Where and when: ANZ Stadium, Saturday, June 20, 7.10pm
Head to head: Sydney Swans 79 wins, Collingwood 133 wins, one draw
Last time: Collingwood 18.10 (118) d Sydney Swans 10.13 (73), round 21, 2008, at Docklands
MISSING IN ACTION
Collingwood
Nathan Brown (knee) – test
Brent Macaffer (knee) – to be assessed
John McCarthy (hamstring) – 2-3 weeks
Sean Rusling (hip flexor) – 2-3 weeks
SUMMARY
After a few tough weeks of its own, Collingwood is now flying and looking forward to the second half of 2009. A month ago injury had threatened to derail the Pies’ hopes of making a serious challenge this year but now, with close to a full complement to choose from, Mick Malthouse’s side appears primed. Three straight wins has pushed Collingwood to seventh on the table and it could move into the top four should it beat the Swans on Saturday night. The Pies seem to have the right mix going in attack, with a smaller forward line proving potent in recent weeks as a host of options share the spread on the scoring sheet. Midfielders Dane Swan, Leon Davis, Scott Pendlebury and the unsung Shane O’Bree have also been outstanding.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Sydney Swans. When the Swans have travelled, not once have they returned with the four premiership points. The signs were better in their last outing against Hawthorn, when they were perhaps a bit stiff not to beat the reigning premiers at the MCG. Barry Hall’s brain explosion in the final term didn’t help the team’s cause, although Adam Goodes – back to his Brownlow medal form – did everything he could to lift his team to victory. This week, following a week’s rest, they return to familiar territory at ANZ Stadium for their biggest game of the year. A win will see them square the ledger at 6-6, but a loss would make a finals appearance that much harder.
QUESTION MARKS
Collingwood has won its past six matches against the Sydney Swans, including its past three at ANZ Stadium. Can the Pies continue their recent dominance over Paul Roos’ side?
Collingwood lost the hit-outs 55-17 in its recent win over Melbourne. This week the Pies come up against Swans star Darren Jolly, who is third in the competition for hit-outs and in red-hot form. Can Josh Fraser curb his influence and stop the Swans’ small men from gaining an advantage at ground level?
Dane Swan, who leads the league in disposals, is averaging more than 38 touches in his last three matches. Who will the Swans assign to run with the prolific Pie?
MICK MALTHOUSE ON THE CLASH:
“I admire Sydney, the playing group will always say that I’ve admired Sydney and the way they’ve gone about their year and how they’ve built themselves up.
“We’ve had a good record against them; that makes it even more difficult.”
VFL
Collingwood’s VFL team will enjoy a week off this weekend as the competition enters the second week of its split round.
Collingwood’s reserve grade side lost to Werribee last week but will try to bounce back when it travels to Northern Oval to play North Ballarat on June 28.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs.
