A win here leaves us at 5-2 after seven rounds, a start even the most ardent Magpie supporter could only have dreamed about over summer. It’s time we consolidated our bright beginning, and not allow ourselves to grow big heads after the Adelaide success.
Sides such as Carlton will forever lift when they play us, so it’s important that we keep on alert. The alarm should go off in Mick Malthouse’s office, warning “danger, Mick, danger”, for it is easy for a young side to get ahead of themselves after a week of media praise. But wily Mick knows the score, and there’s no chance he’ll allow his side to lose focus this week.
What has left me even more so baffled is the AFL’s decision to allow Pay-TV provider Foxtel the exclusive rights to covering the match. Now excuse me, but should not all clashes between Collingwood and Carlton, the league’s two most long-standing rivals, be shown on free to air television? Surely this match warrants, no matter where the two sit on the ladder, the exposure that comes with an airing on Channels 10 or 7? I don’t know the politics behind it, but the move has left me and many others mystified.
Thank goodness I’ll be at the game.
The Match Ups:
The keys to the contest will undoubtedly be Anthony Rocca at one end and Brendan Fevola at the other. Rocca is likely to face off with Setanta O’hAilpin, with the onus on the young Irishman to run off Rocca at every opportunity to utilise his pace and dash. Rocca, meanwhile, will focus on outpointing O’hAilpin in the one-on-one shows of strength.
Fevola is the dangerman for Collingwood, and the verdict here is simple: stop Fevola, and effectively stop Carlton. With the maestro James Clement in the stands due to injury and Simon Prestigiacomo under a fitness cloud, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of youth, namely Nick Maxwell and Harry O'Brien, and experience in Shane Wakelin, who is likely to receive the call up to senior selection once more. It may require double and triple team efforts to hold Fevola in check.
Watch, also, for how Denis Pagan goes about stopping the influence of Heath Shaw from defence. Last season the honest Andrew Carrazzo was employed to hold Shaw in check as a negating forward, and may be called upon to do so again.
The form guide:
Collingwood notched up a rousing four goal triumph over Adelaide at AAMI Stadium last Saturday night minus a number of its big name players, with youth rising to the fore when it counted.
The Saints, meanwhile, were always a class above Carlton despite their best efforts, raising a minor challenge midway through the third quarter before St Kilda rallied to record an easy victory.
Head to Head since 2000:
Collingwood: 8
Carlton: 6
After a horrific seven match losing streak against Carlton in the mid 1990s (1994-1997), Collingwood have evened up the ledger somewhat in the new Millennium, narrowing the gap on the Blues on the overall leaderboard, with the enemy the only club to lay claim to having more wins than the Woodsmen.
In Collingwood hearts and minds, nights at the football come no more magical than round 18 2002, when the Magpies shellacked a Carlton side destined to claim its inaugural Wooden Spoon to the tune of 108 points in Nathan Buckley’s 200th match. With a BOG performance from the King, five goals from Josh Fraser and solid contributions from the likes of Paul Licuria and Rupert Betheras, the Pies easily accounted for a dismal Carlton outfit. The night is just as memorable for the giant wooden spoon waved at the Blues players by Joffa and his gold jacket midway through the third term.
The Woods won both encounters last season over another Wooden Spoon headed Carlton, the round 21 encounter remembered best for Alan Didak’s bone-jarring hip-and-shoulder dished out to former teammate Heath Scotland, sparking both a brawl and a seven goal second quarter to Collingwood.
The X-Factors:
Collingwood: Harry O'Brien – a revelation in recent weeks, can the Big H add Brendan Fevola to his ever growing list of scalps?
Carlton: Brendan Fevola – as hackneyed as it sounds, for the Blues to have any chance Fevola must fire. If Collingwood stop him, we win. If he gets on a roll, anything is possible.
Broadcast guide:
TV: Foxtel 2:00pm
Radio: 3AW, 3MMM.
The tip: It looms as a danger game for the young Magpies, but should they continue to keep their heads over the ball and continue their harassment of the opposition, they should easily account for Carlton. Collingwood by 23 points.
Please note: the views expressed in the above article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Collingwood Football Club or employees of the club. The Collingwood Football Club would like to acknowledge the tireless work of its supporters who contribute to collingwoodfc.com.au.
