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Anzac Day make-or-break for Dons and Pies

Essendon may not be top, but John Worsfold's season has been stellar. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Roar Rookie
22nd April, 2017
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It’s hard to judge where Essendon and Collingwood stand this AFL season.

Both teams have had wins that, at the time, seemed like stunning upsets. Essendon’s defeat of Hawthorn in Round 1 was a fairy-tale start against a powerhouse club, winners of three of the last four premierships. The Essendon players returning from suspension starred and the Bombers were 1-0.

Collingwood’s Round 2 win on the road against Sydney, last year’s grand finalists, was meant to be their springboard up the ladder after two close losses. This was the signature win of a fringe finals team ready to take the next step.

In hindsight, both wins are looking more and more like fools gold. Both Hawthorn and Sydney are sitting in the AFL basement with no wins, while Collingwood and Essendon have suffered demoralising losses since.

The Bombers (2-2, 11th) and the Magpies (1-3, 13th) both need to kick-start their seasons if they hope to play finals. And there’s no better occasion than the annual Anzac Day blockbuster in front of 85,000-plus fans at the MCG.

Both teams have a number of concerns to overcome, but some stand out as especially crucial to their success.

Collingwood’s main issue is clear – kicking goals. Through the first four rounds they have kicked a paltry 41, ahead of only bottom-placed Hawthorn. Their goal kicking accuracy is one cause for this, as they are last in the league at 38.7 per cent.

The Magpies are in the top half of the league for marks inside 50, but their wayward finishing means they are struggling to kick competitive scores. With Travis Cloke’s fall from grace last season and his subsequent departure to the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood needed forwards to step up and fill the void.

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Alex Fasolo currently leads their goal kicking with eight, followed by new recruit Will Hoskin-Elliott on seven. Without a forward kicking more than two goals a game, or a number of even contributors, any team will struggle to match it with the competition’s elite.

Darcy Moore was the assumed leader of the Collingwood forward line, but he’s fallen well short of expectations thus far. He’s only kicked one goal in the first four games, is averaging 6.2 disposals a game, and looks completely lost at times on the field.

And while he’s only 21 years old with plenty of potential and time to develop, Collingwood fans are getting impatient after three years without a finals appearance. They’ll need to find a forward spark from somewhere, but when the options are Chris Mayne and Mason Cox, it seems unlikely they’ll be kicking mammoth scores any time soon.

As for Essendon, John Worsfold said after their Round 3 loss to Adelaide that some of the players returning from suspension have “hit the wall,” which is a concern after only four games. There was doubt for a lot of people as to whether these players would be able to produce for the whole season. Worsfold’s comments will do nothing to allay these doubts.

Essendon coach John Worsfold watches players train

Despite a star-studded midfield featuring Dyson Heppell, Jobe Watson and Zach Merrett, the Bombers have also struggled in the centre of the ground. They are 14th in the league for clearances and in the bottom half for centre clearances.

Part of the issue may be the fitness of the returning players, but the midfield is the Bombers’ biggest strength and they’ll struggle to beat decent teams if they can’t dominate the middle of the ground.

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They will want to put together a consistent four-quarter performance against Collingwood after giving up a 42-point lead against Brisbane before eventually winning, and then being blown away by a nine-goal first quarter against Adelaide. Against good teams these lapses will be tough to overcome, as shown by the loss to the Crows last week.

Both Collingwood and Essendon have had uncertain starts to the season, and while neither is a genuine premiership contender, they will have hopes of playing finals. And in Tuesday’s game, on one of the biggest days on the Australia calendar, both teams will have a chance to right the ship and show us where they really stand.

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