|
Should they win, it will be the Magpies’ sixth straight win over the Dogs, a feat they have not achieved since the early 1990s. Head-to-Head (since 1925) Collingwood: 105 Western Bulldogs: 42 Drawn: 1 Past Five Round 6 2012 Collingwood 15.8 (98) Western Bulldogs 11.11 (77) Goals – Collingwood: Cloke 2, Shaw 2, Goldsack 2, Sinclair 2, Fasolo, Dawes, Reid, O’Brien, Swan, Sidebottom, Wellingham Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa 3, Griffen 2, Higgins 2, Hargrave, Boyd, Lake, Wood Disposals – Collingwood: Pendlebury 34, Beams 33, Buckley 30, Sidebottom 29, Swan 29 Western Bulldogs: Griffen 33, Cross 31, Boyd 29, Hargrave 24, Liberatore 24, Murphy 24, Sherman 24 Brownlow: 3. S.Pendlebury (Coll), 2. R.Griffen (WB), 1. D.Beams (Coll) At Etihad Stadium Round 6 2011 Collingwood 15.15 (105) Western Bulldogs 8.9 (57) Goals – Collingwood: L.Brown 4, Sidebottom 3, Krakouer 2, Blair, Dick, Cloke, Dawes, Ball, Didak Western Bulldogs: Sherman 3, Jones, Picken, Cooney, Gilbee, Grant Disposals – Collingwood: Shaw 31, Sidebottom 28, Swan 28, Krakouer 26, Wellingham 26 Western Bulldogs: Boyd 26, Cross 26, Griffen 26, Murphy 23, Sherman 18 Brownlow: 3. S.Sidebottom (Coll), 2. D.Swan (Coll), 1. R.Murphy (WB) At the MCG Qualifying Final 2010 Collingwood 17.22 (124) Western Bulldogs 8.14 (62) Goals – Collingwood: Sidebottom 3, Swan 3, L.Brown 2, Pendlebury 2, Didak 2, Dawes, D.Thomas, Davis, Jolly, Cloke Western Bulldogs: Hall 2, Higgins 2, Griffen 2, Hahn, Giansiracusa Disposals – Collingwood: Swan 39, D.Thomas 32, Johnson 31, Pendlebury 30, Maxwell 24 Western Bulldogs: Griffen 34, Boyd 29, Cross 28, Giansiracusa 20, Hargrave 19, Hudson 19, Murphy 19 At the MCG Round 11 2010 Collingwood 17.11 (113) Western Bulldogs 16.7 (103) Goals – Collingwood: Davis 3, Didak 3, L.Brown 2, Wellingham, Cloke, Fraser, Beams, Pendlebury, Swan, Jolly, O’Brien Western Bulldogs: Hall 4, Minson 3, Cooney 2, Hill 2, Moles, Lake, Stack, Grant, Boyd Disposals – Collingwood: Swan 35, Pendlebury 33, Ball 29, D.Thomas 28, Didak 25 Western Bulldogs: Boyd 36, Cooney 28, Cross 28, Harbrow 27, Gilbee 21 Brownlow: 3. M.Boyd (WB), 2. S.Pendlebury (Coll), 1. L.Davis (Coll) At Etihad Stadium Round 1 2010 Collingwood 19.15 (129) Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93) Goals – Collingwood: Didak 4, Medhurst 4, Davis 3, Swan 3, Cloke, Anthony, Wellingham, D.Thomas, Pendlebury Western Bulldogs: Hall 3, Hahn 2, Higgins, Murphy, Boyd, Higgins, Giansiracusa, Minson, Hill, Picken, Lake Disposals – Collingwood: Shaw 36, Swan 31, O’Brien 25, Wellingham 23, Johnson 23 Western Bulldogs: Boyd 38, Cross 29, Cooney 26, Higgins 23, Murphy 23 Brownlow: 3. H.O’Brien (Coll), 2. D.Swan (Coll), 1. M.Boyd (WB) At Etihad Stadium Stats and figures - It’s hard to believe that it was less than three years ago that Collingwood was playing the Western Bulldogs in a Qualifying Final. The Bulldogs list has undergone a major revamp in the years since their 62-point loss to the Magpies on a wet and windy night at the MCG, so much so that Mitch Hahn, one of their five goal kickers on the night, is now a development coach at the Westpac Centre. Rodney Eade, then in his penultimate season in charge at the Whitten Oval, is now Collingwood’s Football and Coaching Strategist and Ben Hudson, who won a game-high 32 hitouts, is now on Collingwood’s list after two ‘retirements’. - The two clubs love a twilight fixture. Between 2008 and 2011, they met at 4.40pm in fading light on four occasions. For the record, the Dogs won in ‘08 and ’09 before Collingwood hit back with two wins of its own. - Do good performances against a particular team colour a recruiter’s view during the trade period? Tyson Lane’s switch to Collingwood at the end of 1998 suggests so. The goal sneak kicked 4.4 in the Western Bulldogs’ 43-point win over the Woods under lights in round 18 and less than three months later found himself at Victoria Park in a straight swap for Josh Mahoney. - The final game between Collingwood and a Bulldogs side played under the Footscray banner was held at the MCG in round 17, 1996. The Pies led all afternoon but looked like it was about to cough up four points when the ‘Scrays whittled their lead to only six points late in the day Fortunately Nathan Buckley (32 possessions) and Scott Russell (29 possessions) were able to keep the Dogs at bay. Collingwood’s leading goal scorer was a key forward by the name of Steven Pitt who kicked 4.2. He quit the club at the end of his only season at Victoria Park and returned to South Australia where he joined the police force. Terry Wallace’s Bulldogs tried to recruit him in the Pre-Season Draft the following February but he refused to make the switch. Pitt later resurfaced at Melbourne