Round 15 Match Preview: Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood

[Rocco Jones]

Match preview Round 15
Western Bulldogs vs Collingwood
Friday 7.40 @ Docklands

Last time we met:
Round 13, 2008 @ Docklands
Western Bulldogs 15.9.99 d. Collingwood 13.11.89

The Form Guide:

3rd Western Bulldogs10-4, 130.4%
Five wins on the trot by an average margin of 10 goals and our last loss was in a strong performance against Geelong. The only question mark against our white-hot form is that none of the wins have been against sides currently sitting in the top eight.

4th Collingwood 9-5, 118.4%
Six wins in a row by an average margin of over 7 goals. They were struggling before that but I think a lot of it had to do with their injury list. Much like our form the only doubts would be about the quality of their opponents with their biggest scalp being the 8th placed Bombers.

The Stats:

Western Bulldogs
1st- goals per game
2nd- disposals per game
1st- Skill errors per game
1st- team to opponent first possessions difference

Collingwood
1st- kick-to-handball ratio
15th- contested possessions
4th- least opponent contested possessions
2nd- Skill errors per game

The top 2 teams when it comes to skill errors per game but these stats don’t tell the full story. Collingwood prefer to kick the ball more than any other which leads to more errors. Our combination of a high amount of disposals and high risk game style also naturally leads to a few more errors.
Collingwood games seem to include a small amount of contested possessions for either side.

The Selection Table

Western Bulldogs
Williams to come in to combat one of their tall forwards and free up Morris and Shaggy to combat their dangerous small forwards. Sam Reid looks the likely out with a groin problem.

Collingwood
I would say unchanged or a defender out for another runner like Clarke.


The key match-ups:

Didak v Picken
Didak is just about the hottest player in the league at the moment. Malthouse ensures that Didak is given a few spells on the bench, allowing him to have explosive bursts to break tags. He has racked up his 3 career highest disposal games in his last 3 games. Last week he spent the early stages off the game working off half back as a “quarter back” to tune himself into the game before moving to his familiar wing/half forward role. Morris has a great history against him but Didak covers a lot more ground now and I wouldn’t want Morris spending so much time out of defence. I would give Picken first crack due to what he has shown against the likes of Harvey, Pearce and Deledio. Picken might also play on Davis, Swan and Lockyer depending on rotations.

Davis v Morris
Another one who is covering more ground and his early season form was particularly impressive. I am a little worried about Davis being too clever and agile for Morris. He can rotate with Picken depending on whether Davis and Didak are playing primarily forward or in the midfield.

Medhurst v Shaggy
Shaggy killed him last time, keeping him quiet while creating a lot of rebound. Eade is using Shaggy superbly, consistently finding a mismatch to exploit and I see Medhurst as the one this week.

Harbrow v Dick
Hopefully Harbrow can continue his form and offer us drive from defence.

Cloke v Williams
Cloke returned to form last week. He spends a lot more time outside 50 than Anthony and I would prefer Lake closer to goal. Hopefully Tom has the fitness to be competitive and ensure Cloke isn’t too much damaging.

Anthony v Lake
I think Anthony is a bit of a one trick pony, playing as a traditional full-forward. He doesn’t get it much but is effective when he does, being a great kick for goal (not so much of late). I think he is the type of opponent that suits Lake (tall who does nothing offer than kick a couple of goals), allowing him to zone off and take marks from opposition kicks inside 50.

Swan vs Boyd/Cross/Picken
I would team tag Swan depending on midfield rotations. Boyd has been great going one on one with elite midfielders this year. Cross or Picken to pick him up when he is being rotated off a wing/flank.

Pendlebury vs Cooney/Collingwood's anti-tag ways
Collingwood don't seem to like tags, allowing their midfielders greater freedom. Hopefully Pendlebury is still underdone and Cooney and/or Griffen can take advantage of their freedom. I really think we can hurt them here.


