Round 1 - Port Melbourne vs Collingwood at North Port Oval

[MagpieBat]

When and Where:
11:40am this Sunday at the Port Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Broadcast:
TV - Channel 7 LIVE into Victoria from 11:30am. Streamed LIVE through the Plus7 Live smartphone app for iPhone and Android from 11:30am (viewers outside Victoria need to change their location to 'Victoria' to watch).

Radio - Streamed live on Collingwood Radio via collingwoodfc.com.au at this portal and through the Collingwood FC smartphone app for iPhone and Android from 11:30am. Data usage and charges apply, including for Telstra customers.

Internet - LiveChat at collingwood.fc.com.au, full video replay available Sunday evening/Monday morning. Score updates in this thread and on Twitter at @VFLPies

Team:
B: Taylor, Frost, Phillips
HB: Marsh, Wyatt, Toovey
C: Golds, Hellier, Crocker
HF: White, Witts, Cox
F: MacAffer, Wills, Moloney
R: Gault, J.Smith, Broomhead
Int: Ferguson, Kelly, Close, M.Smith, Howe, Sier, Blair, Borthwick, Hore*

Getting There:
Car
- Drive to the corner of Williamstown Road and Ingles Street, Port Melbourne. Parking immediately outside and around the ground along Williamstown Road, Ingles Street, Woodruff Street and Bertie Street (parking around the Ingles Street wing entrance will be limited due to the TV broadcast vehicles/equipment).

Public transport
- Take the Route 109 tram (Port Melbourne - Box Hill) to North Port light rail station. Short walk up Raglan Street to the ground.

- Take the Route 235 bus (City - Fisherman's Bend via Williamstown Road) to the Ingles St / Williamstown Road stop right outside the ground.

Admission:
- Adult: $10
- Concession/Pensioner: $5
- Children 12 & under: free

Last Time They Met:
Round 20, 2015 at Victoria Park
Collingwood 10.12.72, def
Port Melbourne 9.10.64

Head to Head:
Played: 11
Port Melbourne: 5
Collingwood: 6

Trivia:
- This will be the third time that Collingwood and Port Melbourne have opened their seasons together.

- Following on from that, this will be the first time that the Magpies and the Borough have opened their seasons together at North Port Oval since Round 1 of 2000. On that occasion, Collingwood were far too strong for Port Melbourne, winning 24.12.156 to 15.12.102. The Magpies side that day boasted a number of familiar and much loved names, including Gavin Brown who booted 6 goals after being omitted from the Collingwood senior side.

- Furthermore, Collingwood have not beaten Port Melbourne at North Port Oval since Round 1 2000, their sole victory over the Borough at their fortress. In the 4 matches that the Magpies have played played away to Port since then, they have lost by margins of 66 points, 23 points, 25 points and 53 points, for an average losing margin of 41.7.

- Should he take his place in the VFL lineup, Tom Phillips will create a small piece of history. Phillips' last (and only) senior VFL game was for Port Melbourne playing against Collingwood. This week, in his very next game of VFL football, he will quite literally be swapping the red and blue striped jumper of the Borough for the black and white striped jumper of the Magpies, playing for Collingwood against Port Melbourne.

Over to you...

[Dave The Man]

I be heading down for sure.

Though I have heard Dwyer done a Hammy and Won't Play

[MagpieBat]

Though I have heard Dwyer done a Hammy and Won't Play

Yeah, I was about to say...

Port Melbourne FC ‎@PortMelbourneFC
BREAKING: Sam Dwyer expected to miss between 14-16 weeks after scans revealed he has torn 3 hamstring tendons off the bone #BornAndBred @VFL
1:46 PM - 3 Apr 2016

https://twitter.com/PortMelbourneFC/sta ... 1567824896

Rotten luck for Spud. Left with no hard feelings and all the best wishes. Would have been looking forward to playing against his old mob too (for his original old mob!) And I'm sure he would have got a respectful reception from the Collingwood fans as well. Served us well in his 3 years, at both levels.

Get better soon, Sammy. Hope you're fit and recovered in time for the rematch at Victoria Park later in the season...

I be heading down for sure.

I haven't heard you in the outer at the practice games. I just assumed you were there for the match fitness and were saving yourself for the real stuff, so no excuses for a quiet one on Sunday, right?

[Presti35]

I wish I could go. Someone drink a beer for me!!

[MagpieBat]

I wish I could go. Someone drink a beer for me!!

Probably a little early in the day for me. That, and I have to type. And that my preferred choice in beer will be a Collingwood Draught over a delicious meal at my favourite pub after the game.

But I will try remember to clink a glass or two in your name, Presti...

[MagpieBat]

For context, this could be the team we see on Sunday...

B: M.Smith, White, Toovey
HB: Maynard, Marsh, Goldsack
C: J.Smith, Wills, Broomhead
HF: Howe, Close, Crocker
F: Ferguson, Still, Cox
R: Witts, Moloney, Goodyear
I: Phillips, Golds, Sier, Hellier, Hore*

That's just without any changes to the team that played Richmond. Gault and Macaffer are the consensus two to drop, but Buckley has flagged the possibility of an unchanged senior side.

And there's still Varcoe and Sidebottom yet to come in the short term...