in the first two years of the new millennium. - It’s not just four points up for grabs in Sunday’s match. The two teams will battle it out for the 14th annual Robert Rose Cup, which honours Robert Rose’s contribution to sport and to raise funds for The Robert Rose Foundation. Robert was the son of Collingwood legend Bob Rose and played for both Collingwood and Footscray before becoming a quadriplegic at the age of 22 in a car accident in 1974. Since its inception in 2000, Collingwood has taken the Cup home on eight occasions including the last four. The first Robert Rose Cup was one of the most memorable. The finals-bound Bulldogs predictably led all night but were challenged by a fast-finishing Collingwood in front of 30,342 fans at Colonial Stadium. After kicking the first five goals of the final term, the Magpies’ late charge was snuffed out by a late goal to Paul Hudson which guided the Dogs to a nine-point win. A foot in both camps Several key figures at both clubs have experienced life on both sides of the divide. Rodney Eade (Western Bulldogs coach 2005-2011) is now Collingwood’s Football and Coaching Strategist, Mitch Hahn (181 games for the Western Bulldogs between 2000 and 2010) is one of Collingwood’s three development coaches. Ben Hudson was a warrior at the Whitten Oval from 2008-2011 and is now leading the Magpies’ young ruckmen with aplomb. There’s also Tom Young, a red headed defender-cum-onballer who played nine games in Black and White after beginning as a NSW Scholarship holder. He was traded to the Bulldogs last October and played in their first nine games this season before injuring his calf against St Kilda. Injury List Collingwood Sam Dwyer (groin) – test Jamie Elliott (hamstring) – test Michael Hartley (shoulder) – test Jordan Russell (ankle) – test Clinton Young (hamstring) – test Lachlan Keeffe (bruised kidney) – 1 week Tyson Goldsack (hip) – 1-2 weeks Ben Johnson (calf) – 2 weeks Jackson Ramsay (wrist) – 3 weeks Dayne Beams (quad) – 3-4 weeks Jack Frost (knee) – 3-5 weeks Alex Fasolo (foot) – indefinite Dale Thomas (ankle) – indefinite Alan Toovey (knee) – season Next Five Weeks Collingwood Round 13 – Bye Round 14 – Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium Round 15 – Carlton at the MCG Round 16 – Adelaide at the MCG Round 17 – Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium |
The mantra at Whitten Oval this year has been to play the kids, and the two matches before this would suggest that these young players will have a fair bit to offer the club going forward. But a reality check looms against the Pies, who even with a long injury list of their own, have plenty of weapons all over the ground. The midfield match-ups will be interesting, and Nathan Buckley's general reluctance to run hard tags might be tested when countering Ryan Griffen, who had 40 touches for the Dogs a fortnight ago and is in rare touch. This is Collingwood's last match before the bye and comes in the middle of its softest part of the draw for the season, so a win is essential here in order to remain in touch with the top four. LAST FIVE TIMES R6, 2012: Collingwood 15.8 (98) d Western Bulldogs 11.11 (77) at Etihad Stadium R6, 2011: Collingwood 15.15 (105) d Western Bulldogs 8.9 (57) at the MCG 1QF, 2010: Collingwood 17.22 (124) d Western Bulldogs 8.14 (62) at the MCG R11, 2010: Collingwood 17.11 (113) d Western Bulldogs 16.7 (103) at Etihad Stadium R1, 2010: Collingwood 19.15 (129) d Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93) at Etihad Stadium THE SIX POINTS
LAST TIME: Collingwood 15.8 (98) def Western Bulldogs 11.11 (77) Round 6, 2012 at Etihad Stadium WALKING WOUNDED: The Westpac Centre has resembled a casualty ward for much of season 2013, and there is plenty of quality talent out injured that Nathan Buckley would dearly love to have running around. Tyson Goldsack (hip) and Ben Johnson (calf) are still a week or two away, while Dayne Beams is listed as three-to-four weeks away from the getting over the quad problem that has ruined his season. Jack Frost (knee) is five weeks from playing, while Alex Fasolo (foot) and Dale Thomas are classified with the dreaded 'indefinite', and Alan Toovey (knee) has been stamped with the worst mark of all: 'season'. Jamie Elliott (hamstring) plus pre-season recruits Jordan Russell (ankle) and Clinton Young (hamstring) will need to get through fitness tests. The Bulldogs will need to conduct a fair few fitness tests of their own before the Pies clash, with Koby Stevens (corked thigh), Tory Dickson (ankle), Ayce Cordy (fibula stress fracture), Matthew Boyd (calf) and Adam Cooney (hamstring) needing to convince the medical staff they can get through four quarters. Tom Young (calf) and Easton Wood (hamstring) are longer-term prospects and appear at least month away, while Tom Williams and Shaun Higgins are getting ready for 2014 after respective shoulder and foot injuries. FORM: Collingwood head into the match having won three of their past four games, including an upset against high-flying Geelong in Round 8. Their only defeat in that time came against reigning premiers Sydney, and in the last two weeks they have torn apart Brisbane (49 points) and Melbourne (83 points). The Dogs were widely pilloried after six losses on the trot from Round 3, and the knives were being sharpened for Brendan McCartney in the wake of a 32-point defeat to the Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in Round 8 - a result that, with the grace of hindsight, is not quite as bad as it first seemed. Amazingly the Bulldogs prepare to tackle Collingwood on the back of two successive wins - a hard-earned nine-point triumph over St Kilda, and a victory over Port Adelaide in Darwin before the bye. WE THINK: The Bulldogs showed some much-needed grit against the Saints and Port, but all the grit in the world will not prevent them from coming up short against the Magpies. The Dogs are like a game but faded boxer, buoyed by a couple of wins against soft opponents and about to take a very sizeable step up in class. Despite the list of quality players still unavailable for Buckley, his outfit should still have too much poise and muscle for the Dogs. Collingwood by 24 points. Head to Head: Magpies 105 Bulldogs 42 drawn 1Last clash: Round 6 2012 – Magpies 15.8 (98) bt Bulldogs 11.11 (77) at Etihad Stadium Tab Sportsbet: Magpies $1.08 Bulldogs $8.00 Sportingbet: Magpies $1.12 Bulldogs $6.00 Collingwood’s Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan was in sensational form in last week’s win over Melbourne but it’s the silky skills of Swan’s fellow midfielder Scott Pendlebury that the Bulldogs should fear most. Ryan Griffen leads the Bulldogs’ midfield brigade and the visitors have recalled Matthew Boyd and Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney from injury. But with tough onballer Luke Ball running himself back into form, the Magpies are starting to put a solid lineup on the park. Key: Bulldogs’ ruckman Will Minson is in dominant form and Collingwood veteran Darren Jolly is coming off a modest game against Melbourne and needs to lift to avoid Minson giving his midfield an armchair ride. Tip: Magpies by 31 points
|
|
|
The Collingwood Football Club has reached the halfway point of the 2013 AFL Premiership season and despite a plethora of injuries and undulating form the Magpies finds themselves still in reach of a vital top four position. Collingwood was seen to be struggling with a 5-4 record just two weeks ago but with two percentage boosting wins it seems the Pies are now back in contention. This weekend the Pies will face off against another lowly team, the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It’s an important game for both teams with the Dogs finding some decent form recently and the Magpies needing to notch another win before they have the bye the following round. Both clubs have had their fair share of injuries and setbacks to star players but the positive side of this is that plenty of youngsters have been given games that they may well have not played in otherwise. The Bulldogs have one of the most impressive young lists in the competition and play the Docklands stadium as well as anyone when in form. PREVIOUS FORM Both teams are coming into this game with two consecutive wins which is a nice change compared to what has occurred so far this season. After a round 8 defeat on the Gold Coast to the Suns the Bulldogs found themselves in a mini crisis with their 7th loss in a row after winning their first game of the 2013 season. In the last two games though the Dogs have found something with a gutsy win over fellow Etihad Stadium tenants St Kilda followed by a very impressive win in Darwin over Port Adelaide. Those two wins have seen the Dogs improve their record to 3 wins and 7 losses and has given the clubs fans hope for the rest of the season, and the future. Leading the way for most of the season, but especially during these two wins has been ruckman Will Minson, who is in career best form and star midfielder Ryan Griffen who is back to the form that saw him ranked in the top echelon of AFL midfielders previously. It’s a promising sign for the future when a side finds a way to fight their way out of a form slump. A little like the Bulldogs the Magpies found themselves at a crossroads a few rounds back after a soul destroying defeat to the all conquering Swans by 47 points at the MCG. That loss left the Magpies in a precarious