A visibly angry Voss made a good argument as to why the game should be played in south-east Queensland instead of Etihad Stadium after his team won its way through to the decider with another convincing pre-season display over the Pies on Saturday night.

Still, there were circumstances around the AFL's decision; chief among them the unavailability of the Gabba.

Whatever the case, the Lions should be thrilled with their form. Four solid wins and signs the team is set to continue to build on a pleasing 2012 will have Voss dreaming of big things this season.

For all the angst surrounding the location of the Grand Final, next week's fixture presents good news for footy fans.

And easily the best news of next weekend's games is Collingwood going back to the 'burbs to face Geelong in Geelong. It's been too long.

Tough times for grand finalists
Could the NAB Cup have gone any worse for the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn?

The Swans registered a win on Saturday – their first for 2013 – but lost important defender Alex Johnson with a torn ACL until at least late in this year's campaign if at all. So important is Johnson, Swans co-captain Jarred McVeigh said on Sunday the club would struggle to replace him.

The Hawks finished the competition winless and lost key rebounder Matthew Suckling, also to a season-ending ACL injury.

Alastair Clarkson and John Longmire have been at pains throughout the NAB Cup to remind the footy world how far their respective sides are behind the rest of the competition after playing off in last year's Grand Final. For much of the pre-season, their teams have backed up those suggestions nicely.

The weekend's injuries won't help either team turn things around quickly.

Money well earned?
You can't help but think Collingwood lost some of the momentum gained from a wonderful summer following the rather distasteful events following Dane Swan's Footy Show interview.  

The aftermath saw Eddie McGuire threaten to fine Swan the money he earned for the interview and publicly slate Swan's manager Liam Pickering. Pickering then attacked McGuire, saying he was sick of Ed's bullying and that he no longer cared if he had a relationship with the Pies president or Collingwood CEO Gary Pert.

To round things off, Nathan Buckley addressed the matter post-match on Saturday night. The message from Buckley, as ever, was clear: Swan did the wrong thing and, as leader of the football department, Buckley wouldn't cop it.

When it's all said and done, one wonders what any of the parties got out of any of their actions.

Mick v Pies will have to wait
Collingwood lost the chance to face former mentor Mick Malthouse in the NAB Cup Grand Final when it went down to the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.

The two powerhouses are scheduled to meet in round two of the premiership season, but for a time it appeared one of the AFL's traditionally strongest rivalries would be reignited this weekend.

The much-anticipated first clash between the clubs since the three-time premiership coach took charge at Visy Park will have the added edge of it not only being Malthouse versus the Pies, but also Malthouse versus former protégé Nathan Buckley.

Of course, Buckley replaced Malthouse as Collingwood coach as part of a controversial succession plan after Malthouse had taken the club to a premiership and runner-up in his last two seasons at the helm (a period in which Buckley was one of his assistants).

Alas, the dream match-up never eventuated and we will have to wait until Sunday April 7 when a packed MCG will greet the arch enemies. In the meantime, the hype surrounding the clash will only continue to build.

Tigers claim a scalp
As much as football clubs try to manage expectations by extolling the virtues of process over results, only one result will suffice for Richmond this year – a return to the finals for the first time in 12 years.

Everyone from the administration, the coaches and players are united in their determination to play off in September, and have expressed such feelings publicly.

This if course increases pressure on all at Tigerland to perform, but they know it's time to walk the talk.

In fact, many Tigers believe they should have made the finals last year. Seven times last year they lost games after surrendering the lead in the last quarter. It was soul-destroying stuff.

Their improvement in this area has been one of the most pleasing aspects of their NAB Cup campaign, defeating an embattled Essendon by 10 points at Etihad Stadium and pipping a winless Hawthorn by a point at Aurora Stadium in Launceston.

If this composure remains, it might well signal the end of a finals drought that stretches back to 2001.