Collingwoodfc.com.au will be providing a detailed statistical look into the 2010 season courtesy of Champion Data.
Ruck, ruck, goose
Collingwood will have the advantage in the ruck division on Friday night against Geelong after its number one ruckman, Brad Ottens, went down with a foot injury in round six. This will be the fifth consecutive match between the two teams with one side going in without its number one ruckman.
The Cats used forward Tom Hawkins (9 hitouts) in the ruck to serve as the back up to Mark Blake (24) in the round eight win over Brisbane. The ruckmen split their involvement in the centre square (Blake - 21, Hawkins - 17) with Blake winning 10 hitouts and Hawkins winning three (Matthew Leuenberger - 16).
The Cats have called upon some of their taller midfielders to serve as third men up in the ruck contests when they are missing their number one man.
James Bartel (187 cm) and Joel Corey (191 cm - will miss Friday night with injury) have soared to the contest when needed and could do so on Friday night. When Geelong faced Hawthorn without Ottens in last year’s round 17 contest, Bartel stepped up to the challenge and recorded a career-high 10 hitouts.
The Brownlow medallist registered just two hitouts last week but both were to advantage which was the same number as Hawkins had and one less than Blake.
Swan versus Ling
History tells us that at the opening bounce, Dane Swan will find himself lining up next to Geelong’s skipper Cameron Ling.
Since their first encounter in round 15 2007 when Ling held Swan to just 14 possessions in 97 minutes, the two-time Copeland Trophy winner has gained the upper hand in the last four duels.
From the last four contests between the two sides, the two players have played 228 minutes alongside one another.
During that time Swan has racked up 58 disposals equating to one disposal every 3.9 minutes which is only slightly higher than his 2010 numbers averaging one disposal every 3.3 minutes.
Their last battle (93 mins) was in the 2009 preliminary final when Ling was more focused on finding the ball (26 disposals) than shutting down Swan (17 disposals).
Player focus - Alan Toooooooooooovey
The 23-year-old has now established himself as a key member of the back six and has earned a cult following with the Magpie Army screaming Toooooooooooooovey whenever he touches the ball.
Last week’s contest against Fremantle saw Toovey notch a career high 11 tackles taking him in a tie for seventh overall for tackles in the AFL (48). He is second in the competition with tackles inside the defensive 50 (Roger Hayden is first with 17).
After eight matches this year, Toovey has proved the stingiest down in the Magpie defence with a -6 goal differential to his opponents. He has yet to have more than one goal kicked on him from the same opponent.
Of the defenders who have played eight matches, Nick Maxwell is next best with a -10 goal differential while Harry O'Brien has a -16 goal differential.
In his fourth season of playing senior football, Toovey has showcased his dynamic strength in playing on a multitude of opponents in one match. This season he has only played on one opponent for more than 50 minutes in three matches this year (Robert Murphy - 68 mins, John Bennell - 76 mins, Chris Yarran - 74 mins).
