2018 Round 7: The Team, Preview, Injury List

2018 AFL Round 7 COLLINGWOOD v BRISBANE Time & Place: Sunday May 6, 4:40pm EST Gabba TV: Fox Footy 4:30pm EST Weather: Min 16 Max 25 Chance of rain 40%: < 1mm Wind: SSE 23kph Betting: Collingwood $1.37 Brisbane $3.11

B: Sam Murray, Lynden Dunn, Jack Crisp

HB: Travis Varcoe, Matthew Scharenberg, Jeremy Howe

C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips

HF: Jordan De Goey, Darcy Moore, Will Hoskin-Elliott

F: Ben Crocker, Mason Cox, Jaidyn Stephenson

Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar

Int from: Jarryd Blair, Alex Fasolo, Chris Mayne, Callum Brown, Josh Thomas, Brayden Sier, Sam McLarty, Flynn Appleby

IN: Taylor Adams, Ben Crocker, Alex Fasolo, Sam McLarty, Darcy Moore, Brayden Sier, Travis Varcoe
OUT: James Aish (knee), Brayden Maynard (ankle), Ben Reid (Achilles)

COLLINGWOOD NEWS Some good players out, some good players in. That sums up Collingwood’s team selection for the round seven clash with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday evening. Darcy Moore, Ben Crocker, Taylor Adams and Travis Varcoe are the confirmed additions to the team that lost to Richmond last weekend. The Pies have also brought Alex Fasolo, Sam McLarty and Brayden Sier into their 26-man squad. Fasolo, McLarty and Sier have been named on the extended bench. The confirmed outs are James Aish (knee), Brayden Maynard (ankle) and Ben Reid (achilles). The final team will be named at 5pm on Friday. GREAT GABBA RECORD Collingwood is aiming to post its fifth straight win at the Gabba when it takes on the Lions on Sunday. The Magpies last played at the Gabba on a Saturday night in May 2016. That night the Pies won by 78 points and Adam Treloar finished with 36 disposals and three goals (he later received the three Brownlow Medal votes as well). TERRIFIC TRAV Travis Varcoe will be looking to continue his perfect record against the Lions. During his career with Geelong and Collingwood, the speedy midfielder has played 11 games against the boys from Brisbane (nine of those when he was with the Cats) and has won all of them. Varcoe’s career win-loss record is quite incredible. He has played 190 games and has won 139, a winning percentage of 73.16. WHERE WILL MOORE PLAY? Darcy Moore spent a lot of time training as a backman during the pre-season. He then played a bit at both ends of the ground before going down with an injury in the round two loss to Greater Western Sydney. But Ben Reid’s absence means he’s likely to play in the forward line on Sunday.

AFL PREVIEW ROUND 7 COLLINGWOOD V BRISBANE AFL LAST FIVE TIMES R10, 2017, Collingwood 18.21 (129) d Brisbane Lions 13.6 (84) at the MCG R8, 2016, Collingwood 20.23 (143) d Brisbane Lions 10.5 (65) at the MCG R1, 2015, Collingwood 12.14 (86) d Brisbane Lions 11.8 (74) at the Gabba R21, 2014, Brisbane Lions 18.15 (123) d Collingwood 8.8 (56) at the MCG R10, 2013, Collingwood 14.16 (100) d Brisbane Lions 7.9 (51) at the Gabba  LADDER POSITIONS Collingwood: 10 Brisbane: 17 INJURY LIST Kayle Kirby (medical condition) – TBC Taylor Adams (hamstring) – available Ben Crocker (managed) – available Levi Greenwood (knee) – available Darcy Moore (hamstring) – available Josh Smith (hamstring) – available Travis Varcoe (managed) – available Tom Langdon (knee) – test Jamie Elliott (hamstring) – 1-2 weeks Brayden Maynard (ankle) – 1-2 weeks Ben Reid (Achilles) – 1-2 weeks James Aish (knee) – 8-10 weeks Tim Broomhead (broken leg) – season Tyson Goldsack (knee) – season SUMMARY Collingwood is one of the early-season surprise packets and Brisbane are still winless, but this looms as a danger game for the Magpies. Fresh off blockbuster wins against Adelaide and Essendon on Anzac Day, Collingwood enhanced its reputation with a gritty performance against Richmond before a late fade. They head to the Gabba with a 3-3 win-loss record and, despite sporting a white-hot midfield led by Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Adam Treloar, have some injury concerns that may tilt the balance of favouritism ever-so-slightly. Aside from one poor showing against the Tigers, the Lions have been ultra-competitive in the opening six weeks despite failing to register a win. They have matched their opponents most weeks in contested footy and clearances with ruckman Stefan Martin a central figure to this. That all said, if the Magpies want to see September action, these are the types of games they simply must win. AFL THE SIX POINTS Collingwood’s midfield stars were the difference when the sides played in 2017. Scott Pendlebury had 31 disposals and eight tackles, Steele Sidebottom 34 touches and small forwards Jamie Elliott and Alex Fasolo combined for six goals. The Lions are the lowest-scoring team so far in 2018, averaging just 63 points a game. In two of their past three matches they've been held to just two and five goals. Collingwood is averaging 87 points a game. Collingwood has dominated Brisbane recently, winning the past three matches and six of the past seven. In total the teams have played 44 times with the Magpies holding a 25-19 advantage. At the Gabba it's a different story though with the Lions leading 11-8. The Magpies are the highest disposal team in 2018, one of only three averaging more than 400 a game. In contrast the Lions are 14th with an average of 364.8. Brisbane hasn’t started a season 0-7 since 2011. Since 2013 they’ve managed only seven wins from 41 games in the first seven rounds of the season. The Magpies have five players – Pendlebury, Treloar, Brodie Grundy, Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe – ranked in the top 50 of the AFL's Official Player Ratings and Taylor Adams is right next door at 51. The Lions have just one – Dayne Zorko. IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR … Dayne Zorko The word is out – Zorko can be shut down with a tag. Last year's All Australian has had a super slow start to 2018, averaging just 15 disposals a match. Against Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney in the past fortnight that has plummeted even further, with just 10 touches in each match. For the Lions to win, Zorko must find a way to lift. PREDICTION: Collingwood by 19 points