Roar Guru
Geelong have made it a Mother’s Day to remember on Sunday, after defeating a wasteful Collingwood by 20 points at the MCG.
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Final score
Collingwood Magpies 5.15.45
Geelong Cats 9.12.66
It’s the 2011 Grand Final revisited, as the Collingwood Magpies play host to the Geelong Cats in a blockbuster Sunday afternoon matchup at the MCG. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 3:20pm (AEST).
Both clubs come into this Sunday’s match off the back of wins the week before, though they came through different circumstances.
Geelong played host to the GWS Giants on Friday night, and by the end of the game, they had left as 61-point victors over the early season premiership favourites.
Collingwood, however, had a much tougher task, taking on the winless Brisbane Lions. While the Pies held a lead for a majority of the game, the Lions kept on coming, getting as close as one point in the dying minutes of the last term, but a Jaidyn Stephenson goal in the final minute put the game to bed, and rescued Collingwood from a massive upset.
As both sides sitting on four wins apiece, with 1st and 11th on the ladder separated only by two wins, a win here means that the victors would burrow their way deeper into the top eight.
The big news for the Cats is superstar Gary Ablett has been welcomed back into the line-up, along with Harry Taylor, Zac Smith, George Horlin-Smith and James Parsons.
Tom Hawkins will sit out this week, after being suspended for making contact with an umpire, while Scott Selwood is out with a back complaint. Rhys Stanley (Omitted), Lachie Fogarty (Managed) and Zach Guthrie (Omitted) are also out.
Collingwood have only made two changes, with Ben Crocker (Omitted) and Jarryd Blair (Omitted) making way for Callum Brown and Daniel Wells.
Geelong: Tim Kelly
Tim Kelly has been a revelation for Geelong since he moved from WA, and has looked as though he has played 10 years of AFL footy, instead of one. He is an integral part of the Geelong side, and if he has a good game, it goes a long way to setting up a Geelong win.
Collingwood: Jordan De Goey
Since De Goey’s return to the side, he has starred for the Pies. He was strong in the Anzac Day clash, and a five-goal performance last week saw De Goey lead the Pies home. He does so again, and Collingwood take home the win.
Prediction
It is going to be a tight contest, with both teams so close on the ladder, but the old saying goes, you’re only as good as your last game, and while Geelong wiped the floor with last year’s preliminary finalists, Collingwood just got over the line against last year’s wooden spooners. Geelong to get up in a tight contest.
Geelong by 16 points.
Will Geelong welcome back the Little Master in style with two wins on the trot? Or will Collingwood break back into the top eight with an emphatic victory? Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 3:20pm (AEST).