Collingwood will head down to Casey Fields this Sunday for a crucial Round 11 showdown with the Demons.
Looking for their first win since Round Three, the Pies will be buoyed by a positive performance against the undefeated Footscray Bulldogs last week.
They’ll come up against a Casey side who have also won two games in 2024, with the Demons beating Carlton – as have the Pies – and Port Melbourne.
The game will be the third year in a row the Pies have travelled to Casey Fields.
Last time we met
It was a historic win for the Pies when they took on Casey in Round 12 last year, getting home by 14 points on a cold June day.
Casey burst out of the blocks with the first five goals of the game and led by kore than 30 points in the opening term, putting the Pies on the back foot.
Forward Jedd Longmire got the side going however with the first of his two goals, both Nathan Kreuger stole the show in the second term.
Kreuger kicked two of his five of the day in the second quarter, as the Pies mounted a comeback to all but draw level by half time.
A steady second half kept the game in the balance, however the Pies maintained their lead to eventually run out two-goal winners.
Kreuger was the star of the show with his bag of goals, while Finlay Macrae (20 disposals) and Oscar Steen (19 disposals, 19 hit outs) were also crucial.
The win was pivotal in helping the Pies’ charge towards finals in 2023 and set up a brilliant back half of the year.
Team news
The Pies have six changes from last week's clash against Footscray, with some important players coming into the side.
Mid-season recruit Iliro Smit will make his Club debut after arriving at the Pies last week, while SSP-selection Josh Eyre will play his first game of 2024 having recovered from a hamstring injury.
Reef McInnes also comes back into the side after sitting out with concussion for three weeks, while Wil Parker, Ash Johnson and Yu Yu Ashwin return as well.
The year so far
While having not won in almost two months, there have been numerous positive signs in recent games for the Pies as they deal with major personnel turnover each week.
Coming up against a team with double the amount of AFL-listed players last week against the Bulldogs, the Pies produced a brilliant first half led by Ed Allan and Nathan Kreuger.
Having lost Jack Hutchinson to West Coast through the mid-season draft, Kruger’s presence in a young forward line has been crucial.
Another impressive player in attack, the high-flying Patrick Farrant has continued t show his skill level over the past fortnight, soaring high regularly and hitting the scoreboard.
Ryan Sparkes has been a force through the midfield as he continued to show his strength around the contest, while Co-Captains Campbell Lane and Sam Glover are consistently in the side’s top performers.
A game against the 18th-placed Demons presents an opportunity for reward this week, as the side continues to push for win number three of 2024.
How can I watch?
The game can be streamed live via AFL.com.au and the Official AFL Live app.
Entry into Casey Fields is free up until half time of the VFLW game which begins at 11.05am. Tickets after half time are $10 for adults.