Meanwhile, the VFL have put out a short preview...

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=42398548

Aside from the fact that our last flag was in 1896 instead of 1892 and that Jake Williams played 2 seasons instead of 1, not a bad little read...

[stui magpie]

For context, this could be the team we see on Sunday...

B: Wallace, White, Toovey
HB: Maynard, Marsh, Goldsack
C: Smith, Wills, Broomhead
HF: Howe, Close, Crocker
F: Ferguson, Still, Cox
R: Witts, Moloney, Goodyear
I: Phillips, Golds, Sier, Hellier, Hore*

That's just without any changes to the team that played Richmond. Gault and Macaffer are the consensus two to drop, but Buckley has flagged the possibility of an unchanged senior side.

And there's still Varcoe and Sidebottom yet to come in the short term...

Meanwhile, the VFL have put out a short preview...

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=42398548

Aside from the fact that our last flag was in 1896 instead of 1892 and that Jake Williams played 2 seasons instead of 1, not a bad little read...

WTF is that about? Last flag in the VFA I assume before joining the VFL which is now the name of the competition, but VFL flags don't count in the VFL just the AFL?



Owwwwwww. Pass the panadol.

[MagpieBat]

For context, this could be the team we see on Sunday...

B: Wallace, White, Toovey
HB: Maynard, Marsh, Goldsack
C: Smith, Wills, Broomhead
HF: Howe, Close, Crocker
F: Ferguson, Still, Cox
R: Witts, Moloney, Goodyear
I: Phillips, Golds, Sier, Hellier, Hore*

That's just without any changes to the team that played Richmond. Gault and Macaffer are the consensus two to drop, but Buckley has flagged the possibility of an unchanged senior side.

And there's still Varcoe and Sidebottom yet to come in the short term...

Meanwhile, the VFL have put out a short preview...

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_pag ... D=42398548

Aside from the fact that our last flag was in 1896 instead of 1892 and that Jake Williams played 2 seasons instead of 1, not a bad little read...

WTF is that about? Last flag in the VFA I assume before joining the VFL which is now the name of the competition, but VFL flags don't count in the VFL just the AFL?



Owwwwwww. Pass the panadol.

The modern VFL used to be called the VFA.

We won 1 flag in the then VFA in 1896, before jumping ship to the then VFL (now AFL) a month or so afterwards.

Basically, our flag tally is recorded as...

VFL/AFL: 15
VFA/VFL: 1

16 senior flags in total, 15 in the "national" competition.

If you want to confuse it even further, then the 1896 flag you could argue shouldn't even be credited to our VFL team, considering the 1896 flag was won by the Collingwood Football Club that exists in the AFL today, not the Collingwood VFL subsidiary team that was originally founded in 2000, then went into recess, then returned in 2008.

Yeah, complicated...

[MagpieBat]

Team is in...

Collingwood

B 56. J Taylor 45. J Frost 21. T Phillips
HB 17. J Marsh 47. D Wyatt 34. A Toovey
C 41. T Golds 53. J Hellier 39. B Crocker
HF 9. J White 15. J Witts 46. M Cox
F 3. B MacAffer 33. R Wills 58. B Moloney
R 44. C Gault 40. J Smith 29. T Broomhead
Int 62. L Ferguson 60. J Kelly 57. A Close 67. M Smith 65. L Howe 35. B Sier 69. J Blair 63. G Borthwick
23P 70. M Hore

BROOMHEAD RETURNS!!!

Wyatt passes his concussion test, at least for the moment.

Some 'names at the dartboard' work with positions there...

Kelly and Hore play their first games as VFL Pies.

[MagpieBat]

And our opponents...

Port Melbourne

B 21. L Cook 31. B Mihocek 3. L Tynan
HB 7. S Crocker 23. H Sandilands 5. S Lange
C 27. D Mascitti 10. T Pinwill 12. J Tynan
HF 29. C Cain 6. J Lisle 40. S Clarke
F 32. B Pearson 2. K Haretuku 9. B Hogan
R 36. L Waddell 11. M Golby 4. T O'Sullivan
Int 60. D Iaccarino 44. M Hayes 26. N Dixon 61. S De Soysa 1. M Rivett 41. R Hogan 13. T Gordon 35. G Dickson
23P 45. B Connelly

Dwyer aside, Port looking very strong.

Sam Crocker to play his first game for the Borough after crossing from Box Hill, I believe. And he's highly likely to cross paths with his brother Ben, if not actually play on him. may the best Crocker win...

Should be a belter of a game.

[MagpieBat]

[perthmagpie]

Thanks MB. Great work as always. I'm going to this one and will tape it too. 17 listed players! Where is Still? I realise Pendles has the arm/shoulder problem still.

[MagpieBat]

Thanks MB. Great work as always. I'm going to this one and will tape it too. 17 listed players! Where is Still? I realise Pendles has the arm/shoulder problem still.

16 AFL listers by my count.

I think Still might have had a slight setback over the pre-season with his hamstring. JW will probably know more...

[perthmagpie]

Can you bring your dog tomorrow? Anyone know?

[MagpieBat]

Not sure if dogs are allowed.

I know they are at Vic Park, because it's open parkland...