2019 Round 7: The Team & Preview

2019 AFL Round 7 COLLINGWOOD v PORT ADELAIDE Time & Place: Friday May 3, 7:50pm Docklands TV: 7mate / Fox Footy 7:30pm Weather: Min 11 Max 20 Chance of rain: 50% < 1mm Wind: NW 14kph Betting: Collingwood $1.33 Port Adelaide $3.14

B: Brayden Maynard, Jordan Roughead, Jeremy Howe

HB: Jack Crisp, Darcy Moore, Tom Langdon

C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Phillips

HF: Josh Thomas, Ben Reid, Jamie Elliott

F: Jaidyn Stephenson, Brody Mihocek, Will Hoskin-Elliott

Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Jordan De Goey

I/C: Adam Treloar, Callum L. Brown, Levi Greenwood, Dayne Beams

Emg: Travis Varcoe, Isaac Quaynor, Rupert Wills, Max Lynch

In: Ben Reid, Jamie Elliott
Out: Mason Cox (Injured), Travis Varcoe (Omitted)

Collingwood News Jamie Elliott returns to the Collingwood line-up for round seven against Port Adelaide Collingwood has added forward strength and power with the inclusion of Jamie Elliott and Ben Reid for round seven against Port Adelaide at Docklands on Friday night. Elliott has recovered from the corked buttock that kept him out of the Anzac Day clash and it served as a wise opportunity to manage his body. “It was a weird spot, it was right on the edge of my glute and it just affected a few mechanics in my right leg. There was no point risking it (on Anzac Day),” Elliott said on Wednesday. “I was planning on having a week off anyway. I think going by last year I missed a lot of football, so it was smart to have the week off and freshen up the body.” Elliott comes into the side for Travis Varcoe, who has been omitted. Reid will play his first game of senior football since round 10 last year and will provide a like-for-like replacement with Mason Cox managing an ankle issue. “I’m rapt. I’ve been ready for provably the last three or four weeks, just biding my time. I’ve been playing some good footy in the VFL, so hopefully that can continue on Friday night,” Reid said on Track Talk. “I think any footballer knows that once you can build up a bit of continuity you feel better and you pull up better week in week out. “So it’s nice to be doing that and hopefully I can keep it rolling.” The first bounce is set for 7.50pm, with Docklands expected to attract 40,000 fans. Travis Varcoe, Isaac Quaynor Rupert Wills and Max Lynch have been named as emergencies.

AFL Preview Round 7 Collingwood v Port Adelaide Last time they met: MCG, round 22, 2018: Collingwood 17.13 (115) defeated Port Adelaide 10.4 (64) The Magpies cemented their first finals berth in four years while the Power slipped outside the eight and ultimately missed the finals. After leading by just four points midway through the third term, the Pies piled on 8.5 to 1.0 to break a four-game losing streak against Port. What it means for Collingwood: In the first of just three appearances at Docklands this season, the Pies will fancy their chances of posting their fourth successive win in a period in which they could build serious momentum. What it means for Port Adelaide: On a fast track under the roof, Ken Hinkley's boys have a golden opportunity to strengthen their credentials against one of the flag favourites. How Collingwood wins: Jamie Elliott's return will allow the Pies to assemble their full complement of forwards for the first time and possibly enable superstar Jordan De Goey to spend more time in the midfield, where his explosiveness could be critical. How Port Adelaide wins: The Power have unleashed some exciting speedsters – among them the supremely talented Connor Rozee and fellow NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Xavier Duursma – who have the ability to unsettle the Magpies' team defence. The stat: The Power have never beaten Collingwood at Docklands, losing their previous four games at the venue to the Pies by an average of 43 points. The teams haven't met there since 2012. The match-up: Brodie Grundy v Scott Lycett and Paddy Ryder It all starts at the source, and Power pair Lycett (ranked No.94 in the Official AFL Player Ratings) and Ryder (No.22) will look to nullify the AFL's premier ruckman Grundy (No.4), just as Lycett and Nathan Vardy did in West Coast's Grand Final triumph seven months ago. It’s a big week for: Tom Rockliff The prolific onballer amassed 43 touches in Brisbane's win over the Pies at the MCG in round 21, 2014, but in his two games against them since then, both at the MCG, he has managed just 18 (after being injured in the third quarter in his first game as Lions' captain in round one, 2015) and 17 in Port's round 22 loss last year. Big call: Port comes agonisingly close to toppling both 2018 Grand Finalists Prediction: Magpies by 10 points