Preview 1 Round 2: Collingwood v Richmond

AFL

SUMMARY

2017 AFL Round 2 COLLINGWOOD v RICHMOND Time & Place: Thursday March 30, 7:20pm EDT MCG TV: 7mate / Fox Footy 7:00pm EDT Weather: Min 13 Max 17 Chance of rain 60%: 1-5mm Wind: SW 28kph Betting: Collingwood $1.75 Richmond $2.10

Richmond got the job done with a 43-point win against Carlton in round one, but it will be keen to underline its improvement with a win against more testing opposition.
The Tigers unveiled a more attacking game style that was based on tackling relentlessly, forcing turnovers and then running instinctively with the ball.
A key to their new set-up is a small and mobile forward line that included exciting trio Dan Butler, Daniel Rioli and Jason Castagna, who combined for six goals.
Collingwood will certainly be the more testing opposition the Tigers need to prove their credentials after pushing the Western Bulldogs last Friday night.
The Magpies fell 14 points short but won a lot of key indicators, including clearances (43-25), contested possessions (161-135) and inside 50s (62-44).
If their midfielders can have similar dominance against the Tigers, it will go a long way to delivering the Magpies their first win of the season.

LAST FIVE TIMES

1. R20, 2016, Richmond 14.8 (92) d Collingwood 11.11 (77) at the MCG
2. R2, 2016, Collingwood 13.9 (87) d Richmond 12.14 (86) at the MCG
3. R21, 2015, Richmond 23.9 (147) d Collingwood 7.14 (56) at the MCG
4. R7, 2015, Richmond 16.9 (105) d Collingwood 15.10 (100) at the MCG
5. R4, 2014, Collingwood 16.14 (110) d Richmond 10.12 (72) at the MCG

Collingwood News Collingwood wingman Travis Varcoe has been offered a one-match suspension by the AFL's Match Review Panel. Varcoe, a veteran of 178 games, was booked for a collision with Western Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus during the opening quarter of the club's season opener on Friday night. He can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea. Travis Varcoe may miss Collingwood's clash with Richmond on Thursday night after being offered a one-game ban. The Match Review Panel assessed Varcoe's incident as involving careless conduct with medium impact to the head The incident was classified as a two-match sanction. Varcoe has no applicable record which impacts the penalty, and an early plea enables the player to accept a one-match sanction.

THE SIX POINTS

1. Richmond did enough to defeat Collingwood the last time the sides played thanks to the defensive efforts of Alex Rance, who picked up the three Brownlow votes with 26 disposals and eight marks.
2. Tackling was the key to Richmond's round one win, laying an AFL-high 88 tackles to Carlton's 68. The Tigers also played aggressively and kicked long, with 91 long kicks to Carlton's 68.
3. Richmond has now won three of the last four clashes against Collingwood, ending the Magpies' dominance of seven consecutive wins in 2008-14. Three of the last four games have been decided by less than three goals.
4. The Magpies were one of the highest possession teams in round one with 431 disposals, second behind only Melbourne (453). They took more marks and had 17 more inside 50s than the Western Bulldogs.
5. If Collingwood loses it will be the first time since 2005 they have started a season 0-2. Only once since 1998 have Richmond won their first two games of a season (in 2013).
6. Collingwood's top-four ball-winners were excellent in round one, with Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury (35), and Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar (33) combining for 136 touches. Melbourne was the only other team in round one to have four players win 30 or more possessions.  

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR … Darcy Moore.
The young Collingwood forward will likely face a match-up on All Australian defender Alex Rance, who will be keen to bounce back from a scratchy first-up performance. Rance conceded three goals to Jacob Weitering, and it is hard to picture him having two bad games in a row. Moore, meanwhile, went goalless against the Bulldogs, with 10 possessions and four marks.

PREDICTION: Collingwood by 12 points