Fraser/Brown v Hudson/Minson
The ruck duel is going to be a battle of extremes with the athletic Fraser up against the physical duo in Hudson and Minson. Fraser was great last week and will spend the vast majority of time in the ruck with Brown there to give him the occasional breather. Hudson and Minson need to physical dominate Fraser and rotate to keep up with him around the ground. It will be a good test for Will with his recent improvement as a mobile ruckman.

Harry O v Johnno
Harry O is one of the better defenders going around and it should be a good match up. Johnno’s work rate of late has been great and he needs to continually provide a target.

Maxwell
He is great at zoning off his opponent and taking marks from opposition kicks. His opponent needs to be accountable because he can be very damaging when allowed to fun free. I think they would love to get him matched up on Hahn.

Lockyer
2nd half specialist if ever there was one. One of the many Collingwood players that can rotate into the forward line and can be very damaging if he gets under your guard.

Where it will be won or lost
Both sides are in great form but also looking for a big scalp to further prove their worth. Both teams have multiple avenues to goal, so getting match ups right will be enormous.
The main worry I have about Collingwood is their ability to rotate players like Didak, Davis, Lockyer and Thomas through the midfield and forward line, which makes it very difficult for their minders. Picken might end up with various opponents depending on the rotations
I think we can exploit their backline with our small forward line. Presti has been in fine form and while he can play on a variety of opponents, he is probably more suited to KP forwards and Nathan Brown will struggle to find a match up. Neither are the type of tall defender that can zone off their opponent. Keeping a close tab on Maxwell will be crucial.
Their midfielders work very hard, however I think their disposal can be suspect at times and we need to punish their turnovers. While they aren’t slow, I think we can damage them with our pace if we are confident enough to take risks and run hard.
As I mentioned earlier, Collingwood don't seem to rate tags, allowing their midfielders great freedom but I think damaging/explosive type midfielders really punish this. Griffen and Cooney need to take advantage of the rare freedom, I think they will have big games.

The Summary
I was worried about the 6 day break but the ability to put our collective cue in the rack from half time against the Hawks should mean it isn’t a big factor.
As long as we can keep their wing to half forward types reasonably under check I think our ball usage, speed of ball movement and options up forward will be a bit too much for the Pies.
Dogs by 3 goals.

[Rance Fan]

Good review. I think we will win by 10 goals not 3.

[LostDoggy]

I think there is a fair chance they won't play Presti for lack of match-up. If they do play him, we will exploit his lack of pace.

Swan and Didk are in good form - let's se how they go against Cooney/Griffen and Boyd. I know who I will back to come out on top.

[Mantis]

Good preview Rocco.

Agree with many of those match-ups and like your resaoning why Williams & Lake are respectively suited to Cloke & Anthony.

Interesting to see Collingwood rated so low in the contested possessions, if we win this count we are generally tough to beat (as long as our skills are up) so we would have to be confident in this important area.

The Collingwood smallish forward line has been working wonders over the past month so a good task for our backs. Swan & Didak as mentioned have been in fine ball winning form, if we keep these 2 in check it will go along way to ensuring a victory. As mentioned Cooney & Griffen are the x-factors, if they fire there doesn't seem to be players capable of stopping them in the Collingwood line-up.

I am genuinely confident about victory this week, I guess who wouldn't be after last weeks game, but the Pies are a good team and we will need to bring our 'A' game to the table, I am confident we will.

[Desipura]

I think there is a fair chance they won't play Presti for lack of match-up. If they do play him, we will exploit his lack of pace.

Swan and Didk are in good form - let's se how they go against Cooney/Griffen and Boyd. I know who I will back to come out on top.
Presti is in great form and is noted for his pace, a good match up for Welsh. I would think he would definately play.

[LostDoggy]

I like Picken on Swan, if he can apply pressure then Swan will shank each of his 45 disposals.

[bornadog]

Well done Rocco Brennan Jones, good review.

