Facts and Stats: Collingwood v Carlton

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Carlton Friday May 2, 7.50pm MCG Fox Footy / 7mate 7.30pm Weather: Min 11 Max 15 Chance of rain 90%: 10-20mm Wind: WSW 20kph Betting: Collingwood $1.23 Carlton $4.20

Collingwood and Carlton is the touchpoint for all rivalries in Australian football.
The two old foes will face off for the 248th time in front of another huge crowd at the MCG on Friday night.
Collingwoodfc.com.au breaks down the facts and figures that help make up the story of two of the game’s most famous clubs.

8,972,461 – People to have watched Collingwood and Carlton matches since 1920.
121,696 – The largest crowd to attend a VFL/AFL match, let alone a Collingwood-Carlton match, at the 1970 Grand Final at the MCG.
88,181 – People crammed into the MCG to witness Simon Prestigiacomo unfurl the 2010 premiership pennant before the Magpies accounted for the Blues by 28 points in round three, 2011. Jarryd Blair kicked five and Dane Swan had 34 disposals.
48,287 – The smallest crowd between the two clubs since 2000 (in round 20, 2005).
16,678 – Fans made their way to the MCG for a pre-season match between the two clubs on New Year’s Eve, 1999. It was Mick Malthouse’s first game of any sort as Collingwood coach.
5,728 – Days since Collingwood officially bottomed out against Carlton in round 21, 1998. Folklore has it that the dismal 55-point loss on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG was a key turning point in Eddie McGuire’s decision to become Collingwood President.
3,867 – Days since Heath Scotland last played for Collingwood (in the ill-fated 2003 Grand Final against Brisbane in 2003). He has played 214 games for Carlton in the years since.

2000 – The last year the two clubs met in the home and away season at a venue other than the MCG (Princes Park).
1992 – The last time the two clubs met at Waverley Park (Collingwood won by 16 points).
1981 – The last year the two clubs faced off at Victoria Park (Collingwood won by one point).
1970 – Perhaps the game’s most famous Grand Final. We won’t say any more…
1910 – The only year in which the Magpies defeated the Blues in a Grand Final (by 14 points in front of 42,577 at the MCG).
1892 – The year the two clubs met for the first time in any capacity. Carlton won by a goal at Victoria Park on 7 May.

542 – Disposals Dane Swan has won during his 19 games against Carlton since 2004. It is his highest cumulative tally against any club.
247 – Times the two clubs have met since the beginning of the VFL in 1897.
125 – Occasions Carlton has had the better of Collingwood. Carlton is the only club with a positive win-loss record against the Magpies.
180 – Carlton’s highest score against the Magpies since 1897 (28.12 180), kicked in round 18, 2000.
118 – Times Collingwood has prevailed over the Navy Blues.
114 – Goals kicked by Gordon Coventry in 31 games against Carlton.
111 – Carlton’s record winning margin against Collingwood, recorded at Princes Park in round 18, 2000.
108 – Collingwood’s greatest ever winning margin in a game against Carlton. The record was achieved on a Friday night at the MCG in round 18, 2002. Nathan Buckley was named best afield in his 200th AFL game while Josh Fraser kicked six goals.
101 – The cumulative winning margin in Collingwood’s two victories over Carlton in 1990.
89 – The cumulative winning margin in Collingwood’s two victories over Carlton in 1990.
78 – Times Peter McKenna put the Sherrin through the big sticks in his 20 games against Carlton.
44 – The point deficit Carlton had to overcome to beat Collingwood in the 1970 Grand Final.
38 – Carlton’s winning margin in the 1988 Qualifying Final.
31 – Disposals won by Shane O’Bree in his first match for Collingwood against Carlton in round three, 2000 (three of which were goals).
22 – Finals played between the two teams. Carlton has won 14, Collingwood has won eight.
22 – Men to have represented both Collingwood and Carlton during their playing careers since 1897.
21 – Times the two clubs have met to decide the Peter Mac Cup. Since 1993, the match has been an annual event that helps raise funds for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Collingwood has triumphed nine times and Carlton 12.
18 – Months on the sidelines. That was the penalty handed down to Jack Shorten (Collingwood) and Percy Sheehan (Carlton) following the infamous brawl in the 1910 Grand Final.
15 – Times Mick Malthouse was victorious over Carlton while coach of Collingwood (2000-2011).
12 – Goals kicked by Brendan Fevola against the Magpies in the Millenium Match on New Year’s Eve, 1999.
9 – Carlton’s winning streak against the Pies (registered between 1905 and 1909).
9 – Goals kicked by Collingwood in the second quarter to turn a 14-point deficit into a 16-point lead over Carlton in round 21, 2006.
8 – Goals kicked by Carlton’s Simon Beaumont against Collingwood in the first half of round 17, 1999.
8 – Seasons spent by Bill Strickland at Carlton in the VFA before becoming Collingwood’s inaugural VFL captain in 1897.
7 – Bounces taken by Mighty Mick McGuane as he ran into goal against Carlton at the MCG in round two, 1994.
7 – Collingwood’s longest winning streak against the Blue Baggers (achieved between 1897 and 1899).
7 – Goals kicked by the Magpies in a nasty loss to the Blues in wet conditions in round three, 2002. By season’s end, Collingwood would be nine-points shy of a premiership and Carlton moored at the foot of the ladder.
6 – Goals kicked by Craig Starcevich in only his second senior game against the Blues in a seven point loss at Waverley Park in round two, 1988.
6 – Collingwood’s winning margin in the first meeting between the two clubs in the first season of the VFL in round seven, 1897.
6 – Times the two sides have met on Grand Final day.
3 – Goals (and eight possessions) kicked by Gavin Brown in the opening quarter before injuring his hamstring against Carlton in round three, 2000.
3 – Goals kicked by little-known Blue forward Justin Davies in just six minutes to help Carlton upset the Magpies in round seven, 2004.
3 – Goals kicked by Peter McKenna in his one game for Carlton against Collingwood (round six, 1977).
3 – Games played by Magpie marvel Mick McGuane during his one year at Carlton in 1997.
2 – Games played for Carlton in 1913 by a man named Harry Curtis, who would later go on to become Collingwood’s President after 122 games in the Black and White.
1 – Broken jaw suffered by Nathan Buckley in a clash with Justin Murphy on Easter Monday, 1999.
1 – Game played by Brent Hall, the man the Magpies drafted out of South Fremantle with the selection they received from Carlton in exchange for Heath Scotland at the end of 2003 (No. 35 overall).
1 – United States Army general to visit the Collingwood change rooms before a game against Carlton. ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf addressed the Magpies before their meeting with the Blues in round 19, 1997.

Preview Round 7: Collingwood v Carlton

AFL

Collingwood v Carlton Friday May 2, 7.50pm MCG Fox Footy / 7mate 7.30pm Weather: Min 11 Max 15 Chance of rain 90%: 10-20mm Wind: WSW 20kph Betting: Collingwood $1.23 Carlton $4.20

THE TRADITIONAL rivals enter this Friday night battle full of confidence after impressive come-from-behind victories last round. The Magpies midfield was instrumental in the big comeback in the Anzac Day clash against the Bombers, with Brownlow medallist Dane Swan back to his best with 26 disposals and four goals. Adding spice to this contest will be former Magpie favourite son Dale Thomas in his first appearance against his old team. Thomas and his coach Mick Malthouse will be keen to halt the Pies' rise up the ladder, but Swan, skipper Scott Pendlebury and in-form midfielders Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams should prove too creative for the depleted Blues' midfield.

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

1. R15, 2013, Collingwood 17.16 (118) d Carlton 12.5 (77) at the MCG
2. R2, 2013, Collingwood 17.15 (117) d Carlton 15.10 (100) at the MCG
3. R15, 2012, Carlton 12.13 (85) d Collingwood 8.14 (62) at the MCG
4. R3, 2012, Carlton 18.14 (122) d Collingwood 9.8 (62) at the MCG
5. R17, 2011, Collingwood 13.20 (98) d Carlton 11.13 (79) at the MCG
   

THE SIX POINTS

1. A weakness for Collingwood this season has been its accuracy in front of goals. The Magpies are ranked 17th at 43.4 per cent and the Blues are 13th at 45.5 per cent.
2. Carlton's biggest victory over the Magpies is a 111-point thrashing in round 18, 2000, at Princes Park. Collingwood's greatest win over the Blues is 108 points in round 18, 2002, at the MCG.
3. The Blues are the fourth-best team this season for clearances, averaging 41.7 a game, while Collingwood ranks 16th at 35.3 a game.
4. In Collingwood's comfortable win over Carlton in round 15 last season, the Pies dominated the statistics with more disposals, marks, tackles, hit-outs, scoring shots and inside 50s.
5. Carlton is last for handballs this season with 851. Collingwood is 16th with 870.
6. The two captains are the leading point scorers for their clubs in the Official AFL Player Ratings this season – Scott Pendlebury (128.6) and Marc Murphy (95.5).

Prediction: Collingwood by 17 points

Injury List

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Carlton Friday May 2, 7.50pm MCG Fox Footy / 7mate 7.30pm Weather: Min 11 Max 15 Chance of rain 90%: 10-20mm Wind: SW 19kph Betting: Collingwood $1.25 Carlton $3.90

The two men injured in Collingwood’s ANZAC Day win over Essendon remain in contention to take to the field against arch rival Carlton on Friday night.
Clinton Young (corked leg) has been given the all clear to tackle the Blues under the MCG lights, while Alex Fasolo (foot) will be tested later this week.
“The early prognosis is that he might miss this week,” Director of Football Rodney Eade said of Fasolo.
Watch Rodney Eade discuss the injury status of Fasolo, Young, Lynch, Williams and others in his weekly injury update on CollingwoodTV in the video above.
“He’s 50-50 at this stage, his foot and toe are a little bit sore.
“Everything was clear on the scan so we’re hopeful that he might play this week but he’ll certainly be available after the bye.”
Fasolo was substituted out of the match during the third quarter.
It was a disappointing end to the 21-year-old’s afternoon, for it was on ANZAC Day last year that his senior campaign also came to a halt.
Unfortunately, the news is not as good for Quinten Lynch and Corey Gault.
The West Australian pair was injured in Saturday’s VFL win over Essendon at Windy Hill.
Lynch sustained a broken leg during the third quarter while Gault suffered a broken collarbone moments after kicking the first goal of the game.
“Lynch unfortunately fractured his leg, the non-weight bearing bone in his leg,” Eade sighed.
“Depending on what happens with the surgeon about what is the best method to fix that, whether it’s just by natural healing or whether there’s a plate inserted.
“We’re hopeful, fingers crossed, it will just be the 5-6 weeks.”