position as their win/loss record stood at 5-4 and outside the top eight. The Magpies though have finally run into some easier teams though and over the past fortnight have notched up two much needed wins as well as pushing their percentage over 100. Both wins haven’t been anything special with a 49 point win in Brisbane against the Lions followed by a rather easy 83 point win over the hapless Melbourne last Monday. While the Pies were still missing key players during these two wins the performance of some of their youngsters, as well as the return to form of Brownlow medallist Dane Swan gives the biggest club in the AFL something to build upon going forward as their draw gets gradually harder. COLLINGWOOD PREVIEW Finally there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Collingwood as their injury list seems to be getting smaller every week. While the likes of Dale Thomas, Alex Fasolo and Alan Toovey will probably not be seen again this year there are some players on the verge of returning and they should give the Pies some ammunition over the coming few weeks. Clinton Young is tipped to make his return to the VFL this week after injuring his hamstring almost two months ago. Sam Dwyer, Jordan Russell, Jamie Elliott and Andrew Krakouer should also be in senior contention after missing Monday’s game against Melbourne. The big one though is Dayne Beams who hasn’t played a game so far this season and for the first time in a long time he is joining in training and may only be a few weeks away from returning in the VFL. In that league on the weekend the Collingwood reserves fielded what is probably their weakest team of the year and were subsequently smashed by Casey although the performance of Jarrod Witts, Tim Broomhead and Caolon Mooney would have them at least in consideration for selection this week. If the Magpies need to improve in one area it has to be their forward accuracy and efficiency as so far this year the Pies have managed to score 150 goals and 153 behinds which isn’t even a 50% accuracy rate and isn’t acceptable as this level. The big men at the club seem to be the biggest problems with Travis Cloke and Quinten Lynch spraying the ball in all directions while having shots at goal so far this season. The solution to this may be a third tall forward or maybe a change in system when moving the ball forward is needed but whatever the coaching staff decide to do they have to try and fix this problem soon. Collingwood will go into this game against the Bulldogs as short priced favourites, just like they have the last two weeks but the Dogs are in better form, and possess more talent that the Lions or Demons do at the moment. The Pies will be hoping to get a few players back to boost their chances of increasing their percentage yet again although a win by any margin will be a plus leading into the bye. OPPOSITION ANALYSIS The Western Bulldogs are in a rebuilding phase, there’s no other way of saying it but while getting as many games as possible into young players is a priority winnings game and being competitive can never be forgotten. For a while there in the middle of that 7 game losing streak it seemed as if the Dogs were going to be in for a long hard season but the recent two wins leading into their bye would have rejuvenated the place noticeably. Yes the Bulldogs have a very young and talented list but they still rely on their experienced players to keep them competitive most weeks and Will Minson, Robert Murphy and Ryan Griffin have definitely done that this season. But at the same time the youngsters are making their mark as shown by the fact that they have also won the last two games without club stalwarts Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross which is a great sign for the future. The Western Bulldogs forward line, just like most of this line up is a work in progress and a solid forward 6-7 players are yet to be determined. The Dogs do have talent in this area though with Liam Jones as the most likely long term number one target and Ayce Cordy showing that he enough natural talent to be an AFL forward too. The loss of Shaun Higgins for the season is a blow of course but the ever reliable pairing of Daniel Giansiracusa and Robert Murphy have added 22 goals between them so far this year to cover his absence. Of course with any team they also rely on their midfielders to impact the scoreboard and Adam Cooney and Ryan Griffen are more than capable of doing this. Then come the young smalls and medium forwards with the likes of Dalhaus, Hrovat, Grant and Smith all adding their own abilities to a forward set up that is becoming dangerous. The forward line will have to be on form this week though as the Magpies defense has been