Head to head: Essendon 98 wins, Collingwood 119 wins, four draws
Last time: Collingwood 18.12 (120) d Essendon 8.7 (55), round five, 2010 at the MCG
In front of 90,070 fans on Anzac Day, the Pies booted 7.5 to 0.3 in the first term to virtually end the match. Travis Cloke was dominant in the early part, kicking three first-term goals to help get his team rolling while Dayne Beams, Sharrod Wellingham and eventual Anzac Day Medallist Scott Pendlebury were instrumental in getting the ball forward. Cloke finished with four and Josh Fraser three in the 65-point rout. Courtenay Dempsey and Scott Gumbleton - despite missing a doozie early on - were the best of a disappointing Bombers outfit.
MISSING IN ACTION
Essendon
Darcy Daniher (adductor) - season
Alwyn Davey (arm) - season
Dustin Fletcher (hamstring) - 2-3 weeks
Scott Gumbleton (ribs) - season
Jason Laycock (foot) - season
Anthony Long (hamstring) - season
Nathan Lovett-Murray (back) - TBC
Tayte Pears (pancreas) - season
Taite Silverlock (broken fibula) - season
Mark Williams (ankle) - season
Jason Winderlich (hand) - 1-2 weeks
LAST WEEK
Essendon 9.19 (73) lost to Carlton 23.11 (149) at the MCG
The Bombers fell behind early against the Blues and never got close enough to seriously threaten. Matthew Knights’ team did lift in the second and third terms, but some missed opportunities cruelled their chances. Kyle Hardingham (2.5) was lively in attack but apart from him the Bombers had few avenues to goal, while there were few other winners in the red and black. Carlton ran away in the final term, booting 10.3 to 1.3.
Leading goalkicker - Alwyn Davey (22)
Leading ballwinner - Jobe Watson (525)
DANGER MAN
It’s hard to find too many potent weapons up forward for the Bombers although mature-age recruit Kyle Hardingham does look a real surprise packet and a handful for any defender. With good pace and springs in his boots, he has the ability to take a great mark or get opponents on the lead. If he had kicked straighter last week he would have finished with at least five.
HOW’S STAT?
Collingwood not only tackles well, but its players are hard to get hold of when the Pies have the footy. Mick Malthouse’s side is ranked second overall for tackles per match, but is ranked first for tackles made by the opposition.
NEW PB
Speaking of tackling, star recruit Luke Ball may set his new personal best for tackles laid in a season this weekend. In 18 matches this year, he leads his club with 121. The former Saint laid 126 tackles in both 2004 and 2005.
WHAT THE OPPOSITION SAYS
“He's from Maryborough, the rookie list, through the Bendigo Bombers. It's been quite a journey for young Stewart. He's had great form in the VFL virtually for the whole year so we're really looking forward to him playing on a big stage. It's a long way from Maryborough to the MCG in front of 80 or 90,000.” - Essendon coach Matthew Knights on debutant Stewart Crameri
WHAT THE PIES SAY
“We're still miles away from where we need to be if we're going to achieve what we want to achieve, so we need these three weeks to make sure we're playing the way we need to play. Last week was obviously a good result in that we got a win but there was still so many things that we have to improve on.” - Pies skipper Nick Maxwell, not content with top-of-the-table status
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
