Round 6 - Collingwood Match Preview

By benfti
How good was Alessio’s mark?, why didn’t Buckley have a shot, he can kick it 60 meters?, A draw, and so the legacy began. We’ve all heard it been said before, “the biggest home and away game of the season” and it is, a testament to the occasion finds me know in the city of churches and the build up for a game that features two non South Australian teams still has Adelaide at fever pitch which is really quite amazing. The mere suggestion that other teams should have the right to play on this auspicious occasion is an insult to the people that began it and the legends that made it great.

2008 Anzac Day will 3 of the occasions biggest names no longer involved, Sheedy, Hird and Buckley, maybe in the new dawn of the Essendon football club a new champion will rise? 6 wins and a draw a piece the series is deadlocked. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.

Form Guide

Essendon
The season has gotten off to an interesting start under Matthew Knights , came out of the blocks so well by 3 quarter time of round one , I was on hold to Ticketmaster booking grand final tickets and by 10 minutes into round 2 it was all but over. Then a lucky escape to the improving Carlton and a rough roll against the Bulldogs where we ended the game on work cover. Then last weeks slow start to the Saints cost us dearly late in the game. Over all for the most part other than Geelong we have shown something to suggest when we get it together for 4 quarters we will be a tough team to stop, but how far away are we from that.

Collingwood

Also sitting on 2/3 come round six Collingwood tipped by many to be top 4 have gotten off to a sluggish start, Loosing Rusling round one affected their 3 pronged attack plan for the year and Mick has yet to find the balance up forward. Rocca who is defiantly in the twilight of his career, and tends to be a barometer for the Pies, in all games this year he has had a strong showing the Pies have come out on top. When he’s been bad they have been rotten. Wins to an unconvincing Fremantle and improving Richmond have been the high point while narrow defeats to Brisbane at the gabba and North last week at the G suggest they are not far off, but like a Collingwood 6’ footer everything in Black and White tends to be over-rated. That being said, even with the few injury concerns , Collingwood always find a leg against us on Anzac Day.

Key Matchups

Hille V Fraser

Pick 40 vs Pick 1, Sheedy loved to play on this, so again as we go into another Collingwood clash this match up is pivotal to the outcome. Frazer has been in OK form and will try and push forward at every opportunity as will Hille. Hille has been in career form this season and has proved to be very damaging around the ground, he needs to dictate terms early and force Frazer to play accountable football on him. Woods will also play a factor in this.

Rocca v Michael

As stated earlier Rocca in form or not proves to be a vital cog in the Collingwood machine. If he breaks away and kicks goals it fires the carringbush up no end. Mal is fit, and a much different proposition to what he was in 2007. He just needs to play his natural game and with the support from Fletcher should be able to contain him.

Ryder v Cloke

This is the match up I’lm looking most forward to, Ryder is playing great football, he is now an attacking weapon at half back, capable of shutting down his opponent at half back as well as any oppositions forward 50 thrusts, on the return his foot skills from defence are fantastic, Look for Ryder to push Cloke up the ground because Cloke will have been given the direction to try and shut Ryder down and as well as provide a target. If both are given the licence to run free its going to be an entertaining day for impartial football fans.

Courtney Johns vs Collingwood

The enigma wrapt in a riddle, In his illustrious 20 game career C-Money has had the wood on the woods, he seems to be one forward they cant find a match up for assuming he plays here, playing on his mind will be this is one of the last rolls of his career dice, but by the same token he will be given some confidence knowing that he has performed against the woods, he needs to commit and back himself, look to good mate James Hird to have a word in his year pre-game. Lloyd for one will be thankful for the extra body up forward, he has played 2 on one in all of his appearances this year, and at the very least Johns will make one key defender play accountable football. One cant help feeling this guy who has when you call a spade a spade a horrendous run of luck is due.

What needs to go right

With out a doubt Collingwood will try to clog our run, they will flood they will fill space and they will force us to stop and prop and then force turnovers, we HAVE to stop this from happening, we are fast , they are not we have to run , run, run and then run some more force them to keep up and above all, not give them a chance to set up, we need to put an horrendous amount of pressure on their ball carriers, and Alwyn Davey and Andrew Lovett need to play games like their respective best Anzac Day performances, because the woods have no answer to them.

What Could Go Wrong

They clog effectively and we start slowly again, the big difference here is we will find it hard to come back, they gain the early assendacy and the massive pie following will bring them home.

Predictions

First Goal – Alwyn Davey
BOG – Rama
Result – Essendon by 10 points

The Team
B:	Welsh	Michael	Fletcher
HB:	Houli	Ryder	Reimers
C:	Monfries	Watson	Dyson
HF:	Slattery	McPhee	Lovett
F:	Lloyd	Hille	Davey
R:	Laycock	Winderlich	Stanton
INT:	Johns	Pears	Nash
	Ramanauskas
EMG:	Daniher	Lovett-Murray	Peverill

Collingwood Team
B:	H. Shaw	Wakelin	Goldsack
HB:	Maxwell	Brown	O’Brien
C:	Pendelbury	Swan	Lockyer
HF:	Didak	Rocca	Medhurst
F:	Wood	Cloke	Thomas
R:	Fraser	O’Bree	Davis
INT:	Clarke	Cook	Johnson
	R. Shaw
EMG:	Bryan	Cox	Wellingham

Last Time – Round 16 2007 – MCG
	1/4	2/4	3/4	Full Time
Essendon	1.2	5.5	13.8	14.9.93
Collingwood	5.4	11.8	15.11	18.14.122
Full Match Report

Best Players
Essendon	McVeigh, Watson, Hille, Lucas, Lloyd, Ramanauskas
Collingwood	Cloke, Davis, Lockyer, Pendelbury, Fraser, Thomas

Goals
Essendon	Lucas 4, Lloyd 3, McVeigh, Lovett 2, Peverill, Monfries, Dyson
Collingwood	Davis, Rocca 4, Cloke 3, Pendlebury 2, Thomas, Licuria, Didak, Fraser, Lockyer

TV Coverage
Ten Australiawide	12:00pm	Live

Radio Coverage
MMM Melbourne	12:00 PM
3AW Melbourne	12:00 PM
ABC Melbourne	1:05 PM
SEN Melbourne	12:00 PM
MMM Adelaide	11:30 AM
5AA Adelaide	12:00 PM
ABC Adelaide	1:00 PM
6PR Perth	12:00 PM
ABC Perth	12:00 PM
BIMA Perth	12:00 PM
ABC Sydney	2:30 PM
ABC Brisbane	2:30 PM
BIMA Brisbane	2:00 PM
ABC Canberra	2:35 PM
ABC Hobart	1:05 PM
ABC Darwin	1:05 PM
BIMA Darwin	1:30 PM

Betting
Essendon	$2.55
Collingwood	$1.52

BomberBlitz.com ‘Expert’ Tips
Andy	Collingwood by 27 points
SuperSonic	Collingwood by 19 points
Pazza	Essendon by 5 points
Bomberman007	Collingwood by 15 points
Koala	Essendon by 14 points
Awesome_Scotty	Draw
No32	Essendon by 5 points
Riolio	Essendon by 12 points
benfti	Essendon by 10 points

Posted 24 April 08 in News Match Preview