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After a miserable ANZAC Day, Collingwood and St Kilda face off at Etihad Stadium this Friday night in a very important round six encounter. After a positive start to the season, the Magpies have been exposed by two quality teams in Hawthorn and Essendon. The season ending knee injury to Alan Toovey did rub salt into the wounds as he is perhaps one of Collingwood’s least replaceable players. Nonetheless, Collingwood still sits on three wins and two losses and sits well placed in eighth position. Collingwood would be concerned by the fact that it has not been able to put sides away so far this year. It had opportunities against both Hawthorn and Essendon but was wayward in front of goals. The other concern is that the Pies have been overrun in last quarters in three of its five matches this year. St Kilda on the other hand is in 14th place with only one win. However, the Saints have been competitive in the last few weeks and were impressive against Sydney last round. The Saints need a big scalp to remain in touch with the top eight and also to regather some momentum after a difficult start to the year. The Saints have been able to introduce a number of young players to the side such as Nathan Wright, Sebastian Ross, Josh Saunders, Brodie Murdoch and Tom Lee but there is still a heavy reliance on the veterans such as Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Sam Fisher and Nick Riewoldt. Both Collingwood and St.Kilda have been questioned defensively this year and are struggling in the clearances. In fact, both these sides currently sit equal 14th in the competition for clearances. This is a huge surprise considering both midfields still have big names and experience. Undoubtedly, a huge focus for both coaches will be improving the stoppage work on Friday night. Recent History These clubs have played off in some extremely close contests in recent years. The Magpies have won five of the last six contests inclusive of the drawn Grand Final in 2010. The last time these two sides played was in round 19 last season when the Magpies ran out controversial six-point victors after Harry O’Brien was paid a lucky free kick that prevented a certain St Kilda goal. Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams were good for the Magpies picking up 32 disposals each. Darren Jolly polled the three Brownlow votes (37 hitouts, 21 disposals, 10 marks, two goals), Dane Swan polled two (31 disposals, two goals) and Lenny Hayes one (28 disposals, five tackles). At the Selection Table All eyes will be on Nathan Buckley this week to see how he restructures the team after a crushing ANZAC Day loss. Historically, Buckley hasn’t made too many changes, however I feel he has a few big decisions to make. Of particular interest is the strong form of a number of big name players in the VFL side which beat Bendigo by 116 points. Andrew Krakouer must be extremely close to selection following a fortnight of very strong performances. Alan Didak has also been impressive and is coming off a 31 possession game. Luke Ball also returned in style last round via the VFL, but will most likely require more match fitness before qualifying for selection. Others to impress in the VFL include Jarrod Witts (25 hitouts and 21 disposals), Josh Thomas (40 disposals), Ben Kennedy (27 disposals) and Kyle Martin (36 disposals). Darren Jolly also made his return from a rib injury and picked up 17 possessions and 39 hitouts. Given his best afield performance against St Kilda last year, he may return at the expense of Ben Hudson who could be feeling the effects of a gruelling three weeks covering for Jolly. The other big question for Buckley will be how he replaces Alan Toovey. Ben Johnson faces a fitness test and seems the most likely replacement. However, Marley Williams is fresh from a strong VFL performance and could be a smoky for the back pocket position. Also keep an eye out for Adam Oxley who is edging closer to return after Midfield Development Coach Tarkyn Lockyer told collingwoodfc.com.au that Oxley has been “our most consistent VFL player”. Buckley’s other question is how he structures the forward line. With the possible returns of Krakouer and Didak, Buckley may also consider playing a third tall such as Jackson Paine (who has been performing gallantly in the VFL) or bringing in a second ruck in Jarrod Witts who has also been performing strongly. The extra tall could be a useful assistance to Travis Cloke who is finding it difficult to compete with two or three opponents when Quinten Lynch is in the ruck. Tyson Goldsack may also be forced to go into defence in the absence of Nick Maxwell and Toovey, which means Cloke is often the only tall in the forward line. Turning the focus onto St Kilda, and the Saints will be buoyed by the return of Stephen Milne from suspension. Collingwood has struggled to contain small forwards this year and the absence of Toovey will leave a gaping hole. Therefore, St Kilda coach Scott Watters may also consider recalling Terry Milera after he kicked six goals in the VFL last week. A forward line with Milne, Milera and Ahmed Saad is very dangerous and will ask serious questions of an undermanned Collingwood defence. The other question for Watters will be how to structure his ruck division. Justin Koschitzke failed to fire last week and Beau Maister is out for an extended period. The Saints may opt to recall Tom Hickey to assist Ben McEvoy in the ruck. The highly rated Arryn Siposs will also come into contention, while Farren Ray may be called upon for experience. Focus on Collingwood Questions have been asked of the Magpie defence this week in the papers. Although it is perhaps an overreaction to a few poor performances, Buckley will be undoubtedly concerned at the fact that Collingwood averages 106 points against so far this year and has a very poor percentage. Despite the absence of Toovey and Maxwell, Buckley’s