The first game on Friday for AFL Round 6 is between Collingwood Magpies and Essendon Bombers. The match is to be played at MCG with the opening bounce set to commence at 2.40 with home team Collingwood Magpies currently holding favouritism in the market. 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.
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 have suffered a blow ahead of their AFL Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood, with Brendon Goddard to miss another week.
Goddard has failed to come up from the groin injury suffered early in the round-four loss to Fremantle.
Ruckman Tom Bellchambers is also at least another week away as he comes back from pre-season ankle surgery.
But speedy defender Courtenay Dempsey could be a surprise inclusion for the MCG clash after his return from a club-imposed suspension last month.
“He (Goddard) just didn’t come up. In the end, he knows his own body and, if he didn’t feel like he could perform, then you know deep down,” said Essendon captain Jobe Watson.
“Tom’s just not quite ready. He’s done a lot of work getting himself back and played really well for a half (in the VFL) but I think they’re willing to give him another week in the VFL.
“Courtenay offers us some unique skills that he has.
“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.”
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury says regardless of Essendon’s personnel, the occasion ensures the Bombers will be a tough opponent.
“Anytime a quality player like ‘BJ’ (Goddard) is out of the side, it’s always nice, but they’re still going to be up and about tomorrow and we expect a fierce contest,” Pendlebury said.
“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.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happened in previous rounds – it’s on from the first bounce tomorrow.”
Anzac Day will attract a crowd of around 90,000 and it has become the biggest home-and-away match of the season.
