BoxMatrix
Premium Platinum
- Jul 15, 2014
- 5,683
- 8,793
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
- Other Teams
- Los Angeles Lakers, Deontay Wilder
It’s been many years since Collingwood and Carlton have clashed in such a critical game, with both sides having something to play for. A win for Collingwood would firm up their chances of sealing their spot in the top eight, while the Blues will be wanting to hop back into the race for a top eight spot with a win here. This game marks the first time since 2000, where these two sides haven’t played against each other at the M.C.G. Both sides are also coming into this game with some strong form. Carlton handled fellow finals aspirator in the Suns with ease, while Collingwood beat the Kangaroos in a much-needed return to some semblance of form.
The last time these two sides met was in round eight of 2019. Collingwood came into the match as favorites, but to their credit, the Blues put up a valiant effort, pushing the Magpies all the way. Down by two goals with just under 10 minutes to go, the Magpies showed their class, piling on the last five goals to run out 19 point winners. Cripps was outstanding for Carlton, while Treloar and Sidebottom were best for Collingwood.
Collingwood
Look, it wasn’t their best performance, but Collingwood did what needed to be done against the Kangaroos. Despite playing a poor first half, Collingwood were able to pull through, playing some football that provided semblance to the quality of play that got them a top four berth in the past two seasons. Cox, while not accumulating a great deal of stats throughout the game, put in his best performance of the season, while also providing one of the funniest moments of the season, tackling an overconfident Jy Simpkin. Despite the win, Collingwood’s inside forward 50 work remained a problem, with the Magpies only taking three marks inside 50. That’s all well and good against lesser opponents, but against higher quality teams, it’s going to be a problem that Buckley is yet to solve.
Mihocek makes his return to the side, after being brutally knocked out in the Melbourne game. Quaynor is also returning, after his gnarly shin injury in the Swans game, an injury which many thought could be long term.
How the Magpies can win this game
Carlton are one of the worst disposal teams in the league. The Magpies need to take advantage of that. Putting enough pressure on the Blues, and forcing them to turn the ball over is going to be the key to victory here. The Magpies do their best work in transition off the half back line, and they need to do that this week if they are to win the game.
Player to watch
Mason Cox is the man to watch this week. Despite not having the greatest match on paper last week, Cox managed to garner praise from all angles with his performance against North Melbourne. The challenge for Cox is to now string performances together, and trying and recapture some form from past seasons. He’s shown some flashes this year, but it hasn’t been enough. He’s out to prove the doubters wrong, and last week was a good start.
Carlton
It’s been a while, but Carlton are seemingly getting it together. For the first time since 2013, Carlton have been able to put together consistent quality performances, and as a result are pushing for a top eight spot. The club finally had the patience to not go all in, a mistake they made nearly 10 years ago. The rebuild has been very painful, but the faithful fans are going to be rewarded with a list that can potentially compete for a premiership in a couple of years. An underrated asset that Carlton has been able to develop is their ability to put a consistently similar team, week in week out. 14 Carlton players have played every game this season, more than any other team. This helps build critical team chemistry, and it shows in their performances that they often operate on the same wavelength. This is in stark contrast to the Magpies, who lack that cohesion, and have lost games as a result.
Carlton are coming into this game on the back of a strong win against the Gold Coast Suns. In what was a relatively highly anticipated matchup, the Blues stumped up a quality defensive performance, holding the Suns to just one goal. Curnow and Gibbons were best on for the Blues.
How the Blues can win this game
One key area in which the Blues have been particularly in recent weeks is their Inside-50 count. Over the past month, the Blues have won the Inside-50 count by an average of 12 per game, the highest in the league. Despite having a strong defense, the Magpies have shown to be vulnerable from repeat inside-50’s from the opposition. If Carlton can continue this high-volume offensive push, they could break the back of the Collingwood backline, and poor on the points as a result.
Player to watch
Jack Martin is the man to watch this week. Coming into the league in 2014, Martin was met with extraordinary levels of hype, but various injuries set him back substantially, and he never quite met those expectations at the Suns. However, a fresh start at Carlton was the thing he needed. The small forward has been critical to Carlton’s forward transition, playing a part in 29% of scoring chains. Many are looking for Martin to take that next step, and establish himself as one of the best small forwards in the league.
Head to Head odds
Collingwood: $1.80
North Melbourne: $2.00
Changes
Collingwood
IN
Brody Mihocek
Callum L. Brown
Isaac Quaynor
Jaidyn Stephenson
Tyler Brown
OUT
Flynn Appleby (Injured)
Levi Greenwood (Managed)
Steele Sidebottom (Managed)
Travis Varcoe (Omitted)
Trey Ruscoe (Omitted)
North Melbourne
IN
Cameron Polson
Paddy Dow
OUT
Matthew Cottrell (Managed)
Sam Petrevski-Seton (Managed)
TV
Live on Fox Footy, Commercial Free
Live on Channel Seven.
Radio
Triple M
3AW
ABC
SEN
IPTV
AFL Live Pass
Foxtel Now
WatchAFL
Kayo Sports
Congratulations Jaidyn Stephenson – 50 Games
It’s been quite a rollercoaster for the former Rising Star. After bursting onto the scene in 2018, Stephenson has struggled to regain that electric form that excited Collingwood fans. He has shown periods of brilliance, but Collingwood fans want more, and hopefully from here on out he can show what he has to offer.
