1. Dawes fails to fire
The Collingwood strongman was named to play despite suffering a strained medial ligament in his knee in last week's stirring win over the Eagles. The 24-year-old, with his right leg heavily strapped from top to bottom, kicked one goal in the first half but struggled to have much of an impact in the game, managing just four possessions and one mark to half-time.

2. Swans end Collingwood hoodoo
The last time the Sydney Swans beat Collingwood John Howard was Australian Prime Minister and his good mate George Bush was still in the White House. But after 11 straight losses, the Swans have finally tasted victory against the Magpies and won their way through to a Grand Final.

3. Figures healthy, but not record-breaking
The 57,176 fans at the game certainly made their presence heard on a cool but clear night for football. However, despite good ticket sales in the lead up to the match the official figure fell short of the largest AFL crowd in the Harbour City - 72,393 at this ground in Round 21, 2003, when Collingwood beat the home side by 18 points.

4. Big Ted stands tall
Swans veteran Ted Richards looked to have suffered a significant injury when he leaped into a marking contest and crashed into Collingwood's Alex Fasolo on the broadcast wing in the first quarter. Richards immediately came from the ground and after being looked at by the trainer limped to the  rooms. Somehow, Richards managed to not only come back on, but also make a major contribution in defence with some strong marks and well-timed spoils.

5. Fab four fail to fire
Much was expected of Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas and Dayne Beams against the Swans, and those expectations were only raised when Swan, Pendlebury and Beams were all named as All Australians last Monday night. But the Pies' quartet had their colours lowered by the home side's sole All Australian onballer in Josh Kennedy and his midfield mates, with four Swans' mids racking up 30 or more touches. Pendlebury was typically classy and Beams worked hard, but the Swans had all the answers on the inside when the match was at its hottest.

The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs