Well, Collingwood’s season has been impeccable thus far, sitting at 11 wins and two losses after a shaky start to the season with big losses to Hawthorn and Carlton.
And what to say of the Sydney Swans, having one of their best starts to a season winning their first five games in a row and sitting second on the ladder with 10 wins and three losses and with the best percentage in the league, conceding the least points.
Despite this there have been times where both teams have looked a bit shaky; for Collingwood it was against West Coast two weeks ago, who pushed right up until the bell.
For the Swans it was against both the Bombers and the Cats, where they let games blow out only to be brought back down to earth again by late fight backs by both teams to then only snatch it with minutes to go.
With Essendon they let a 48 point lead slip to a four-point lead only to grind out an unconventional but yet amazing win, only to next week start with a seven-goal opening quarter against Geelong to then only kick five more goals for the last three quarters, including one from Andrejs Everitt with 90 seconds to steal back the lead and win by six points.
Yet despite looking shaky they still came away with wins. Wins in a way of which in the context they have won will tremendously boost their confidence despite almost having lost.
They have also achieved this feat without their superstar Adam Goodes. Goodes injured his hamstring in Round 8 against Adelaide, but since they lost him they were still able to conjure up three wins, including the one against Essendon. He also had a limited impact on the Geelong game and was subbed out, ironically for Everitt, who then went on to kick the sealer.
Seven years was the last time the Swans have beaten the Pies; it was a Saturday night game on Round 13 2005 when Sydney scraped its way home against the Pies winning by the smallest of margins, 77 to 76, in a year which the Swans broke the longest premiership drought in history.
Ever since that day they have not managed to beat the Pies, succumbing every time on 10 separate occasions with the closest they have came being last year, only losing by six points at ANZ Stadium. But maybe come Round 20 when they clash this season the tides may start to turn…
The Swans were backed to make finals this year but still unfavoured by the punters who put them at around $30 mark to win the flag, despite having taken huge scalps of Hawthorn, Essendon and Geelong and having almost beaten Adelaide, which would have left them undefeated against sides in the top eight.
On the other hand, Collingwood has versed more teams in the top eight and has beaten Geelong, Essendon, Adelaide and West Coast but lost to Hawthorn.
Despite the punters odds it is still clear that the Swans are a genuine threat to the flag; they have the youth and the experience to win one, but first they have to beat Collingwood. It is potentially a must.
They have the confidence to beat any team on any given day and they have the grit to win, but they must win against the Pies to give them that mental edge and the confidence they need to beat them if they meet again during the finals.
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