivan soccered a ball off the ground for the opening goal within 60 seconds, wheeled to the corner post like he was sprinting towards the Kop, sending the faithful into an early frenzy. Brody Mihocek snapped a second from the pocket, before De Goey and Jamie Elliott hit the scoreboard. 

But given what happened this time last week at Optus Stadium, no one inside the MCG was writing off the Dockers at that point. Justin Longmuir demanded a response at quarter-time and the Dockers instantly responded. Lachie Schultz clamped John Noble in a tackle and converted the shot from 20 metres out to put Fremantle on the board. He snapped a second from the behind post after two more Collingwood goals, just keeping them in touch. 

HARD LESSON LEARNED Young Dockers can take plenty from their season

But it felt like Collingwood's night when Ginnivan earned a high free kick and celebrated with the supporters crammed into the Shane Warne Stand. Collingwood extended its lead to 28 points by the main break and should have been further ahead, kicking 2.6 in the second quarter. 

The Magpies kicked eight behinds in a row from the 14-minute mark of the second quarter to the moment Griffin Logue kicked Fremantle's third goal in the eighth minute of the third term.

When Ash Johnson missed a golden opportunity to respond moments later, it was nine consecutive behinds for the Pies. It took something out of nothing from Ginnivan to finally break the run. He would finish with a third on another memorable night for the pesky small forward. 

From 6.0 to 7.12, it was only Collingwood's wastefulness in front of goal that kept Fremantle's season alive in the second half. But when Crisp and De Goey linked up through the middle and Mihocek kicked his second, the deep, ethereal Collingwood chant reverberated around the MCG. It was all but over. 

'A LOT WENT WRONG' Crowd, occasion get better of overawed Dockers

Fremantle recovered from 41 points down to stun the Western Bulldogs at home in the elimination final, but lightning wouldn't strike twice. Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Blake Acres were all busy, while David Mundy's 376th game – eighth most in VFL/AFL history – would mark his last game with a vintage goal running towards the city end of the ground. 

More than 90,000 people packed into the MCG to break the record for biggest week two crowd of all-time featuring a non-Victorian side. The previous record between these two sides was half that. 

The last four times the current reigning Monarch passed away while still in power, Collingwood progressed to a Grand Final. Now they are one win away, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

COLLINGWOOD        4.0     6.6     8.12     11.13 (79)
FREMANTLE     0.1      2.2     4.4     9.5 (59)

GOALS
Collingwood: Ginnivan 3, Elliott 2, Crisp 2, Mihocek 2, Cox, De Goey
Fremantle: Logue 2, Schultz 2, Walters 2, Frederick 2, Mundy

BEST
Collingwood: Crisp, De Goey, Pendlebury, N.Daicos, Howe, Ginnivan
Fremantle: Serong, Brayshaw, Ryan, Schultz, Acres

INJURIES 
Collingwood: Nil
Fremantle: Acres (knee)

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Josh Carmichael (unused)
Fremantle: Bailey Banfield (unused)

Crowd: 90,612 at the MCG