Injury List as of Monday 29 April 2014

Name	Injury	Status
Clinton Young	Cork	Available
Alex Fasolo	Toe	Test
Marley Williams	Ankle	Test
Adam Oxley	Ankle	1 week
Ben Reid	Calf	1 week
Ben Sinclair	Hamstring	1-2 weeks
Nathan Freeman	Hamstring	3 weeks
Quinten Lynch	Broken leg	5-6 weeks
Corey Gault	Broken collarbone	8-10 weeks
Matthew Scharenberg	Feet	Indefinite

Long-term injury list: Matthew Scharenberg has been added to Collingwood's long-term injury list. Jack Frost has been elevated from the rookie list as his replacement.

2014 Ladder: Round 6

Pos Position    C Change from last round    P Played    W Won    L Lost    D Drawn    F Points for    A Points against
% Percentage    Form Past five results    Next Next opponent    Pts Points

Round 6 ANZAC Day: Collingwood 83 Essendon 60

THE FACTS

COLLINGWOOD    0.3.3    6.5.41   9.7.61   12.11.83
ESSENDON            5.4.34  6.5.41   6.7.43     8.12.60

SCORERS - Collingwood: Swan (4.2), Sidebottom (3.0), White (2.0), Elliott (1.0), Goldsack (1.0), Grundy (1.0), Cloke (0.3), Pendlebury (0.2), Beams (0.1), Lumumba (0.1), Macaffer (0.1), Witts (0.1)

BEST - Collingwood: Swan, Sidebottom, Macaffer, Beams, Pendlebury, Langdon, Frost
INJURIES - Collingwood: Fasolo (foot), Young (leg)

SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Alex Fasolo replaced by Josh Thomas in the third quarter

REPORTS: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD: 91,731 at the MCG

TALKING POINTS

1. Swan song When the game was locked in a stalemate in the third quarter, someone needed to stand up and make a difference. It fell to the experienced head of Dane Swan, who went on to win his second Anzac medal in as many years. In the third quarter alone, Swan had 10 possessions and kicked two of his three goals with two show-stopping moves. The first came when he intercepted a handpass near the boundary 50m out, ran the length of the arc – giving no respect to Cale Hooker as he strolled past him - bounced twice and slotted the goal. The second came late in the quarter when he ploughed through traffic and kicked truly to make the difference 18 points at the final change. Swan's snap at the 19-minute mark of the last quarter when the Bombers were within 10 points was just icing on the cake. 2. Bomber blitz There is no other way to explain the first quarter than a red and back rout. The Bombers piled on five goals to zero – and very nearly made it six with Jason Winderlich marking on the 50m arc as the siren rang. The veteran forward made the distance but hit the post, which left the Bombers with a comfortable 31-point lead. The Pies didn't take the ball inside their own forward 50 for 10 minutes at the start of the game and not until the Bombers had three goals on the board. Scott Pendlebury missed a shot in the last 30 seconds after winning a free kick from Jake Melksham, but even the silky skills of the Collingwood captain couldn't save his side from being rendered goalless in the opening quarter for the first time against Essendon since round 19, 1990 – and the first time in any quarter against the Bombers on Anzac Day. 3. Land of the little men Just as journalists were reaching for the record books at quarter time, things changed dramatically. Melksham kicked the first goal of the term but from there, it was all Collingwood as the Pies slammed through six unanswered goals to level the scores by half time. Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams, Clinton Young and Steele Sidebottom stepped up while the damaging Bombers from the first term – Brent Stanton, Paul Chapman and Dyson Heppell – were reduced in effectiveness. When the momentum swung, it wasn't the big guys who forced the change for the Pies. Jesse White kicked one when he gathered the ball off hands but Travis Cloke touched it just four times in the half and Jarrod Witts twice. Sidebottom snuck two of his three goals from the back of the pack, while Tyson Goldsack and Swan chipped in with the others.

4. Goal review win There's been plenty of talk recently about the effectiveness of the goal review process and with suggestions that the majority of them are inconclusive. But an instance at the 20-minute mark of the second quarter that cost Collingwood a goal showed the review system can be worthwhile when the right camera angle is available. Cloke kicked a goal from the boundary but Heppell was quick to signal he had touched the ball off the boot. The umpire bravely called for a review in front of the Magpies' cheersquad, which was making some serious noise as their team charged. The footage clearly showed a deviation in Heppell's fingers as the ball travelled through his hands. The adjustment was made, a point awarded and Collingwood fans were left to seethe despite the correct call overruling the goal. 5. Doubt on Dempsey decision? It was only this week Essendon defender Courtenay Dempsey re-joined his teammates after being exiled to the VFL earlier this month for failing to meet professional standards. The backman's pre-season didn't start well when he came back from leave six kilos overweight. But, after last playing on March 29 – in a VFL practice match where he injured his hamstring after overcoming a pre-season calf issue – Dempsey was recalled to the team this week after addressing his teammates on Tuesday. He started as substitute and came on for Kyle Hardingham in the third quarter and it appeared early on he was going to be challenged by the pace of the game. He was run down once by Sidebottom and then caught twice more before his first constructive possession – a contested mark – set up Melksham for a shot at goal. He ended with 10 touches and will be better for the run but it was still an interesting decision to bring him straight in for such a big stage event, even when he started in the green vest.                                  " It fell to the experienced head of Dane Swan, who went on to win his second Anzac medal in as many years. In the third quarter alone, Swan had 10 possessions and kicked two of his three goals with two show-stopping moves."

THE MEDIA

COLLINGWOOD NEWS Collingwood has overcome a disastrous start to outclass Essendon by 23 points in a bruising Anzac Day affair at the MCG in front of the sixth largest crowd in home and away history. 91,731 fans crammed into the home of football to witness the Pies overcome a 37-point deficit to run out victors 12.11 (83) to 8.12 (60), in the 20th Anzac Day clash between these two sides since the tradition began in 1995. Essendon jumped out of the blocks kicking the first six goals of the game before the Pies, sparked by midfielder Steele Sidebottom and Anzac medallist Dane Swan, piled on nine unanswered goals to wrestle the game back onto their terms. After being criticised for a slow start this season, Swan was back to his best with 26 touches and four goals, while Sidebottom was next best for the Pies amassing 26 disposals and kicking three goals. The win was soured for Collingwood with Alex Fasolo substituted out of the game and wingman Clinton Young limping off in the third term. Fasolo watched the remainder of the game from the bench with a moon boot on his right foot with fears he has injured the navicular bone in his foot, an injury which kept him to just three games last season. Essendon's relentless pressure and quick ball movement had Collingwood on the back foot from the opening bounce and it showed on the scoreboard with the Bombers stunning the Pies with a five goal opening term. Midfielder Brent Stanton was sublime for the Bombers with 14 first-quarter disposals and a goal. Collingwood could only manage a measly three behinds in the first term with Essendon dominating the inside-50s 16 to nine to lead the Pies by 31 points at quarter-time. After their first goalless opening term against Essendon since round 19, 1990, the Pies hit back in the second quarter. A Jake Melksham goal in the opening two minutes of the second term pushed the Bombers lead out to 37-points and it looked as though the game could become a blow out. But in a remarkable turn around, the Pies, ignited by star Steele Sidebottom, piled on six unanswered goals to draw level with the Bombers at half-time. A goal from recruit Jesse White at the eight minute mark of the second quarter, the Pies first major for the game, sparked his side into action. Pies skipper Scott Pendlebury lifted his output in the second term with 11 touches, while Sidebottom had eight disposals and kicked three goals, including one just before half-time to level the score. With the momentum well and truly in their favour, the Pies continued to apply the heat on the Bombers in the third term kicking away to an 18-point lead at the final change. With Travis Cloke unable to impact the scoreboard, White stood tall up forward, while Dane Swan threatened in attack kicking two goals in the third term to give the Pies a run of nine unanswered goals. Not willing to concede defeat the Bombers lifted in the final stanza, the Merrett brothers combining to kick the first two goals of the quarter and reduce the deficit to eight points. But the Pies steadied through Jamie Elliott, Swan and Brodie Grundy to seal the win for the black and white army. The decision to bring back Courtenay Dempsey into the side was a risk that didn't pay off for coach Mark Thompson. Dempsey was subbed on for the Bombers early in the third term, replacing Kyle Hardingham who had just one touch to half-time. The rebounding defender had not played competitive football for a month, after injuring his hamstring two days before being exiled to the VFL for failing to uphold training and preparation standards. His lack of match practice was evident as he was chased down on several occasions and appeared to be unable to keep up with the pace of the contest. Defender-turned-forward Jack Carlisle also failed to bounce back after his coach gave him a public back-hander during the week with Thompson declaring the 22-year-old was "in danger" of being dropped. The Bombers also have some key injury concerns of their own with Paul Chapman copping a blow to the head and limping off with an ankle complaint, while skipper Jobe Watson, who was well held by tagger Brent Macaffer, sustained a gash to the face.                             REAL FOOTY Defeating Essendon on Anzac Day after coming from so far behind - and the way they did it - made the win more worthy than Collingwood’s other three wins of the season, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley said. He said he felt the team had improved on last year, in particular defensively at either end of the ground. The win came at a cost for Collingwood, with Alex Fasolo injuring a big toe and needing to be substituted. When he finished the game in a moon boot, there were concerns he had re-injured the navicular bone that kept him out for most of last season, but scans were expected to reveal a toe injury. Clinton Young finished with a corked thigh in a heavy collision with Bomber forward Paul Chapman that left the former Geelong premiership player assessed for concussion. Before a crowd of 91,731, the Magpies came from 37 points down early in the second quarter to boot nine unanswered goals and eventually win by 23 points. They withstood a mini-Essendon comeback in the last quarter to win by 23 points, despite being down a man on the bench. “It was an excellent win … the pride in the performance, the belief in what we're doing at the moment … it's a massive step forward for us,” Buckley said. “Today was probably as encouraging as any of our wins so far. We were on the back foot early, but we were able to hold our line and maintain the belief in the way we went about it. The onfield leadership of the players to maintain that communication and positivity when things were heading south, what we were able to execute over four quarters was the biggest win for us.'' Collingwood had 11 fewer forward entires than Essendon but also laid an impressive 97 tackles. Essendon put on 81 in a fiercely contested game. “We won a different way … Essendon came out from the bell, punched us in the nose, we had watery eyes and it took us a little while to get our bearings,” Buckley said. “It was all the more meritorious with the youth in our side and our senior leaders out there, to be able to keep everything on track and stick to the task. That doesn’t mean we are going to come back and win it, but the fact that we were able to is a fairly big feather in the cap. “Last year, if we were to give up that many inside-50s, we would have been scored [against] really heavily.” Buckley said the team was starting to better implement minor changes to the game plan made after last season when it was exploited defensively at either end of the ground. “We were a top-four side defensively and offensively through the middle last year in transition, in contested ball and clearances, but at either end we had some work to do. We made some modifications, we are adjusting that. “We are not putting a cap on what we are capable of. We are still finding our best balance, we are still finding out what we are capable of, and we look forward to challenges we have to come.'' Buckley said key-position swingman Ben Reid would likely return to the side in after the bye, and following the Carlton game next Friday night.

