(Jonathan Howcroft is BPL Citizen Journalist.)

With the Grand Finalists sorted, the frenzied speculation can begin as to the match-ups between the Pies and the Saints, where the game will be won and lost and who is likely to do enough to follow Paul Chapman as the 2010 Norm Smith Medal winner.

TAB Sportsbet unsurprisingly offers the shortest odds on the midfield ball-magnets of Swan, Pendlebury, Hayes and Goddard and the firepower of Riewoldt and Didak. But who is this year's bolter? Who could emerge from the 44 afield to turn in a performance eye-catching enough to claim first prize at the big dance?

How about Leigh Brown?

At $51 and equal 24th favourite (longer odds even than ‘any other player not listed') it sounds ridiculous, but just think about it for a few seconds and it starts to make sense.

Imagine for a while that you're a Collingwood fan in 2008 when they announced the signing of the delisted Leigh Brown with pick No.73 in the national draft. Underwhelmed? Nonplussed?

Fast-forward to Round 5 this year when Brown was dropped after failing to score in Rounds one to four and averaging just 10 disposals. You probably thought, like most observers, that his career was close to over. The jack-of-all-trades overtaken by a clutch of young Magpie masters.

Now move to the final round of the home and away season and Collingwood, guaranteed minor premiers, contesting Brown's Round-22 suspension, so desperate were they for him to appear in a match that had no bearing on their final standing. An ever present in an unbeaten side since returning in Round 11, Brown has transformed himself from Round 5 loser to Grand Final lynchpin.

And if you still think the Norm Smith bet is a joke, Brown's best form this season has been in the biggest games, including against Grand Final opponent St Kilda.

In Round 16 against the Saints he kicked two goals before half-time and his size in the forward line caused havoc with the normally sanguine St Kilda defence. By the final siren he had a further goal, sixteen disposals and surely at least two Brownlow votes. Three rounds later against The Cats he laid an astonishing twelve tackles (more than any Geelong player and second only to Luke Ball) competed in the ruck and again got his name on the scoreboard. Last week in the Preliminary Final he amassed fifteen disposals, seven marks, seven tackles, eleven hitouts and the goal of the game.

Brown is listed nominally as the second ruckman but operates as a key position libero to be used as an impact player wherever, whenever. His versatility, once his drawback, is now an asset as it frees up space for Mick Malthouse to change his tactics in-game knowing he is afforded variety within his 22 to accommodate his caprice.

Pre-season, Nathan Buckley indicated Josh Fraser or Cameron Wood would play second tall behind Darren Jolly. This debate is well and truly settled with Brown's form stranding Fraser on 199 appearances for most of the season and leaving the former number one draft pick with little chance of receiving a medal on Grand Final day.

So there you have it, $51 worth of Leigh Brown; an impact player for the Premiership favourites and with recent good form in both the finals series and against his Grand Final opponents.

It remains probable that the Norm Smith medal will be awarded to a hard-working midfielder, but, as the sun drops behind the Ponsford Stand, there might be a few punters regretting not dropping a few bucks on the big Collingwood No.15.