After they couldn’t be separated on ANZAC Day, Collingwood and Essendon will again do battle at the MCG — with more on the line this time around.
The Magpies (8-5-2, 105.8%) could find themselves all the way out of the top eight with a loss tonight but are looking to rebound after their defeat to Gold Coast last Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Bombers (9-5-1, 99.0%) are trying to forget about a suspect loss of their own against Geelong, with their top-four credibility suddenly in question.
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Are the Collingwood stars being lazy? | 02:55
Brad Scott’s Bombers have brought back one-gamer Nate Caddy for some necessary attacking flair, while forgotten midfielder Dylan Shiel and defender Jake Kelly also earned recalls at the expense of Dyson Heppell (Managed), Todd Goldstein (Managed) and Jye Menzie (Omitted).
On the other side of the ledger, Pies coach Craig McRae handed a club debut to Ned Long, while Lachie Schultz and Charlie Dean also return. Beau McCreery (Injured), Lachlan Sullivan (Omitted) and John Noble (Injured) go out of the side.
Before their draw in Round 7, Collingwood had won its past four matches against Essendon, with the Magpies winning the past five return fixtures (non-ANZAC Day games) over the Bombers.
Collingwood is 35-2-19 (63%, third in the AFL) at the MCG since the start of 2020, while Essendon is 9-1-18 (32%, 14th in the AFL) in the same period.
Watch Collingwood vs. Essendon LIVE from 7:40pm AEST, with pre-game coverage from 6:30pm AEST on Fox Footy (channel 503) or streaming on Kayo via Hubbl.
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