10. Fremantle 18.17 (125) defeated Geelong 17.16 (118)
Round three, Subiaco Oval
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In second place on the ladder after early wins over Adelaide and Essendon, Fremantle faced a credibility test against the reigning premier in round three and passed it with flying colours. Trailing by 14 points at the last change, Fremantle kicked six of the last nine goals of the match to solidify its position in the top four, and get its season off to a 3-0 start for the first time ever.
9. North Melbourne 12.18 (90) defeated Brisbane Lions 13.11 (89)
Round 11, Etihad Stadium
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After trailing by 44 points in the third quarter of their round-11 clash with the Kangaroos, the Lions hit the lead late in the last after booting eight unanswered goals. But a Levi Greenwood mark on the boundary line, followed by a mongrel punt that floated straight through, snatched the win for the Roos. For the Lions, the loss marked the start of an eight-game losing streak.
8. Western Bulldogs 9.6 (60) defeated by Geelong 25.11 (161)
Round 20, Etihad Stadium
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The Geelong rollercoaster ride that was 2010 reached its zenith in this round-20 assignment as the Cats dismantled fellow top-four aspirant the Western Bulldogs in clinical fashion. They had lost three of the previous seven games and many pundits were predicting the demise of the Cats. But this game was a reminder of what they were capable of. The Dogs started well, with three goals to one in the first 18 minutes, but then the Cats woke up and pounced, piling on an amazing 14.4 to the Dogs' one behind on the way to a 74-point lead a couple of minutes after the long break. Gary Ablett starred with 39 touches and three goals, but he was one of many, as 21 Cats accrued double-figure possessions.
7. Western Bulldogs 6.10 (46) defeated by St Kilda 7.7 (49)
Round six, Etihad Stadium
Relive it here
In many ways this was an ugly game of football, but at the same time, one that showed how the Saints could impose their will and win when things weren't going their way. The Bulldogs did everything in their power to hang onto possession in this chess match, including regularly taking the ball from one half-forward flank to the other via the backline. They took uncontested footy to new levels in an effort to beat a heavy St Kilda flood. It seemed to be working when they led 6.8 to 4.3 at the final change, but three unanswered goals in five minutes saw the Nick Riewoldt-less Saints steal the win in a Friday night thriller.
6. St Kilda 11.15 (81) defeated by Essendon 14.9 (93)
Round eight, Etihad Stadium
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It was a case of déjà vu as a year after Essendon's bold, attacking run defeated the seemingly infallible Saints, the Dons did it all again. David Hille and Paddy Ryder booted seven goals between them after Cale Hooker injured a hamstring early and Michael Hurley was sent to the backline as cover. But it was Essendon's speed that proved the undoing of the Saints. In round 18, the Bombers made it three on the trot against the 2009-10 grand finalists.
5. Collingwood 12.14 (86) defeated Melbourne 12.13 (85)
Round two, MCG
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After a thrashing from Hawthorn in round one, Melbourne surprised everyone the next week by all but beating eventual premier Collingwood. Ricky Petterd had the chance to win the game - or at worst draw it - in the final seconds, but he spilled a mark in the goal square and the Magpies escaped with a one-point victory. Coincidentally, when they met again later in the year the result was a draw.
4. Geelong 12.13 (85) defeated by Collingwood 14.23 (107)
Round 19, MCG
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Geelong fielded its strongest line-up of the season but fell to a 28-point deficit in the second term. Though the Cats' biggest challenge was getting the ball inside 50, they smashed through the Collingwood wall and took a one-point lead into half time. That's where their surge ended. In this preview to the finals, the Pies went on to win by 22 points, but 37 scoring shots to 25 was a far better indicator of the gap between the sides. The win put them six points ahead of the Cats and all but sewed up the minor premiership.
3. Collingwood 18.12 (120) defeated Geelong 11.13 (79)
First preliminary final, MCG
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If the Pies put an early stamp on their authority over the Cats in that round-19 clash then the opening half of their preliminary final highlighted the end of an era, and, perhaps, the beginning of a new dominance. The Pies shocked everyone with a 13-goal-to-three first half, blowing an old and tired-looking Cats outfit out of the water. In his post-match press conference, Geelong coach Mark Thompson admitted the game had changed and his side would have to adapt.
2. St Kilda 14.3 (87) drew with Hawthorn 13.9 (87)
Round 17, Etihad Stadium
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A Hawthorn interchange infringement at the death of this cliffhanger cancelled a Cyril Rioli goal and saw St Kilda escape with a draw. Rioli's goal would have put the Hawks 13 points ahead deep into time-on, but instead, the ball was returned to the middle of the ground for a St Kilda free kick. A Nick Riewoldt behind was followed by a clever goal to ruckman Ben McEvoy with just 12 seconds on the clock, allowing the Saints to snatch an improbable two points.
1. Collingwood 9.14 (68) drew with St Kilda 10.8 (68)
Grand final, MCG
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Ah, the vagaries of fate. Had the ball bounced towards Stephen Milne rather than away from him in the dying moments of the first grand final, the Saints may well have snatched a win and their first flag in 44 years. But history shows the Sherrin bounced away from the crafty forward and through for a behind, tying the scores at 68 points apiece. The scores remained locked for the next two minutes until the siren sounded on just the third grand final draw in history.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
