Match Preview R7 – Collingwood v North

May 5th, 2010 | By | Category: AFL Match Preview, Lead Article

By David Natoli
aka DaVe86

Collingwood host the North Melbourne Football Club in Round 7 at the MCG this Saturday night in the clash between the master-coach and his apprentice. Both sides carry good form into the match, with Collingwood having a 5-1 record for 2010, and the Kangaroos winning 3 of its last 4 games.

North Melbourne are playing good football and seem to me to be developing a very strong core group. Collingwood right now would arguably be the in-form side in the comp and have taken their game to a new level over the past month.

The match will obviously draw interest due to the first matchup between Mick Malthouse and his former assistant Brad Scott. I have always had a very strong opinion of Scott and I thought he was very influential at Collingwood. The Collingwood midfield was 2nd rate going into the 2009 season, but I think he had a lot to do with the transformation of Didak and Davis into midfielders, and a lot to do with the streamlined development of Sidebottom and Beams. Despite injuries late in 2009, there is no coincidence that Collingwood’s form dropped when Scott departed.

Scott obviously carries the unique advantage of having personal knowledge about the Mick Malthouse game-plan and about the strengths and weaknesses of Collingwood players. However, the Collingwood style of play has changed drastically since his departure.

Firstly, Ball and Jolly have been included. Secondly, Collingwood has changed from a man on man style of game, where players would then peel off their opponents and get numbers back. This year, the hallmark of the game-plan has been a complete forward press, with the main focus locking the ball inside the forward 50.

Ultimately, regardless of how useful Scott’s inside knowledge of Collingwood is, it comes down to the players that take the field and how disciplined they are in following instructions. But, it may give the Roo’s a 1% bonus, and every 1% counts.

The Formline

North Melbourne were fantastic last week against a red hot Melbourne. For all the talk of Melbourne’s youngsters, the Kangaroos were even younger on the day. Brad Scott is definitely getting a lot out of his younger players, and seems to have them playing good aggressive football. They had a great win against Hawthorn the week before, a honourable loss to top of the table Sydney, and a promising win over West Coast in the game preceding that. Despite a poor start, there is no doubt the Roos have settled into the year, and would be eyeing off a top 8 spot.

What is missing so far in 2010 is a big scalp. They will no doubt be viewing this round as a massive opportunity to make a statement.

As I said above, Collingwood is in red hot form, with an average winning margin over the last 3 rounds of just over 60 points. The most pleasing aspect for Collingwood over the last 3 rounds has been the improvement of the forward line. Since the horrendous inaccurate display against St.Kilda where only 4 goals were kicked, the Pies have slammed on 59 goals and 44 points. Accuracy has dramatically improved over the past fortnight in particular. The introduction of Dawes into the team has had a really positive impact on Travis Cloke in particular, who has finally found his best form.

Recent History

Despite a big loss last year, the Kangaroos won the 2 games in 2008, and have always been quite competitive against Collingwood. We’ve seen some dramatic and bizarre results, ranging from a dodgy 50 metre penalty to one of the worst centre bounces in history which enforced a rule change.

The last battle exactly a year ago, in Round 6 2009, with Collingwood comfortable 52 point winners. The votes went to Lockyer, Davis and Pendlebury. Lockyer kicked 4 goals, whilst Swan and Pendlebury had 33 and 31 disposals respectively. Adam Simpson was perhaps the Roos best with 34 touches, whilst Aaron Edwards kicked 4 goals.

It’s been a while since these sides have met, and a lot has changed in this time personnel wise.

At the Selection Table

I doubt either side will make many changes.

After having a perusal through a number of North Melbourne fan-sites, it seems Lindsay Thomas is on the outer and might get dropped. His form has not been great and his aggression will not be up to scratch by Brad Scott’s standards. Cruize Garlett may be the one to replace him after his 29 possession and 6 tackle game, whilst Daniel Pratt continues to knock on the selection door with 2 very solid weeks at VFL level. Leigh Harding also kicked 3 goals last week. Drew Petrie is still at least 2 weeks off.

Collingwood will be monitoring the fitness of Simon Prestigiacomo. Ben Reid was beaten last week by O’Hailpin, but I doubt a number of the goals were his fault. He was quite good in other situations, but ultimately has to be tighter on his opponent. Leon Davis also seems to be struggling with a slight injury, which I think he received during the St.Kilda game. His defensive pressure has been first rate, but whether the club decide to rest him at some point will be an interesting consideration. Simon Buckley is getting close to selection after he was rested from last week’s VFL game as an emergency for the senior game, whilst the old-stagers in Lockyer, Leigh Brown and O’Bree are putting together some very solid VFL form.

Josh Fraser hurt himself last week, so will also be tested this week. If he is unable to play, Malthouse may consider bringing back Jack Anthony who kicked 5 last week, or bring in Cameron Wood. I would think he’d bring in Wood as the Roos have a good ruck division.

Teams will be released at 5 o’clock Thursday.

A look at North Melbourne

Many ‘experts’ pre-season wrote off the Kangaroos. I too had my doubts. However, what I see now is a very promising midfield with a lot of upside. Harvey and Wells are in great form. Wells in particular is benefitting from having Harvey in the side taking the tag, and is finally fully fit. His past month has been terrific. Boomer Harvey has rebounded from his ‘worst game ever’ against St.Kilda, to put in a terrific month of football as well.

No doubt these 2 are the class, however I believe Liam Anthony is perhaps the most underrated player in the comp right now. He continues to notch up huge numbers on the stats sheet, and there are few in the competition that can claim they run as hard as Anthony. As a mature aged recruit, he has been able to have a huge impact in a short period of time. In particular, he is now having a greater scoreboard pressure and is kicking some lovely goals on the run from 50. With Wells and Harvey, Anthony is escaping attention.

These 3 provide the run, but Ziebell and Swallow are providing the grunt. Swallow is an unfashionable style of footballer, but he leads the competition for tackles by a decisive margin. There is also much to like about young Bastinac, and Cunnington has now played 2 games and is slowly finding his feet despite perhaps struggling with the pace of the game early.

Their forward line is missing the presence of Drew Petrie, however Edwards and Hale are holding up. Sam Wright started the year off half back, but was returned to the forward line last week where he kicked 3 goals.

Defence still looks vulnerable, but Scott Thompson continues to hold his own. Firrito can make-shift in a number of roles, whilst Grima and McMahon are useful. No doubt it is an underrated defence, but perhaps still lacks a tall solid bodied defender to take the giants. Someone like Chris Dawes could influence. Lachie Hansen is the guy with height, but perhaps not the strength yet.

Their big strength is the ruck division. Despite having no Petrie, Goldstein is piecing together a really impressive year, whilst McIntosh has returned to his 2009 form. This allows Hale to play as a permanent forward and his height is always a problem.

Must Tag

Harvey and Wells need to be monitored. Collingwood will not tag, as it demonstrated with Chris Judd last week. But they will go head to head in the stoppages and run Wellingham and Johnson on them. Judd’s influence last week was in the stoppages, but Harvey and Wells and elite around the ground. So I think Johnson will have to play a tighter role on Harvey, and Wellingham on Wells. Either that or Toovey monitors Harvey.


Players to Watch

Liam Anthony – As I said above, he is a ball magnet and has been very damaging this year.

Aaron Edwards – If Presti is not selected, O’Brien will most likely go to him. Edwards was good last time these sides met.

Sam Wright – Seems as though he is back to playing as a forward and can be a dangerous player. Perhaps Toovey gets the matchup

Hamish McIntosh – Will pose a great challenge for Jolly who is slowly finding his feet again. McIntosh’s greatest strength is his ability to push forward and have scoreboard impact. He is good around the ground and is a key player for the Roos.

Leigh Adams – Another Kangaroo player sneaking under the radar and adds a bit of grunt to the side.

A look at Collingwood

16 out of Collingwood’s 24 goals came from turnover last week. That stat says everything about the Magpies right now. The forward line pressure is winning games.

Of note is the fact that Sidebottom and Beams have been playing off a forward flank. Sidebottom in particular is a noted tackler and he came to the club as a guy who knew his way around the goals. Beams is all class, and rarely misses on the run.

Their influence has been particular helped by the fact that Davis and Didak are back to playing as permanent forwards, and Medhurst is looking dangerous again. Defences will concentrate on these 3 guys, which leaves Sidebottom and Beams free.

Dale Thomas is playing predominantly midfield and is providing a lot of run. Along with Wellingham, they are the 2 with pace that have really had a big impact through the centre. And of course the old timer in Ben Johnson who has regained his best form.

The biggest difference to the side over the past fortnight has been the emergence of Chris Dawes. He has kicked 5 goals in his 2 games, but has already formed a nice partnership with Cloke, who is now back to his dangerous best.

Luke Ball played his best game for Collingwood last week, and will most likely go head to head with Swallow. His 3 goals proved how good he can be from stoppages and proves that he is still a dangerous player. He no longer needs a high possession rate to be influential. His role is now predominantly to have an impact around stoppages.

Must Tag:

Heath Shaw – Melbourne and Carlton have shown that the best way to stop Heath Shaw to is to play an attacking small forward on him. Last week, Houlihan made himself dangerous, but he could’ve had an even bigger impact. Shaw is perhaps Collingwood’s most vital player, as he is entrusted with all the run off half back. He takes the kick-ins which makes him hard to defend as he kicks to himself, then runs to receive handballs.

Dane Swan – Was left to run loose last week, and ran wild. Perhaps Greenwood will get the job.


Players to Watch:

Chris Dawes – As I said, the Roo’s lack a really big bodied defender with height to stop Dawes. He was far too big for the Carlton defence and will prove a difficult matchup for North. However, he won’t sneak under the radar anymore. He will now get better defenders and teams will have had a look at the way he plays.

Dale Thomas – Continues to improve and continues to sneak under the radar. Surely North Melbourne will be onto him, and surely Brad Scott knows Dale close enough to understand his value to the side. The test for Thomas now is to continue his good early season form, and put together a really strong year.

Dayne Beams – Is having scoreboard influence, and is a great rotation through the middle. Quickly becoming a favourite of Collingwood fans. Most likely will start forward.

Paul Medhurst – Still not back to his best, but he showed last week that he doesn’t need to get a lot of the ball to be dangerous. The Roo’s have a number of matchups for him, but finding the right one will be a challenge. Could be Grima or Firrito, with Thompson and Hansen to take Cloke and Dawes.

Alan Didak – Is enjoying playing closer to goal. Though he is not winning as much of the ball, his past month has been very good. I think he’ll get the Brady Rawlings tag, who is now playing purely as a back pocket. If so, Didak should try to run hard through the centre as well to run off the tag. Rawlings may not be able to keep up. He may be able to shut Didak down if he plays purely as a forward.

Fantasy Wrap

Both my Dream Team and Supercoach are flying. In particular, my Dream Team now sits around 700th with plenty of money in the bank.

Expect Brent Harvey to run wild, as will Liam Anthony. Collingwood will purely look to curb their influence as opposed to going man on man. Unfortunately I have neither.

Dane Swan will tear it up, though I think he will get attention. Didak may struggle if he gets the Rawlings tag.

Expect McIntosh to score well, mostly through his around the ground work.

Also monitor Leon Davis who is declining in price rapidly, but is a few weeks off finding his best form.


DaVe’s Soapbox

No major news this week, but here are a few things that I have an opinion about:

- Gary Ablett – There were 2 major mistakes this week made in regards to Gary Ablett attending the Logie after-party. Neither were made by Gary Ablett. Caroline Wilson reported that she saw Gary Ablett at the after-party at a late hour. What a dobber! Firstly, what was Wilson doing out so late on a work-night?? She had a show to air on Monday and stories to write. Secondly, she was there in a social capacity…so should not be dobbing about things she saw.

The second mistake was made by Geelong, who should not have added fuel to the fire. As a coach, I would’ve simply said that they were aware Ablett was out, they had given him permission to attend for an hour and to drink purely water. He would not have ben required to attend the Monday morning recovery session as he did not play on Sunday. Then behind closed doors I would’ve questioned him. They should not have publicly stated Ablett was wrong, as it only fed the media trolls.

- The Poaching of Rugby Stars – Morally, I hate seeing guys who have never picked up a footy earning more money than the best AFL players. However, you have to consider that only a portion of this fee is paid by the club. The rest is a 3rd party payment supplied by the AFL, so the overall wage will be quite similar to what guys like Judd and Ablett receive. As a new franchise, the opportunity to recruit a big name, and have him paid for by the AFL is a great coup. I know if Dale Thomas went to play League, I would watch him.

Whether they make it or not is beside the point. Personally, I think they’ll struggle and go back to League once their contracts are played out. However, they will bring a lot of hype to the game, which then as a product should sell itself.

- St.Kilda – Good luck to Carlton this week. It is a real worry when the benchmark side in the competition is unwatchable. The only way Lyon will change his game-plan is if it gets beaten. So let’s hope Carlton burns holes through it. Unfortunately, I can’t see it happening. What a bore-fest St.Kilda games have become. The sad thing is that they can play exciting footy, as they showed against Freo, and in the last 4 minutes last week. Everything else this year has been ugly.

The Wrap Up

I’m quite excited about this game. It will be hotly contested. I think Collingwood is far too even and experienced across the board. Despite having a good midfield, the Roo’s are too inexperienced in all positions. But, they do have a unique ability to lift when required, and I do rate Brad Scott.

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