MATCH SUMMARY
The Cats are a free-flowing side and like to score heavily. They are No.1 in the AFL for goals per game while the Saints are ranked eighth, but the Saints are No.1 in stopping the opposition scoring and the Cats are No.3. The Saints are a defensively-minded outfit and pride themselves on not allowing the opposition to score, and then scoring enough to win. The Cats, who are also very good defensively, really look to punish the opposition from turnovers. It makes for a battle of wits to gain a berth in the preliminary final in two weeks.

St Kilda relies on its defensive mechanism and structure to stop the opposition from getting the ball inside 50. Teams which have done well against them this year have taken risks and worked around their zone. Geelong, which likes to attack through the central corridor, gives the Saints an opportunity to force turnovers through their press and structure. The Cats will need to be mindful of this, and alter their play slightly to gain an advantage.

Geelong's ability to pressure the opposition when the ball goes into its own forward half has been second only to the Magpies this year - they really rely on Travis Varcoe, Shannon Byrnes, Gary Ablett, Paul Chapman and Mathew Stokes to force the opposition into turning the footy over and then they punish them by scoring.

Contested footy will play an enormous part in this game. Whichever team can win the contested footy count, and then get it to their runners to provide uncontested possession chains, will go a long way to winning. Geelong needs to be mindful of St Kilda's ability to bring the ball back through the corridor and take it out wide to their runners. If Sam Fisher, Sam Gilbert and Jason Gram get too much space, they can really hurt you with their penetration.

BACKLINE v BACKLINE
Geelong
The Cats have gone to another level with their defence. They score very heavily from their defensive 50 turnovers through the ability to win critical one-on-one contests and then use their class to hurt the opposition. The St Kilda smalls in Adam Schneider and Stephen Milne got hold of the Cats last time so they need to get these match-ups spot on. Expect Josh Hunt to go to Schneider and Corey Enright to Milne.

They will play Harry Taylor on Nick Riewoldt - they have started their own little war - and Matthew Scarlett will take Justin Koschitzke. Geelong will also use James Kelly, Andrew Mackie, and Darren Milburn to play on the high forwards who hit up, and try to free one or two of them up to protect their back half and provide support for Taylor.

St Kilda
Will Steve Baker play? Will he go to Steve Johnson? We would love to see it, but I think he may get a different job, on Chapman or Stokes, who are very important for the Cats.

I think Gilbert or James Gwilt will go to Johnson, and Zac Dawson to Tom Hawkins and Jason Blake to Cam Mooney. This will allow Gram, Jarryn Geary and Fisher to play on the other Geelong smalls who may hit up the ground, allowing the Saints to set their defensive zone, leaving Fisher and Gilbert as their free runners.

If the Saints get this how they want it, they will be hard to beat. If Brendon Goddard is not impacting the game, expect him to play behind the footy as a spare to generate some run. Geelong needs to watch this.

MIDFIELD v MIDFIELD
How fit is Cameron Ling? He went to Nick Dal Santo in the first quarter of the grand final but Lenny Hayes got hold of the Cats, so they quickly shuffled the deckchairs. Expect Ling to take Hayes out of the game. Clinton Jones has also been struggling somewhat, so does he go to Ablett? I would get him onto Joel Selwood to try to eliminate his influence.

Then we have Dal Santo, Goddard and Leigh Montagna versus Ablett, Chapman, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Corey. I would get Montagna to Ablett through the midfield to hurt him the other way, and when Ablett goes forward he can hand over to Gilbert. There is plenty of class through the midfield and it is no good tagging them all, so it comes down to a battle of the contested footy - who wants to get their hands dirty and generate enough pressure to force the other team into errors. St Kilda needs to be mindful of Geelong's ability to play on at all costs through the midfield. The Cats are No.1 in the AFL for taking the mark then playing on between the arcs.

FORWARD LINE v FORWARD LINE
Geelong
The Cats have multiple goalkicking options in Mooney, Johnson, Ablett, Chapman, Varcoe, Hawkins, Brad Ottens, Stokes and Byrnes. St Kilda really needs to get its defensive match-ups right, and maintain its structure and not allow Geelong any easy ball inside its forward 50. The Saints also need to maintain possession of the footy from the defensive 50 - they can't allow Geelong pressure to hurt their ball movement patterns otherwise they could find themselves in real trouble. Geelong will miss James Podsiadly, who has been a revelation for them.

St Kilda
Riewoldt is back in good nick, but is going to need a lot of support from Koschitzke and his smaller crumbing teammates who must stand up and take their opportunities. I'm talking about Schneider, Milne, Montagna and Andrew McQualter. They need to provide enormous forward pressure and keep the ball in their half of the ground to have a chance of victory. They simply cannot allow Geelong too many easy outs on the night.

COACH v COACH
Both coaches will back their structures and players in - they will see how the game unfolds and then provide solutions in areas that may be hurting them. So do they play extra numbers behind the footy? Do forwards come up to stoppages? Do they tag inside or outside players? Mark Thompson and Ross Lyon are experienced and will coach as the game is unfolding.

UNDER THE RADAR
Brad Ottens
Really starting to get into some good form and could be crucial around the ground and pushing forward. Expect a big game.

Clint Jones
If he can do a job on Selwood or Ablett and take away one of their prime movers and allow the St Kilda onballers to gain the upper hand around the footy, that could be the catalyst to the Saints winning the game.

HOW THE GAME WILL BE WON
It will be another tough game. The side that wins the contested footy, brings pressure to the opposition and can cause more turnovers in its forward half of the ground will win it.

PREDICTION
St Kilda by 11 points

Danny Daly has completed his first season as an assistant coach at Richmond after stints at North Melbourne and Collingwood.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.