2018 AFL Round 3 COLLINGWOOD v CARLTON Time & Place: Friday April 6, 7:50pm MCG TV: 7mate / Fox Footy 7:30pm Weather: Min 13 Max 22 Chance of rain 30%: <1mm Wind: SSW 9kph Betting: Collingwood $1.50 Carlton $2.60 |
HB: Tom Langdon, Matthew Scharenberg, Jeremy Howe
C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips
HF: Josh Thomas, Ben Reid, Will Hoskin-Elliott
F: Jaidyn Stephenson, Mason Cox, Callum Brown
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams
Int: Jack Crisp, Travis Varcoe, Ben Crocker, James Aish
Emg: Jarryd Blair, Chris Mayne, Alex Fasolo, Brody Mihocek
IN: Mason Cox, Ben Reid
OUT: Tim Broomhead (broken leg), Darcy Moore (hamstring)
Milestones: Taylor Adams (100 games), Travis Varcoe (50 games for Collingwood)
That sums up the changes to Collingwood’s team ahead of Friday night’s huge clash with Carlton at the MCG. Mason Cox returns after serving a one-match suspension, while Ben Reid has also been included in the side after recovering from the sore hip that was caused by a collision with Cox during the round one loss to Hawthorn. Cox and Reid have both been named in the forward line and will be looking to add some presence up there. Tim Broomhead goes out of the team after suffering a season-ending broken leg in the round two loss to Greater Western Sydney. An injury has also sidelined key position player Darcy Moore. He will be sidelined for up to a month by a hamstring problem. The emergencies are Jarryd Blair, Chris Mayne, Alex Fasolo and Brody Mihocek. All four have been named in Collingwood's VFL team to play the Northern Blues at Preston City Oval from 2pm on Saturday. Mayne has recovered from the quad injury that saw him withdraw from the AFL emergency list and the VFL team last weekend. Adams brings up a century One of the first goals Taylor Adams set himself after being drafted was to play 100 AFL games. On Friday night, he’ll achieve that milestone when he lines up against the Blues. Adams played his first 31 games for Greater Western Sydney before joining the Magpies in the lead-up to the 2014 season. Still room for smalls up forward A feature of the Pies’ performance against the Giants last weekend was the use of midfielders like Adam Treloar in the forward line. Indeed, there were times when Treloar was left one-out inside 50, and he looked very dangerous in the role, kicking two impressive goals and regularly leaving his opponent in his wake. Could we see more of the same on Friday night, even though Mason Cox and Ben Reid are back in the side? Assistant coach Robert Harvey thinks so. “We used some midfielders forward (last weekend), which we’ll continue to do,” Harvey told The Source on Thursday. “That was exciting for us.” A great rivalry Carlton and Collingwood have met on the most occasions since the formation of the VFL/AFL in 1897. The clubs have met 254 times, with the Pies trailing narrowly on the win-loss count 123-127. There have been four draws. Desperate for a win Collingwood-Carlton games are always big. But with both sides winless after two rounds, this one has plenty riding on it. “It’s a massive game and we’re really keen to get on the board,” Harvey said. “It going to be on, and hopefully our players settle and play the footy we know they can.” |
The stakes are extremely high, considering that both sides are winless to so far this season, and neither wants to have a 0-3 start to the year. Carlton will look to bounce back after an abysmal performance against Gold Coast last week. Their performance was something of a surprise after an impressive effort against the reigning premiers Richmond in round one. No doubt the Blues will be keen to prove that last week’s effort was an exception, not the norm. The anticipated return of ruckman Matthew Kreuzer will significantly strengthen the side as well. Collingwood, on the other hand, was poor in round one, but very brave last week against Greater Western Sydney, who many are calling the premiership favorites. Despite significant injuries to Tim Broomhead and Darcy Moore early in the match, the Pies looked set to cause a serious upset. Unfortunately, the Magpies ran out of legs late in the game and the Giants eventually kicked the final four goals. The loss would have been a tough one for the players to take considering how well they played, but that level of intensity would have been enough to beat most of the other teams in the competition. Simply put, if the Magpies play at the same level this week, in my mind they should beat the Blues. The Key Stats Despite the impressive effort against the Giants, the Magpies struggled to find avenues to goal. In what felt like déjà vu, the Magpies again had more inside 50s, more contested possession, more uncontested possession and more