Key posts
Subs: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Fin Macrae
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will be sub tonight in his final AFL match, while Fin Macrae will get his first look at senior footy tonight for Collingwood as sub.
Craig McRae speaks on Fox pre-game
Craig McRae has spoken with Fox Footy pre-match…
On the return of Jordan De Goey and Bobby Hill: “They were pretty close last week. If we played Saturday or Sunday, they probably both would have played. They’re important players to us, Jordy around the middle of the ground and around centre bounces and then Bobby, his last game against Geelong was electifying. It’s great to have them back.”
On the boys pumping the tunes in the rooms pre-match: “To be honest, it doesn’t seem any different. That’s the way it’s been for the last two years. I tend to step away and let them do their thing. It can get pretty crazy in there.”
On whether Jeremy Howe will play in defence: “Yeah we’ll play Jeremy back, just for experience and stabilise that part of the ground for us. We like what he’s done forward and that flexibility to go either end is something we may explore a little bit more.”
Jeremy Howe has played forward in recent weeks, but will move back to defence tonight.Credit: Getty Images
On fixing up some defensive numbers: “There are many layers to us; a little bit is from stoppage, a little bit of transition and a little bit of want too. This time of the year we want to get those parts of our game right. We feel a lot of our game is in good shape. That [defensive] part of our game has been a real good feature for us for most of the year. We want to regain that.”
On whether there’s some urgency: “There is, but you can’t play finals until September. You create habits now that stack up. Tonight’s just another night to get there and improve ourselves. We’re on a journey here and the journey will continue past tonight.”
On Josh Daicos’ 100th game: “Josh has grown enormously the past 12 and 18 months. He’s had an incredible year, and played to his strengths, and he keeps getting better and better. 100 games means he’s eligible for father-son, that’s pretty good news isn’t it?“
‘He won’t play in the first final at this stage’: Wright on Daicos
Full interview with Graham Wright here on Seven.
Daicos won’t play in qualifying final
Collingwood’s football boss Graham Wright has just spoken on Seven News.
He has ruled a line through Nick Daicos returning in a qualifying final, according to Seven’s Mitch Cleary.
The 1 per cent club: From little things big problems emerge at Collingwood
By Kane Cornes
Flirting with form leading into the AFL finals can be a dangerous temptation for many teams. Managing sore players before September’s big games is a wise play.
Ensuring one is not mistaken for the other is a significant challenge for every coach taking a team to finals, especially when there is such a fine line between triumph and mediocrity.
Chief playmakers Jordan de Goey, Darcy Moore and Nick Daicos have been absent in recent weeks and Collingwood’s form has suffered.Credit: Getty
Collingwood have had – by virtue of their strong winning form from late March to late July – the luxury in August to look well in advance to September. But have the Magpies begun to pay more than they have gained?
The little things – the so-called “one percenters” – are making the difference at Collingwood. Some of these small things are obvious on the stats sheet measured on game day. Some are an intangible force, stemming from the bond between the players and their impressive coach, Craig McRae. This has driven the Magpies’ rise to league leader and premiership favourite.
Bombers to farewell ‘Walla’
By Marc McGowan
Essendon cult hero Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will farewell the AFL for a second, and almost certainly last, time against Collingwood on Friday night.
McDonald-Tipungwuti, known as “Walla”, retired briefly in May last year but returned to the Bombers this season – after Fremantle expressed interest in him. Friday will be his seventh game of the season, taking his career tally to 133.
Essendon forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.Credit: Getty Images
The richly talented forward’s first retirement followed him taking an indefinite break from football for personal reasons.
McDonald-Tipungwuti revealed in an interview with this masthead in March that he travelled with his dog Drover to various Indigenous communities – from the Tiwi Islands, where he hails from, to Darwin, Katherine and Broome – and that the experience motivated him to play in the AFL again.
Listen: Real Footy podcast
The debacle in Adelaide which saw Ben Keays’ goal signalled as a behind and denied the Crows from a win over Sydney, and ultimately a chance at playing finals, came on the back of human error and a system error.
That’s according to The Age’s chief football writer Jake Niall, who – along with Caroline Wilson and Peter Ryan – discussed what went wrong in the climatic moments of the Crows’ must-win clash at the SCG in this week’s episode of the Real Footy podcast.
Welcome
Hello everyone and welcome to our live blog as Collingwood and Essendon open the final round of the season with clash at the MCG.
The Magpies have lost three of their past four, but will be looking to hit finals with winning form against a depleted Bombers outfit.
Damien Ractliffe here to take you through all tonight’s action.
First bounce is set for 7.50pm AEST.