In your match ups, how do you see Davis when he goes to the midfield? Will he be picked up by Cooney or Griff?

I think what will happen this week is Morris will pick up Anthony and Lake will go to Cloke. Addison will come in for Reid and pick up one of the smalls. Anthony is about the same height and weight as Morris, but I think Morris may be a bit too good for him.

[Mantis]

I think what will happen this week is Morris will pick up Anthony and Lake will go to Cloke. Addison will come in for Reid and pick up one of the smalls. Anthony is about the same height and weight as Morris, but I think Morris may be a bit too good for him.

I am not a big fan of this match-up. Lake is a much better 'stay at home' defender and often struggles on players who lead-up the ground like Cloke.

[Mofra]

Excellent review (surprised you didn't throw up Stack's name though ;).

If there was ever a game we were goign to win or lose based on how hard our players without the ball work, then this is it.

Collingwood have a propensity to skirt the boundaryline when bringing the ball into their F50, obviously adds an extra kick to their journey. If we can pressure the guys trying to provide an option, that adds to the number of contests they kick to.

If we can force a stoppage, our advantage in winning the contested ball (1st to 15th) should allow us to find a competitive edge for the game. Collingwood are in excellent form, but we really do have the tools to match them, and recent history suggests we have their measure. Their midfield is arguably the form midfield of the comp, but that is as much to do with their style of play. Our skill level over the ground matches them, and they can't beat our inside mids in a contested situation. Ruckmen second efforts will be important this game.

My worry is that Williams will be coming in underdone and play Cloke into form, but we do have to take the gamble. We need him in September and this week seems a perfect time to bring him back.

[Rocco Jones]

I think there is a fair chance they won't play Presti for lack of match-up. If they do play him, we will exploit his lack of pace.[QUOTE]

Presti has been very good this season and has demonstrated the ability to play on smaller opponents. While he is more suited to traditional KP types, he will definitely still find a match up. If they are going to drop a KP defender it will be Nathan Brown.

[QUOTE=bornadog;95406]

In your match ups, how do you see Davis when he goes to the midfield? Will he be picked up by Cooney or Griff?

I think what will happen this week is Morris will pick up Anthony and Lake will go to Cloke. Addison will come in for Reid and pick up one of the smalls. Anthony is about the same height and weight as Morris, but I think Morris may be a bit too good for him.

Collingwood rotate a few players through the midifelder and forward line and Davis will be one of them. Picken and Morris can act as a tag team when Davis and Didak are forward or in the midfield.

I don't really like the Morris on Anthony match up. Morris is an out and out defender and I would like someone who can hurt Anthony going the other way. He is the type of forward who pretty much does nothing other than kick a couple of goals and I think he is ideal for Lake to zone off at times to take those opposition kick marks.

If Morris is to play on a KP forward it should be Cloke.



My worry is that Williams will be coming in underdone and play Cloke into form, but we do have to take the gamble. We need him in September and this week seems a perfect time to bring him back.

Cloke was very good last week. I think we really need Williams this week to free up Morris and Shaggy to combat their damaging small forwards.

[Sedat]

Great summary Rocco.

Whether it has been Nathan Brown, Presti or Wakelin, Collingwood has always dropped a key defender against us for match-up purposes in recent seasons. It is an absolute given that Nathan Brown will be sacrificed this week for another runner (possibly Ben Johnson?). Hawks did the same thing in the finals against us last season when they dropped Gilham for Cameron Stokes - Gilham came straight back in for the prelim.

Agree with your comments on the Pies hoping that Hahn is the Maxwell match-up - Gia would have been the ideal match-up on Maxwell to keep him honest and restrict his ability to peel off his man. Mitch tends to command the ball and can sometimes inadvertantly suck the opposition defenders to the drop zone and create congestion up forward for us.

[bornadog]

I am not a big fan of this match-up. Lake is a much better 'stay at home' defender and often struggles on players who lead-up the ground like Cloke.

I do agree with that, Lake can get lost up the ground.

[The Coon Dog]

I do agree with that, Lake can get lost up the ground.

Brian just looks the type that can get lost walking from his bedroom to his bathroom!

[Cyberdoggie]

I am not a big fan of this match-up. Lake is a much better 'stay at home' defender and often struggles on players who lead-up the ground like Cloke.

I haven't seen that much of Anthony yet to really form a strong opinion on this.

Would you also consider Anthony a leading forward?

I understand he probably sits closer to goal than cloke, however he's not the biggest of forwards and i'm assuming he would have to be more of a quicker leading type forward than a goal square or pack monster.

If this is the case then Lake may also struggle on Anthony. Cloke does lead out a long way but he's not the quickest and therefore i don't think Lake would have a problem with him. In fact it may even give Lake the opportunity to hurt the opposition more on the rebound, a feature of his that is often overlooked.

[Rocco Jones]

I haven't seen that much of Anthony yet to really form a strong opinion on this.

Would you also consider Anthony a leading forward?

I understand he probably sits closer to goal than cloke, however he's not the biggest of forwards and i'm assuming he would have to be more of a quicker leading type forward than a goal square or pack monster.

If this is the case then Lake may also struggle on Anthony. Cloke does lead out a long way but he's not the quickest and therefore i don't think Lake would have a problem with him. In fact it may even give Lake the opportunity to hurt the opposition more on the rebound, a feature of his that is often overlooked.

Anthony is a bit of an old school full-forward. He doesn't do much other than kick a couple of goals a game. He is a decent contested mark, averages about 1 a game which puts him in the top 10 league wise. I wouldn't say he is quick but he can be clever with his leads. Only averages 5.5 marks and 10 disposals per game but really makes use of them.

I would definitely have Lake on him, just about his ideal match up imo. Lake can zone off him pretty easily to take marks from opposition kicks. I can imagine the type of game where Anthony gets 4-5 marks and 2 goals with Lake getting 10+ marks and 20 disposals. He is going to get his couple of goals either way I think so you might as well try to hurt him.

[Mantis]

I haven't seen that much of Anthony yet to really form a strong opinion on this.

Would you also consider Anthony a leading forward?

I understand he probably sits closer to goal than cloke, however he's not the biggest of forwards and i'm assuming he would have to be more of a quicker leading type forward than a goal square or pack monster.

If this is the case then Lake may also struggle on Anthony. Cloke does lead out a long way but he's not the quickest and therefore i don't think Lake would have a problem with him. In fact it may even give Lake the opportunity to hurt the opposition more on the rebound, a feature of his that is often overlooked.

As RJ has alluded to in the post which follows yours I think Collingwood forwardline plays quite similar to Geelong's. You have Cloke playing the Mooney role & Anthony playing the Hawkins/ Lonergan role ( only better). These 2 'focal' points are surrounded by a group of talented smalls/ mids.

I think Lake showed against Geelong last year that he was much more effective and had a bigger influence on the game staying at home playing playing on Lonergan than following around Mooney who sucked him up the ground (game at KP) and hope we would set-up in a similar fashion this week.

[Cyberdoggie]

As RJ has alluded to in the post which follows yours I think Collingwood forwardline plays quite similar to Geelong's. You have Cloke playing the Mooney role & Anthony playing the Hawkins/ Lonergan role ( only better). These 2 'focal' points are surrounded by a group of talented smalls/ mids.

I think Lake showed against Geelong last year that he was much more effective and had a bigger influence on the game staying at home playing playing on Lonergan than following around Mooney who sucked him up the ground (game at KP) and hope we would set-up in a similar fashion this week.

If that is the case then i totally agree.

Thanks for the follow up Mantis and RJ


Also thanks for the great preview RJ.

btw RJ i purchased level 1 tix for the game. Aisle 30 row g.
I think we may be right underneath you guys.