tackles. But the damning statistic for the Pies was the fact that the Giants had 12 marks inside 50 to Collingwood’s five. The Pies were completely undermanned in attack, but you can’t win too many games of football taking five marks from 53 entries. From a Carlton perspective, the biggest concern so far this year has been the amount of inside 50 entries its opposition is obtaining. In round one, the Tigers had a staggering 71 inside 50s, and Gold Coast had 67 last week. The Tigers were inaccurate, but still scored 121 points against Carlton, while the Suns also broke the ton scoring 101. The Blues were one of the competition’s best defensive sides last year, and rarely allowed teams high inside 50 numbers. To me, it’s a clear sign that Carlton is trying to play a more attacking style of game, but the early signs are that the pendulum has swung too much. Focus on Collingwood The biggest problem facing the Magpies at the moment is the structure of their forward line. When Moore went down last week, I counted eight of the Pies’ top line forwards were unavailable. Any side in the competition is going to struggle when their entire forward setup is out injured. Collingwood was able to patch together a small and energetic forward line last week that was able to lock the ball in and scrap goals, but the return of the big names will be welcome. In positive news, both Ben Reid and Mason Cox are in the mix to play, as is Alex Fasolo. Jamie Elliott, Jordan De Goey and Daniel Wells may also feature in the VFL. Much has been made about Collingwood’s lack of efficiency going forward, but if it can regain the calibre of players mentioned above, then that efficiency will improve significantly. Player Focus – Ben Crocker With the raft of injuries, Crocker has become Collingwood’s main forward. At 188cm, he is a nice size for a forward, but clearly undersized to play as a key position player. That said, Crocker has tried his heart out and has provided a target. He should benefit from a few talls returning to the side this week and can hopefully keep hitting the scoreboard. Focus on Carlton Carlton lost Kreuzer prior to the game against Gold Coast last week. The loss of their first choice ruckman meant Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts dominated the midfield battle. Kreuzer’s return will be a huge boost for the Blues, especially with Patrick Cripps and Ed Curnow in good form. It will be interesting to see how Brendon Bolton approaches this week’s game. It appears there was a clear directive over the pre-season to play in a more attacking manner and look to score more, but the side effect of this has been a significant drop off defensively. In 2017, Carlton was renowned as one of the stingiest defensive teams, but kicking a winning score was the issue. This style of game got the four points against the Magpies when these sides last met in round seven last year, so the question will be whether the Blues revert back to a more defensive game-plan, or continue the offensive style. Player Focus – Charlie Curnow Charlie has had a really impressive start to the season, booting seven goals in his opening two games and establishing himself as Carlton’s key forward. He is a difficult match-up because he also has the agility to move into the midfield, and he has that x-factor about him. At times last week, Curnow looked like the only Carlton player who was capable of kicking a goal. He’ll be a key player again this Friday night. The Wrap Up Collingwood has not started a season 0-3 since 1999, and will be keen to keep that record in tact this weekend. The Blues have been somewhat of a bogey side for Collingwood in recent seasons and always seem to lift for the occasion. Both sides have resembled Jekyll and Hyde in the opening two rounds this season, but I’m expecting them to be on their game this weekend in front of a big MCG crowd. The Blues, on paper, look a much stronger outfit, with a strong backline and improved midfield. The question for Carlton, similarly to Collingwood, is its ability to kick a winning score. The Magpies have a deeper midfield, but probably need more output on the scoreboard from the likes of Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom and Adam Treloar. Last week, Buckley moved Treloar forward with some success, so I expect to see a number of midfielders rotating through the forward line again. The ruck battle will also be crucial. Brodie Grundy was outstanding against the Giants this week, but faces a much tougher task against Kreuzer who was dominant in round one against Richmond before his injury. Bragging rights are always on the line when these two sides play. The loser is going to have a huge mountain to climb, while the winner will remain in the hunt. |
