AFL finals 2023 LIVE updates: Legend Ron Barassi dies; ‘Feels like we are back home at the MCG’: Greene says Giants ready to take on Collingwood in preliminary final

The AFL has locked in the days, dates for next weekend’s preliminary finals.

Friday, 22 September
First Preliminary Final, Collingwood vs the GWS GIANTS, MCG, 7:50pm AEST

Saturday, 23 September
Second Preliminary Final, Brisbane Lions vs Carlton, Gabba, 5:15pm AEST

First-year midfielder Harry Sheezel has won the Syd Barker Medal as North Melbourne’s best and fairest player.

Quite an achievement for someone just starting out in the AFL.

Giants forward Jesse Hogan kicked four goals tonight and he admits he and his teammates are loving their hot run through the finals.

“I think no other team travels as much as we do each week,” Hogan told Fox Footy.

“We are so used to the travel and we just love it. It’s been a fun run so far.”

Giants captain Toby Greene spoke to Channel Seven post game.

You are off to another preliminary final?

We were full of confidence, we knew if we played close to our best we were going to be hard to beat. They are a good side and made us work. They came hard in the third. We had full confidence that if we played our brand we would be tough to beat.

It has been a pretty amazing 13 weeks, 11 games. You must have so much trust in your group?

The most amount of trust you can get. A special group. From the youngest to the oldest, so much faith that we play a role. If you have the will, you can do well.

You had a lot of time here at GWS, how good is this group the way you have gelled and we have seen so far?

We’ve always been a super close club. We travel a lot, the last two weeks has been so much fun. Feels like we’re back home at the MCG next week. That was the plan. We are pumped. Travelling and getting wins like this, that is what football is about.

The GWS Giants have continued their run through the AFL finals taking down Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in tonight’s semi-final.

The Giants will face Collingwood at the MCG for a place in the grand final and after so many big wins in the second half of this season, the Giants will have all the belief in the world that they can take the game to the Magpies.

Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield were brilliant. This could have been Coniglio’s best game as a Giant.

The Power will be shattered after another straight-sets defeat but in so many moments tonight, the Giants were better at winning the football or the contest. That is either an effort issue or a structural one.

For all their wins, there are still some massive questions for them to answer this off-season.

Greene has pulled in a chest mark, in the middle of the pack, and then snapped his third goal.

The Giants look to be home but there is just enough time that the Power could still make a miracle comeback.

It just doesn’t look like happening.

Giants 93, Power 66 with five mins to go.

Jake Riccardi has marked on the right boundary line and gone back and kicked it on a perfect line with the ball sailing over the goal-umpire’s hat.

He knows it is a huge moment.

The Giants aren’t safe yet but they are very close.

Giants 87, Power 65 with eight mins to go.