For the second time this season, Collingwood will venture away from the MCG, though exactly why they’re hosting Port Adelaide at Docklands is beyond me.
Not only does it mean the Magpies playing a home game at a ground they don’t call home, it also denies the Power valuable experience at the MCG – a venue they’ll only visit twice in the home-and-away season.
Anyway, let’s not spend any more energy trying to get inside the head of the AFL – it’s confusing in there.
Both of these sides enter tonight’s game with four wins and two losses.
The Pies are coming off an important but unconvincing win over the Bombers in their now traditional Anzac Day game, while the Power went to sleep at three-quarter time of a pretty uninspiring Friday night win against the Roos.
But wins are wins. No one will care much how those four points were obtained three months from now.
For the third week in a row, the Power find themselves playing on a Friday night, with the previous two delivering wins.
Ken Hinkley’s men will almost certainly need to be better than they were a week ago if they’re to knock over last year’s runners-up, but thankfully for Port they don’t need to look too far into the past to find a victory that will fill them with confidence.
Their Round 5 road win against West Coast was one of the most impressive performances by any team this season.
Things don’t get any easier, however. Missing from the team that beat West Coast are their best forward, Robbie Gray, and their best defender, Tom Jonas.
(AAP Image/Ben Macmahon)
Gray should be easier to cover. The four-time All Australian hasn’t been at his best this season.
Jonas, however, is a significant out. Undersized against most key forwards, the co-captain loomed as the best option to take on the terrifying Jordan de Goey, who is currently third in the Coleman Medal race with 16 goals. But, alas, Jonas is out, and so the Power will need to make other plans.
As always, the best way to negate a dangerous forward is to limit their opportunity. That means winning the midfield battle.
Against the powerful Collingwood midfield, that’s a tall task, but the Power are as well equipped as any.
Without the weight of the captaincy on his shoulders, Travis Boak has returned to the midfield and is playing as well as anyone in the league. Tom Rockliff is finding the footy by accident, and Ollie Wines and Sam Powell-Pepper are bullying their way to hard balls.
As a result, the Power are ranked first for both clearance differential and inside-50 differential, and third for contested possession differential.
Those Port onballers won’t intimidate Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Adam Treloar and Co.
But the most interesting onball battle will be between the big men.
Brodie Grundy is the league’s best ruckman, but Port’s two-headed ruck monster will test him as much as any ruck rival.
Brodie Grundy (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Scott Lycett’s reputation has grown since he left the Eagles with a premiership medallion, and Paddy Ryder is only a season-and-a-bit removed from All Australian selection.
While the Power are the No.1 stoppage team in the competition, Collingwood are a ho-hum 11th for clearance differential. It’ll take a mighty game from Grundy to break even at stoppages tonight. He’s certainly capable.
Karl Amon is the only inclusion for the Power, replacing the injured Gray, while Collingwood have made a pair of changes. Travis Varcoe has been dropped for the second time this season, and giant American Mason Cox will miss with an ankle injury. Jamie Elliott returns to the side, as does Ben Reid for the first time since round 10 last year.
Elliott’s inclusion comes just a week after Will Hoskin-Elliott’s first game of the season, and as Elliott missed all of 2018, that means tonight is the first time all of Elliott, Hoskin Elliot, de Goey, reigning Rising Star winner Jaidyn Stephenson and Josh Thomas will play in the same side.
It’s an impressive collection of forwards who will be well complemented by the hard-working Brody Mihocek. Reid will likely play the pillar role usually performed by Cox – unless Nathan Buckley throws him back and pushes Roughead forward and into back-up ruck duties.
Collingwood’s goalkickers are a known quantity. For Port, things have been a bit more unpredictable.
Through six games, Brad Ebert is his side’s leading goalkicker, with ten. In the 11 seasons prior his best tally is 17 (twice) so this is quite a change.
Sam Gray and the exciting Connor Rozee each have nine. Ryder, Robbie Gray and Justin Westhoff have each booted six, though last week was the first time Westhoff found the goals since he kicked five in Round 1.
The last time these sides met, Collingwood won easily, hammering the Power by 51 points at the MCG. That Port side bore little resemblance to the one we’ve seen in 2019.
This should be a good match, particularly if the away team can play at a high tempo.
Collingwood by 16 points.
That’s my Friday night forecast. What’s yours?
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I remember watching Port play the Pies in their bars at the MCG back in the early 1970s Collingwood played in an alternative strip. And, while I preferred Collingwood's familiar stripes to the Port bars, it was good to see them play in it. Obviously, because I still remember it. (Wish I could forget the result and Carlton's light blue strip.) I guess that part of the way this has evolved is how the club and Koch have repeatedly raised the issue every year, and every time it has been but this time is more special than the last. The repeated requests and that it is a matter of Port's right rather than a special case etc, has eroded the opportunity for Collingwood to be able to go to their supporters and say just this once. And, frankly I suspect everyone is tired of hearing again every year. How special could it be if it happens every year? There may also be another sleeper in this. Having been to Adelaide and spoken to others from Collingwood who have, there all a lot of Collingwood supporters with not a lot of joy about how they were treated in Adelaide. It should not be a factor in this decision, but there may also be some karma in the way this has panned out. I am sure that David Koch's comments about Collingwood have played well in Adelaide, but are unlikely to be forgotten when asking Collingwood for a favour. But, all of the above for mine, I would really like to see the original jersey. It would be good reason to make an extra effort to see Port play. (Same for the other old clubs in the league.)