SUPERFOOTY MARK Thompson couldn’t have been more satisfied at quarter time on Anzac Day if he was chomping a salad roll and tipping back a Peroni. All week he had publicly goaded his team about their motivation and privately schemed about tactics to bring down the rampant Pies. Just two minutes into the second quarter on a glorious autumn day his Dons were playing perfect Anzac Day football. Thirty seven points clear, with Thompson lauded as a motivational and tactical genius yet again, Essendon had enough momentum to stop a train. It should say everything about the extraordinary nature of another Anzac Day clash that by game’s end his tactics were in tatters and his controversial selections under pressure. A total of 91,731 fans feasted on a contest with everything: massive momentum swings, star turns by mighty midfielders, and a game in the balance at time-on in the last term. But when the dust settled the Dons were still 2-4, and with Thompson’s decisions on substitute Courtenay Dempsey and Jake Carlisle clearly backfiring. First the Dons squandered a lead of better than six goals, then butchered a chance to regain the lead with a last term of missed shots (2.5) and botched opportunities. Thompson watched on helpless while a trio of remarkable Pies in midfielders in Dane Swan (four goals), Steele Sidebottom (three goals) and Scott Pendlebury (30 touches, seven tackles) ripped the game from his grasp. Through their sheer running power the Pies would pile on nine goals in a row, then absorb Essendon’s best late blows to hold the Dons off by 23 points. Carlisle was played forward and was utterly inept, while Dempsey was continually run down and harried into errors despite Thompson’s faith. It will be cold comfort to Thompson that this was yet another chapter in a long line of great Anzac Day contests and watched by the sixth-highest home-and-away crowd in history. The Bombers will lick their wounds, but the rest of us will consider this: can one game of football rescue a season desperately sinking into mediocrity? Because if it stopped short of the type of 1995 Anzac Day epic, it had everything the fans demand from this great code of ours. This game had everything we have missed this year with the rare exception of a few contests like Hawthorn-Geelong. The fans don’t want pretty footy, they want risky football with the capacity to surprise. When good teams bring the heat at the MCG they deny time and space, basically guaranteeing long bombs forward, bone-crunching tackles and quick kicks from packs that clears congestion. The scope of the turnaround from early in the second term beggared belief. The Dons had the first nine inside 50s, the first six goals, and at one stage were on record pace after 24 tackles in 23 minutes. By quarter time Jason Winderlich was shutting out Nick Maxwell, Paul Chapman was smashing Alex Fasolo, Cale Hooker had kept Travis Cloke statless, and Jackson Merrett was tight on Steele Sidebottom. Even superstar Pendlebury had been beaten by Jake Melksham as the Bombers led by 37 points when he kicked the first goal of the second goal from yet another Winderlich assist. Yet Collingwood’s team effort would find a way to combat those 30 minutes of scintillating football. Swan was nearly statless early in the second term but conjured one brilliant moment after another to kick four goals including the sealer. Pendlebury and Young would find a way to lift in that crucial second term to arrest Essendon’ momentum. And all the while Dayne Beams won critical possessions in close so that even when Alex Fasolo (foot) and Clinton Young (knee) were sidelined the Pies found the calmness to end this contest.                                  COLLINGWOOD NEWS Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has refused to put a ceiling on what his team can achieve this season after it found a "different way" to win against Essendon on Anzac Day. After the Magpies gave up a 31-point lead in the first quarter by failing to kick a goal to the Bombers' five, they wrestled back momentum and levelled the scores by half time. They then wrung out a 23-point victory despite being forced to reshuffle their backline with Alex Fasolo (toe/illness) and Clinton Young (corked thigh) unable to finish the game. The way the game was won – different to the Pies' other three victories this season – was the most satisfying aspect for Buckley and enhanced his belief the team has improved this season. "We are not putting a cap on what we are capable of, this side," Buckley said afterwards. "We are still finding our best balance, we are still finding out what we are capable of and we look forward to challenges we have to come. "Last year if we were to give up that many inside-50s we would have been scored (against) really heavily. "We were a top four side defensively and offensively through the middle of last year in transition, contested ball and clearances, but at either end we had some work to do. "We made some modifications, we are adjusting that. "It was an excellent win. The pride in the performance, the belief in what we're doing at the moment...it's a massive step forward for us." Anzac medallist Dane Swan summed up the Pies' first quarter as being "out-pressured" and "out-worked", which led to them chasing their tails and ensuring they didn't panic. Buckley said the fact they worked out how to win and stuck to a new plan that evolved as the game changed was a major positive. "I thought as much as you possibly can, our players held their heads and in the coaches box we held ours and understood it was going to be a grind to work out of it," he said. "(Essendon) really had everything on their terms in the first quarter and we were able to wrestle that back. "That was done on the run in many ways but it was done in the belief there are prerequisites with the way we want to play that we weren't able to execute in the first but we were in the last three." They lost Fasolo in the second quarter and Young in the third, but it was the bizarre circumstances surrounding the former's fitness that left Buckley disappointed with the club's medical staff. Buckley said they believed Fasolo had hurt his toe – and not his navicular bone again, as speculated during the game – before the main break. He has also suffered from the flu for the past three weeks. However, he ran out with the team for the start of the third and it took 10 minutes before the substitute was made to bring Josh Thomas into the game. "I still have some questions to ask of our medical department," Buckley said. "We had 20 minutes to work it out (at halftime) and it wasn't until 10 minutes into the third where we got the decision." When asked if someone "might be having a kick in the bum", Buckley responded with, "Potentially, yeah". Both players will have scans over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Pies aren't expecting key position player Ben Reid to return before their round eight bye but are "bullish about him getting back pretty soon after". Paul Seedsman will play his first VFL game on Saturday following pre-season hip surgery.

Round 6 ANZAC Day: The Team

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 80%: 1-5mm Wind: N 23kph Betting: Collingwood 1.58 Essendon 2.40

B: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Nick Maxwell
HB: Clinton Young, Lachlan Keeffe, Heritier Lumumba
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Dane Swan
HF: Josh Thomas, Jesse White, Jarryd Blair
F: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury

Int: Alex Fasolo, Luke Ball, Jarrod Witts, Tom Langdon
Emg: Sam Dwyer, Taylor Adams, Nathan Brown

Collingwood News Collingwood has named an unchanged line-up for the second consecutive week ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s ANZAC Day blockbuster against Essendon at the MCG. For only the second time in 15 years, Collingwood will head into clash with the same 22 players for the third match in succession after recording back-to-back triumphs over pre-season fancies Richmond and North Melbourne. While Collingwood fielded an identical squad from rounds 18 to 20 last season, club history demonstrated it to be an anomaly, with the last previous occurrence transpiring during the ill-fated 1999 campaign. Unlike 1999 however, the last two instances have occurred with Collingwood in the ascendancy as senior coach Nathan Buckley rewards a side which has responded to his urging for greater consistency over the course of a match. With Taylor Adams, Nathan Brown and Sam Dwyer performing admirably at VFL level last weekend, Buckley certainly wasn’t short on options had he decided to introduce fresh faces to his side facing the Bombers. This was further emphasised by the revelation up to 17 members of the AFL list are in line to feature in their own clash against Essendon at Windy Hill on Saturday. But loathe to change a winning side; Buckley has instead maintained faith in the players who have delivered results to date, highlighting the stability offered by form and a rapidly shrinking injury list. “There is no doubt that Browny is a leader at the football club and he is a fantastic one-on-one defender for us but, at the same time, Jack Frost and Lachie Keeffe stood up exceptionally well against pretty good opponents,” Buckley said. “That's something you weigh up. If you're in our side, you've earned the right to be there. If you continue to perform, you earn the right to stay there. “There is competition for spots but we have blokes who are in those roles at the moment who are playing really well within our structure.” Adams, Brown and Dwyer meanwhile have been consigned to the emergencies list, while the prospective VFL returns of Tim Broomhead and Paul Seedsman further add to the litany of options at the club’s disposal. And with Ben Sinclair and Ben Reid in contention to return in the next fortnight, a series of welcome selection dilemmas loom in the rounds ahead.

ANZAC Day: 1995-2013

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 80%: 1-5mm Wind: N 23kph Betting: Collingwood 1.58 Essendon 2.40

Since 1995, the 25th of April has been etched into the AFL fixture as a date to rival even that last Saturday in September. But just what is it that gives ANZAC Day at the ‘G it's air of greatness? We reflect on 19 years of one of footy's finest fixtures...

The original Collingwood ANZAC Day team - Round 4 1995
B: Hassall, A.Richardson, Crosisca
HB: Burns, Kelly, Watson
C: Buckley, Brown (c), Wright
HF: Williams, Brereton, Walker
F: Kerrison, S.Rocca, Curran
Foll: Monkhorst, McGuane, B.James
Int: Wild, A.James, Christian

The original Essendon ANZAC Day team - Round 4 1995
B: Wanganeen, Fletcher, Daniher
HB: Symons, Harvey, Cransberg
C: Long, O'Donnell, Olarenshaw
HF: Mercuri, Alessio, Hird
F: Young, Darcy, Cockatoo-Collins
R: Somerville, Misiti, Denham
Int: Grenvold, Fraser, O'Connor

1995 - Collingwood 17.9 111 drew with Essendon 16.15 111 (94,825)
The original, and unanimously thought the best, this ANZAC blockbuster had the lot. 94,825 saw a back-and-forth battle ultimately ended in a stalemate. In just his second season for the Pies, a young Nathan Buckley amassed an impressive 30 touches, also kicking a goal. Although it was Buckley that ultimately took the three Brownlow votes, it was an incredibly dominant nine-goal display from Saverio Rocca, whose boot nearly proved the difference between the two sides.
Goals - S.Rocca 9, B.James 3, Brereton, Buckley, Williams, Walker, McGuane
Best - S.Rocca, Buckley, McGuane, Monkhorst, Watson, Wright, Brereton
ANZAC Day Medallist: Saverio Rocca (Coll) - 13 disposals, 10 marks, 9.2 goals

1996 - Essendon 16.9 105 def. by Collingwood 17.15 117 (87,549)
The highly-anticipated replay saw the Bombers leap out of the blocks with an impressive seven-goal first quarter. The Pies slowly whittled down the margin all day, finally running over their opponents and hitting the lead in the final quarter. Tony Francis and Scott Russell were instrumental for the Pies; Big Sav again a dominant presence, kicking 6.3. But, perhaps  the biggest talking point to come out of the game was a young James Hird's four-goal, 23 possession performance that would ultimately foreshadow his huge influence on future ANZAC clashes.
Goals - S.Rocca 6, Brown 3, T.Francis, M.Francis, Buckley, Patterson, Williams, Curran
Best - T.Francis, Russell, Schuable, Curran, Williams, Wright, S.Rocca, Brown, Crosisca
ANZAC Day Medallist: Scott Russell (Coll) - 26 disposals, 2 tackles, 1 goal

1997 - Essendon 10.10 70 def. by Collingwood 14.15 99 (83,271)
Following an impressive start to the season and renewed optimism under Tony Shaw, the Pies recorded a dominant victory on ANZAC Day, to take a decisive lead in the head-to-head.  Collingwood simply was simply in front all day, the new Rocca-brothers combination having 10 scoring shots between them. An impressive all-round display from 'Monkey' Monkhorst netted him three Brownlow votes.
Goals - S.Rocca 2, A.Rocca 2, Ahmat 2, Patterson 2, Williams, Buckley, Crow, Osborne, Wright
Best - Monkhorst, Brown, Buckley, Crow, Ahmat
ANZAC Day Medallist: Damien Monkhorst - 20 disposals, 13 hitouts, 1 tackle

1998 - Collingwood 15.18 108 def. Essendon 12.16 88 (81,542)
Another solid start to the season (albeit an ultimately forgettable one), and another Collingwood victory on the 25th. Nathan Buckley starred with 26 telling touches, and Sav was back to his ANZAC best, kicking 7.4. A sight that few would remember was a young Chris Tarrant - only in his third AFL game - who picked up only a sole handball. It wouldn't be long, however, until he would have his say on these epic matches.
Goals - S.Rocca 7, Fuller 3, Watson 2, A.Rocca, McDonald, Wright
Best - S.Rocca, Buckley, Patterson, McDonald, Crow, Russell
ANZAC Day Medallist: Saverio Rocca (Coll) - 20 disposals, 7.4 goals, 2 hitouts

1999 - Essendon 15.18 108 def. Collingwood 15.10 100 (73,118)
The year of 1999 is a painful one for any Collingwood supporter to reflect on, ANZAC Day, however, was one of the more spirited performances. 32-points down at quarter-time, the Buckley-less Pies were always going to be up against it. With the Rocca brothers not getting a scoring shot between them, Paul Williams put in a heroic effort, with a five-goal (straight), 16 possession performance. It was not enough to overcome the strengthening Dons, who, led by a six-goal bag from Matthew Lloyd, finally broke through for their first ANZAC victory.
Goals - Williams 5, Brown 2, Burns 2, Patterson 2, Crosisca, Fuller, Jacotine, Lane
Best - Williams, Crosisca, King, Burns, A.Rocca, Davis, Godden
ANZAC Day Medallist: Mark Mercuri (Ess) - 29 disposals, 2.2 goals

2000 - Collingwood 15.10 100 def. by Essendon 21.14 140 (88,390)
After an impressive 5-0 start to the season under new coach Mick Malthouse, as well as an exciting array of fresh talent, things were looking bright for the Pies. Coming up against the only other undefeated side in the league, Collingwood kept up admirably, before a powerful Essendon side blew them away in the final quarter, going on to drop one match on the way to achieving its record-breaking premiership. James Hird won the inaugural ANZAC Medal, with the umpires (unforgivably) overlooking Nathan Buckley's 31 possession, four-goal effort in Brownlow votes.
Goals - Buckley 4, Williams 2, Brown 2, Tarrant 2, Ukovic 2, Betheras, Lockyer, S.Rocca
Best - Buckley, O'Bree, McKee, Licuria, Fraser, Williams, Lockyer
ANZAC Day Medallist: James Hird (Ess) - 29 disposals, 2.2 goals

2001 - Essendon 15.13 103 def. Collingwood 14.11 95 (83,905)
In a typically hard-fought contest, the Pies ran out of legs against the reigning premiers, after trailing by a single point at the final change. It wasn't all bad news for the Pies, however, with some impressive displays in the young midfield from Ryan Lonie and Tarkyn Lockyer. The real bright spot of the day was ANZAC Day Medallist Chris Tarrant's five-goal haul.
Goals - Tarrant 5, Lockyer 3, Betheras 2, Lonie 2, Buckley, Holland
Best - Tarrant, O'Bree, Buckley, Licuria, N.Davis
ANZAC Day Medallist: Chris Tarrant (Coll) - 13 disposals, 9 marks, 5.1 goals

2002 - Collingwood 9.12 66 def. Essendon 4.9 33 (84,894)
Oh sweetness. There is not a true Collingwood supporter alive that could forget the moment: Rain pouring down, a triumphant Nathan Buckley, back-arched, raised both hands, signalling a telling final quarter goal and, indeed, the moment that the ‘dark days' of Collingwood were over. The day was a release for the football club; a purging of those memories. James Hird was soundly beat by an inspirational James Clement, whilst a 17-year old Mark McGough made a name for himself. Simply brilliant.
Goals - N.Davis 2, Burns, L.Davis, Lonie, Lockyer, Fraser, McKee, Steinfort
Best - McGough, Burns, Steinfort, Clement, Licuria, Freeborn, Buckley, Lockyer
ANZAC Day Medallist: Mark McGough (Coll) - 24 disposals, 6 marks

2003 - Essendon 23.9 147 def. Collingwood 12.9 81 (62,589)
In what was the most stark of contrasts to the previous year's efforts, ANZAC 2003 was lamentable. Essendon dominated from the first bounce, absolutely burying the Magpies in the final term. It was Hird who made the thrashing hurt most, having a blinder in the midfield, and finding time to kick a bag too. Buckley stood a lone beacon of light, fiercely collecting 37 disposals. Malthouse branded the effort the ‘worst' in his time at the club.
Goals - Didak 2, Licuria 2, Molloy, Buckley, Cloke, Fraser, Lonie, O'Bree, A.Rocca
Best - Buckley, Licuria, Burns, O'Bree, McGough, Johnson
ANZAC Day Medallist: James Hird (Ess) - 27 disposals, 5.0 goals

2004 - Collingwood 11.13 79 def. by Essendon 17.10 112 (57,294)
A struggling Collingwood outfit showed promising signs against the Bombers.  But after trailing by 25-points at the first change, never really challenged. Mark McGough was certainly Collingwood's best, notching up 29 touches, and almost snatching the medal away from another impressive Hird display.
Goals - Didak 3, McGough 2, Rocca 2, Burns, Fraser, Woewodin, Lokan
Best - McGough, Woewodin, Didak, Burns, Johnson, Licuria, Clement
ANZAC Day Medallist: James Hird (Ess) - 23 disposals, 9 marks, 3.0 goals

2005 - Essendon 11.17 83 def. Collingwood 10.9 69 (70,033)
A fiery and desperate encounter. A brawl before the opening bounce, James Hird reported in the first minute - this game had it all. In a match that Collingwood was expected to win, Essendon proved that on ANZAC Day, anything can happen. Andrew Lovett inspired the Bombers to a victory that was an ultimately disappointing day for the Pies. Rhyce Shaw held his head high with 32 touches and a goal.
Goals - Tarrant 2, Rowe 2, Caracella, Clement, C.Cloke, T.Cloke, R.Shaw, Woewodin
Best - R.Shaw, Licuria, Clement, C.Morrison, Lockyer
ANZAC Day Medallist: Andrew Lovett (Ess) - 20 disposals, 7 marks, 2.1 goals

2006 - Collingwood 15.16 106 def. Essendon 12.17 89 (91,234)
Collingwood broke through for its first ANZAC Day win since 2002, with a hard-fought 17-point triumph. Ben Johnson was brilliant, finally seen to combine his talent for winning the ball with effective and damaging disposal. Alan Didak was terrific with four goals, whilst Heath Shaw's 25-disposal effort was a little stiff to miss out on the prize, which Johnson collected amidst confusion as the now-infamous ‘Craig Johnson' was declared the recipient.
Goals - Didak 4, Buckley 3, Thomas 2, Clement, T.Cloke, Holland, Licuria, Lonie, A.Rocca
Best - Johnson, Didak, H.Shaw, Licuria, Swan, Lockyer
ANZAC Day Medallist: Ben Johnson (Coll) - 30 disposals, 10 marks

2007 - Essendon 11.13 79 def. by Collingwood 12.23 95 (90,508)
Stringing together their first two ANZAC victories in a row since '97-'98, the Pies dominated after conceding three quick goals. Aside from some terrible yips in front of goal, Collingwood's performance was absolutely terrific, with Didak and Rocca sharing goals, newcomer Harry O'Brien and James Clement toweling-up Scott Lucas and Matthew Lloyd, respectively, and Heath Shaw putting in an undeniably best-on-ground performance to take home the medal. The match squared the ANZAC Day ledger to six-victories apiece.
Goals - Didak 3, A.Rocca 3, Lockyer 2, T.Cloke, Johnson, Pendlebury, Dick
Best - H.Shaw, T.Cloke, Burns, T.Cloke, Pendlebury, R.Shaw
ANZAC Day Medallist: Heath Shaw (Coll) - 32 disposals, 13 marks

2008 - Collingwood 23.16 154 def. Essendon 12.9 81 (88,999)
A resounding victory. The Pies flexed their muscles for the first time in the 2008 season, showing off a fiercely potent forward line, led by the fast-improving Travis Cloke, who took 14 marks for a 5 goal haul. Scott Pendlebury raised his hand for medal contention with an outstanding 33 disposals, but the day belonged to Paul Medhurst whose six goal game aptly marked his Collingwood rebirth.
Goals - Medhurst 6, T.Cloke 5, Davis 3, Lockyer 3, Didak, Johnson, Goldsack, Swan, Thomas
Best - Medhurst, Pendlebury, T.Cloke, O'Bree, Didak, H.Shaw, Johnson, Swan
ANZAC Day Medallist: Paul Medhurst (Coll) - 17 disposals, 6 goals

2009 - Essendon 13.15 93 def. Collingwood 12.16 88 (84,829)
2009 saw as remarkable an ANZAC Day contest that we’ve seen. After a close contested swayed either way for three quarters, Collingwood looked to have Essendon on ice. The Bombers, who lost sole ruckman David Hille early in the match, were trailing by 14 points with less than five minutes remaining. In a heart wrenching turn for Collingwood fans, the Bombers remarkably slammed on three goals in four minutes, and made fourth gamer David Zaharakis a household name.
Goals - Anthony 4, Davis 2, L.Brown, T.Cloke, Medhurst, Macaffer, Pendlebury, A.Rocca
Best - Swan, Davis, O'Bree, Pendlebury, O'Brien
ANZAC Day Medallist: Patrick Ryder (Ess) - 27 hitouts, 16 possessions, 1 goal

2010 - Collingwood 18.12 120 def. Essendon 8.7 55 (90,070)
It was the day Collingwood flexed its muscle for the first time in 2010. In a precurser of things to come, the Magpies banged on seven goals to none in the opening quarter to build a 44 point buffer at the first break. They were never challenged from thereon. Scott Pendlebury's 29 disposals saw him win the first of his two ANZAC Day Medals. Previous winner Ben Johnson gave ample drive in the midfield and Josh Fraser turned back the clock to put in a virtuoso performance with three goals, 19 disposals and 10 hitouts.
Goals - T.Cloke 4, Fraser 3, Dawes 2, Wellingham 2, Medhurst, Johnson, Didak, Beams, D.Thomas, Toovey
Best - Pendlebury, Johnson, Fraser, Didak, Wellingham, H.Shaw, Swan, D.Thomas
ANZAC Day Medallist: Scott Pendlebury (Coll) - 29 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal

2011 - Essendon 11.11 77 def. by Collingwood 16.11 107 (89,626)
A closely fought match that belied the fact that Collingwood led at every change. The Bombers appeared poised to knock the Magpies off for only the second time since round 10, 2010, when David Hille put them within two points early in the last quarter. Three goals late in the final term to Travis Cloke steadied the ship and guided Collingwood to its second consecutive ANZAC Day win over the Dons.
Goals - T.Cloke 3, Pendlebury 3, Beams 2, Dawes 2, Swan, Jolly, L.Brown, Ball, Didak, Sidebottom
Best - Pendlebury, Davis, H.Shaw, D.Thomas, T.Cloke, Jolly, Swan, Wellingham, Ball
ANZAC Day Medallist: Scott Pendlebury (Coll) - 34 disposals, 8 tackles, 3 goals

2012 - Collingwood 11.14 (80) def. Essendon 11.13 (79) (86,932)
One of the games of the year. Collingwood led for most of the day until Brent Stanton emerged as an unlikely match winner late in the game with a snap around the body with only minutes remaining. Without much time to lose, Collingwood raced the ball down the other end for Jarryd Blair to throw a leg at the ball and soccer through a goal that put the Pies in front by a point with only a minute to play. Although the Bombers threatened to pinch victory in the dying seconds, Collingwood held on grimly to a one-point win. Dane Swan played one of the games of his life, winning 42 possessions and kicking three goals en route to his first ANZAC Day Medal.
Goals - Cloke 3, Swan 3, Blair 2, Jolly, Beams, Sidebottom
Best - Swan, Pendlebury, Johnson, Beams, Blair, Cloke, Sidebottom, Jolly, Sinclair
ANZAC Day Medallist: Dane Swan (Coll) - 42 possessions, three goals, six tackles, 13 clearances

2013 - Essendon 18.13 (121) def. Collingwood 10.15 (75) (93,373)
A match that won't be fondly recalled by any member of the Magpie Army. Although it was a close tussle for the first three quarters, Essendon always had the edge on the Black and Whites and were deserving winners. Collingwood looked a step off the pace from the get-go in front of the third biggest home and away crowd in VFL/AFL history. Sub Tyson Goldsack tried to give his team some spark when released into the fray in the second half but he had few mates as David Zaharakis (34 disposals) and Jobe Watson (31 disposals) went to town.
Goals - Blair 2, Cloke 2, Goldsack 2, Pendlebury 2, Elliott, Sidebottom
Best - Swan, Pendlebury, Reid, Sidebottom, Shaw
ANZAC Day Medallist: David Zaharakis (Ess) - 34 possessions, four goals, six inside 50s

Preview Round 6 ANZAC Day: Collingwood v Essendon

Collingwood News

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 80%: 1-5mm Wind: N 23kph Betting: Collingwood 1.58 Essendon 2.40

There is truly no other home and away game throughout the year quite like the Collingwood v Essendon ANZAC Day blockbuster. It is impossible to explain the feeling of 90,000 people completely silent during the playing of the Last Post, and the roar of the crowd at the conclusion of the National Anthem.
Although I could write an entire piece on the spectacle of the ANZAC Day clash, my article this week is solely focused on the game between the Pies and the Bombers. As has been the case in recent years, there is a lot riding on this week’s result considering both teams have finals aspirations.
Two weeks ago, Essendon was the toast of the town following a thumping win over Carlton and a competitive effort against Hawthorn. Collingwood on the other hand was languishing in the bottom half of the ladder and many experts were predicting the Pies to be the big sliders of 2014. Fast forward to round six, and the Pies are in red-hot form while the Bombers have had a fortnight of football they would rather forget.
Last week’s loss to St Kilda was a blow to an Essendon outfit that considers itself a finals contender. The Saints completely shut down Essendon’s run and exposed deficiencies all over the field last Saturday. It was also a particularly ugly game to watch as Essendon’s ball movement was very slow and the Saints had time to get numbers into defence.
Essendon coach Mark Thompson has a lot of work to do ahead of Friday’s clash to get his side playing the exciting brand of football that we all know the Bombers are capable of playing.
Collingwood, however, was very impressive against a North Melbourne side that was in great form leading into the match. The Pies had the game over by half time as they lifted their tackling pressure to a level which made the Kangaroos look second rate. The Magpies have endured a very difficult fixture to start the season, so a win against Essendon will ensure Collingwood is in a very strong position as it approaches the bye in round eight.

Recent History
Collingwood and Essendon played in two very contrasting games last season. The last meeting was in round 19 where the Magpies smashed the Bombers by 79 points. Luke Ball was deemed best afield with 22 disposals and seven tackles to go with a goal, while Steele Sidebottom polled two votes with 30 disposals and a goal. Ben Reid was given one vote for his three goal effort. Dane Swan was also prominent with 30 disposals, although Jobe Watson was the leading disposal winner with 31. Travis Cloke also kicked five goals.
Last year’s ANZAC Day clash was a different story, with the Bombers running out resounding 46-point winners. David Zaharakis polled the three Brownlow votes and also won the ANZAC Day Medal with 34 disposals and four goals, with Watson polling two votes for his 31 disposals and two goals. Sidebottom was again prominent with 31 disposals and a goal. Jason Winderlich also kicked three goals for the Bombers.

At the Selection Table
Both sides have some selection quandaries ahead of the big game on Friday.
Starting with Collingwood, and the big decision for coach Nathan Buckley is whether to bring back Nathan Brown, Taylor Adams and Sam Dwyer, or go in with the same side that has put together two very successful victories in the last fortnight.
Brown looked comfortable last week at VFL level but it will be hard to displace the in-form Jack Frost and Lachlan Keeffe.
Both Sam Dwyer and Taylor Adams were in the VFL sides’ best last week and are deserving of spots.
New recruit Pat Karnezis also returned to the VFL last week and booted three goals, while Paul Seedsman (hip) and Tim Broomhead (shin splints) could also make their return this round through the VFL.
Turning the focus onto Essendon, and the Bombers should be boosted by the potential return of medium forward Jason Winderlich.
The Bombers will be without Brendon Goddard and Tom Bellchambers, though, with the club ruling the pair out on Thursday morning.

Focus on Collingwood
There is a lot to like about the way the Magpies are playing at the moment. Defensively, Collingwood is structuring up really well. Collingwood is also spreading really well from defence which is another positive sign. That said, I still think the Magpies could still improve their inside 50 count and clearance work.
The only real negative from last week’s game was the inaccurate kicking for goal. Collingwood should have won the game by more than 10 goals, but just couldn’t make the most of its opportunities. Although the Kangaroos were never really close enough to threaten, the door was always left slightly ajar. This sort of kicking may come back to haunt the Magpies in future matches.

Who Does Macaffer Tag?
There are three options for Buckley this weekend. He could go to Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton, Brendon Goddard or Dyson Heppell. My tip is that he will tag Heppell. In my opinion, Heppell is a vital link in the chain. He is a hard runner and makes a lot of contests. Therefore, if the Magpies can shut him down as the Saints did last week, then it will stop a lot of forward ball movement from the Bombers. Stanton would be my other tip as he is in great form and is also a very hard runner.

Player Focus
Nick Maxwell – He is back to his 2010 best, which is a huge achievement for a guy many thought would fade away this year. The thing about Collingwood at the moment is that most sides want to play an extra defender on Travis Cloke, which in turn allows Maxwell to be loose in defence. The Magpies are happy to allow their opposition a spare man in defence as Cloke is capable of competing against two opponents, whilst it allows Collingwood its desired structure of having Maxwell free to assist where needed. With such a young defence, the former skipper is leading from the front and ensuring he is giving his inexperienced team-mates a chop out where needed.
Alex Fasolo – Fasolo has played numerous good games for the Magpies in his short career, but to my mind, last week’s game was perhaps his best. He had over 30 possessions for the first time in his career, and he was a vital player across half back with his precision foot skills and creativity. Buckley has high hopes for Fasolo to one day become a midfielder, but is giving him a strong education as a defender. Fasolo has responded. It will be a challenge for him now as opponents start putting some work into him. He will need to continue to improve his defensive attributes and will need to start to learn to break a defensive tag. For now, it is just great to see Fasolo playing consistent football.
Luke Ball – Bally was given the substitutes vest last week. I believe this was with a focus for ANZAC Day to have him fit and firing. Expect a big impact from the veteran as he will square off against the in-form Jobe Watson at the centre bounces. It should be an enthralling contest.
Travis Cloke – It was a welcome return to form for Cloke last round with four goals. After a tough start to the season, Cloke may just be about to really hit his straps. He typically plays well on ANZAC Day and will be a real handful for Michael Hurley who is his likely opponent. Although he missed a few shots last week, Cloke seemed to be striking the ball well which should give him confidence. He often has to contend with two or more opponents, which makes his life difficult. But even if Cloke is not clunking marks, he is still making a solid contest, which provides crumbers with opportunities. Alternatively, with so much focus on Cloke, it is allowing guys like Jesse White to hit the scoreboard. As mentioned above, the fact that Cloke has multiple opponents means that Collingwood has the luxury of having a loose player behind the ball.

The Wrap Up
Collingwood will go in favourites based on recent form. But Essendon is capable of beating any side on its day and will be eyeing off this match as an opportunity to bounce back and re-ignite its season. Nathan Buckley has commented that he expects an ‘offensive juggernaut’ this week from the Bombers as they release the shackles.
Essendon typically plays better against the better sides so this should be a beauty. Collingwood, on the other hand, has put a solid month of football together and will feel that if it can bring its best defensive pressure that it can really trouble Essendon.
Collingwood by 11 points
Prediction for ANZAC Day Medal: Dane Swan

Preview Round 6 ANZAC Day: Collingwood v Essendon

Sportal

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 80%: 1-5mm Wind: N 23kph Betting: Collingwood 1.57 Essendon 2.45

Why watch?
It's the 20th instalment of the Anzac Day blockbuster between Collingwood and Essendon since the big annual clash started with that famous draw back in 1995. Since then, these games have witnessed plenty of drama and heart-stopping moments as two of the biggest teams in the land throw the kitchen sink at each other. Along with the first-up draw, we've had the incredible finish in 2009 when David Zaharakis' late goal sunk the Magpies. There's also been Jarryd Blair's contested goal that saw Collingwood triumph by a point in 2012 after a dramatic late goal review. At this stage, Collingwood lead the way with 10 wins to Essendon's eight but after a week of soul-searching following a diabolical performance against St Kilda, the Bombers will be looking to fire up against the old enemy. As for Collingwood, the Magpies look to be building into the season nicely and will take plenty of confidence into this game. 

Match notes

• Bomber Thompson's return to the hot-seat hasn't been all smooth sailing. In his post-match press conference last week, Thompson started discussing the amount of recovery time his side had following their loss to Fremantle just six days earlier. Thompson's words were interpreted by club great Matthew Lloyd as an attack on the professionalism of the Essendon players in terms of doing what they needed to aid recovery. And, while Thompson's denied this, the words apparently caused something of a stir in the corridors out at Tullamarine, at least that's what the Herald-Sun reckoned.
  
• Thompson also apparently has issues with Jake Carlisle to deal with. An All-Australian nominated defender last season, Carlisle's permanent switch to the forward line hasn't yielded the results many would have expected after he played in attack to good effect at times last year. Carlisle now may find himself on the chopping block for this game.
  
• Brendon Goddard remains in doubt as he continues to recover from a groin injury while Heath Hocking and Kyle Hardingham both picked up knocks in the 16-point loss to St Kilda.
  
• Collingwood on the other hand are firing along nicely and may be boosted by Nathan Brown's return. Lachlan Keefe and Jack Frost have been doing a more than serviceable job in defence alongside a rejuvenated Nick Maxwell but one of the pair may find themselves making way for Brown if he returns this week.
  
• Pies coach Nathan Buckley summed up their impressive in over North Melbourne with the simple maxim of 'pressure at the source, structure at the back'.
  
• Expect another big performance from Steele Sidebottom this week. Buckley refused to speak glowingly about Sidebottom's quality efforts against North, simply saying he expected him to keep growing and having the right attitude.
  

Say what?
"We see game-time as part of his rehabilitation (and) progression back to being available for senior selection. We see it as soon as this week. He trained well today but we will have a chat with Marley over the next couple of days and if he feels he is right we will put him in the side on Saturday," said Nathan Bukley on Wednesday when discussing Marley Williams immediate return through the VFL after he received a 12-month suspended sentence for GBH. 

Last five games (includes 2013 season)
Collingwood
L 70 Fremantle
W 20 Sydney
L 11 Geelong
W 38 Richmond
W 35 North Melbourne
Essendon
W 39 North Melbourne
L 4 Hawthorn
W 81 Carlton
L 53 Fremantle
L 16 St Kilda

Cold hard fact
After quarter-time in last week's loss to St Kilda, Essendon scored just four goals. Two of those came during the last five minutes as well when Brent Stanton found a knackered Saints defence wanting.

Final word
Essendon's promising start to the season is dwindling rapidly after successive losses to Fremantle and St Kilda and it could just get worse if they lose to the Pies. Collingwood on the other hand appear in a much better place than their opposition heading into this clash and one imagines the Magpies are still smarting from last year's Anzac Day humiliation. Essendon will still rise to the occasion but it's Collingwood by 20 points.

Preview Round 6 ANZAC Day: Collingwood v Essendon

SPORTSMATT

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 60%: 1-5mm Wind: N 19kph Betting: Collingwood 1.67 Essendon 2.20

LEST WE FORGET. They are the final words of the ANZAC oath, read out each ANZAC day at ceremonies right around Australia and New Zealand, on a day that has become as respected as any in the Australasian calendar. Since 1995, the AFL has honoured the ANZAC’s before a packed crowd at the MCG, with a game between Collingwood and Essendon whose result isn’t anywhere as meaningful as the day itself. But since that first game in 1995, which fittingly ended in a draw, sporting events of the major codes have helped raise awareness of the ANZAC’s and what they did for their nation. Many made the ultimate sacrifice and it’s right that now the day, and our servicemen and women get the respect they deserve. The pre match service at the MCG on this day is as moving and as touching as any memorial day held anywhere in the world, and this year that tradition will continue.
Obviously though there’s a game to be played, and while it’s still just a game it’s of vital importance to the respective teams. Collingwood, the biggest sporting organisation in the land, come into this game with renewed vigour and confidence after two strong wins in a row, while Essendon come in on the back of two rather embarrassing losses. If history has taught us anything about this annual clash, ladder positions and form can be thrown out the window and anything can and probably will happen on the day. From the beginning, and that now famous draw, there’s been epic finishes to these matches on a regular basis, as shown by the 2009 and 2012 results. In 2009 in driving rain the Bombers David Zaharakis kicked the match winning goal with only seconds left, while in 2012 Magpie Jarryd Blair returned the favour with a scrambling last minute goal to return the favour. So be careful about digging too far into the form for this one, and maybe just sit back and enjoy another ANZAC day classic.

RECENT FORM
If you do take a look at recent form though, Essendon’s pales in comparison to any other finals contending team in the competition. After looking very good for the first three rounds of the season, Essendon then travelled to Perth in round 4 and from the moment they landed everything seemed to go wrong. From players getting ill pre game to injuries in the warm up, it really was a day from hell fro the Bombers as they were smashed by Fremantle to the extent of 53 points. Yes it was hot and things went wrong, but what happened the following week no one could have foreseen. Essendon came home to play St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday and despite a positive start once again the Bombers struggled to fight out a game when asked to do so. The Saints, massive underdogs for the game ran away with the game after quarter time and placed Essendon firmly in the middle of a mini crisis.
Collingwood’s form is almost the complete opposite, after a tough start to the season the Magpies have found form and have notched up three wins out of their last 4 games. The last two wins against Richmond and North Melbourne have been impressive in many ways, but it’s been the pressure that the Pies have been able to place on the competition that has been their main weapon. The return to form of Travis Cloke and Dane Swan has helped, and finally the injury list at Collingwood is decreasing also. All is looking up for the Magpies indeed.

COLLINGWOOD PREVIEW
A few weeks back it seemed as if Collingwood’s season was on the edge of disaster after a second loss of the season in just three games. As it’s turned out though, that loss to Geelong was as honourable as losses get (11 points to the still undefeated Cats) and from there everything is looking up for the Pies. Wins against the Tigers and Kangaroos have seen an increase in confidence and intensity amongst the playing group. Now for the first time in a long time Collingwood has several players pushing for selection through the VFL, with the likes of Taylor Adams, Ben Kennedy, Ben Hudson, Patrick Karnezis, Sam Dwyer and Nathan Brown all playing well in the reserves last weekend. The club must now be a great place to be, jokes and laughs would be in the air, the Westpac Centre would now feel like a positive place and that can only lead to future good results.
Selection this week will be tough for the Collingwood coaches, with Brown, Dwyer and Adams all deserving of a game, but there’s very few in the selected 22 against North who played poorly enough to be dropped. Brown is the full back for the Pies, so you’d expect he’d come back in, but Adams and Dwyer may have to wait their turn. In that 22 that played against Richmond, several stood out and performed magnificently. Alex Fasolo’s move to half back seems to be working really well, with the ex forward massing 32 possessions at a disposal efficiency of over 84%. He’s the type of skilful player many sides seek coming out of the backline these days, and he really is showing a tonne of potential in this role. Some of the Pies stars returned to form too against the Kangaroos, with Swan, Cloke, Lumumba and Maxwell all dominating in their particular areas. New captain Scott Pendlebury continued his stellar form and it seems as if being made captain has actually improved his game, which is scary for future opposition.
Collingwood will see this game as an opportunity to really get their season back on track. If they can win it, they go to a 4-2 win loss record with a draw that seems easier than the one they’ve just endured. It really is a big game for the Pies and you’d expect the champion midfielders they have to stamp their authority on the game once again.

OPPOSITION ANALYSIS
Essendon are in somewhat of a mini crisis, they are struggling to produce the type of football that only weeks ago had them being talked up as a top 4 contender. The trip to Perth and subsequent loss wasn’t seen as an absolute disastrous result, but the loss to St Kilda really has the club in turmoil, with several big name players on the edge of being dropped for poor performances. Why it’s turned around so quickly is anyone’s guess, it could be injuries, it could be a lack of defensive pressure or it could be the game plan fails under pressure. Whatever it is the Bombers have to get back on track this Friday, and they only have a few days to prepare to do so. The positive news for Essendon is the probable return of Goddard, Winderlich and Bellchambers, but to blame all the problems on personnel seems like a cop out. Essendon do have weaknesses, but they also have areas of strength that can exploit this Collingwood outfit.
If there’s an area that Essendon can attempt to gain an advantage over Collingwood it’s in the ruck, with Ryder and possibly Bellchambers forming a strong combination. If Bellchambers plays they will go head to head with two Collingwood youngsters, Witts and Grundy and the Bombers would expect to dominate in this area. The problem is that below those rucks is a midfield which is struggling, with Essendon ranked 14th for contested possessions. It’s a strange occurrence when the Bombers have players like Watson, Stanton, Heppell, Myers and Zaharakis in that midfield rotation. Of course this week they run into the powerful Collingwood midfield, and while the stats don’t back up just how strong the Pies central grouping is, when an opposition sees Pendlebury, Beams, Swan, Ball and Sidebottom on the team sheet, you know you are in for a tough day. It may not be where this game is won or lost though.
The Essendon backline has struggled over the past few weeks, but it hasn’t been entirely their fault with their midfield failing to put enough pressure on the opposition at times. The worry is that two of the league’s hardest working forwards, Pavlich and Riewoldt have worked the Dons over and this week they run into Travis Cloke, Jesse White and the in form Jamie Elliott. Essendon don’t really have the means to improve their backline too much either, with the possible ins being midfielders and forwards more than defenders. One of the biggest problems is what to do with Hurley and Carlisle, who are both struggling at the moment. Carlisle seems to be more effective in the backline, while Hurley seems better up forward, but in recent weeks those roles have been reversed with mixed results. Collingwood also relies on it’s midfield for scoring so Essendon’s defense will need help from it’s midfield in restricting the Magpies score.
Essendon’s forward line looks dangerous on paper, but last week it really struggled to put the score on the board, despite have almost as many inside 50's as the Saints. The Hurley/Carlisle debate will rage on, but Essendon will be hoping the probable return of Goddard and Bellchambers makes their attack far more dangerous. It’s an area they will look to exploit Collingwood in but youngsters Jack Frost and Lachlan Keeffe have made up for the absence of Brown and Reid in recent times, so even a weakened Pies defense isn’t easy to dominate. The inclusion of Paul Champan this year has helped though, with his 9 goals in 4 games (he missed the Fremantle game) helping cover up the other problems up forward. Hardingham (9 goals) and Stanton (8 goals) have also impacted the scoreboard so far in 2014, but to defeat a side like Collingwood they’ll need plenty of contributors to the score board.
Essendon need to rebound, and they need to do it quickly. A loss to the Pies would leave them at 2-4, and from there it’s a hard task just to make the finals, let alone be a contender for a top 4 spot. To win they’ll need to play as a team though, something that has been missing over the past two weeks. There’s also been questions about the players individual recovery, and yet another six day break will bring that into focus, and need, once again. These two teams match up pretty well though, so if Essendon can get themselves up for this game and work hard for four quarters they could cause an upset.

TIP
Collingwood go into this year’s ANZAC day clash as favourites, and rightfully so. They have the better form, they are working harder as a team and they seem to be all buying into the coaches plan. Essendon are almost the opposite, in poor form, their work rate has been down and there are rumblings about player divisions with the coaching staff. But playing in front of 90,000 people seems to change things some times, with form and previous problems being overcome quite easily in previous clashes on this day.
On form though, and on paper, you have to tip the Pies and I’m no different.
MAGPIES BY 18 POINTS.

Preview Round 6 ANZAC Day: Collingwood v Essendon

AFL

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 60%: 1-5mm Wind: N 19kph Betting: Collingwood 1.67 Essendon 2.20

COLLINGWOOD'S season is trending upward after an impressive 35-point win over North Melbourne, while Essendon have dropped two games in a row and need a win to get their season back on track. A capacity crowd will pack the MCG when these two proud clubs face off on Anzac Day and, as usual, the game could go either way. Doubts over Brendan Goddard's fitness tip the scales slightly in Collingwood's favour, with their midfield in red-hot form. Travis Cloke returned to somewhere near his best last week and could prove a handful for Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker and co.

LAST FIVE TIMES
R5, 2013, Essendon 18.13 (121) d Collingwood 10.15 (75) at the MCG
R5, 2012, Collingwood 11.14 (80) d Essendon 11.13 (79) at the MCG
R5, 2011, Collingwood 16.11 (107) d Essendon 11.11 (77) at the MCG
R5, 2010, Collingwood 18.12 (120) d Essendon 8.7 (55) at the MCG
R5, 2009, Essendon 13.15 (93) d Collingwood 12.16 (88) at the MCG

THE SIX POINTS

1. This will be the 20th Anzac Day clash between the Magpies and Bombers, with Collingwood holding the advantage 10 wins to eight, with one draw.
2. Essendon remains the number one ranked team in 2014 for disposals, averaging 421.4 per game. Collingwood is ninth with 359.6 touches a game.
3. The Magpies are ranked third in the competition for marks inside 50, with an average of 14 per game. The Bombers average 12 per game to rank sixth.
4. Essendon's Dustin Fletcher has played in 16 of the 19 Anzac Day matches since the tradition started back in 1995.
5. Both sides have struggled in the inside 50s category in 2014. Collingwood is ranked 10th in the competition and Essendon is 11th, averaging 50 and 48 per game respectively.
6. Collingwood's Steele Sidebottom is on the move in the Official AFL Player Ratings, sitting at No. 36 in the competition. Essendon captain Jobe Watson is ranked fifth.

Prediction: Collingwood by 16 points

Injury List

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 60%: 1-5mm Wind: N 19kph Betting: Collingwood 1.67 Essendon 2.20

Injury List as of Tuesday 22 April 2014

Name	Injury	Status
Tim Broomhead	Shin splints	Test
Paul Seedsman	Hip	Test
Adam Oxley	Ankle	1 week
Ben Sinclair	Hamstring	1-2 weeks
Ben Reid	Calf	1-2 weeks
Nathan Freeman	Hamstring	3 weeks
Matthew Scharenberg	Feet	Indefinite

Long-term injury list: Matthew Scharenberg has been added to Collingwood's long-term injury list. Jack Frost has been elevated from the rookie list as his replacement.

Marley Williams

REAL FOOTY

Collingwood v Essendon Friday April 25, 2.40pm MCG 7 / Fox Footy 2.30pm Weather: Min 7 Max 21 Chance of rain 60%: 1-5mm Wind: N 19kph Betting: Collingwood 1.67 Essendon 2.20

Having escaped jail for breaking a man’s jaw in a one-punch incident outside a nightclub, Marley Williams is likely to resume playing for Collingwood's VFL team within the next two weeks.
Williams received a 12-month suspended sentence on Tuesday for causing grievous bodily harm, and while the club indicated he would not play until he was ready and was in no rush, this weekend’s VFL game against Essendon has not been ruled out for his return.
If Williams does not play in the VFL on Saturday, a return is probable the following week, though the Magpies say he will not return until he is ready on emotional and physical levels. He is expected to have two to three weeks in the VFL, at the least, before he could be considered for senior selection.
Williams, 20, was convicted in February after a jury deliberated for more than 2 hours, following a four-day trial at Albany District Court. Williams, who has been training as usual while awaiting sentencing, had chosen not to play until his court case had concluded. Former captain and fellow defender Nick Maxwell said Williams was ‘‘right now, not physically or emotionally ready to play AFL football’’.
Maxwell told SEN radio Williams was ‘‘not the victim in all this’’ and had learnt a lesson, but would ‘‘come out it a better person’’.
In a statement, Willliams said: ‘‘I would like to apologise to all of those hurt, one way or another, by my actions. I’m deeply sorry for the pain I’ve caused a lot of people. The last 16 months have not been easy for anyone involved.’’
The court heard the Magpies defender assaulted 29-year-old Matthew Robertson outside Studio 146 during the 2012 Christmas holidays. He submitted during the trial that the violence began when three men, including Mr Robertson, assaulted him in the nightclub toilets.
Williams told police: ‘‘I wasn’t going to let them feel like they got the better of me.’’ But in court, he denied he had been angry and out for revenge when he hit Mr Robertson, claiming he feared for his own safety as the men approached him on the street.
Williams described the assault as a ‘‘reflex punch’’ intended to warn the men to ‘‘back off’’.
But prosecutors said Williams was acting out of ‘‘malicious, vindictive vengeance’’ when he swung the left-handed punch, which left Mr Robertson with a broken jaw and needing an emergency flight to Perth for surgery.
While defence lawyer Tom Percy said during sentencing in the West Australian District Court that Williams had gone downstairs to see what the men were up to, prosecutor Tony Loudon said that was inconsistent with the footballer’s testimony at the trial, when he said he was catching a taxi.
Judge Julie Anne Wager said she accepted Williams had worked hard to address the issues that had led to the assault, which was at the lower end of the scale of GBH offences. While the charge carried a possible maximum sentence of 10years in prison, she sentenced Williams to jail for 12 months, suspended for 12 months.
She also imposed a lifetime restraining order, preventing Williams from having any contact with Mr Robertson. She said she accepted the assault was not premeditated, that Williams was responding to an incident in the toilet and that he was later distressed by his reaction.
‘‘Had you been sober, had you been more mature, you would have let the matter drop,’’ Judge Wager said. ‘‘But for the aggression shown to you earlier, you would not have been involved in this matter.’’
Williams’ many supporters in court gasped with relief when the sentence was handed down.

2014 Ladder: Round 5

Pos Position    C Change from last round    P Played    W Won    L Lost    D Drawn    F Points for    A Points against
% Percentage    Form Past five results    Next Next opponent    Pts Points

Round 5: Collingwood 93 North Melbourne 58

THE FACTS

COLLINGWOOD            5.4.34    10.6.66    11.9.75    13.15.93
NORTH MELBOURNE   2.3.15      5.3.33      5.7.37      8.10.58

SCORERS - Collingwood: Cloke (4.4), White (2.2), Elliott (2.1), Beams (2.0), Pendlebury (1.2), Goldsack (1.1), Lumumba (1.0), Blair (0.1), Fasolo (0.1), Sidebottom (0.1), Swan (0.1)

BEST - Collingwood: Sidebottom, Swan, Lumumba, Pendlebury, Cloke, Elliott

INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil

SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Luke Ball replaced Jarrod Witts in the fourth quarter

REPORTS: Scott Thompson (North Melbourne) reported for striking Travis Cloke (Collingwood) in the first quarter

OFFICIAL CROWD: 57,116 at the MCG

TALKING POINTS

1. The return of the Great Dane There was one piece of play, in the third quarter, that epitomised Dane Swan's return to the sort of form everyone expects of the Brownlow medallist. The Pies' champion received a one-two on the half-back flank and then put his head down and charged forward, sprinting 150m to join up with the ball on the half-forward flank and then delivered the footy inside 50 to Jamie Elliott. Footy looked easy for Swan again, but most importantly he was enjoying it. Swan finished with 35 disposals and five tackles in a wonderful display of hard-running football. 2. The best mode of attack is from defence The Kangaroos allowed Steele Sidebottom and Alex Fasolo to roam free and were made to pay dearly for their mistake. Sidebottom acted as the Magpies' 'plus-one' – a role he played with aplomb. His job was to outnumber the Roos at the contest and then switch modes to provide attack on the rebound. Time and again, Fasolo sat behind the footy, where the Pies put his exemplary foot skills to good use. The Magpies had a deliberate ploy to spread the field and, combined with their superb pressure, made North Melbourne look second-rate. Sidebottom (34 disposals) and Fasolo (32) were crucial to that. 3. Cloke with the dagger From the first quarter, something had clicked for Travis Cloke. He had forgotten that he had kicked just two goals in four rounds of football. Instead, his focus was only on the game at hand. At half-time, Cloke had four goals and 10 marks (five contested) to his name. He was swarmed by numbers in the second half, but he had done his job. For a short period, it looked like he had regained the title of the most dangerous forward in the AFL. If Cloke can replicate that first-half burst in games for longer stretches this season, the Magpies are going to be difficult to stop.

4. Macaffer goes unnoticed Nathan Buckley's assertion that the umpires' eyes would be trained on Brent Macaffer from the opening bounce, may have been stretching the truth. Plenty of talk in the lead up to the game centred on Macaffer's tagging tactics and how he was "illegally" holding players off the ball. The Magpie stopper was assigned North midfielder Nick Dal Santo and did an impressive job, limiting him to 21 touches. But after giving away five free kicks to Trent Cotchin last week, he cleaned up his act and conceded none against the Roos. 5. The rise and rise of Cunnington It was a dismal day for North Melbourne; there's no getting around that fact. But the fight shown by midfielder Ben Cunnington was another tick for a player whose mental aptitude had been questioned in the past. Cunnington was one Kangaroo player who worked right up until the final siren. He buffeted his way through packs and showed courage in marking contests. His fight was visible right until the end of the game, where he dived head-first into the unknown only to clean up teammate Lindsay Thomas – who hurt his knee – in the process. Cunnington's overall game would have pleased coach Brad Scott no-end, even if little else did.                                  "Footy looked easy for Swan again, but most importantly he was enjoying it. Swan finished with 35 disposals and five tackles in a wonderful display of hard-running football."

