HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 155, Hawthorn 59, Collingwood 96
LAST TIME: Hawthorn 20.15 (135) defeated Collingwood 15.7 (97), 2012 qualifying final at the MCG
| Collingwood v Hawthorn Sunday, April 14 3.15pm MCG 7mate / Fox Sports Weather: Min 16 Max 21 Chance of rain 60%: 5-10mm Wind 21k SSW Betting: Collingwood $2.22 Hawthorn $1.66 |
WALKING WOUNDED: Hardened midfielder Brad Sewell (hamstring) is a big loss for Alastair Clarkson's men ahead of Sunday's
blockbuster. Former Western Bulldog Brian Lake (calf) is a potential inclusion down back for the Hawks, however winger Xavier Ellis (calf) will remain on the sidelines for another three weeks. Brendan Whitecross (knee) won't be back until mid-season, while Matt Suckling's season is over due to a knee injury.
And in a win-win for the Pies in the midfield battle, the loss of Sewell is made even better by the return of Dale Thomas (ankle). Thomas is all but starting in the 21 for coach Nathan Buckley, while Luke Ball (knee) must pass a fitness test to make his long-awaited return to the side. Mercurial forward Andrew Krakouer still probably needs another week or two in the VFL to get his match fitness up. Dayne Beams (quad) is another 1-2 weeks away, while recruit Clinton Young will miss another month with a hamstring problem. Amazingly, ruckman Darren Jolly is in the mix to play this weekend despite fears he damaged his lung/ribs after a knock early in their win over Carlton.
FORM: The Hawks led by five goals against Geelong in Round 1, and smashed West Coast in Perth. Sounds pretty good, right? Unfortunately for Clarkson, that is not the whole story. They succumbed to Geelong - again - to point out a glaring deficiency in their game when they take on the Cats, but they went some way to putting that recurring problem to bed by thrashing the Eagles at Patersons Stadium. Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Luke Breust had 13 goals between them in a welcome bit of form for the forward trio, after failing to fire against the Cats on Easter Monday.
Collingwood have nutted out two brilliant wins despite missing some key cattle. They got past North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, but - with typical grit - overcame the early loss of Jolly and a three-goal deficit late in the third term to overrun arch-rivals Carlton on Sunday. Those wins will only spur the Pies to greater heights, and another scalp awaits on the weekend if they can put together another all-round display. Their form was highlighted by some impressive cameos, with Jamie Elliott (five goals) and rookie Sam Dwyer (23 disposals and a goal) among them.
WE THINK: If head-to-head form was all you went on with your footy tipping, then Hawthorn is the team to pick this week - and by a comfortable margin too. Despite their abysmal historical record against Collingwood (above), Clarkson's side haven't lost to their counterparts since that devastating defeat in the 2011 preliminary final. What made it so crushing was they had the Pies by the scruff of their collars that night, however, they have since put them away three times with brilliant effect. Wins by margins of 22, 47 and 38 have handed the Hawks some element of redemption for not making the grand final two years back, and they have kicked 20-plus goals against Buckley's men on all three occasions. This weekend, the loss of Sewell - and conversely the inclusion of Thomas - should bring the teams a bit closer than what has occurred in recent times, but the Hawks should still have too much class by foot and inflict the Pies with their first loss of the campaign. Hawks by eight points.
No comments :
Post a Comment