Slick
Roar Rookie
You're right, their first strip wasn't the famous prison bars. However Port Adelaide has been wearing the prison bars for over a century. I don't see it coming to fruition but it would be such an incredible feeling to watch my club play in the prison bars for their 150th season. I don't think any reasonable person would argue that the prison bars aren't their 'traditional' strip.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Yes, interested in how the SA picks are going.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Have you considered the Suns?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
South Australian blood is the strongest in nation. I barracked for the Dees in the VFL because they were Norwood-lite. I went for the Crows because I knew Port would be next. It should've been Port and the Legs for SA's two AFL teams. The Socialist SANFL got it wrong. ----- I had to take the other SA Team, no choice. Def not a Vic team.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
If you don't want to support the Crows, my advice is don't.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Look, I hate Port gutturally. But they are the most successful senior football club in the land. I also believe in fair play. Port fans would be very happy to play in their 150th year in the strip where they won most of their flags. Just that one game against the Pies they’d play in their teal strip. An outsider would see this as quite reasonable. —- Perhaps the Pies are running scared by having Port in their traditional strip, their most known strip, because people in the rest of the country would then know what a successful Magpies team looks like. —- It annoys me immensely that I have to support the Crows when really Port should’ve been first in followed by the Legs. When you want tradition and rivalry their is almost none better than Port/Norwood. —- As I said Eddie must have 80 fingers because that’s how many ‘Pies’ he has his fingers in. (I’m so funny)
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
There was room to move, Maguire agreed to Port using black and white but not stripes. And, my understanding was when asked what they should do if no stripes he said be creative. So, it would seem Maguire is now being expected to design jerseys for Port. Where will it all end. Regardless, I can not see why they are not going with their first jersey unless there is another agenda.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Whatever, it doesn't change the fact that Port is older than Collingwood. There should be room to move on this. And I'm no fan of Kochie. And I've barracked for the Redlegs since '68 so I'm no fan of Port but fairs fair. ---- And if Nowood were to ever make it into the AFL I'd hope the less successful Dees would be conciliatory in a concession or two. ---- You may have noted the name change from Victorian Football League to Australian Football League.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
On similar note Sydney are doing okay; so far they have not lost to anyone below them.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
If you know Port’s history so well, then was it a bit disingenuous to imply that as the older club Port should have primacy over wearing the stripes, while knowing it was not the original jersey? Part of the issue is the way Port have produced a new reason every year about why they should be in stripes. This is despite the club’s initial agreement about the strip. As soon as an exception would be made the next thing would be well we did it and the world is still turning so we should do it all the time. My understanding is the Eddie Maguire agreed to Porting using black and white but not stripes. Are there many other clubs that would agree to letting another club use their colours? I can not see any of the major clubs agreeing to that! Considering that Port’s real traditional strip is magenta, the insistence on the stripes seems to be less about heritage and more about an agenda of perminantly changing to their second style of jumper. There was a time when I probably would have been more flexible about this, but the more I have listened to Koch and Port as a club, the more I have come to think that it would be a case of letting the camel’s head into the tent.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Eddie gets his way on everything not just the Port Jailbars issue. I know of Port’s history very well. My point, tbc, is both historical and one of goodwill. And don’t you think, for one year, that Port could wear the Jailbars in all games except when they play the Pies in Melbourne. Its time that Victorians realise that AFL has real history in the 3 other states and the 2 territories Don’t you think its amazing how the Pies get so mollycoddled?
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Of course, I have heard of goodwill. However, your argument was based on Port being the older club and entitlement not on good will. If you really want to cerebrate your sesquicentenary, the most obvious and appropriate choice is the first jersey not the second! Collingwood under Eddie Maguire has and continues to quietly spend millions on community projects. But, you think that his humanity hangs on Collingwood’s agreement on letting a club, who agreed not to every use black and white stripes again, go back on its word?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Have you ever heard of goodwill? This was a chance for Eddie to be thought of as human and he fluffed it.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Comment of the year thus far.
anon
Roar Pro
It's definitely an issue if they can't beat Geelong and West Coast on their home deck.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Pies still have not beaten anyone above them on the ladder.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Is it too soon to point out, that like last year, Collingwood has not beaten a team above them on the ladder?
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
It was a condition of entering he league that Port give up being Magpies, and any claim to black and white stripes. Nothing more needs to be said. Port Adelaide’s claim to stripe is not as strong as many would have others believe. Port Adelaide first played in magenta jerseys with white shorts, and did not adopt the gaol bar black and white stripes until 1902. However, Collingwood has always played in black and white stripes since the club was formed in 1892, so Collingwood’s claim to the black and white stripes pre-dates Port Adelaide’s by 10 years. Collingwood’s match jersey has remained constant through out the club’s history. Comparatively speaking, Port Adelaide has been quite fickle in the way it has jumped from one set of colours to another with three changes in only 149 years.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I am sure that the league would have had a very good idea of the expected crowd (40,000) when they did the schedule and that it would be an excellent match to push across to Marvel to ensure that there were enough games there during the season. And, to avoid having a loss making game at the G.