Round 11 Preview: Collingwood v Melbourne

Sportal

Collingwood v Melbourne Monday, June 10 3.15pm MCG 7mate / Fox Footy 3.00pm Weather: Min 7 Max 17 Chance of rain 30%: <1mm Wind: NNW 18kph Betting: Collingwood $1.01 Melbourne $19.00

HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 227, Melbourne 79, Collingwood 143, Draws 5
LAST TIME: Collingwood 19.15 (129) def Melbourne 13.9 (87), Round 11, 2012 at the MCG

WALKING WOUNDED:
Melbourne have been dealt yet another blow with key defender James Frawley out for a month with a hamstring injury. Shannon Byrnes is facing a fitness test on his wrist, while Jack Viney is a fortnight away with his toe problem. Jack Grimes (collarbone) and Mitch Clark (foot) are sidelined for at least the next six weeks.
Travis Cloke has recovered from the virus that kept him out of last week, but captain Nick Maxwell is struggling with a hamstring and might not get up. Tyson Goldsack is also facing a fitness test on his hip, while former Hawk Clinton Young is a week away from resuming full training. Dayne Beams continues to be plagued by his quad problem, while Dale Thomas (ankle) is also a long-term prospect. The season is already over for Alan Toovey and Alex Fasolo.

FORM:
Nothing good to say about the Dees here with another shellacking at the hands of Hawthorn last week. Melbourne have now lost nine games this season and their average losing margin is a massive 76 points, easily the worst in the league. The Demons' only win this season has been over the Giants and even then they needed a huge last quarter to sneak over the line.
Collingwood have gone to win-loss-win-loss since Round 2 with a good performance often followed up by a poor one. Last week they demolished Brisbane, but the week before they were almost written off after losing to Sydney. Their most impressive win has been over Geelong, but they've failed against fellow top-four hopefuls Hawthorn, Fremantle and Essendon.

WE THINK:
It's not a matter of who will win this match, but rather how much will Collingwood win by. The Pies have way too much quality across the board and should gain some momentum with another victory next week against the Bulldogs before their bye in Round 13. The likes of Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Luke Ball should all dominate the midfield, while new players Kyle Martin, Ben Kennedy and Josh Thomas will see plenty of the ball against the dismal Dees.
It's no secret the Demons treat this game as their grand final, so Mark Neeld will be hoping for a committed performance. But even that will do little to change the result with Melbourne lacking any sort of quality to match it with most sides, let alone a team challenging for the top four.
Magpies by 88 points.