COLLINGWOOD V ESSENDON
WHERE & WHEN: Tuesday April 25 at the MCG at 2.40pm
TV & RADIO: Channel 9 -- Melbourne (2pm, subject to sell-out), Adelaide (1.30pm), Perth (12pm), Sydney (2pm), Brisbane (2pm)
OUR COVERAGE: live scores, stats & audio, Game Day News Desk, match replay (24 hour delay)
HEAD TO HEAD: Collingwood 113, Essendon 95, Drawn 4
LAST TIME: Essendon 21.5 (131) d Collingwood 15.15 (105) at the MCG, round 16, 2005.
THE MEDICAL ROOM: Essendon suffered a huge blow ahead of what is always the most eagerly anticipated game on the home and away calendar after skipper and spearhead Matthew Lloyd tore his hamstring during the loss against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday. Lloyd is expected to miss three weeks, robbing the Bombers not only of on-field leadership but also their best avenue to goal. Lloyd kicked eight goals in a best on ground display last time these two teams met and to make matters worse his two most likely replacements in Courtney Johns (ankle) and Jason Laycock (thigh) are both not certain to be available with Laycock already ruled out. The Bombers have also lost handy utility Mark Bolton for a fortnight with a groin strain but at least number one ruckman David Hille returns from a one match suspension while Dean Rioli (knee) is also available. The Magpies are in far better shape after suffering no injuries during their Easter Monday mauling of Essendon while full-back Simon Prestigiacomo, who was a late withdrawal against the Kangaroos with a mystery injury that coach Mick Malthouse refused to divulge post-game, is also expected to return.
THE STORY SO FAR: Both these sides have started the 2006 season brightly after disappointing 2005 seasons - setting the stage for a huge Anzac Day game which also marks the return of the MCG as an AFL venue. The league's number one ground has been unavailable for the first three rounds of the season due to the removal of the athletics track following the Commonwealth Games in late March. The Magpies have recovered well from their last quarter fade-out against Adelaide in round one to thrash Hawthorn and the Kangaroos in the past fortnight and suddenly find themselves sitting fourth and with all their missing big guns from last year in skipper Nathan Buckley, key forward Anthony Rocca, number one ruckman Josh Fraser, goalsneak Alan Didak and running half-back Ben Johnson fit and firing again. The Bombers have only one win from three games but were gallant in defeat against Brisbane at the Gabba in round two and may well have beaten the high-flying Western Bulldogs last week had Lloyd not been injured late in the third quarter.
THE WHITEBOARD: Just how do the Bombers' replace Lloyd, whose goals have so often been the difference in big matches for Kevin Sheedy's team last time? One option is to play Scott Lucas, who kicked five goals the last time these two teams met, in the goal-square but then that leaves the problem of who to play at centre-half-forward. Another possibility is to perhaps play David Hille at full-forward and leave Lucas at centre-half-forward but then that means leaving the ruck division in the hands of the inexperienced Paddy Ryder. The loss of the versatile Mark Bolton doesn't help either and Kevin Sheedy faces a major challenge in just how he structures his side this week for a game the Bomber hordes will be desperate to win.
THE VERDICT: Collingwood has not beaten Essendon on Anzac Day since 2002 but gets its opportunity here. The loss of Lloyd looms as a major blow for the Bombers, leaving them light on for goalkicking power while equally at the other end their defence faces a major challenge in combating the Pies' powerful forward line of Chris Tarrant, Anthony Rocca, Josh Fraser and Alan Didak. Collingwood has been in devastating form in the past fortnight and while Eseendon represents a step up in class from their previous opponents in Hawthorn and the Kangaroos, the Pies look stronger at both ends of the ground and look set to finally give the "Black and White Army" something to smile about on the biggest day of the home and away calendar. Collingwood by 28 points>