[bornadog]

Bulldogs hungry for big scalp
By Jennifer Witham
12:27 PM Tue 07 July, 2009

WESTERN Bulldogs assistant coach Leon Cameron said the Dogs must beat a side like Collingwood if they are to be considered genuine contenders.

The Bulldogs have beaten just one team in the top eight this year, and have lost to both St Kilda and Geelong.

"Beating Hawthorn last week, last year's premiers, was a good result for us. But in terms of beating sides [above us] on the ladder, we haven't," Cameron said on Tuesday

"We've played St Kilda; they beat us. And we played Geelong and they beat us."

Cameron predicted that Collingwood would also be looking to notch a top-four scalp, making Friday's clash between the third and fourth-placed teams an exciting prospect.

Sam Reid looks to be the only possible change to the Dogs line-up after he pulled up with sore groin from the Hawthorn match.

Cameron said that, while the side would prefer to be unchanged, Tom Williams, Dylan Addison and Tim Callan could come in and cover well for Reid.

[Sedat]

Bulldogs hungry for big scalp
By Jennifer Witham
12:27 PM Tue 07 July, 2009

WESTERN Bulldogs assistant coach Leon Cameron said the Dogs must beat a side like Collingwood if they are to be considered genuine contenders.

The Bulldogs have beaten just one team in the top eight this year, and have lost to both St Kilda and Geelong.

"Beating Hawthorn last week, last year's premiers, was a good result for us. But in terms of beating sides [above us] on the ladder, we haven't," Cameron said on Tuesday

"We've played St Kilda; they beat us. And we played Geelong and they beat us."

Cameron predicted that Collingwood would also be looking to notch a top-four scalp, making Friday's clash between the third and fourth-placed teams an exciting prospect.

Sam Reid looks to be the only possible change to the Dogs line-up after he pulled up with sore groin from the Hawthorn match.

Cameron said that, while the side would prefer to be unchanged, Tom Williams, Dylan Addison and Tim Callan could come in and cover well for Reid.
I wonder if Leon Cameron was tempted to use his quote from 'Year of the Dogs' (just before the start of the Collingwood game when he is tying up his laces)........."let's beat those c***s"

[Rocco Jones]

btw RJ i purchased level 1 tix for the game. Aisle 30 row g.
I think we may be right underneath you guys.

Brilliant. Up for a few drinks before the game?

[dog town]

[B]
The key match-ups:

Didak v Picken
Didak is just about the hottest player in the league at the moment. Malthouse ensures that Didak is given a few spells on the bench, allowing him to have explosive bursts to break tags. He has racked up his 3 career highest disposal games in his last 3 games. Last week he spent the early stages off the game working off half back as a “quarter back” to tune himself into the game before moving to his familiar wing/half forward role. Morris has a great history against him but Didak covers a lot more ground now and I wouldn’t want Morris spending so much time out of defence. I would give Picken first crack due to what he has shown against the likes of Harvey, Pearce and Deledio. Picken might also play on Davis, Swan and Lockyer depending on rotations.

Davis v Morris
Another one who is covering more ground and his early season form was particularly impressive. I am a little worried about Davis being too clever and agile for Morris. He can rotate with Picken depending on whether Davis and Didak are playing primarily forward or in the midfield.

Medhurst v Shaggy
Shaggy killed him last time, keeping him quiet while creating a lot of rebound. Eade is using Shaggy superbly, consistently finding a mismatch to exploit and I see Medhurst as the one this week.

Harbrow v Dick
Hopefully Harbrow can continue his form and offer us drive from defence.

Cloke v Williams
Cloke returned to form last week. He spends a lot more time outside 50 than Anthony and I would prefer Lake closer to goal. Hopefully Tom has the fitness to be competitive and ensure Cloke isn’t too much damaging.

Anthony v Lake
I think Anthony is a bit of a one trick pony, playing as a traditional full-forward. He doesn’t get it much but is effective when he does, being a great kick for goal (not so much of late). I think he is the type of opponent that suits Lake (tall who does nothing offer than kick a couple of goals), allowing him to zone off and take marks from opposition kicks inside 50.

Swan vs Boyd/Cross/Picken
I would team tag Swan depending on midfield rotations. Boyd has been great going one on one with elite midfielders this year. Cross or Picken to pick him up when he is being rotated off a wing/flank.

Pendlebury vs Cooney/Collingwood's anti-tag ways
Collingwood don't seem to like tags, allowing their midfielders greater freedom. Hopefully Pendlebury is still underdone and Cooney and/or Griffen can take advantage of their freedom. I really think we can hurt them here.


Fraser/Brown v Hudson/Minson
The ruck duel is going to be a battle of extremes with the athletic Fraser up against the physical duo in Hudson and Minson. Fraser was great last week and will spend the vast majority of time in the ruck with Brown there to give him the occasional breather. Hudson and Minson need to physical dominate Fraser and rotate to keep up with him around the ground. It will be a good test for Will with his recent improvement as a mobile ruckman.

Harry O v Johnno
Harry O is one of the better defenders going around and it should be a good match up. Johnno’s work rate of late has been great and he needs to continually provide a target.

Maxwell
He is great at zoning off his opponent and taking marks from opposition kicks. His opponent needs to be accountable because he can be very damaging when allowed to fun free. I think they would love to get him matched up on Hahn.

Lockyer
2nd half specialist if ever there was one. One of the many Collingwood players that can rotate into the forward line and can be very damaging if he gets under your guard.

Where it will be won or lost
Both sides are in great form but also looking for a big scalp to further prove their worth. Both teams have multiple avenues to goal, so getting match ups right will be enormous.
The main worry I have about Collingwood is their ability to rotate players like Didak, Davis, Lockyer and Thomas through the midfield and forward line, which makes it very difficult for their minders. Picken might end up with various opponents depending on the rotations
I think we can exploit their backline with our small forward line. Presti has been in fine form and while he can play on a variety of opponents, he is probably more suited to KP forwards and Nathan Brown will struggle to find a match up. Neither are the type of tall defender that can zone off their opponent. Keeping a close tab on Maxwell will be crucial.
Their midfielders work very hard, however I think their disposal can be suspect at times and we need to punish their turnovers. While they aren’t slow, I think we can damage them with our pace if we are confident enough to take risks and run hard.
As I mentioned earlier, Collingwood don't seem to rate tags, allowing their midfielders great freedom but I think damaging/explosive type midfielders really punish this. Griffen and Cooney need to take advantage of the rare freedom, I think they will have big games.

The Summary
I was worried about the 6 day break but the ability to put our collective cue in the rack from half time against the Hawks should mean it isn’t a big factor.
As long as we can keep their wing to half forward types reasonably under check I think our ball usage, speed of ball movement and options up forward will be a bit too much for the Pies.
Dogs by 3 goals.

Nice work Rocco. Not sure I agree with every match up but going through them certainly highlights the problems we may have trying to match them up. They have an enormous variety of attacking options and you described them all perfectly.

Malthouse likes to develop players in a certain mould. He develops the finer points of different positions very well. You look through his sides and he has always liked to have traditional leading full forwards and has generally made someone into a role playing full forward in pretty quick fashion. I would call Anthony pretty much a carbon copy of what Malthouse did with Scotty Cummings. He leads well and kicks very straight, doesnt do a hell of a lot more. Rusling was a slightly different type but was heading down the same path before injury struck. I will be very interested as to which match up we use.

Cloke is just a work horse. I would go with Morris because although he is giving away height he has the concentration to run with him all night. Cloke never stops moving but he also rarely plays deep so the height factor might not be as important. I have doubts as to whether Williams is ready for this match up and if he is not then I dont see a match up for him this game. Hard to say whether he has enough footy in him to come straight in on to Cloke. As a side that likes to kick the ball it is vital that we shut down Cloke who works so hard to give them an option all game.

