WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, Friday 23 September, 7.45pm
HEAD TO HEAD: Collingwood 95 wins, Hawthorn 56 wins, no draws
LAST TIME: Collingwood 15.16 (106) d Hawthorn 9.11 (65), round 15, 2011 at the MCG
TV, RADIO AND BETTING: Click here for broadcast guide and odds 
A full replay will be available on afl.com.au 12 hours after the completion of the match
FORM: Collingwood: WWWLW Hawthorn: WWWLW

SUMMARY
Collingwood had the weekend off to rest some sore bodies after defeating West Coast by 20 points in their qualifying final, while Hawthorn got out to an early lead before holding off a late charge by the Sydney Swans last week to advance to the preliminary final.

The Pies certainly needed a bit of time to recover, with several players carrying injuries during the latter stages of the season. Nick Maxwell (thumb), Leon Davis (hamstring), Ben Reid (groin) and Chris Tarrant (ankle) are among the players to have struggled late in the year and all will benefit from the rest.

For the Hawks, Lance Franklin's knee injury had been a major concern before he played against the Swans, but he got better as the game went on. The important forward suffered through a bout of gastro in the lead-up to this game, but is expected to play.

Paul Puopolo limped off the ground late in the semi-final win, but the club reported he had only suffered a hamstring cramp.
 
QUESTION MARKS
Do Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes hold the keys to victory for Collingwood? Cloke has been a little quiet in his past two outings and Dawes has struggled to regain the form he displayed before he suffered a knuckle fracture. Mick Malthouse will be keen to exploit Hawk defender Ryan Schoenmakers and these two are key figures in that plan.

How will the Hawks' possession-heavy game style stand up to the Pies' press? Malthouse's men have excelled at applying pressure to the opposition throughout the year and the Hawks will need to be right on top of their game if they are to pick their way through the press by foot.

PREDICTION
Collingwood by 15 points
 
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The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL