Draw: 2015 Home and Away

Collingwood News
 
Collingwood will enjoy a string of matches at the home of football against some of its oldest rivals when season 2015 rolls around.
Ten of its 14 games at the MCG will be against Carlton, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne and Richmond.
What’s more, the Magpies will only leave Melbourne once after 9 July, and four of their five matches outside Victoria will be shown in prime time.

Collingwood's 2015 Home and Away Fixture
Round	Date	Match	Venue	Time
1	Sat 4 Apr	Brisbane v Collingwood	Gabba	6:20 PM
2	Sat 11 Apr	Collingwood v Adelaide	Etihad	4:35 PM
3	Fri 17 Apr	Collingwood v St Kilda	MCG	7:50 PM
4	Sat 25 Apr	Essendon v Collingwood	MCG	2:40 PM
5	Fri 1 May	Carlton v Collingwood	MCG	7:50 PM
6	Fri 8 May	Collingwood v Geelong	MCG	7:50 PM
7	Sun 17 May	Richmond v Collingwood	MCG	3:20 PM
8	Sat 23 May	Gold Coast v Collingwood	Metricon	4:35 PM
9	Sat 31 May	Collingwood v North Melbourne	MCG	3:20 PM
10	Mon 8 Jun	Melbourne v Collingwood	MCG	3:20 PM
11	Sun 14 Jun	Collingwood v GWS	MCG	1:10 PM
12		BYE
13	Thurs 25 Jun	Fremantle v Collingwood	Patersons	6:10 PM
14	Fri 3 Jul	Collingwood v Hawthorn	MCG	7:50 PM
15	Thurs 9 Jul	Port Adelaide v Collingwood	Adelaide	7:20 PM
16	Sat 18 Jul	Collingwood v West Coast Eagles	Etihad	4:35 PM
17	Sun 26 Jul	Western Bulldogs v Collingwood	Etihad	1:10 PM
18	Sat 1 Aug	Collingwood v Melbourne	MCG	2:10 PM
19	Sat 8 Aug	Collingwood v Carlton	MCG	1:45 PM
20	Fri 14 Aug	Sydney v Collingwood	SCG	7:50 PM
21	Sat 22 Aug	Collingwood v Richmond	MCG	1:45 PM
22	Fri 28 Aug	Geelong v Collingwood	MCG	7:50 PM
23	TBC	Collingwood v Essendon	MCG	TBC

Note: All times are local to the city in which the game will be played.

2015 fixture breakdown

Who do we play twice?
Collingwood will meet Carlton, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne and Richmond twice in season 2015. Combined, the Pies have played the five clubs a total of 1,135 times since 1897. It means you can expect some huge MCG crowds and plenty of high intensity football.

Did you know?
The Magpies will meet the Blues for the 250th time when the game’s most traditional rivals gather at the MCG on Friday 1 May.

When was the last time we started a season outside Victoria?
Many of today’s Collingwood players weren’t even born when their club last kicked off a campaign on interstate soil.
The year was 1990, and the match was played on 1 April – 9,134 days prior to Collingwood’s 2015 season opener against Brisbane at the Gabba.
It was the Magpies who were made to look like fools, going down to West Coast by 46 points at Subiaco Oval.
Worse was to come for debutant Tony Francis who copped a six week suspension for kicking Eagle Murray Rance.
Few would have guessed that Francis and his Magpies would be saluting on the MCG on Grand Final day later that year.

Who do we play outside Victoria?
Collingwood will leave Victoria five times during the 2015 home and away season, with two games in Queensland and one in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales. The Pies will also be travelling to Tasmania for the first time since 2001 to kick off the NAB Challenge against Hawthorn on 26 February.

When did we last play Sydney at the SCG?
More than 15 years will have elapsed when the Magpies run out onto the Sydney Cricket Ground in round 20. You have to wind the clock back to round four of season 2000 to track down the last meeting between the two clubs at the famous venue.
It was a match worth remembering, too.
With just a minute remaining, both teams were level on 100 points apiece. Sydney’s Wayne Schwass lined up a set shot from just outside the 50m arc. The wingman’s kick made it right to the goal line where it was touched by Simon Prestigiacomo. The behind meant the Swans led by a point.
But those who know the SCG will remember that the ground isn’t quite the size of the MCG. It’s 12.6 metres shorter in length than it’s Melbourne cousin, meaning it’s a little easier to transfer the ball from one end to the other.
Nathan Buckley, who was a thumping kick no matter what ground he was playing on, made good use of the smaller ground, posting the ball just short of the centre circle from the kick in.
Paul Licuria swooped on the crumbs, breaking away from Ben Mathews and finding Anthony Rocca loose inside 50. Ironically, both had played on the ground together during their early years in red and white.
Rocca, who to that stage of his career had kicked 94 goals and 84 behinds, coolly soaked up the pressure before slotting his third goal of the night to put Collingwood in front with a mere 16 seconds left on the clock.
The young Magpies hit the boundary line and took the remaining time off the time clock to hang on to a five-point win. It was the fourth win from as many starts under new coach Mick Malthouse. Unfortunately, just three more would follow in the remaining 18 weeks.
The venue, established in 1848, also played host to Collingwood’s 2000th VFL/AFL game as well as Tony Lockett’s record-breaking 1300th goal against the Black and White.
What does next year’s trip have in store?

How many times will we play the Preliminary Finalists of 2014?
There will be just one meeting with each of the Swans, Hawks, Power and Roos.

How many night games will we play? How often will we feature on Friday night footy?
Nine of Collingwood’s 21 confirmed home and away games will be played at night, while a further three will be twilight matches. Six of the nine night games will be played on a Friday night and two will be on Thursday nights outside Victoria.

We’re playing Melbourne and Richmond twice? When did that last happen?
It’s been a while since these stars aligned. Collingwood has not met Melbourne twice in a home and away season since 2010, while it last played Richmond twice in 2007.
In fact, the Pies have squared off twice in the one year against the Dees just three times (2007, 2009 and 2010) since 1997, while they have met the Tigers twice just once in the past 10 years.
It’ll be a rare opportunity for the Magpies to wear the black shorts into battle. As Melbourne is generally the home team on the Queen’s Birthday, the match will be just Collingwood’s fourth home game against the Demons this century.

I can’t put my finger on it, but it looks like something’s missing…
If you thought the fixture lacked a familiar venue, you were right. Stadium Australia, currently known as ANZ Stadium, has hosted at least one game (13 in total) between Collingwood and Sydney since 2003. Of these 13, the Magpies have won 10, and all bar one since 2006.

Where will Etihad Stadium come into play?
Collingwood has been drawn to play three home and away matches at the Docklands Stadium in 2015. It has not played more than three games at the venue in the one year since 2011.

Which networks will be broadcasting our matches?
Of the 21 confirmed matches, 15 will be shown on Channel Seven and six on Fox Footy.

Why is our match against Essendon in round 23 listed as TBC?
The time and date of the match against Essendon at the MCG in round 23 will be determined in the final quarter of the season. Since 2009, the AFL has only confirmed the schedule for the final round with a handful of weeks remaining, rewarding the sides that are best placed to launch a tilt at the premiership each season.