Kangaroos v Collingwood
Saturday 31 March, 2007
MCG, 2.10 PM
The summer of cricket has concluded, the tennis is over, the A-League is all but a memory, and the glorified Pre-season Cup done and dusted. The real football starts this Saturday afternoon at footy’s home ground, the MCG, with Collingwood taking on the Kangaroos in what promises to be an intriguing battle.
A big season shapes for both sides, in many respects defining ones in terms of future planning. The contrast in this case is evident, Collingwood rebounding from a humiliating loss to the Western Bulldogs in the First Elimination Final last season, spoiling, somewhat, a season which saw the ‘success’ box ticked, for the club rose from 15th in 2005 to finish the home and away season on the cusp of the top four and a double chance.
The form guide:
Collingwood’s pre-season campaign was marked by just the solitary victory, over St Kilda in impressive fashion at Carlton, losing to Sydney on two occasions and Richmond once, as well as going down to a much stronger Kangaroos side in the first week of the Pre-season Cup at Carrara on the Gold Coast.
In contrast, the Roos came out of the blocks like a house on fire, winning their first two matches of the Pre-season Cup, before stumbling against the Blues in the face of some Brendan Fevola heroics, then losing both Thompson and the match in their final practice outing against the Saints.
Injuries:
Unfortunately, it will be the first time since 1993 that a Collingwood side will take to the field in round one minus their skipper and heartbeat, Nathan Buckley, who twanged a hamstring last week, an injury set to sideline him until round three. Alan Didak’s reconstructed knee has been deemed unfit for service for another week, while Holland’s six match suspension carried over for his bump on Bulldog Brett Montgomery in last year’s final will see him absent. As mentioned earlier, Rusling will be sidelined for three months, with John Anthony’s neck injury set to see him miss the early stages of the year. Medhurst and Stanley’s minor ailments are not considered match-threatening at this stage.
On the flip side of the coin, the Roos are in a similar position, although without the influence of Thompson in attack, it will be a difficult afternoon in the search of goals, and lots of them.
Head to Head since 2000:
Collingwood: 7; Kangaroos: 4
With the Roos’ era of 1990s dominance coming to a close in the early part of the decade, the Magpies have cashed in, snaring a three-match lead in the head-to-head stakes, opening up the gap courtesy of a four match winning streak over the blue and white between round 22 2001 and round 10 2004, backing it up with consecutive successes last season.
The X-Factors:
Collingwood: Scott Pendlebury. Can the silky-smooth Pendlebury live up to the hype and become the bona fide midfield star the Magpies so desperately require?
Kangaroos: Aaron Edwards. The eyes of the game will be upon him, the question posed – is he good enough to make the adjustment from the state leagues to the main game?
Questions to be answered:
Can the Roos hit the bottom of the table one year and bounce off the floor the next?
How will Collingwood’s Thomas and Pendlebury cope with the added attention, can they survive the second-year blues?
How do the Pies attack stack up without Tarrant?
The tip:
An industrious side the Kangaroos, and can be expected to continue chugging along no matter the odds, and any side including the likes of Thompson, Harvey, Simpson and Grant command immediate respect. However, the added class of the Magpies youth should pilot them home in a humdinger of a contest. Collingwood by 18 points.