real concern will be midfield pressure. Acting captain Scott Pendlebury said his midfield teammates ‘cheated’ against Essendon, implying that they were running ahead of the ball too quickly and failing to get back in defence. In the past, Collingwood has been a dominant clearance team but with the absence of Dayne Beams and Luke Ball, clearances have started to become a huge issue for Collingwood and a greater defensive mindset needs to be employed. Buckley may opt to bring back Josh Thomas or even call upon Kyle Martin to add some onball grunt. It may also be an opportunity for a player such as Dale Thomas to play a defensive role on a player such as Montagna or Dal Santo. Steele Sidebottom – Steele has been asked to play a variety of roles this year. He has played his best footy as a forward and has managed to hit the scoreboard regularly. Last week he was asked to play a job on Jobe Watson in the first half and did an awesome job. He was quieter in the second half, and Watson ultimately took the points, but he was one Magpie who could hold his head high with 31 disposals. Tyson Goldsack – Although he has had a quiet start to the year after a delayed start to the off-season, Goldsack will play a vital role for the Magpies in the coming weeks. He has typically played as a third tall up forward and has been solid in this role over the past year. However, the absence of Maxwell and Toovey means that Goldsack may have to play in defence to help cover. Jamie Elliott – ‘Billy’ has had a quieter few weeks following his breakout game against Carlton. This could be a direct result of opposition coaches now putting much more attention on him. If a few senior players like Krakouer and Didak return, this could really free up Elliott. I feel Elliott needs to remain focused on the defensive aspect of his game. He made his name as an aggressive tackler and needs to make sure his doesn’t sacrifice these defensive traits in order to win more of the ball. The Wrap Up This is a crunch game for both sides. Collingwood’s top four aspirations will take a huge hit if it cannot beat the Saints on Friday night, while the Saints’ finals hopes could waver if they slump to only one win from six games. Travis Cloke looms as the match winner for the Magpies as the Saints defence is notoriously undersized. If the Magpies are able to get on top around the stoppages, it will be extremely tough for the Saints to contain the power forward. Lynch could also become a factor. The Saints’ best hope of winning is to get a good output for Milne and Saad and to get a few goals out of players such as Montagna and Jack Steven. The biggest question mark over St Kilda in recent years has been its ability to get goals from its midfield. Collingwood on the other hand has considered this a strength. If guys like Swan, Sidebottom and Pendlebury are able to get on top, it might be too much for the Saints to contain. I think the Pies will bounce back after a disappointing loss last round. Collingwood by 25 points. |
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 213, Collingwood 154, St Kilda 57, Draws 2 LAST TIME: Collingwood 12.19 (91) def St Kilda 13.7 (85) at the MCG, Round 19 2012 WALKING WOUNDED: Ben Johnson will have his calf assessed by the medical staff again this week after missing the past two weeks. Alan Didak and Andrew Krakouer have been considerable time in the VFL and must be close to a senior recall, while Darren Jolly is likely to be available having overcome his rib complaint. But there are still plenty of Pies sidelined with Alan Toovey adding his name to the list after a season-ending knee injury on ANZAC Day.
Adam Schneider is still at least a fortnight away with his hamstring injury, while Beau Maister is facing another four weeks on the sidelines with his wrist issue. Other than that it's a clean bill of health at St Kilda with only youngster Daniel Markworth, who is out for the season with a knee injury, on the injury list. FORM: Collingwood suffered their second heavy defeat in the space of three weeks after Essendon belted them to the tune of 46 points. They trailed by less than three goals heading into the last quarter but were blown away in the final term. Two weeks earlier they also dropped away in the last quarter as the Hawks won by 55 points. Between those two losses they did a post a comfortable victory over Richmond, while they began their season with two wins. St Kilda's poor start to the season continued on ANZAC Day when they lost to Sydney in the first ever AFL match staged in New Zealand. It was their fourth loss already this year, but they did show signs of improvement to only go down by 16 points. The week before they were belted by Essendon and their only win so far this season has come against GWS. WE THINK: This will be the third time St Kilda have featured on the big stage and they will be desperate to put in a good performance against heavyweights Collingwood. While they had close losses to Richmond and Sydney in their previous prime-time clashes, their endeavour has been well short of the required mark and they look a shell of the side that took them to consecutive grand finals in 2009-10. Veterans Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo continue to lead the side, while David Armitage and Jack Steven have shown they are ready to become top-line players, but the quality falls away quickly from there. Collingwood meanwhile will be reeling after their second blowout loss of the season. Vice-captain Scott Pendlebury blasted his team-mates for their efforts against Essendon so we can expect a fired-up Magpies side to take to the park on Friday night. Even though they are missing a host of first-team players, the Pies still have too much quality for the Saints and should run out comfortable winners. Collingwood by 28 points. |
Thursday, May 02, 2013
Round 6 Preview: Collingwood v St Kilda
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