back to it’s restrictive best over the past two weeks. The Bulldogs midfield is the current strength of this side and when you look at the names that line up in there most weeks you can see why. Led from the front by Griffen, Boyd, Griffen and the league’s most in form ruckman Will Minson this midfield has the ability to contest against any opposition midfield in the AFL. Add the father son due of Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis and the tagging types in Addison and Picken and it’s no shock that this midfield worries it’s opponents. Minson has been maybe the most improved ruckman in the AFL this year going from a player who was in and out of the side last season to now being mentioned as the likely All Australian ruckman. Minson’s form has seen the Dogs win the ruck contest most weeks and they currently sit third for total/average hit outs for the entire league. This week they face a weakened Magpies midfield but one that still possesses some of the absolute best ball winners in the competition and this match up alone may well be worth the price of admission. has been a problem at times for the Dogs this year with some big scores kicked against them and the loss of Tom Williams will make it even more difficult for them moving forward. The return of Dale Morris has been a massive boost for the young defense though and it’s Morris that usually takes the most dangerous tall forward of the opposition. Youngsters Roughead and Talia have also been given some big tasks so far this season and with Matthew Scarlett guiding them there is massive potential for this backline to develop into one of the best in the competition long term. Adding to the backline has been one of the mature aged finds of the year in Brett Goodes who after years in the VFL was given his opportunity and he has grabbed it with both hands. Goodes will worry the Magpies forward line this week as keeping the ball inside forward 50 has been a weakness of the Pies so far in 2013. Just how well the Dogs backline can restrict the Collingwood forward line may well decide if this game will be competitive or a blow out in the Magpies favour, The Dogs injury list isn’t as severe as Collingwood’s but it still has a few big names on it although this week Matthew Boyd should be available to return from a calf injury that saw him miss the last few games before the bye. Coming off the bye can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on how a respective team copes and this week coach Brendan McCartney has to ensure the intensity is high early on. Apart from Boyd other players that will push for senior selection include Cross, Cordy, Grant and Markovic as well as a few youngsters who have impressed recently in the VFL. One would suspect the Dogs would go with an experienced line up versus the Pies but selection on Thursday night will give us a better idea as to how strong the Bulldogs will be on Sunday. TEAMS Collingwood B: Nathan Brown, Ben Reid, Heritier O’Brien HB: Heath Shaw, Nick Maxwell, Marley Williams C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Luke Ball HF: Jamie Elliott, Quinten Lynch, Dane Swan F: Ben Kennedy, Travis Cloke, Josh Thomas Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Blair Int (from): Kyle Martin, Tim Broomhead, Ben Sinclair, Alan Didak, Paul Seedsman, Sam Dwyer, Adam Oxley In: S.Dwyer, T.Broomhead, J.Elliott Out: nil Western Bulldogs B: Brett Goodes, Jordan Roughead, Michael Talia HB: Jason Johannisen, Dale Morris, Dylan Addison C: Adam Cooney, Matthew Boyd, Jack Macrae HF: Robert Murphy, Liam Jones, Ryan Griffen F: Daniel Giansiracusa, Jake Stringer, Luke Dahlhaus Foll: Will Minson, Tom Liberatore, Nick Lower Int (from): Lukas Markovic, Liam Picken, Mitch Wallis, Koby Stevens, Clay Smith, Nathan Hrovat, Tom Campbell In: M.Boyd, A.Cooney, L.Markovic, T.Campbell Out: T.Williams (shoulder) TIP Collingwood will start this game as short priced favourites but based on the last few weeks the Western Bulldogs will believe they can be highly competitive here. The likely inclusion of the inspirational Matthew Boyd and the continued absence from the Collingwood line up of several of it’s stars has to give the Dogs some hope leading into this game. The Magpies however may just be about to hit their best form of 2013 so far and even though their opponent this week is a step up from the past two weeks the Pies should be able to get away with a comfortable win here. The fact the Pies have the bye after this game also means they can leave everything on the field with little concern for recovery the following week. PIES BY 28 POINTS. |
||
Friday, June 14, 2013
Round 12 Preview: Collingwood v Footscray
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment