Pre-Match. Pies v. Giants. All comments.

[Donny]

Opening Round. Saturday, March 9. Giants Stadium. 7.15

Collingwood v. Greater Western Sydney.

The Team:

B. Brayden Maynard Darcy Moore Charlie Dean
HB. Scott Pendlebury Isaac Quaynor Nick Daicos
C. Will Hoskin-Elliott Jack Crisp Josh Daicos
HF. Steele Sidebottom Ash Johnson Brody Mihocek
F. Patrick Lipinski Jamie Elliott Bobby Hill

R. Darcy Cameron Jordan De Goey Lachie Schultz

INT. John Noble Tom Mitchell Beau McCreery
Oleg Markov Mason Cox

EMG. Billy Frampton Finlay Macrae Harvey Harrison

Let's hear ya !!

C'morrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnn Maggies.

[Ronnie McKeowns boots]

I for one welcome the early game thread.
Got the feeling the Giants will be hungry for this one, I'm going and expecting to see a cracker

[Pies4shaw]

^ Will GWS get "revenge"? Ho Ho Ho.

[lazzadesilva]

We’ll need to improve 300% on the North practice match to win this game.

[Jezza]

I kind of wish the season didn't start this early, so I could enjoy 2023 for a little longer before shifting our focus onto the new season.

On the game itself, it's likely to be one of the toughest matchups we encounter over the whole season. Really rate what GWS produced under Kingsley last year, and I see them as being one of our biggest threats in denying us back-to-back flags.
Will be interesting to see how different the team is compared to our GF line up. Is it realistic to expect the likes of Fin Macrae and/or Reef McInnes will be in the squad?

[Cuthbert Collingwood]

Same, I've been enjoying the warm and fuzzy feeling of post-premiership glory, kind of like after sexy times but a lot longer

[LaurieHolden]

After 15 matches, the W/L ledger stands at P:15 W:9 D:0 L:6.
We've won the last 3 on the trot, whilst GWS took the 4 points on the 4 matches prior to that.
At the 'showground for livestock', after 6 games it's 3 apiece, although they've won the last 3 there.
https://afltables.com/afl/teams/collingwood/allgames_tm.html#21

Last time Round: Preliminary Final Venue: M.C.G. Date: Fri, 22-Sep-2023
COLLINGWOOD 2.2 2.6 7.7 8.10 (58)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 0.3 4.1 6.9 8.9 (57)
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1037104/one-point-in-it-collingwood-pies-down-gws-giants-in-a-classic-to-grab-gf-berth

GOALS
Collingwood: McStay 2, Crisp, Hill, Elliott, McCreery, Mihocek, Cox
Greater Western Sydney: Greene 2, Green, Cumming, Riccardi, Brown, Lloyd, Hogan

BEST
Collingwood: De Goey, Crisp, Pendlebury, Quaynor, N.Daicos, Cox
Greater Western Sydney: Green, Greene, Taylor, Whitfield, Hogan, Coniglio

INJURIES
Collingwood: McStay (knee)
Greater Western Sydney: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Jack Ginnivan (replaced McStay at three-quarter time)
Greater Western Sydney: Xavier O'Halloran (replaced Ward in the fourth quarter)

****************
Key changes Opening Round ~
COLLINGWOOD
Adams - traded.
Ginnivan - traded.
McStay - injured.
Lachie Schultz - traded.

GWS
Phil Davis - retired.
Finn Callaghan - injured.
Isaac Cumming - injured.
Harry Perryman - injured.

GWS Giants injury list
Three Giants look set to miss opening round ~
https://www.zerohanger.com/trio-of-key-giants-in-doubt-for-collingwood-opener-147566/

[David]

Wonder if we'll see a straight swap of Schultz for Ginnivan from the Grand Final side, or whether there'll be further changes.

Noble, Macrae and Johnson would all have to be in consideration, I would have thought, as well as one or both of Sullivan and Bytel?

As for outs, I suppose Murphy is a fair chance of missing, and Frampton and Markov may not be walk-up selections. Hard to see anyone else being left out unless there are injury concerns in the next couple of weeks.

[think better]

It will be interesting to see if there are any premiership hangover signs with our guys.

[Pies4shaw]

I believe Travis Head has been in to give them tips.

[piffdog]

I dont know if Frampton makes it - although were all a watch on Murphy I guess. Their only real big forward is Hogan - Himmelberg will be down back I think and Greene is the obvious danger (shared between Maynard and Quaynor?)

My line up and changes from GF:

Murphy, Moore, Howe
Maynard, Frampton, Quaynor
Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Markov
Hill, Mihocek, Elliott
McReery, DeGoey, J Daicos

Cox, N Daicos, Crisp
Mitchell, Cameron, WHE, Ginnivan, Lipinski

(I know thats not how they lined up, but thats how theyre listed on the AFL site...)

I reckon for Rd 0:

Moore, Howe, Maynard
Quaynor, Frampton, Noble
J Daicos, N Daicos , Sidebottom
Hill, Mihocek, Elliott
Schultz, McInnes, McReery

Cameron, DeGoey, Crisp
MacRae, Lipinski, Mitchell, Cox, Pendlebury

So thats Ins: Noble, Schultz, McInnes, MacRae IN
Outs: Murphy, Ginnivan, Markov, WHE

I hope I havent cocked that up. Obv need to get through practice match first without any you-know-what's occuring...

[warburton lad]

I reckon the two toughest teams to select are Round One and the Grand Final team...

B: Murphy Frampton . Howe
HB: Quaynor Moore. Maynard

C: J Daicos. Pendles. Sidebottom
R: Cameron. De Goey. Nick Daicos

HF: Hill. Mihocek. McCreery
F: Elliott. McInnes. Schultz

IC: Mitchell, Crisp, WHE, Cox, Lipinski

Emergency: Markov, Macrae, Sullivan Johnson, Kreuger

[Ronnie McKeowns boots]

[Pies4shaw]

Don't be silly, Ronnie - it's at the core of the game plan. While the opposition defenders are doubled-over with hysterical laughter at the notiion that Frampton is playing key forward and they are thus unable to man-up, Hill kicks 4 goals and Elliott sets up another 6 or 7. It's a coaching strategy of rare genius.

[Magpietothemax]

Are we addicted to winning Premierships?
Will the craving outweigh the lust for revenge of our rivals?
All eyes are turned to round zero for indications of what the answer might be.