1. Maynard walks the walk in Greene battle
Toby Greene entered the finals series underdone after injury limited him to just seven games in the home and away season – the Giants won all those games bar one, which they drew – but starred in the elimination final win over Sydney with 27 possessions and three goals. With Josh Kelly out injured, Greene loomed as the one Giant the Magpies just had to stop. Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard declared in the lead-up to the game that he was up for the challenge and the 21-year-old backed up his talk on Saturday night. Maynard held Greene goalless, while restricting him to just nine possessions and one mark. Greene was forced off the ground briefly during the second quarter to have an ankle injury assessed, but that did not take anything away from Maynard, who performed his defensive role to near perfection.

PIES FLYING HIGH Full match details and stats

Brayden Maynard led Toby Greene to the ball most of the night. Picture: AFL Photos

2. De Goey stands tall in Magpies' attack
On a night when Collingwood's giant, Mason Cox, was cut down to size by Giants co-captain Phil Davis, Jordan De Goey gave the Magpies the aerial target they needed in attack. What De Goey, 187cm, lacks in height he more than makes up for in game sense, forward craft and brute force that often draws comparisons with Richmond bull Dustin Martin. De Goey ran direct opponent Matt Buntine ragged on the lead, taking eight marks for the night. He was also deadly at ground level, expertly roving the crumbs of a spilled Rory Lobb mark to snap a clever goal right on the half-time siren. When he kicked his third and final goal at the five-minute mark of the last quarter, the Pies were 21 points up and, for all intents and purposes, home. 

3. Whitfield enhances his growing reputation
The Giants entered the semi-final knowing their record without Josh Kelly in 2018 was dismal. Before Saturday night's game, the Giants had won 12 of 16 games with the superstar midfielder in their team, but just two of the seven games they had been without him. With Kelly again on the sidelines through injury, GWS needed someone to cover his class and outside run. Enter Lachie Whitfield. The former No.1 draft pick had already taken his game to a new level in 2018 after settling across half-back and he was again outstanding against the Magpies. Running tirelessly all night, he racked up an equal game-high 31 possessions, eight rebound 50s and four inside 50s, delivering the ball with his usual pin-point precision. Although the Pies' weight of solid contributors through the middle eventually proved too much for GWS, Whitfield, more than anyone, ensured they were a sneaky chance of pinching the win right up until the dying minutes.

WATCH Three moments that mattered

Lachie Whitfield showed his worth against the Pies. Picture: AFL Photos


4. Early Birds jump sluggish Giants
When the ball was bounced to start Saturday night's cut-throat game, the Magpies were out of the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt, while the Giants trudged off the start line like Cliff Young in concrete gumboots. The Pies smashed GWS in every facet of the game in the first term, winning the possession count 103-72, contested possessions 35-24, clearances 8-3 and inside 50s 21-9. They also locked the ball inside their forward half for most of the term, denying the Giants defenders options up the field and forcing them into a spree of haphazard turnovers. Collingwood held the Giants scoreless for the first 14 minutes and goalless for the term, but didn't fully capitalise on their dominance, finishing with 3.6 for the quarter, including an after-the-siren major from Will Hoskin-Elliott following a fortunate free kick for a hold by Zac Williams.  Fortunately, the Magpies' wastefulness didn't come back to bite them. 

WHO WAS THE BEST? Every Pie rated out of 10

5. Tempers flare as Lobb rises and falls
GWS big man Rory Lobb played the hero and villain in the space of a minute at the end of the second quarter. First, he showed superb judgment to mark strongly at the back of a seven-man pack and then coolly converted with a curling set shot from 40m. The goal cut the Giants' deficit to just one point, which was somewhat hard to believe given Collingwood's complete dominance in the first quarter. However, Lobb blotted his good work soon after when he botched a marking attempt inside the Pies' forward 50m arc. Unfortunately for him, Jordan De Goey swooped on the crumbs and snapped truly right on the half-time siren to give Collingwood a much-needed boost ahead of the main break. Magpies Taylor Adams and Jaidyn Stephenson did not hesitate to let Lobb know he'd messed up, which sparked an all-in melee that did not break up for several minutes.

WHO FAILED TO FIRE? Every Giant rated out of 10