THE MEDIA

COLLINGWOOD NEWS BILLED as the battle of the midfields, this was a no contest. Collingwood dominated a lacklustre North Melbourne to win the Easter Saturday clash at the MCG by 35 points. The Magpies finished with 13.15 (93) to the Roos’ 8.10 (58). Collingwood outran and tackled harder than North Melbourne and used the ball better too. The game was effectively over as a contest at half-time when the Magpies led by 33 points, a margin that flattered the Kangaroos. Steele Sidebottom dominated on the wing, Alex Fasolo and Heritier Lumumba rebounded hard and fast, Dane Swan returned to his ball-winning best and key forward Travis Cloke started taking marks inside 50. By half-time, Cloke had taken seven marks inside 50 and kicked 4.3 (he added one more behind in the second half). Collingwood had applied 37 tackles to North Melbourne's 27. And at the long break Collingwood had six players with more disposals than North’s leading possession getter, Ryan Bastinac, who had just 11. When Collingwood charged at North Melbourne early and denied its runners time and space, the Kangaroos fell away quickly. The Magpies forced turnovers and capitalised on them. They denied North Melbourne the ball and kicked long and deep inside 50. And they broke North Melbourne's belief in themselves and in each other. For much of the game the Kangaroos were as predictable as a knock-knock joke. North Melbourne coach Brad Scott admitted Collingwood's pressure overwhelmed the Kangaroos and affected their ball use. "We had a plan in place particularly after half-time to use the ball a bit better and we didn't so it wasn't as if we didn't have our hands on the ball," Scott said "I think we controlled time in possession so we just weren't efficient going forward." Brent Macaffer took Nick Dal Santo and quelled his influence without having to be quite as negating as he had been in previous weeks when his tagging tactics have attracted headlines. Buckley said the tagger was more critical of his own effort than the coach. But it wasn't a performance that rested on one player. It was satisfying for the coach because each player contributed. And when North Melbourne tried to respond Collingwood was good enough to adjust. "I thought it was a really consistent performance. I feel like we had to win the game twice," Buckley said. "We put a hole in North in the first half, but then they changed the way they wanted to move the ball which forced us to adjust our defensive attitude and we were able to do that really strongly." The reality was North Melbourne's runners did not appear to want to work as hard as the Magpies' midfield when not in possession, and it was only a couple of Collingwood mistakes that allowed the Kangaroos to stay in touch. Two late goals in the second quarter saw the half-time margin reduced to 33 points and give the Kangaroos' supporters some hope of a second-half revival. However the third quarter saw the same pattern replayed – perhaps with a little less intensity – and players such as Sidebottom and Swan just kept racking up touches. Collingwood should have put North Melbourne away but only held the line, kicking 1.3 to 0.4 for the quarter. Sam Gibson battled hard and Ben Cunnington was industrious, but they did not get much support. In fact, the Roos struggled to find a winner at all for the afternoon. The Magpies started Luke Ball as the substitute after he suffered a bout of gastro during the week and he was introduced late. By that time the job was done, as Collingwood toyed with the opposition and North Melbourne's structure fell apart. The Magpies ended with 34 more disposals than North (412-378) and took 14 more marks inside 50 (21-7), as Nathan Buckley’s men stamped themselves as likely finalists. Their win was even more resounding than the margin suggested. "There wasn't much of a spectacle after half-time, but that's irrelevant," Buckley said. "We played the game on its merits and that was pretty pleasing for the coaches.                             REAL FOOTY During the week, Collingwood's coaches sat down with Travis Cloke and reviewed about 20 one-on-one contests in which he had engaged, and mainly lost, during his indifferent first four matches. The Pies recognised, like all of us, that marking contests were being adjudicated more liberally this year; initially, they had grumbled about Cloke's treatment by the likes of Tom Lonergan but after his strike-out against Richmond, his third goalless game in four matches, the remedy changed: Cloke was told to get physical. The thinking was logical: if Cloke was permitted to wrestle, his massive 106-kilogram frame would put him in pole position in most aerial contests. But he would have to deploy more aggression. The umpiring had permitted his opponents to push the envelope. ''The on-on-one contests this year are being umpired differently and he was probably playing like he would last year,'' said Collingwood forward coach Matthew Lappin, ''whereas there's a bit more room to be aggressive in marking contests. We challenged him in that area, we showed him the vision and challenged him and he had a clear focus on that and picking up his intensity, particularly on the lead.'' In the Collingwood coach's box, Lappin and Nathan Buckley knew Cloke was in the right frame of mind - read aggressive - in his first contest. ''I saw exactly what we'd asked to see during the week, in terms of being a bit more physical in the contest and he was able to shift his opponent off the ball,'' Lappin said. ''So when we saw that we thought, 'We're a chance here'.'' Cloke's duel with Scott Thompson, hitherto the game's in-form defender, would turn into a first-half rout. Cloke grabbed 10 marks - five contested, and by sheer weight of scoring opportunities, managed to boot four (4.3). By following Lappin's instructions, and finding his mark, he became the match's decisive forward influence. His productivity was a marked contrast with North's forward duo of Drew Petrie and Aaron Black, both of whom had stinkers. ''His first half was sensational, set the game up for us,'' Lappin said. That Cloke did not add to his goal tally in the second half, or that his profligacy (4.4 from 10 shots at the end) cost him a six or seven-goal haul, was relevant only to Collingwood's margin, not the outcome. The suspicion is that the first-quarter incident, in which Thompson was reported - from a cumbersome spoil near the boundary - also held significance for the Cloke-Thompson duel. Cloke had marked 55 metres out, in front of the Southern Stand, on the boundary; but the spoil was judged, rightly or wrongly, to be both reportable and warranting a 50-metre penalty. Brad Scott, unsurprisingly, thought a defender ''would be shattered'' to receive a week for Thompson's spoil. Cloke, who had already missed a shot on goal from a strong mark, would be kicking from five metres, on an angle. History hinted that if he converted this one, his confidence would soar, bearing in mind his tendency to catch the yips, but also his past ascendancy over a smaller Thompson. In the days before his 200th against the Tigers, Cloke had revealed that a poor start could dent his confidence and output. Lappin's theory on Cloke's conversion is that it's shots that go way wide, not the near misses, that cause concern. ''If he just misses we know he's tracking well, at least we know he's tracking well. It's when he has the howler and it comes off the side of the boot, that's when we say, 'OK, there's some issues with his goalkicking'.'' By nailing this easy one - insofar as there is an easy conversion for Cloke - he was on his way. His next shot, from the edge of 50 metres, sailed through. Thompson, who had successfully nullified Buddy Franklin on a soggy SCG six days ago, had not the size for Cloke.

REAL FOOTY Collingwood has surged into the top eight with a dominant 35-point win against North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday. The Kangaroos were looking for their fourth win in a row, but they wilted under the Pies' superior pressure and had few winners as Nathan Buckley's men notched back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The form of Travis Cloke and Dane Swan has been a hot topic over the first month of the season, but both found some touch, with Swan amassing 35 possessions and Cloke netting a four-goal bag that could easily have been six as the Pies ran out winners 13.15 (93) to 8.10 (58) in front of 57,116 fans. It was a scoreline that flattered the Kangaroos in some ways as Collingwood largely picked apart the North midfield, which was missing Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell, with Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury getting plenty of the ball. In-form defender Scott Thompson went to Cloke from the start and the pair shared an engrossing battle, but it was Cloke who carried the day, with Thompson too often left one out on the hulking forward. At the other end of the ground, Lachie Keeffe was rarely left to his own devices as he minded Drew Petrie, who finished goalless. Pies tagger Brent Macaffer, the subject of much scrutiny for his tactics against Trent Cotchin last week, went to Nick Dal Santo, but his efforts won't draw nearly as much attention because the pair largely nullified each other's influence. Ryan Bastinac got North off to a flyer with a nicely snapped goal inside the first minute of play, but it was Collingwood with the momentum for most of the first term. The Pies made their intentions known early, getting plenty of numbers back in their defensive half and hurting the Roos on the counter with their superior spread. The Kangaroos didn't do themselves any favours with their sloppy ball use as the Magpies' first three goals came from turnovers. With Petrie still struggling to find the ball inside their attacking 50, Lindsay Thomas was North's biggest threat, but his goal halfway through the first quarter came against the flow as the Pies pressed home their advantage. Cloke's woes in front of goal so far this season have been well-documented, but the Pies' spearhead quickly got the better of Thompson and kicked two goals in the dying stages of the term to double his tally from the four previous games. His first goal may well have ramifications for Thompson and the Kangaroos next week as the key defender was reported for a late hit on Cloke that also drew a 50-metre penalty. Petrie's own troubles continued at the other end when he missed a regulation set shot with just seconds left in the opening term, which allowed the Pies to take a well-earned 19-point lead into the first break. Collingwood threatened to take the game away from North in the second quarter as Jesse White and Cloke hit the scoreboard to stretch the margin, with the news getting worse for the Roos as a groggy Leigh Adams was helped from the field, and he stayed away for the rest of the term while he was assessed for concussion. Collingwood's lead got out to 45 points as Cloke asserted his dominance over Thompson with his fourth major, but the Kangaroos rallied late with goals to Sam Gibson and Daniel Currie making the margin a more manageable 33 points at half-time. The Pies' ability to pick apart their opposition in the first half was in evidence in the marks, with Collingwood more than doubling the Roos: 69-34. Nathan Buckley's men also layed 10 more tackles as they sought to pile on the pressure. North was under siege early in the second half, with Collingwood's inaccuracy in front of goal the only thing keeping the Roos in the match. Seventeen minutes elapsed without a major score thanks to the Pies' inaccuracy and the Roos' inability to find a reliable avenue to goal. Tyson Goldsack finally broke the drought when he got on the end of a string of hand passes to kick an important team goal. Once again, it was the Pies' superior pressure that led to the turnover, which saw Swan link up with Sidebottom who found Goldsack in the goal square. At the other end, Petrie and Dal Santo spurned chances to narrow the gap, with Ben Jacobs subbed on for Currie late as Brad Scott searched for more run and carry. North has developed a reputation for finishing off games well this season, but they had a mountain to climb as they started the final term 38 points in arrears. The Pies booted three behinds to start the quarter and leave a glimmer of hope for North, but that was snuffed out when Jamie Elliott finished a good day out with successive goals. Insult was added to injury for the Roos, with Thomas limping from the ground as the Collingwood song played, after Ben Cunnington collided heavily with his left leg inside the last minute."                                  SPORTAL Travis Cloke booted four goals and five Magpies had 30 touches or more as Collingwood thrashed North Melbourne by 35 points in front of 57,116 fans at the MCG. Ryan Bastinac kicked the first goal of the match, but from there it was all the Pies. The game was effectively over as a contest at half-time when the Magpies led by 33 points, and although North never allowed the margin to blow out, it was never in the hunt on a disappointing day for the top-four aspirants. Cloke has struggled for form this year, but hit his straps against the Roos, grabbing 11 marks for the game to reinforce his superstar status. The win lifts Collingwood into the top eight for the first time this year. The Magpies and Kangaroos are both 3-2 to start the season. It was a dirty day all round for the all-too-predictable Kangas. The Magpies ended with 34 more disposals than North (412-378) and took 14 more marks inside 50 (21-7). Tagger Brent Macaffer followed Nick Dal Santo for the day and did a good job quelling his influence within the rules. Making matters worse, full back Scott Thompson was reported for striking Cloke in the first quarter and can expect some heat from the match review panel. Steele Sidebottom and Dane Swan had days out for the Magpies with 34 touches each, while Ben Cunnington and Brent Harvey were the busiest Kangaroos. It doesn't get any easier for North, with a trip to Perth ahead of the Roos next round. They play the Dockers at Patersons Stadium on Friday night. Collingwood meets Essendon, at the MCG on Anzac Day, of course. "... Cloke was told to get physical. The thinking was logical: if Cloke was permitted to wrestle, his massive 106-kilogram frame would put him in pole position in most aerial contests. But he would have to deploy more aggression. The umpiring had permitted his opponents to push the envelope."