Qualifying Final. Magpies v. Demons. All comments.

[Hiss]

I can’t see us beating Melbourne on their favourite home ground , the MCG. No home ground advantage for us. If we do beat them, then we are a serious chance this year. Lose and heads should role!

[Mr Miyagi]

Ugh not happy with Thursday, but at least we get an extra two days over Melbourne. Going to suck with work, school and travel though.

[Mr Miyagi]

[stoliboy]

West Australian reporting that it is a Thursday game.

A snapshot of round 24 of the AFL season
https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/a-snapshot-of-round-24-of-the-afl-season-c-11720167.amp

WHAT'S NEXT: Minor premiers Collingwood open the finals series on Thursday, September 7 against Melbourne. Carlton will host an elimination final on Friday night, with the Brisbane-Port Adelaide qualifying final and the St Kilda-Sydney elimination final to be played on Saturday. The AFL will confirm the Saturday match details on Monday morning.

[Pies2016]

According to John Ralph, Melksham has an ACL injury. Season over and likely to be replaced by Tom McDonald who played well in VFL wildcard round today.

[Mr Miyagi]

More concerned about May, Lever and Petracca who killed us last time. We need a defensive forward whose role is to take May out of the game.

[partypie]

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Collingwood to belt dees and win well by 26 points

[rad]

Kings birthday we lost by 4 points even though Melbourne had the game played their own way.

We did have a last quarter run as we did every game during that period.

Grundy actually played well and scored a couple from memory. Won’t be there next game.

We actually should have learned so much from that defeat. If we kick to May and Leaver again and play down the line as we did like last time and lose in the same manner then that’s inexcusable.

We know 100% how they want to play us and try and slow us down.

[Piesnchess]

[Take_a_Screamer]

"Magpie Recruit could be a big Selection Loser"
Ben Waterworth, David Zita and Max Laughton from Fox Sports, August 27th, 2023 8:18 pm

The benefit of finishing on top of the ladder and almost being at full strength for the first week of finals is that selection pressure will be at an all-time high. And with several big Collingwood names set to return after the pre-finals bye, there could be a decent scalp or two at Magpies match committee due to selection quandaries at both ends of the field.

While Nick Daicos has been ruled out of Collingwood’s qualifying final, key defenders Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy will both return from injury, while small forward Beau McCreery will be available to play after serving a one-week suspension. McCreery has become a mainstay of the Magpies’ best 22 in the past two seasons under coach Craig McRae, who loves McCreery’s defensive pressure and team-orientated attitude. McCreery’s output and the arrival of ex-Giant Bobby Hill has seen fellow small forward Jack Ginnivan spend long stints in the Magpies’ VFL team this season. But Ginnivan’s past three games have been excellent, providing ample spark as the sub against Geelong, applying great pressure against Brisbane then booting three goals from 17 disposals against Essendon on Friday night.

Asked directly whether the Pies could play all three small forwards in the same side, McRae told reporters on Friday night: “Maybe. I’m not sure yet … we’ll have to wait and see.” McCreery, Ginnivan and Hill haven’t been named in the same starting Collingwood 22 since Round 12. But four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis told Fox Footy on Friday night all three had to be there come the first bounce of the Pies’ first final. So if that happens, which Magpie makes way for McCreery?

The snap answer, for most, would be Mason Cox. But Cox on Friday night took a game-high three contested marks, while nearly half of his hit-outs went to a Magpies teammate’s advantage. And as McRae told reporters: “I think our best model in the last 18 months plus, is when they‘re both (Cox and Darcy Cameron) playing at their best, they’re both in our team … They seem to work better together, but they need to be at their best. It’s going to be hard to change that at this time of the year, I would’ve thought.”

So five-time All-Australian Garry Lyon put Dan McStay on notice after he failed to cash in against the Bombers. After joining the Magpies as a free agent – reportedly on a five-year contract worth around $600,000 per season – and playing the first five games of the season, McStay missed 12 games for the Pies after rupturing a tendon in his finger. Prior to Friday night, he’d averaged two goals and two contested marks from his previous six games. But against the Bombers, McStay finished without a mark and kicked just one goal from seven disposals. “Dan McStay’s an interesting one. In a feast, he couldn’t get near it,” Lyon told Fox Footy. Lewis said McStay was vulnerable. “When it was feast-worthy, he looked a little bit off,” Lewis said.

“I would play McCreery, Ginnivan and Hill, Jamie Elliott, a resting ruck and Brody Mihocek. For me that looks more dangerous than a bit more of a taller forward line. “You can’t overlook those three small forwards. They’re so dangerous and add so much value to their forward line. “None of those midfielders are getting dropped (for McCreery). (Scott) Pendlebury was moved around a little bit tonight and clearly he won’t get dropped, but I like a bit more speed through the midfield at Collingwood and certainly those three small forwards have earnt the right to play finals.”

Lyon then asked triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown if he had any concerns around McStay’s spot in the side. Brown said: “He’d been alright the previous couple of weeks, but you’d certainly want to be performing a bit better than that coming into finals. But I wouldn’t expect him to lose his spot.” Brown also questioned whether Murphy was an automatic inclusion for the first final – despite being fit. Brown pointed to Jeremy Howe’s successful return to the backline – and Howe indicating to Fox Footy post-game he would likely remain in defence for the rest of the season – and likely opponents Melbourne running with a smaller forward line in recent weeks.

But Pies legend Nathan Buckley said Murphy would be a walk-up inclusion as he and Moore have been Collingwood’s first-choice key defenders throughout the year. “I think they’ve pigeonholed Murphy as their second key defender and Jeremy Howe has played as the third key defender – and that’s probably why he’s been squeezed out of that back six or seven at times when the tall-small balance is different,” Buckley told Fox Footy.

Brown said he expected Moore to replace unlucky utility Billy Frampton – who’s plugged holes across all three lines for Craig McRae this season – while Oleg Markov and Will Hoskin-Elliott would likely “come under a bit of pressure” to hold their spots.

As the old saying goes, it’s a good problem to have for Pies.

Link:
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2023-round-24-talking-points-analysis-reaction-results-wrap-highlights/news-story/4798aff64cb87b134a1c9592979bd3c6

[Piesnchess]

[KenH]

[Take_a_Screamer]

^ I think Kreuger might also have a chance to come in the team...

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

The line is only 1.5 was thinking much more than that on the Sportsbet amazing that we are this close to Melbourne was thinking 13.5