Collingwood will return to the MCG for the first time in 30 days for Saturday’s Round Six clash against Port Adelaide.
After two interstate games and a Round Five bye, the Magpies will face an in-form Port Adelaide in front of a home crowd. The Power sit third on the AFL ladder, after starting their season with four wins and one loss.
The game will mark Steele Sidebottom’s 314th game for Collingwood which will see him hold the Club record for the second most games played for the Club. Scott Pendlebury currently holds the record of 384 Collingwood games.
Last time they met
The last time these two sides met was a night to remember particularly for the Magpie Army. A ‘clutch’ boundary line major from none other than Jamie Elliott, saw Collingwood triumph by two points at Adelaide Oval.
In what was one of the games of the season, that featured 11 lead changes, the Magpies overcame a 17-point, three quarter time deficit to mark their 16th victory of the year.
Nathan Murphy was phenomenal in defence, recording a game high 16 spoils, as was Captain Darcy Moore who had nine intercept possessions and played 100% game time.
Veterans Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom led the way in the midfielder with 28 and 26 disposals respectively, while Nick Daicos and Taylor Adams both had nine clearances each.
As well as his last-minute winner, Jamie Elliott booted a further two goals to lead all comers in the forward half.
For the Power, Willem Drew had 16 tackles and Zak Butters had 31 disposals.
Ins and Outs
There are no changes to Collingwood’s side that defeated Hawthorn during Gather Round, with Scott Pendlebury overcoming the rib injury he suffered in the same clash.
Players to watch
Utility Billy Frampton has had a fantastic start to his 2024 season, which sees him ranked second in the competition for average spoils with nine. The tall is also averaging 4.7 pressure acts and nine intercept possessions per game.
Forward Jamie Elliott continues to impress in front of goal, leading the Magpies season tally with 10 majors and 20 score involvements.
Second place Steele
Steele Sidebottom will run out in a Collingwood guernsey for the 314th time on Saturday, and in doing so, will overtake Tony Shaw for the second most games played for the Club.
Off the back of a ten-goal outing for the Murray Bushrangers in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final, Sidebottom was drafted at Pick 11 of the 2008 National Draft. He made his AFL debut in Round 7 of the 2009 season against St Kilda. A year later he went onto play in the Magpies 2010 Premiership, and 13 years after that, the 2023 victory.
Across his career, Sidebottom has collected 7,362 disposals at an average of 23.5 and has kicked 190 goals including one in each of his Premiership wins. All Collingwood fans will remember his long bomb late in the final term of last year’s decider.
Sidebottom is 75 games behind teammate Scott Pendlebury, who has played the most of any Collingwood player (388).
Raising awareness for a good
Saturday’s clash will mark an opportunity for the Magpie Army and the wider Football community to learn more about and raise funds for the Collingwood Community Foundation. The Foundation exists to build programs and partnerships that bring people together and create a sense of belonging and connection.
The Foundation’s work aims to promote inclusion, diversity, equality, anti-racism, cultural safety and respect, empowering all people, regardless of background or circumstance to realise their potential and ensure they have greater opportunities and feel seen, heard and respected. Fans are encouraged to donate to the Foundation here.
This week Collingwood’s first to fourth year players visited the Magpie Nest café in Melbourne’s CBD, an initiative run by the Collingwood Community Foundation:
Take in the action
The match will be broadcast live on Fox Footy and kayosports.com.au. For local broadcast information, visit the AFL website.
The Magpie Army can stay connected with the team via the Official Collingwood website and social media channels. Visit collingwoodfc.com.au, @collingwood_fc on Instagram and threads, @collingwoodfc on X (formerly Twitter), Collingwood Football Club on Facebook and YouTube for a range of behind-the-scenes content, the latest news and more.
