Let's get on with the footy
CONGRATULATIONS to Dane Swan on his Brownlow Medal win. Although he was more heavily favoured last season, anyone who racks up possessions like Craig Hutchison racks up frequent flyer points is a deserving winner.

We were especially pleased for Swan given he'd had to endure last year's Brownlow count as the beaten favourite. That disappointment must have made Monday night's win that much sweeter.

But with the formalities out of the way, can we move on? Our mother ship, afl.com.au, covered all the drama of Brownlow night, from the blue carpet to the count itself. So we'll leave the analysis of the Brownlow gowns, frocks and 'barely theres' to the fashion gurus and get back to the footy, particularly Saturday's Grand Final.  
 
The Taylor-Cloke match-up
The Herald Sun's Jon Anderson took a look at one of the likely - and most crucial - match-ups in this Saturday's game: Geelong defender Harry Taylor on Collingwood power forward Travis Cloke.

If Taylor was nervous about the prospect of playing on Cloke before, reading Anderson's story may just tip him over the edge.

According to Anderson, Geelong's flag chances may come down to Taylor's ability to "restrict a mobile human tank named Travis Cloke".

Anyone who watched Cloke drag Collingwood across the line in last Friday night's preliminary final against Hawthorn knows Anderson is not overstating his unique mix of aerial strength and gut running.

But Taylor will draw confidence from knowing he has faced the "tank" before and not been streamrolled. In fact, Anderson trotted out Champion Data statistics which showed that in Geelong's past seven clashes with Collingwood, Taylor has spent 417 minutes on Cloke and conceded just 14 marks and one goal.

Cloke will probably prefer to draw on memories of his first clash with Taylor, in round nine, 2008, when he took eight marks and kicked three goals.

Of course, Taylor's teammate Tom Lonergan could be given the job on Cloke. Lonergan manned Cloke for the majority of the Cats' two clashes with the Pies last season, and also spent time on him in round eight this season.  

Tarrant's shot at premiership redemption
Chris Tarrant's story has been well documented.

A prodigiously talented junior, Tarrant soon became a star forward at Collingwood, playing in its 2002 and 2003 Grand Final teams and winning All-Australian selection in 2003. However, off-field behavioural problems were the catalyst for his departure at the end of 2006 to Fremantle, where over four seasons he transformed himself into one of the competition's premier key defenders. Homesickness dragged Tarrant back to Victoria at the end of last season and, as fate would have it, back to Collingwood.

Although some thought Tarrant offered the Pies no more than key-position insurance, a season-ending knee injury to young key defender Nathan Brown paved the way for him to become a key pillar of the Magpies' defence.

Tarrant, who recently turned 31, has grabbed his opportunity. He has missed just two games this season, both through injury, and on Friday night underlined his importance to Collingwood's defence, assuming responsibility for keeping Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin quiet. He did a highly credible job, too. Yes, 'Buddy' kicked 3.1, but Tarrant had the better of him in their one-on-one marking contests.

This Saturday, Tarrant has the chance to finally savour premiership glory, as many of his teammates did last year.

It is a testament to the way Tarrant has fitted back in at Collingwood that seeing him play in a premiership has become a powerful spur for the Magpies. Good friend Dane Swan said in his Brownlow Medal acceptance speech that he desperately wanted to welcome Tarrant to the 'premiership club' on Saturday.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and coach Mick Malthouse perhaps best sum up the transformation in Tarrant since 2006.

"I always really liked 'Taz' and always knew he was a really good kid," McGuire said. "He just had to find his way.

"He's come back and he's been absolutely enormous. You know what, he's now the bloke I always knew he was." 

Malthouse told Channel Seven's Game Day that Tarrant had been outstanding this season, especially recently as he has had to deal with his father's battle with cancer.

"I've never seen a person change (so much) in … his personality or his want to succeed for the team - ever," Malthouse said.

"Chris Tarrant … is a wonderful football story."

Drop Didak for Fasolo: Aker
Three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player Jason Akermanis told the Herald Sun Collingwood should drop two-time All-Australian Alan Didak for first-year forward Alex Fasolo.

Didak has struggled to reproduce his trademark magic this season after off-season surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. His bid to work his way back into form was further hindered by a calf injury that sidelined him for five games after round 14.

Since returning in round 20, Didak has started several games as Collingwood's substitute, including last Friday's preliminary final against Hawthorn.

Some may interpret this as a sign Didak's hold on his place in Collingwood's best 22 is shaky, but he remains a player capable of turning a match on its head in minutes. The type of player you'd imagine Magpie coach Mick Malthouse would be very reluctant to leave out of his Grand Final team. 

But Akermanis was adamant Malthouse should drop Didak.

"I know he's experienced and it's a big call, but Fasolo is younger, more energetic, healthier and playing some really good footy," Akermanis said. "And Didak just isn't."

However, Didak had an ally in 1990 Collingwood premiership skipper Tony Shaw. Shaw said he thought Didak would not only play against the Cats, but would start on the ground at the opening bounce.

Shaw said Dayne Beams, who had just two handballs in three quarters against Hawthorn, might be the player to be dropped if Fasolo comes in.

Injury watch
Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell told the Herald Sun ruckman Darren Jolly and key defender Ben Reid, who both suffered groin injuries against Hawthorn last Friday night, had declared themselves available for the Grand Final, but would have to prove their fitness starting with the team's Wednesday training session.

The speculation after Friday night was that Jolly's injury was more severe than Reid's. High-profile sports doctor Peter Larkins still holds little hope of Jolly playing against the Cats, telling the Herald Sun he was only a 20 per cent chance.   

Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh also told the tabloid Reid was more confident of playing than Jolly.

Maxwell told The Age if Jolly was ruled out, fellow ruckman Cameron Wood would be ready to take his place despite not playing since the Magpies' round 24 loss to Geelong.

Meanwhile, the Herald Sun reported star Geelong forward Steve Johnson had two sessions in a hyperbaric chamber on Monday, with his left knee having improved to the extent he was now "well placed" to play against the Magpies.

Geelong football manager Neil Balme told the newspaper that Johnson's history of playing through the pain of ankle, hip and knee injuries gave him a better chance than most players of taking the field on Saturday.

Cats coach Chris Scott told Channel Seven during the Brownlow count that Johnson was a 50-50 chance to play. "In reality, we won't know until Friday," Scott said.

In short
Out-of-contract forward Chris Dawes told the Herald Sun he intends to remain loyal to Collingwood and reject more lucrative offers from opposition clubs. Dawes said he was happy at Collingwood and played football for love, not money. The key forward also expects any out-of-contract teammates will follow his example.

Two of the Fremantle board members who ratified Mark Harvey's sacking as coach could be gone from the club by the start of next season, The West Australian reports. Richard Goyder resigned from the Freo board on Monday after becoming the first West Australian to be appointed to the AFL Commission. Fellow board member Ben Allan is up for board re-election later this year and, according to the paper, "faces a test following the anger that accompanied Harvey's sacking".

Hawthorn looks set to put its injury-plagued 2011 season behind it and start its 2012 preparations with close to a full complement of players, The Age reports. Hawthorn football manager Mark Evans told the broadsheet the club was halfway through its post-season player medical checks and had not identified anyone needing surgery. Evans said he did not expect the remaining player tests would reveal "anything major".

Adelaide defender Will Young's AFL career is hanging by a thread after he broke his right fibula in Sunday's SANFL preliminary final, The Advertiser reports. "His (AFL) future was probably on the edge anyway but this doesn't help," Crows football manager Phil Harper said of Young.

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

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