I agree with Hargrave on Medhurst . He will make him accountable and has long arms to get a hand on the ball when Medhurst jumps early to protect the space around the ball.

Given the way the other match ups appear to pan out we may have to bank on Picken to go with Didak. I have quite a bit of faith in Picken but he hasn't played on anyone as clever as Didak. Should be a good test for him. We need all of our initial match ups to work out because if we are forced to shuffle it could throw us right out such are the options they have.

I think its time for Murphy to go forward. We have run him back into form and fitness and now its time to put him back where we are going to need him. Harry O will do a good job on Johnson IMO and as a team they generally defend pretty well. They cover there lines well and help each other out very well. Murphy is a different type and will help us break them up.

The clearances worry me more than usual. A guy like O'Bree might seem like an old fashioned plodder but he is seriously good in and around congestion as are Pendlebury and Swan. O'Bree and Pendlebury are very dangerous on the edge of congestion where they can get the ball away into space. We need to close them down very quickly when we dont win the ball. We want to get it out of traffic quickly then spread. They are not as quick as us away from the stoppages and that is an area we can exploit if we can get on top.

[LostDoggy]

I am very confident that the guys will not only win, but win easy.

[Mantis]

Nice work Rocco. Not sure I agree with every match up but going through them certainly highlights the problems we may have trying to match them up. They have an enormous variety of attacking options and you described them all perfectly.

Malthouse likes to develop players in a certain mould. He develops the finer points of different positions very well. You look through his sides and he has always liked to have traditional leading full forwards and has generally made someone into a role playing full forward in pretty quick fashion. I would call Anthony pretty much a carbon copy of what Malthouse did with Scotty Cummings. He leads well and kicks very straight, doesnt do a hell of a lot more. Rusling was a slightly different type but was heading down the same path before injury struck. I will be very interested as to which match up we use.

Cloke is just a work horse. I would go with Morris because although he is giving away height he has the concentration to run with him all night. Cloke never stops moving but he also rarely plays deep so the height factor might not be as important. I have doubts as to whether Williams is ready for this match up and if he is not then I dont see a match up for him this game. Hard to say whether he has enough footy in him to come straight in on to Cloke. As a side that likes to kick the ball it is vital that we shut down Cloke who works so hard to give them an option all game.

I agree with Hargrave on Medhurst . He will make him accountable and has long arms to get a hand on the ball when Medhurst jumps early to protect the space around the ball.

Given the way the other match ups appear to pan out we may have to bank on Picken to go with Didak. I have quite a bit of faith in Picken but he hasn't played on anyone as clever as Didak. Should be a good test for him. We need all of our initial match ups to work out because if we are forced to shuffle it could throw us right out such are the options they have.

I think its time for Murphy to go forward. We have run him back into form and fitness and now its time to put him back where we are going to need him. Harry O will do a good job on Johnson IMO and as a team they generally defend pretty well. They cover there lines well and help each other out very well. Murphy is a different type and will help us break them up.

The clearances worry me more than usual. A guy like O'Bree might seem like an old fashioned plodder but he is seriously good in and around congestion as are Pendlebury and Swan. O'Bree and Pendlebury are very dangerous on the edge of congestion where they can get the ball away into space. We need to close them down very quickly when we dont win the ball. We want to get it out of traffic quickly then spread. They are not as quick as us away from the stoppages and that is an area we can exploit if we can get on top.

Do you think that discussion amongst the more intelligent Collingwood supporters (if they exist??) would have them more concerned about this statement than we are?

Personally I think they would be.... More concerned that is... If Cooney & Griffen (+ quite a few others get going) they don't have the manpower to stop them.

[dog town]

Do you think that discussion amongst the more intelligent Collingwood supporters (if they exist??) would have them more concerned about this statement than we are?

