ANZAC Day (Round 5) Preview: Collingwood v Essendon

REAL FOOTY Collingwood will consider freshening up its team for the Anzac Day clash. The Pies may bring back Tyson Goldsack and Ben Johnson, and ruckman Darren Jolly is some chance to resume, with Andrew Krakouer a potential wildcard selection. Having defeated Richmond by 34 points before nearly 82,000 on Saturday, the Magpies have only a five-day break before an even larger audience on Thursday. Goldsack, a late withdrawal with an unspecified injury, may return, and may be sorely needed given that key defender Nathan Brown went off with an apparent adductor injury and is in serious doubt. Johnson had a sore calf in round three and missed Saturday's game, but might resume on Thursday. Jolly (ribs), who has been covered by 34-year-old Ben Hudson, would have to train and prove his fitness for one of the season's biggest games, while Krakouer put himself in contention with 36 possessions in the VFL on Saturday. Pies coach Nathan Buckley said Goldsack was a chance to resume, but he had not been held over for Anzac Day due to the short break. Buckley said: ''Browny was a bit sore during the game and wasn't able to finish it off, so clearly he's in some doubt.'' Buckley noted the Pies had a day longer to recover than last year. ''We feel we're very fortunate we've got 24 hours more than we had last year, so we've got plenty of time. It's a vagary of the draw and it is what is. We love the opportunity to play on Anzac Day ... same for both sides ... You know, it's a great occasion, I'm sure the boys won't have any trouble turning it around. ''We'll have a look at how the dust settles from today from both games and pick the best squad that we think can win the game.'' Buckley praised stars Travis Cloke and 200-gamer Dane Swan for their performances. Cloke booted seven goals in a career best against his father's first team, four of those goals scored in a third term burst when the Pies kicked eight unaswered goals to set up a match-winning advantage. Buckley called Cloke's effort ''huge'' adding that he was pleased to see positive media reporting of the heavily scrutinised Swan, whose 19 contested possessions were significant. '''It's actually really good to read some factual positive copy on Swanny, you know.'' But the Pies coach said the ''most encouraging thing was our ability to defend in the second half''. Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the Tigers had struggled to lay hands on the ball when Collingwood had its decisive third term run-on. ''We just couldn't get our hands on the ball. Situation was Collingwood were winning the ball, running hard forward and we just couldn't at any stage stop that momentum. You know, we tried a number of things, we just couldn't manage to stabilise it. ''The things we went into the game trying to achieve, we didn't achieve one of them, sorry apart from centre bounce. There was a number of areas we tried to deny Collingwood, none of those worked, offensively we tried to do some things, none of those worked. ''Any time you give up seven or eight goals in a quarter, you know, it's game over.'' Hardwick called Cloke a ''big problem'' - ''we gave Rancey [Alex Rance] first crack at it, then Chappy [Troy Chaplin], and then Chappy obviously went off injured, so we sort of lacked a few options there. And look he's a big boy, he's a great player, just was too good on the day. Alex will bounce back, as will Troy.'' Chaplin suffered a knock to the head while Jake King finished with a cork to the glute. Both players will need to be assessed for Friday night's game against Fremantle in Perth.

REAL FOOTY We're only four rounds in, the rigours of a gruelling campaign yet to be truly felt, but already 2013 is a premiership looking likely to be won with depth as much as class. Collingwood v Essendon Thursday, April 25 2.40pm MCG 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: Min 11 Max 22 Chance of rain 10%: <1mm Wind 18k NW Betting: Collingwood $1.67 Essendon $2.15 Sure, it's the latter quality that comes to the fore when it counts. But without sufficient resources to handle the twists and turns of fate, even the best-credentialed flag candidates might not be in a position to show that off come September. Getting through the April to August period is going to be very much about man management and the capacity to plug holes, however temporarily. And Anzac Day will offer a good insight into the importance of doing so. Collingwood and Essendon are both going into Thursday's blockbuster at something less than full strength, but both are showing that even missing key personnel they can stay around the mark. The Magpies looked ominous in Saturday's third term against Richmond, even without a cluster of their most important players. Catalogue the absentees to return, though, and you get an idea as to why they're such a red-hot flag chance. Ruckman Darren Jolly, best and fairest winner Dayne Beams and Luke Ball comprise three-quarters of a potential starting centre square formation. Skipper Nick Maxwell is the defensive general. None might play against the Bombers, either, but Collingwood is still in a position to face a five-day break with such potential inclusions as Tyson Goldsack, Ben Johnson and Andrew Krakouer, not to mention the luxury of having been able to use a returning Dale Thomas as its sub on Saturday. Veteran Alan Didak is still capable of playing a part, as is long-kicking recruit Clinton Young. That's some stockpile of talent, enough to cover just about any mishaps short of an outbreak of bubonic plague at the Westpac Centre. But the missing roll call is also a comment, yet again, on Collingwood's amazing ability to not only blood but develop talent quickly - Jamie Elliott, Paul Seedsman, Ben Sinclair, Josh Thomas and the mature-age Sam Dwyer all having shown at various stages they're comfortable on the big stage. Essendon can't boast the sort of depth the Pies do, but the Bombers this season have been in the rare position for them of having a clutch of players in the VFL putting genuine selection pressure on their senior peers. That value was never more evident than against St Kilda, about the same time Michael Hurley limped from the field. Rather than his side's hopes leave with him, given the late withdrawal of another target in Stewart Crameri, it merely passed the baton to late inclusion Scott Gumbleton, whose four-goal second half was imposing to say the least. In the ruck, Paddy Ryder's suspension proved a mere blip, as veteran David Hille stepped into the breach to, along with Tom Bellchambers, work over the Saints' Ben McEvoy to near exhaustion. And in defence, even Dustin Fletcher's absence amounted to little, Jake Carlisle, Cale Hooker and Tayte Pears providing more than enough key position cover. Pre-season flag fancy West Coast is starting to feel the pinch of injury, its replacements struggling to find the required level. WA stablemate Fremantle's depth is now under scrutiny without three keys in Aaron Sandilands, Matthew Pavlich and Luke McPharlin. But Collingwood and Essendon's ''extras'' aren't mere fill-ins. They're quality players in their own right, able to command a spot in the starting 22 of most of their rivals. And that should make Anzac Day another classic, regardless of who's missing.