Collingwood have reached the Grand Final for the second straight year, but not before a frighteningly close call against Hawthorn. The Pies' superior fitness came to the fore as they held on in a see-sawing final term.

Travis Cloke, Lance Franklin, and Luke Ball took turns putting their side in front, and even though Franklin's dribbler was the best for the highlight reel, it was Ball whose 25m snap decided the outcome.

The roar as the ball sailed through was deafening. In fact, the crowd had been intensely vocal from siren to siren. Brent Guerra conceded a 50-metre penalty in the first term because he couldn't hear the umpire from a metre behind him. (Although whether or not he actually couldn't hear him is open for debate.)

Yet in the face of the all-conquering Pies and their army of fans, Hawthorn was incredibly brave. They took the game on and played with genuine desperation. And with waves of players attacking the ball carrier, they were beating the Magpies at their own game.

They were astute to the Pies' preferred movement - along the boundary line - and made sure that there was never an easy option. Consequently, deliveries into forward 50 were rarer and slower than the Pies have had all year.

The Hawks attacked swiftly and, although Franklin was quiet, the forwardline looked dangerous. Once the ball got in there, it stayed in, with the Magpie defenders unable to rebound as freely as they usually do.

Hawthorn won the first three quarters. The Pies were rattled. When Darren Jolly kicked their first goal of the third term, the (in)famous Cooo-lllingwoood chant was being used to psych their side up, rather than deflate the opposition.

However, they let themselves down in the most basic of areas. Had they gone in to three-quarter time with a better scoreline than 7.11, the Pies would have found it much harder to claw their way back into the game.

As it was, the final-quarter specialists ran out another game in superior style. Five goals to two in the fourth term was a result both of intensive altitude training and the extra week's break.

Collingwood's dominance in final quarters this year has been well documented, not least after that 11-goal finish against Adelaide in Round 9. This game was no different. The Pies were visibly fitter as the game concluded.

Jarryd Blair was sensational lurking around half-forward. His delivery into forward 50 made Cloke's job a lot easier.

Leon Davis - who had played a shocker in the first three quarters - and Harry O'Brien lifted in particular. Their run off half-back came alive after having been stifled for the bulk of the game. Dale Thomas lifted as well, as did Heath Shaw.

The Arizona Tourist Board won't have to do too much work next January.

And so, the Magpies look ahead to October 1. They will be keeping a keen eye on tomorrow's game, and, even though they would never admit it publicly, will no doubt be barracking for the Eagles.

Do they have what it takes to bring home the Cup again? Probably. They have proven Grand Final credentials, and have beaten all comers this year.

Their only losses were a dead rubber in Round 24, and a game they would have won had the umpire correctly paid advantage to Scott Pendlebury.

The elephant in the room, sitting right next to those losses, is that both those losses were to their likely Grand Final opponent, Geelong. How much that plays on their minds will reveal itself soon enough.

If they play West Coast, you'd expect them to get home comfortably. They have beaten the Eagles twice this year, including just a fortnight ago, and would hold a genuine home ground advantage against them.

Either way, one thing's for sure: if the crowd gets behind them like they did tonight, they'll have 19 players on the field.