- IF SEAN Dempster is selected for St Kilda this week, he will be playing in his fifth grand final. He has already played in two with the Sydney Swans (2005 and 2006) and two with St Kilda (2009 and 2010). Dempster hasn't yet played 100 games. Adam Schneider will also be playing in his fifth grand final.
- Collingwood will be hoping history repeats, as its most recent premiership win was in 1990, when the grand final was played in the first week of October due to the drawn qualifying final.
- St Kilda has never before played a league match in October. In contrast, Collingwood has played 16 games in October, including 12 grand finals.
- There have been 24 grand finals played in October. The most recent was in 1994 between West Coast and Geelong, which was the last time any kind of match was played in October.
- Last week's drawn grand final between Collingwood and St Kilda was just the third drawn premiership decider in history. The first was in 1948 and the second in 1977.
- In 1948 Melbourne and Essendon played out the first drawn grand final - it was Essendon 7.27 (69) to Melbourne 10.9 (69). The great Dick Reynolds was Essendon captain-coach.
- For the 1948 replay, Essendon made three changes to its team from the tied match, while Melbourne just the one change. Melbourne comfortably won the replay by 39 points, although 33,000 less fans attended the second grand final.
- The second drawn grand final was in 1977 between North Melbourne and Collingwood at the MCG. Again it came down to poor kicking from one team. At three-quarter time the Magpies led by 27 points and the Kangaroos had managed only 4.15. North then stormed home in the final quarter to hit the front, before Collingwood's Ross Dunne booted a late goal to tie the scores. It finished as Collingwood 10.16 (76) to North Melbourne 9.22 (76).
- North Melbourne won the replay 21.25 (151) to Collingwood 19.10 (124)—108,224 attended the first game, 98,366 watched the replay.
- In 1977; Collingwood made just one change for the replay; North Melbourne played exactly the same team in both matches.
- All three drawn grand finals have been affected by poor kicking from at least one team. In 1948, Essendon kicked 27 behinds, in 1977 North Melbourne kicked 22 behinds and in 2010 Collingwood kicked 9.14.
- This week will be the first replay of any finals match since the 1990 qualifying final between West Coast and Collingwood at Waverley Park. The Magpies won the replay comfortably. Back then, Mick Malthouse was coaching the Eagles.
- There have been only eight drawn finals in history, with six taking place at the MCG.
- Last week's attendance of 100,016 was the highest attendance for any match since the 1986 grand final between Hawthorn and Carlton and just the second time a game has attracted more than 100,000 fans in 24 years.
- Both Collingwood and St Kilda had already played in a draw in 2010. The Pies drew with Melbourne in round 12 and St Kilda drew with Hawthorn in round 17.
- Collingwood has now been involved in the last two drawn finals - in 1990 against West Coast and in 2007 against West Coast again. The semi-final (2007) was decided in extra time.
- The 2010 replay will be the 115th grand final. Collingwood will be playing in its 42nd, St Kilda in its eighth.
- In 1948 and 1977 the Norm Smith Medal hadn't yet been introduced, so 2010 will be the first time that two medals are awarded.
- Collingwood and St Kilda have now met 209 times. The Magpies have won 150 to St Kilda 57, with two draws.
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