The Pies are still a force to be reckoned with and that fact should come to the fore on Sunday.
| Collingwood v North Melbourne Sunday, March 31 4.40pm Etihad Stadium FOX FOOTY Weather: Min 15 Max 21 Possible shower Betting: Collingwood $1.50 North Melbourne $2.60 |
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 153, North Melbourne 49, Collingwood 102, drawn 2
LAST TIME: North Melbourne 13.13 (91) def Collingwood 8.13 (61), Round 21, 2012 at Etihad Stadium
WALKING WOUNDED: North Melbourne head into their first clash of the season with a clean bill of health. The only unavailable Kangaroos are champion Brent Harvey and defender Scott McMahon who are both suspended. McMahon will be free to play in Round 2 but Harvey won't be eligible for senior action until Round 7 after his event-filled elimination final last year against West Coast.
The news isn't as good for Collingwood who will have to do without Andrew Krakouer (match fitness), Luke Ball (knee) and Alan Didak (hamstring) while Dale Thomas (ankle), Ben Reid (knee) and Alex Fasolo (hamstring) will all face tests to prove their fitness. Key defender Lachlan Keefe is still at least six weeks away from overcoming his knee injury and youngsters Corey Gault (groin), Brodie Grundy (back) and Tim Broomhead (glandular fever) are still a fair way off being available for selection.
FORM: The Kangaroos were one of the form teams of the NAB Cup and could have qualified for the night grand final had they defeated an undermanned Geelong outfit in Round 3 of the competition. But they disappointingly fell short by 12 points and were then pummelled by Hawthorn by 81 points a week later in their final practice match. Before those two losses, Brad Scott's men chalked up wins over Melbourne, Richmond and Gold Coast.
Collingwood's pre-season was very similar to North Melbourne's. The Magpies also won their first three matches against the Bulldogs, Essendon and, most impressively, West Coast in Perth. They too could have reached the NAB Cup Grand Final if they won their Round 3 encounter, but the Pies virtually played their reserves team against Brisbane and were duly defeated in comprehensive fashion. Nathan Buckley's charges then copped a 51-point hammering at the hands of Geelong at Simonds Stadium in their last hitout of the pre-season.
WE THINK: Collingwood might be missing a few stars, and Buckley might have publicly stated he believes they are the underdogs, but the Magpies have proven time and time again how well they cover injuries to key players. The Kangaroos finally turned the tables on their black-and-white tormentors late last year, having lost their previous four encounters by an average of 80.5 points, but the Pies are still a force to be reckoned with and that fact should come to the fore on Sunday. Collingwood by 22 points.
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