Personally I think they would be.... More concerned that is... If Cooney & Griffen (+ quite a few others get going) they don't have the manpower to stop them. Of course they have just as much to worry about as us but the pies really have developed a variety of attacking options. In terms of variation in the attacking players they have I dont think we have come up against something like this. I think we are as well equipped as anyone to match them but they are certainly a more talented side than some would have us believe. They dont have the twin towers that the saints have but they have good depth of options and different types. Regarding your question I think the pies will focus more on how the ball comes in to our forward line rather than how to negate our forwards purely through match ups. They will try and set up in a way that stops us from getting any flow. They wont want us anywhere near the corridor if past encounters are anything to go by.

[Mantis]

Of course they have just as much to worry about as us but the pies really have developed a variety of attacking options. In terms of variation in the attacking players they have I dont think we have come up against something like this. I think we are as well equipped as anyone to match them but they are certainly a more talented side than some would have us believe. They dont have the twin towers that the saints have but they have good depth of options and different types. Regarding your question I think the pies will focus more on how the ball comes in to our forward line rather than how to negate our forwards purely through match ups. They will try and set up in a way that stops us from getting any flow. They wont want us anywhere near the corridor if past encounters are anything to go by.

Agree with that, but we are one team that they have had serious problems containing. They play well against the 'regimented' teams like Adelaide and Sydney, but often struggle against unpredictable teams like us.

If we harass and tackle like we did last week I can't see Collingwood getting near us.

[dog town]

If we harass and tackle like we did last week I can't see Collingwood getting near us. If we play as well as we did last week we will win.

They are definetly more unproven than us. We deserve to be hot favourites but at the same time they were missing so many players when they played some of the better sides that it is hard to gauge them.

[Rocco Jones]

They will try and set up in a way that stops us from getting any flow. They wont want us anywhere near the corridor if past encounters are anything to go by.

I forgot to mention that in my preview.

If there's one area we can really hurt them it's moving the ball quickly through the corridor. We just need to be willing to take risks, if we do it to the standard we are well capable of, we will really hurt them in that area.

[Sedat]

The clearances worry me more than usual. A guy like O'Bree might seem like an old fashioned plodder but he is seriously good in and around congestion as are Pendlebury and Swan. O'Bree and Pendlebury are very dangerous on the edge of congestion where they can get the ball away into space. We need to close them down very quickly when we dont win the ball. We want to get it out of traffic quickly then spread. They are not as quick as us away from the stoppages and that is an area we can exploit if we can get on top.
Agree with this DT. They have a very effective core of clearance midfielders simply because they have had to adapt to having useless tap ruckmen pretty much their entire careers. Minson's work in the middle will be even more critical this week than normal - if he can manage around 50% hitouts to advantage (ie: 10-12 clear hitouts to advantage for the game), the likes of Cooney, Boyd and Griffen will be able to provide some fast ball into the forward 50 which will play to our strengths up forward. Hudson's noted 2nd efforts will also be key to causing the secondary bounce when we the ruck contest is break even or in Collingwood's favour - Collingwood are just about the best in the business at anticipating the drop of the ball from opposition hitouts, but Hudson's efforts after the initial ruck contest will add another big body to the congestion and make it more difficult for Collingwood's midfielders to break free than they are normally used to.

[Bulldog Joe]

I favour Lake to Cloke as I really believe Brian will handle him well and out position and out mark him.

I also like the idea of Cross on Swan - (sounds like marking prey for the hunter) as they are similar endurance runners and I would back Crossy's hardness.

Picken on Didak because he needs picking on. Didak has been their hottest player over the past month but Liam can go with him through the midfield or if he goes forward.

Boyd to take Pendlebury and just be at him every time the ball is there and burn him off with superior work rate.

I am really looking forward to a Minson tackle on Brad Dick. -
Set up for a Cometti special Big Willie against .......

[Dancin' Douggy]

Phew! Josh Fraser played his one good game of the year last week.

[Go_Dogs]

Phew! Josh Fraser played his one good game of the year last week.

He's been in pretty good form all year.