| 2018 AFL Round 18 COLLINGWOOD v NORTH MELBOURNE Time & Place: Saturday July 21, 1:45pm EST MCG Fox Footy 1:30pm EST Weather: Min 6 Max 14 Chance of rain 30%: < 1mm Wind: NNE 24kph Betting: Collingwood $1.56 North Melbourne $2.45 |
HB: Jeremy Howe, Matthew Scharenberg, Tom Langdon
C: Chris Mayne, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips
HF: Jordan De Goey, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Travis Varcoe
F: Josh Thomas, Mason Cox, Jaidyn Stephenson
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Steele Sidebottom
Int: Brody Mihocek, Sam Murray, Brayden Sier, Levi Greenwood
Emg: Callum Brown, Ben Crocker, Josh Daicos, Sam McLarty
IN: Mason Cox, Sam Murray
OUT: Ben Crocker, Josh Daicos (omitted)
COLLINGWOOD NEWS
The match of the round will take place this Sunday between Collingwood at North Melbourne at the MCG.David Natoli Both sides are vying for a finals position, with Collingwood sitting in third place by only percentage, and North Melbourne sitting in ninth. It’s undoubtedly a crucial match considering both sides had tough losses last week. Although the Magpies are comfortably in the top eight, they have a very tough run home and are yet to cement their finals position. On the other hand, they have a real chance to make the top four, and can’t afford to lose touch with other top four aspirants. North Melbourne could boost itself back into the top eight with a victory, but can’t afford to fall any further behind if they lose this week. North has been one of the real surprise packets of 2018, with many predicting a bottom four finish at the start of the year. Many are dubbing last week’s loss to Sydney as one of the best matches of the year so far, such was the quality of the contest. The Kangaroos have been so consistent all season, but amazingly have not played at the MCG since round three against Melbourne, where they had their equal highest loss of the year by 37 points. It will be interesting to see how they adjust from the quick deck at Etihad Stadium to the wide expanses of the MCG. This will be a tricky match for Collingwood, particularly coming off such a comprehensive loss last week that broke a winning streak of seven games. It should act as a wake up call, but the side has been decimated by injuries, and my concern is that, sooner or later, it might take its toll. Nonetheless, too many quality players had quiet games last week, so expect a spike from several big names. At the Selection Table The Magpies will be sweating on the fitness of Mason Cox, who was a late withdrawal last week with a hamstring complaint. The early signs are that he will be right to play, which should make a big difference to Collingwood’s structure. The Eagles were able to take countless intercept marks last week through the likes of McGovern, so getting Cox back should ensure a better contest in the air. For the Kangaroos, expect to see Mason Wood return earlier that expected from injury. Wood will add a different dimension to an already powerful forward line. Tagger Ben Jacobs remains in doubt after he was again a late out with concussion last week. He was been withdrawn from the side three times in a month as he battles to recover. If he plays, he’ll surely be sent to Steele Sidebottom after the Eagles successfully tagged him out of the game last week. Focus on Collingwood Collingwood’s streak of seven wins was broken last week at the hands of West Coast. After a bright start, the Magpies failed to capitalize on their opportunities and were eventually steam-rolled by the powerful West Coast side. The Eagles dominated every aspect of the game, and prevented Collingwood’s best players the football. Collingwood is the highest disposal side in the competition averaging 408, but was held to only 364 last week. The intensity was down as well, with the Magpies only managing 43 tackles, which is a severely low number. Collingwood’s defence has held up well all year, but struggled to contain West Coast’s twin towers in Kennedy and Darling. Darcy Moore was strong in his return game, but will face an almighty task this week against the Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown. Majak Daw has also been in good form up forward of late. With games to follow against Richmond and Sydney, this game because even more crucial for the Magpies to cement their finals credentials. The other concern to come out of last week’s loss was the fact that Collingwood only managed three individual goal kickers for the match. Collingwood’s strength this year has been the impressive spread of goal scorers, but it was unable to get any contribution from the midfield. Only Jordan De Goey, Josh Thomas and Brody Mihocek were able to kick goals. The probable return of Mason Cox may help straighten the side up. Steele Sidebottom will also look to bounce back from a quiet 18 possession game after been heavily tagged. With Adam Treloar out of the side, the Magpies can’t afford their best players to have quiet games. Player Focus – Josh Thomas After spending two years in the football wilderness, Thomas has been a revelation this year, currently ranked second in Collingwood’s goal kicking with 27 goals. He also has the ability to go into the midfield given his strong clearance game, but he has seemingly found his niche as a small forward. When on song, he has a habit of kicking multiple goals, with bags of five, four and three goals on multiple occasions this year. The Wrap-Up I think it is a significant advantage that this game will be played on the MCG this weekend. It is always a completely different contest at the ‘G compared to the closed roof and smaller arena at Etihad. The Kangaroos love moving the ball quickly, but will be challenged by Collingwood’s leg speed this week. Ben Brown remains a huge factor and he’ll be a very difficult player to stop given Collingwood’s shorter backline. Darcy Moore will likely get the job, but is only in his second game back from injury and is new to the defence, so it will be a monumental challenge. Todd Goldstein has also been in really good form, and his battle against Brodie Grundy will be crucial given both sides have good clearance players through the midfield. Although every game is worth the same amount of points, this week’s clash just feels like it is worth a bit more. We are approaching the final six rounds of the season, and finals positions are still up for grabs. |
Magpies star Steele Sidebottom appears to be on his way to a second successive club best and fairest, but in the loss to the Eagles last round he had his quietest game in perhaps two years, with his lowest kick tally (seven) in five years. Top-liners like Sidebottom rarely put in two below-par performances in a row, so expect him to be back to his normal productive self against North. PREDICTION: Collingwood by 9 points |
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