Round 5 - Box Hill vs Collingwood at Box Hill City Oval

[MagpieBat]

1:10pm this Saturday at Whitehorse Road.

Box Hill: 8th (1 win, 2 losses, 1 bye, 83.39%)
Collingwood: 9th (1 win, 2 losses, 1 bye, 82.88%)

Broadcast: (We really are getting the full treatment this week)

TV - ABC1 in Victoria and Tasmania from 1:00pm (replayed nationally on ABC1 at 3:00am Wednesday April 25th). Available on iView during the week.

Radio - 3WBC community radio (94.1 FM in Eastern/South-Eastern Melbourne, streamed online at http://srv1.mel.apstream.net/3wbc_relay).

Internet - LiveChat at collingwood.fc.com.au; score updates and stats in this thread.

Team
B: Debruin K. Pendlebury Wallace
HB: S. Williams Brown Cathcart
C: Rounds Ugle Cribbin
HF: Mooney McNamara Riddle
F: Didak Wood Boland
R: Witts Hellier* Ferraro
Int: Doria Head Hahn Stubbs Hine Seccull Gault Smith Elliott


Last time they met:
Box Hill 10.13.73 def
Collingwood 10.9.69

It wasn't pretty to watch, but the last encounter between the Hawks and the Magpies at VFL level would later be seen as a turning point in the fortunes of both sides. The Hawks would go on to make the finals by a solitary game, while the Woodsmen crashed out of September contention as a result of losing a very winnable, and desperately needed, game.

Fresh off an enthralling consolation win against the Northern Blues, the Collingwood VFL team will make the trip out to Box Hill City Oval this week to face Hawthorn's VFL affiliate Box Hill in what is already shaping as a crucial match for both sides, not only in terms of premiership points in the race for the VFL finals, but for their respective AFL clubs as well.

For Collingwood, this Saturday's rumble out at Whitehorse Road comes at a critical time, with concerns over form, injuries and attitude amongst the Magpies playing group still ringing loudly, following last Friday night's humiliation at the hands of arch-emeny Carlton. As with 2011, the early weeks of season 2012 have seen the Magpies depth tested, with young players pressed into senior duty to fill the gaps left by injuries to key senior players. The scheduling of Saturday's match will also test the Magpies resilience, with the game not only occuring concurrently with Collingwood's AFL game against Port Adelaide, but also coming just four days before the annual ANZAC Day clash with Essendon.

Box Hill, on the other hand, are unincumbered with a short turnaround between games, but do face a more basic problem. With only 1 win on the board after the first four rounds, the Hawks need to start winning early games in order to be well in the running for a spot in the top eight come September.

As with last week's match-up, both Collingwood and their hosts go into the game after virtually identical starts to the season. On recent results, a case can be made for either side going in as favourites: since Collingwood re-joined the VFL in 2008, the Magpies have won 3 out of 5 contests with the Hawks, each by substantial margins. But Box Hill have won the previous 2 encounters, including a thrilling 4-point win over Collingwood in their last meeting, a result which signalled the beginning of the end of Collingwood's 2011 season.

As always, the result of this match will be largely affected by selections in the senior teams on both sides. From a Collingwood perspective, Pies fans will be looking to see Alan Didak continue his return from injury with another stint in the VFL. Nathan Brown and Ben Johnson, too, will be watched closely, particularly given the short turnaround between AFL matches and the current state of Collingwood's injury list. On that front, the Magpies will have available the services of rookies Michael Hartley and Daniel Farmer after both suffered injuries in the pre-season.

Form over the past month would suggest that this will be close. Recent results between the two teams would suggest a Box Hill victory, but Collingwood is coming off a morale-boosting win over the Blues and has the edge on turnaround time, 7 days to the Hawks 6. Box Hill, on the other hand, failed against Port Melbourne at home. The Pies also have the advantage (perverse as it is) of having the entire list playing at the same time in the same city, whereas Hawthorn will, out of nessecity, have to take several emergencies over to Perth for their clash with West Coast later in the night, further depleting their reserve stocks.

You can make a case for either team, but I think Collingwood's form, desire and sprinkling of senior experience will get us over the line.

This should be a cracker of a game.

Tip: Pies by 9 points.

Over to you...

[Dave The Man]

Recording the Game as I be at the AFL Game but I have someone sending me updates of the Game Though

[jackcass]

It'll be interesting to see what happens at the selection table given the senior side only has a 4 day turn araound.

[MagpieBat]

Given the way things are going with the seniors, we won't be able to field a team in the ressies this week.

May have to get Hahn to pull on the boots to help Bolland, with Witts and Shae in the ruck. Play a 23rd man and pack the bench with smalls and runners.

Hartley and Krita to chop-out with Rambo down back, assuming they don't rush him back for Port before ANZAC Day.

Maybe we should start giving our players what they were giving the inmates in the Alcatraz TV show...

The one bright light in this is Didak, but again, will he be rushed back?

[MagpieBat]

Team is in:

Collingwood
B: Debruin K. Pendlebury Wallace
HB: S. Williams Brown Cathcart
C: Rounds Ugle Cribbin
HF: Mooney McNamara Riddle
F: Didak Wood Boland
R: Witts Hellier* Ferraro
Int: Doria Head Hahn Stubbs Hine Seccull Gault Smith Elliott

Elliot named. Didak going around again, as is Brown.

Team now in the OP...

http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-118-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=19012806

[Fire Up]

intresting no m.williams. would be intresting to see how hine goes with his old legs.

[MagpieBat]

[Fire Up]

[MagpieBat]

^ Hahn's in decent enough shape. He played last year as a playing assistant coach in Williamstown's forward line, where he did quite well. He's 30, but still serviceable.

He can't do any worse in the forward line than, say, Witts and Wood.

Would prefer Hahn at FF to help out Boland than either Witts or Wood, who will probably play as the 1/2 ruck combo. Shae to stay down back.

[Fire Up]

shae wont play back.
tarks doesn't know where to play him

[Culprit]

[MagpieBat]

^ If we play a 23 man side, we can maybe afford an extra tall rotating off the bench, particularly with no sub rule, and providing the 23rd bloke is a runner.

They obviously just threw names at the dart board when naming the side. Wood will play #1 ruck. Boland at CHF, Hahn at FF for mine. Boland will do better with an experienced hand in Hahn with him in the forward line. Witts either 3rd tall forward or rotating off the bench. Surround them with smalls (Didak, Ugle, Rounds, Elliot, Mooney, Wallace).

No Ceglar is interesting also...

Krita will have to hold up the bulk of the defence if Rambo is in contention for ANZAC Day. That's why Shae will probably play, he's being groomed to pinch-hit in defence. Maybe try Lachlan Smith as a third-tall defender, because that's where he played in the pracy matches, I think. Keep Riddle in as well, had a good game last week in defence.

[Fire Up]

start witts on bench and have him rotate with wood for the ruck combination (for futher down track) i can wood and witts in afl together against the giants.

witts is no forward just yet he still need to put muscle on and for a guy that is 208cm is a push over, he needs to "bully" the defenders

[Culprit]

After getting burnt being top heavy the other week that may be the reason Ceglar is out. I will get the inside mail tomorrow.

[Dave The Man]