Tip
Normally Collingwood would be a good pick here. But their form against teams around them on the ladder has left much to be desired.
Blues by 3 points
The last time these two sides met was in round eight of 2019. Collingwood came into the match as favorites, but to their credit, the Blues put up a valiant effort, pushing the Magpies all the way. Down by two goals with just under 10 minutes to go, the Magpies showed their class, piling on the last five goals to run out 19 point winners. Cripps was outstanding for Carlton, while Treloar and Sidebottom were best for Collingwood.
Collingwood
Look, it wasn’t their best performance, but Collingwood did what needed to be done against the Kangaroos. Despite playing a poor first half, Collingwood were able to pull through, playing some football that provided semblance to the quality of play that got them a top four berth in the past two seasons. Cox, while not accumulating a great deal of stats throughout the game, put in his best performance of the season, while also providing one of the funniest moments of the season, tackling an overconfident Jy Simpkin. Despite the win, Collingwood’s inside forward 50 work remained a problem, with the Magpies only taking three marks inside 50. That’s all well and good against lesser opponents, but against higher quality teams, it’s going to be a problem that Buckley is yet to solve.
Mihocek makes his return to the side, after being brutally knocked out in the Melbourne game. Quaynor is also returning, after his gnarly shin injury in the Swans game, an injury which many thought could be long term.
How the Magpies can win this game
Carlton are one of the worst disposal teams in the league. The Magpies need to take advantage of that. Putting enough pressure on the Blues, and forcing them to turn the ball over is going to be the key to victory here. The Magpies do their best work in transition off the half back line, and they need to do that this week if they are to win the game.
Player to watch
Mason Cox is the man to watch this week. Despite not having the greatest match on paper last week, Cox managed to garner praise from all angles with his performance against North Melbourne. The challenge for Cox is to now string performances together, and trying and recapture some form from past seasons. He’s shown some flashes this year, but it hasn’t been enough. He’s out to prove the doubters wrong, and last week was a good start.
Carlton
It’s been a while, but Carlton are seemingly getting it together. For the first time since 2013, Carlton have been able to put together consistent quality performances, and as a result are pushing for a top eight spot. The club finally had the patience to not go all in, a mistake they made nearly 10 years ago. The rebuild has been very painful, but the faithful fans are going to be rewarded with a list that can potentially compete for a premiership in a couple of years. An underrated asset that Carlton has been able to develop is their ability to put a consistently similar team, week in week out. 14 Carlton players have played every game this season, more than any other team. This helps build critical team chemistry, and it shows in their performances that they often operate on the same wavelength. This is in stark contrast to the Magpies, who lack that cohesion, and have lost games as a result.
Carlton are coming into this game on the back of a strong win against the Gold Coast Suns. In what was a relatively highly anticipated matchup, the Blues stumped up a quality defensive performance, holding the Suns to just one goal. Curnow and Gibbons were best on for the Blues.
How the Blues can win this game
One key area in which the Blues have been particularly in recent weeks is their Inside-50 count. Over the past month, the Blues have won the Inside-50 count by an average of 12 per game, the highest in the league. Despite having a strong defense, the Magpies have shown to be vulnerable from repeat inside-50’s from the opposition. If Carlton can continue this high-volume offensive push, they could break the back of the Collingwood backline, and poor on the points as a result.
Player to watch
Jack Martin is the man to watch this week. Coming into the league in 2014, Martin was met with extraordinary levels of hype, but various injuries set him back substantially, and he never quite met those expectations at the Suns. However, a fresh start at Carlton was the thing he needed. The small forward has been critical to Carlton’s forward transition, playing a part in 29% of scoring chains. Many are looking for Martin to take that next step, and establish himself as one of the best small forwards in the league.
Head to Head odds
Collingwood: $1.80
North Melbourne: $2.00
Changes
Collingwood
IN
Brody Mihocek
Callum L. Brown
Isaac Quaynor
Jaidyn Stephenson
Tyler Brown
OUT
Flynn Appleby (Injured)
Levi Greenwood (Managed)
Steele Sidebottom (Managed)
Travis Varcoe (Omitted)
Trey Ruscoe (Omitted)
North Melbourne
IN
Cameron Polson
Paddy Dow
OUT
Matthew Cottrell (Managed)
Sam Petrevski-Seton (Managed)
TV
Live on Fox Footy, Commercial Free
Live on Channel Seven.
Radio
Triple M
3AW
ABC
SEN
IPTV
AFL Live Pass
Foxtel Now
WatchAFL
Kayo Sports
Congratulations Jaidyn Stephenson – 50 Games
It’s been quite a rollercoaster for the former Rising Star. After bursting onto the scene in 2018, Stephenson has struggled to regain that electric form that excited Collingwood fans. He has shown periods of brilliance, but Collingwood fans want more, and hopefully from here on out he can show what he has to offer.
Tip
Normally Collingwood would be a good pick here. But their form against teams around them on the ladder has left much to be desired.
Blues by 3 points
