Preview - Collingwood v West Coast

Collingwood vs West Coast: Match Preview:

By Luke Mason

Collingwood are off and running in season 2007, in registering its first round one victory since 2003 with its nailbiting three point triumph over the Kangaroos in controversial circumstances at the MCG. With pep in their step, thanks largely to a seven goal final term, they make the trek across the Nullarbor to take on the might of the West Coast Eagles who also ended their first week encounter with Sydney in similar fashion, successful, yet again by a point.

It will prove a mighty task for Mick Malthouse’s Magpies to take home the points against an Eagles outfit that led their nearest rival, the Swans, by six goals at halftime despite key men Dean Cox and Andrew Embley watching on from the coach’s box, and Ben Cousins in the USA.

So just how will Mick’s men keep pace with Chris Judd and co?

The Match Ups:

The meticulous Malthouse, like any good coach, leaves no stone unturned in his quest for success, and his knowledge of the West Coast, having led them throughout the 1990s, will come into play as always.

As hackneyed as it sounds, this encounter will be won and lost from the midfield. Chris Judd, Daniel Kerr, Michael Braun, Adam Selwood, Rowan Jones. There and then Eagles have a midfield even the Lions of 2001-2003 would have struggled to contain.

On the flipside of the coin, we at Collingwood possess a battery of midfielders, who, the anti-Magpie antagonists say, are too slow, lack polish, class and are devoid of pace.

Weren’t they watching us last year, or in 2002 and 2003 for that matter?

The likes of our 150 gamer Shane O'Bree, Scott Burns, Paul Licuria and Dane Swan are honest plodders, or so they say. The annual season previews forever read: Give grunt but don’t strike fear into the hearts of others.

It seems as if these experts have not kept up to date with the goings on down Lexus way, for the club have won three of its past four encounters with the Eagles, our only loss coming in round seven at Subiaco last year, and sans rucking support for Josh Fraser still managed to go down by ?? points.

The aforementioned players are greatly underestimated, and give plenty of bangs for their bucks, often surprising many in breaking even with star-studded opposition.

Without Brodie Holland, there will have to be plenty of thinking done as to who tackles the brilliance of Judd. And it isn’t an easy to task come up with any players who could potentially shut down the skipper, and not just at Collingwood, but throughout the league.

One man who could do so is Ryan Lonie, who has successfully shut down Chad Cornes in the past and limited the output of Kangaroo Daniel Wells last week. Lonie is deceptively tall (one cm taller than Jason Cloke, who rucked for the club on occasions) and has never struggled for fitness nor pace. Could he be the chosen one to take the points over Judd?

Elsewhere, looking to go head to head with the rest of the Coasters may be the best route to home, hoping that our battleships can outdo theirs. Kerr, though, may find Licuria as his shadow for the night, for his form last Saturday night under heavy off field duress was outstanding.

Josh Fraser will keep Cox, on return from injury, company for the majority of the night, whilst in defence Simon Prestigiacomo will have first crack at Quentin Lynch, with Adam Hunter, perhaps, to be locked down by James Clement should John Worsfold station him in attack.

The form guide:

Collingwood overcame a slow start to overrun the Kangaroos last Saturday afternoon in front of 44,000 of the faithful, thanks largely to an oversight on the part of umpire Stuart Wenn and the sloppy finishing of Shannon Grant.

Paul Medhurst looked the part in his debut in Black and White colours in booting two goals, whilst the defensive unit of James Clement (the Jason McCartney Medallist) and Heath Shaw took off from where they left off in 2006.

The Coasters blew the Swans out of the water early on Saturday night to romp to a six goal lead before, as expected, Sydney charged back to fall short by a point. Judd and Kerr blitzed all comers, and Mitchell Brown, twin to our Nathan, slotted in nicely in attack.

New faces:* Should we blood a debutant:

Ben Reid – Despite his height, Reid is a speedy tall defender with a strong lead and strong hands to go with his reliable left boot.

Nathan Brown – Twin of the Eagles Mitchell, Nathan turned his back on a promising basketball career for stardom in the Black and White, and is well placed to make his mark in defence in the years to come.

Chris Bryan – Something of a football journeyman, Bryan has now played for both Frankston at VFL level and Carlton in the big league, where he proved his worth as a bullocking ruckman with a thumping left boot.

Injuries:

Sadly for the Magpies, promising defender John Anthony has been ruled out for the duration of 2007 following complications with his injured neck, damaged in a routine training drill in January. He will return ready to roll in 2008.

Nathan Buckley is still a fortnight from resumption due to his hamstring, while Alan Didak is a strong chance to make his return to senior football with Williamstown in the VFL.

West Coast is obviously minus Cousins indefinitely, although DreamTeamers can rejoice and Pies fans curse, Dean Cox and Andrew Embley return to the fray.

Head to Head since 2000:

Collingwood: 5

West Coast: 4

Since the turn of the century, the Pies have had the wood over the Eagles, winning three of their past four meetings including a ?? point triumph in round 16 last year at Telstra Dome. In fact, West Coast have proven a source of joyful victories in recent times, the club breaking its run of outs against them in the split round of 2001 with a Josh Fraser inspired 81 point win. Brodie Holland’s career best eight goal haul single-handedly handed the team its initial win of 2002, while a famous win was recorded at the MCG in round nine of 2005 when the 16^th placed Collingwood dragged themselves off the canvas to give the ladder leading Eagles a wake up call.

The X-Factors:

Collingwood: Paul Medhurst – Sure to relish the opportunity to return to his old stomping ground in Perth, where he was renowned for his acts of brilliance.

West Coast: Chris Judd – Say no more.

Questions to be answered:

How does Collingwood’s midfield stack up against the best the game has to offer?

Can Guy Richards announce himself as a force to be reckoned with against the games elite in the ruck?

How will West Coast recover from a bruising encounter in Sydney?

The tip: Logic says West Coast should win comfortably, but logic gets thrown out the window in a game of football. With the next generation in Thomas, Pendlebury and Cloke starring, Collingwood to get up by eight points. Blind faith? No chance! Go Pies!