Friday first AFL Round 6 match is between Collingwood Magpies and Essendon Bombers with the game to be played at MCG. The opening bounce is set to commence at 2.40 with home team Collingwood Magpies currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Collingwood Magpies and Essendon Bombers.
Round: Round 6, Friday April 25, 2.40 AEST
Stadium: MCG
Weather: 21° Local fog then sunny.
Odds Comparison:
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| Collingwood Magpies | 1.60 | 1.57 | 1.55 | 1.57 | N/A | 1.57 |
| Essendon Bombers | 2.40 | 2.45 | 2.50 | 2.45 | N/A | 2.45 |
All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.
Preview:
Round 6 kicks off with Collingwood vs Essendon, Anzac Day Friday, 2.40PM at the MCG. The Magpies will be favourites to win this one after their impressive 35 -point victory over North Melbourne last week, but the Bombers can not be counted out easily. Even though they have lost their last two games in a row, Essendon are more than capable of bouncing back on such a big occasion.
This is the 20th instalment of the Anzac Day grudge match between these two historic rivals, and there has been plenty of great clashes over the years. The inaugural game of 1995 and incredible finish of 2009 are two examples of just how exciting this game could get. While the Magpies are definitely in the drivers seat, big matches like this really can go either way.
Teams:
Collingwood Magpies:
B: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Nick Maxwell
HB:, Clinton Young, Lachlan Keeffe, Heritier Lumumba
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Dane Swan
HF: Josh Thomas, Jesse White, Jarryd Blair
F: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack
Fol: Brodie Grundy, Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury
I/C: Alex Fasolo, Luke Ball, Tom Langdon, Jarrod Witts
Emg: Nathan Brown, Taylor Adams, Sam Dwyer
No Change
Essendon Bombers:
B: Dustin Fletcher, Michael Hurley, Michael Hibberd
HB: Mark Baguley, Cale Hooker, Jason Ashby
C: Jackson Merrett, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton
HF: Paul Chapman, Joe Daniher, Jake Melksham
F: Ben Howlett, Jake Carlisle, Jason Winderlich
Fol: Patrick Ryder, Dyson Heppell, David Zaharakis
I/C: Martin Gleeson, Courtenay Dempsey, Zach Merrett, Kyle Hardingham
Emg: Dylan Van Unen, Tom Bellchambers, Leroy Jetta
In: Courtenay Dempsey, Zach Merrett, Jason Winderlich
Out: Heath Hocking (soreness), Leroy Jetta (omitted), David Myers (hamstring)
News:
Essendon defender Courtenay Dempsey faces a stern test of his fitness and reformed AFL attitude on Anzac Day.
Collingwood will aim to run the speedy backman off his feet after he was a surprise inclusion in the Bombers’ side for the MCG blockbuster.
This will be Dempsey’s first senior game of the season after the club suspended him at the start of the month and recalled him on Tuesday.
The Bombers had banished him to the VFL, with coach Mark Thompson saying he was not meeting their professional standards.
But captain Jobe Watson said on Thursday that Dempsey had impressed everyone with his new outlook.
“The way that he’s handled himself the last month, the way that he looks, physically the way he’s looked after himself, I think talking to him that he’s enjoyed the experience,” Watson said.
“He’s gone away and thought about his life and footy and what it means to him and perhaps it’s opened his eyes a bit to how other people are living their lives and how privileged we are to play AFL footy.
“It’s always a risk, but if the selection committee want to go down that path it’s up to them.”
Essendon also recalled Jason Winderlich and Zach Merrett, but star utility Brendon Goddard remains sidelined with the groin injury he suffered early in the round-four loss to Fremantle.
Ruckman Tom Bellchambers will have another week in the VFL as he returns from pre-season ankle surgery.
The Bombers could not consider David Myers (hamstring) and specialist run-with midfielder Heath Hocking (soreness), while Leroy Jetta are dropped.
Collingwood are in a groove after convincing wins over Richmond and North Melbourne and are unchanged.
But Scott Pendlebury, who will lead the `Pies in the annual Anzac Day match for the first time, said form is irrelevant in such a big day for the two clubs.
The Collingwood-Essendon Anzac Day clash is in its 20th year and has become the biggest game of the season outside the finals.
“That’s the beauty of Anzac Day – in the past, if we’d been five and zip or they’d been nought and five, or the other way around, this game has always been huge,” Pendlebury said.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happened in previous rounds, it’s on from the first bounce tomorrow.”
Pendlebury revealed no AFL game has made him more anxious than his first Anzac Day.
“I reckon the most nervous I’ve been is my first Anzac Day as a player, even more so than the (three) grand finals,” said the 176-game veteran.
“You come to Collingwood, it’s the first thing you pencil in.
