After a long hot summer, the 2013 home and away season is finally underway. Unfortunately for Collingwood and North Melbourne fans, we will have to wait until twilight on Easter Sunday to watch our sides in action.

Although much of the focus will be on the Carlton v Richmond game, the Collingwood v North Melbourne clash will be one of the most interesting of the round. Both the Magpies and the Kangaroos are very hard to assess in regards to how their 2013 season will fare. It is legitimate to say that both sides could improve, yet still struggle to even retain their position on the ladder.

Collingwood has talked up its pre-season but enters round one with a significant injury list. North Melbourne on the other hand has been typically low key, which may explain why most football experts do not have them in their top eight.

North Melbourne has developed a very even and talented list. It is hard to plug too many holes in the best 22. However, for North Melbourne to move up the ladder in 2013, it needs a number of the younger players to breakout and become genuine A-graders by years end. I'm talking about the likes of Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley, Jack Ziebell, Robbie Tarrant, Sam Wright, Liam Anthony and Lachie Hansen and perhaps even new recruits like Ben Jacobs and Jordan Gysberts. All are already very good players but still have a bit of work to do until they are regarded in the competition's elite.

Despite its injury list, Collingwood's spine remains intact. From recent experience, I find that the Magpies can cover a large amount of injuries as long as the key position posts are at full strength. The midfield is so deep that it can cover two or three injuries. Nonetheless, the question becomes "how many injuries to top 22 players can the Magpies take until they can no longer win games of football?" The question was posed towards West Coast when it played Fremantle last week and the answer was clear.

Of particular concern is the fact that the Magpies will be missing a lot of flair. Dale Thomas, Alex Fasolo, Alan Didak and Andrew Krakouer are all likely to miss. Luke Ball will also be unavailable for selection for a few more weeks, while Lachlan Keeffe is also on the injury list. With so much speed and goal scoring power out of the side, a heavy reliance will be placed on young players such as Jamie Elliott and Ben Sinclair to kick goals up forward.

Last Meeting
When these sides last met, it was the Kangaroos who made the big statement with a convincing 30 point win. The talls up forward proved too much to handle, with Drew Petrie, Hansen and Tarrant kicking eight between them. Lindsay Thomas also booted three goals.
The Magpies were also carved up through the middle, with the Kangaroos penetrating the defensive zones with ease. Brent Harvey had 33 disposals, whilst Sam Gibson and Ryan Bastinac were also prominent. For Collingwood, Dayne Beams had 38 disposals and kicked two goals as a lone hand. Dale Thomas and Steele Sidebottom could also hold their heads up.

Scott Thompson, who held Cloke goalless, polled the three votes, with Beams and Todd Goldstein polling the two and one respectively. Goldstein in particular was dominant over Darren Jolly with 40 hitouts.

Collingwood was without Dane Swan on the night. Swan has had 38, 40 and 38 disposals in his last three matches against North Melbourne.

At the Selection Table
Both sides will select squads of 25 on Thursday night, which will be trimmed to the final 22 at 5:00pm Friday night.
Most interest will be around Collingwood's selection and just how they cover the absence of the players listed above. On top of the injuries listed above, Ben Reid and Tyson Goldsack will also have to prove their fitness following pre-season injuries.

We should see two new recruits unveiled in Quinten Lynch and Jordan Russell. Jack Frost is also on the selection radar after getting promoted to the senior list following a terrific pre-season. The mature aged defender may be called upon if Ben Reid is unavailable. He may also be selected even if Reid plays considering North Melbourne has three key talls up forward. I feel that Paul Seedsman has also done enough to earn his spot in the side.

The last question for Nathan Buckley will be how to structure his ruck division. With Jolly, Jarrod Witts and Ben Hudson available, he may opt to play at least two genuine rucks. I feel it is unlikely that Buckley will select both Jolly and Hudson considering both are similar type of players. However, Witts may be a surprise inclusion given his height and enormous body. The likely result will be that Buckley will go with a more orthodox structure with Jolly rucking solo and Lynch playing the chop-out role.

Turning the focus onto North Melbourne, and coach Brad Scott has similar selection dilemmas in his ruck division with new recruit Daniel Currie having a terrific pre-season. Majak Daw has also impressed and North Melbourne fans will be itching for him to debut.
I think North Melbourne will also opt for their orthodox setup with Todd Goldstein as the number one ruckman and Drew Petrie offering support. Goldstein's dominance over Jolly in last year's clash should be enough to see him retain his spot. Majak Daw will likely have to wait a bit longer to make his debut. North Melbourne is also a chance to unveil at least two new recruits with Ben Jacobs and Taylor Hine impressing over pre-season.

North Melbourne has a completely clean bill of health with not one player on the injury list. Experienced pair Brent Harvey and Scott McMahon will sit out the match due to suspension.

