VENUE & TIME: MCG, Sunday 7 September, 2.40pm AEST

HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 200 Geelong 121, St Kilda 79

LAST TIME: Geelong 21.10 (136) d St Kilda 13.16 (94) at Telstra Dome, Round 4, 2008.

WALKING WOUNDED: The Cats are in the enviable position of having to find room for four key players from a side that won 21 of its 22 home and away games with Max Rooke, David Wojcinski, Andrew Mackie and possibly James Kelly all set to return this week. The problem for the Cats is who to leave out, such is their fantastic depth, with Brent Prismall, Ryan Gamble, Travis Varcoe and Shannon Byrnes the players most likely to make way. St Kilda however will again be without courageous midfielder Luke Ball, who has already missed the past four matches with a hamstring injury while Sean Dempster is out after suffering a serious knee injury in round 22 - leaving the way open for Xavier Clarke to return after starring in the VFL last week.

FORM: Geelong simply could not be going into the finals in better shape having become only the second team after Essendon in 2000 to win 21 of its 22 home and away games, since the 22-round season first began in 1970. And the Cats are coming off a 99-point win over West Coast in the final game of the home and away season. But St Kilda is the other form team heading into the finals having won eight of its last ten games, including a 108-point thumping of Essendon in Round 22 to pinch fourth spot and the double chance narrowly on percentage from Adelaide.

WHO'S HOT: Steve Johnson's performance in Round 22 was an ominous warning to those seven clubs hoping to end the Cats' dominance in September. The reigning Norm Smith Medalist warmed up for the 2008 finals series in impressive fashion with six goals in last week's rout of the Eagles and again looms as a matchwinner for the Cats in the finals. But the Saints have arguably the competition's most in-form player at present in skipper Nick Riewoldt, who has been devastating during the second half of the season. In the past ten weeks Riewoldt has averaged 20 disposals and 11 marks per game and looms as the danger man for the Cats on Sunday.

WE THINK: St Kilda performed miracles to grab fourth spot last