It took just 15 minutes of devastating football for Collingwood to take a stranglehold on its preliminary final with Geelong on Friday night, and about the same period of time the following night for the Saints to book their berth in the grand final against the aforementioned Magpies.

Collingwood's devastating burst came in the opening term and pretty much rendered the hugely-hyped clash with the Cats over before a few of the latercomers to the MCG had found their seats.

There were a few late arrivals at the MCG the following night, mainly St Kilda supporters who had observed the holy Jewish Day of Atonement and they were the lucky ones because the first half was mainly horrid. But it got better in the third term, as the Saints slammed on seven goals to turn a six-point deficit into a 31-point lead at three-quarter time. The final margin was four goals.

And it was the mercurial Nick Riewoldt who proved the difference during the third quarter, with eight touches, three marks, two goals and a hand in a few others. No doubt the Collingwood match committee is already pondering its options for next week, with Mick Malthouse not necessarily beholden to the 22 who thrashed Geelong. Simon Prestigiacomo will come into contention despite not having played since round 20 because of a corked thigh, after keeping Riewoldt to a solitary goal when the teams met in round 16.

Saturday night wasn't the end Brad Johnhson would have been hoping for and as much of an ornament to his club and the game that he has been, he was a liability throughout the finals, dropping marks and missing targets. The Saints paid him a great deal more respect with their post-match guard of honour than they did during the 120 minutes that preceded it.

The Dogs have the nucleus of a good side with Johnson gone and Jarrod Harbrow reportedly Gold Coast bound. Not sure if they're quite at the level to take the next step and Yes, they would have been better with injured pair Adam Cooney and Shaun Higgins in the side but they lack the game-breaking ability that the two grand finalists have. They didn't beat any of Collingwood, St Kilda or Geelong this year and finished where they deserved to.

So now to the Grand Final. The Pies are looking awfully good, but with injury clouds and some Match Review Panel deliberations still to come, we're a long way from a genuine look at who might win.

But with one team having gone 44 years without a premiership (and coming off a loss last year) and the other 20, the 'overdue for a flag' card will be played out all week.

And good luck getting a ticket.