Player Focus
Collingwood
Travis Cloke - With last year's contract issues behind him, Travis looks set for a huge year. I think he will enjoy the support of Quentin Lynch who is a genuine goal-kicker. Although Chris Dawes used to provide a good buffer, he wasn't a big goal scorer. Lynch's presence and ability to kick goals from anywhere inside 60 metres will enable Cloke more freedom and space. He had a tough time with Scott Thompson when these sides last met and will be out for some revenge on Sunday night.

Dane Swan - The Magpie champion has been in every headline over pre-season but will be keen to get back out on the park and get back to business. All reports are that Swan has had his best pre-season in quite some time and is hungry to produce a big year. With the big names out of the Collingwood side, Swan will need to push forward and provide a goal scoring option as the Magpies lose a lot of attacking power without Krakouer and Alex Fasolo in particular. He has a terrific record against North Melbourne.

Jamie Elliott - Another who looked particularly good in the pre-season. Even with Krakouer and Fasolo in the team, I think Elliott has earned his spot. That said, he will know that when these players return that his spot will be under threat meaning he needs a big game on the weekend to cement a spot. He also has a very important role in the side considering Collingwood is devoid of a crumbing option at the moment and needs a few smalls to kick goals.

Steele Sidebottom – In his weekly video message to the members, Buckley noted Sidebottom as the 'player of the pre-season', highlighting his work ethic and attention to detail. It was pleasing to hear considering Sidebottom ran out of legs towards the end of 2012. It is a big year for Sidebottom, as he is at the right age now to really establish himself as an elite player. He still has a bit of work to do with his kicking but he has an enormous tank. With Ball still out, Sidebottom will continue to get more midfield time. He also is a terrific crumber, so I will not be surprised to see him spend a lot of time forward as well to play at the feet of Cloke. He is the sort of player who can kick goals in congestion and has a good goal-sense.

North Melbourne
Ben Cunnington - Largely regarded in the North Melbourne camp as one of the best pre-season performers. Cunnington is tipped to be the big improver for the Kangaroos in 2013 and the time is definitely right for him given the fact he has now played 54 games. The Kangaroos have been patient with him as he was a high draft pick but took a while to adjust to the pace of the game. It is important to remember he is still only 21 and now looks as if he has developed the fitness to have his breakout year.

Shaun Atley - I thought Atley had a good year last year and he is another who looks set to really 'break-out' in 2013. Having played 39 games now, he looks at home across half back and has become an important play-maker for the Kangaroos. Collingwood will need to put attention into Atley because he can chop them up if allowed to run free.

Daniel Wells - After an early pre-season scare, Wells returned in the NAB Cup and looked pretty sharp. In the past, the Magpies have often used Sharrod Wellingham in a tagging role on Wells. Obviously with Sharrod moving to West Coast, tagging options have become very scarce for Collingwood and Wells will enjoy the freedom. It is hard to see any real genuine match-up for him, although Buckley may opt to play someone like Ben Johnson through the middle to tag. Wells is all class and a genuine A-grade player.

Andrew Swallow – In my opinion, he is North Melbourne's best player and perhaps the most underrated player in the competition. Without Luke Ball, Swallow is likely to go head to head against Dayne Beams through the middle which could prove to be an enthralling battle. If Swallow's kicking was slightly better, he would probably be considered in the elite players of the competition. Regardless, he plays to his limitations and gets the job done. He can be an extremely damaging player.

Drew Petrie - If Swallow is North Melbourne's best, then Petrie is perhaps the most important. With Tarrant and Hansen beside him, Petrie has the ability to get more one-out opportunities, or alternatively draw defenders away from the other talls. He also moonlights as the back-up ruckman and will kick his 50 odd goals a year at a minimum. He will likely line up on Nathan Brown or Ben Reid, both of whom he has covered for height. If North Melbourne move the ball quickly and win the clearances, then Petrie can be near impossible to stop.

The Wrap Up
I felt that in 2012, the Magpies struggled to play at Etihad Stadium, whereas North Melbourne feels quite comfortable there. It will be a hard deck which will provide for quick ball movement. It is also a small ground and I think Collingwood's best strategy will be to clog the game up and deprive the Kangaroos of their ability to run the lines.

The big test for the Magpies will be their forward pressure. It disappeared in 2012 and fluctuated during the pre-season. A lot of focus over the pre-season seems to have been around defensive structures and locking the ball inside 50, so it is the first real test for Collingwood as to whether the forward pressure has returned.

The Kangaroos will fancy themselves in the middle with Goldstein, Swallow and Ziebell around the stoppages. The absence of Luke Ball remains telling. But the big names of Collingwood are still there. Scott Pendlebury looks back to his best and should have a big impact as well.

The Magpies need to shut down Wells and Swallow, then put the onus on the younger North Melbourne to step up in their place. The experience of the Magpies midfield could then become telling.

It is an impossible game to tip, but I think you have to stick with the experience and tip Collingwood by 18 points.

By David Natoli
Aka DaVe86