Saturday third AFL Round 18 match is between Collingwood Magpies and Greater Western Sydney Giants with the game to be played at MCG. The opening bounce is set to commence at 4:40PM local time with home team Collingwood Magpies currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Collingwood Magpies and Greater Western Sydney Giants.

WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, 4:40 PM July 27, 2013

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Opening odds comparison:

Collingwood Magpies	1.001	1.01	1.01	1.01	1.001	N/A
Greater Western Sydney Giants	21.00	15.00	16.00	15.00	21.00	N/A

Preview:

Collingwood take on GWS on Saturday, 4.40pm at the MCG. The Magpies should be able to win this one comfortably at home, with GWS continuing to struggle week after week. This easy match is a blessing for Collingwood in the lead up to the finals, especially after suffering an unexpected loss to the Gold Coast last week. While the Giants have been showing some improvements over the last couple of weeks, this will be an easy game for the Magpies as they look forward to much tougher matches in the coming month.

Teams:

Collingwood Magpies:

3 Brent Macaffer
5 Nick Maxwell
6 Tyson Goldsack (INT)
8 Heritier O’Brien
10 Scott Pendlebury
11 Jarryd Blair
12 Luke Ball
15 Jarrod Witts
16 Nathan Brown
17 Dayne Beams
19 Jamie Elliott
20 Ben Reid
22 Steele Sidebottom
23 Lachlan Keeffe (INT)
24 Josh Thomas
27 Ben Kennedy (EMG)
28 Ben Sinclair (INT)
32 Travis Cloke
35 Brodie Grundy
36 Dane Swan
37 Kyle Martin (EMG)
39 Heath Shaw
41 Sam Dwyer (INT)
46 Marley Williams
48 Caolan Mooney (EMG)

In: Heritier O’Brien, Nathan Brown, Jarryd Blair, Brodie Grundy
Out: Andrew Krakouer (Omitted) , Ben Hudson (Calf), Paul Seedsman (Calf), Caolan Mooney (Omitted)
New: Brodie Grundy

Greater Western Sydney Giants:

1 Phil Davis
2 Curtly Hampton
4 Toby Greene (INT)
5 Dylan Shiel
6 Lachie Whitfield (EMG)
8 Callan Ward
9 Tom Scully
10 Devon Smith
11 Taylor Adams (INT)
13 Sam Darley (INT)
14 Tomas Bugg
17 Adam Treloar
18Jeremy Cameron
19 Nicholas Haynes
20 Adam Tomlinson
26 Jonathan Giles
28 Liam Sumner (EMG)
33 Will Hoskin-Elliott
38 Stephen Gilham (EMG)
39 Tim Mohr
40 Adam Kennedy (INT)
42 Mark Whiley
47 Joshua Bruce
50 Dean Brogan
51 Zachary Williams

In: Tom Scully, Adam Kennedy
Out: Gerald Ugle (Omitted) ,Lachie Whitfield (Omitted)

Tough run has Magpies in AFL finals fight

Collingwood’s clash with winless Greater Western Sydney on Saturday looms as the calm before the storm as a tough run home puts the Magpies in a fight to confirm their AFL finals berth.

After taking on the Giants, the Magpies – whose 10 wins leave them needing probably two more to keep their top-eight spot – face second-placed Essendon, fourth-placed Sydney in Sydney then top-placed Hawthorn.

They’ll be underdogs in all three.

Unless they can produce an upset, the Magpies are likely to need to beat at least one of West Coast or North Melbourne in the last two rounds to guarantee their playoffs berth.

The round-22 MCG clash with the Eagles looms as one of several key remaining finals-shaping matches, particularly if West Coast can produce an upset or two before then to keep their season alive.

Eighth-placed Port Adelaide are obviously the club most under threat of losing their spot, to ninth-placed Carlton, making those two clubs’ last-round meeting potentially the most crucial remaining game.

But if the Power can beat the three sides below them they play in the meantime – Brisbane, Adelaide and Gold Coast – and the Blues can’t beat any of three sides above them – Fremantle, Richmond and Essendon – downing Port in the last round won’t be enough for Carlton to overtake them.

That makes the Power’s round 19 showdown with the Crows another huge game, as a win would also keep Adelaide in the finals hunt.

The Blues’ round 21 encounter with Richmond could be similarly important.

Unless sixth-placed Richmond can upset Sydney or Hawthorn in the next fortnight, they might need to beat Carlton to confirm their spot, although the fact the Tigers face GWS the following round eases the pressure.

In the battle for the minor premiership and top four berths, Friday night’s top-of-the-table clash between Essendon and Hawthorn looms large.

A Hawks win would make them hard to dislodge from top spot and leave the Bombers with some work to confirm their top-four place, although they would still be favoured to make it.

A kind draw gives fifth-placed Fremantle a decent chance of gaining a double-chance at Sydney’s expense.

The only top-eight side the Dockers are still to face is Port Adelaide, in Perth in round 22.

Geelong also seem safe in the four, given their favourable draw.

But the Swans face another four top-eight opponents, including Geelong and Hawthorn, in the last two rounds, and might have to down the Cats, Hawks or both to stay fourth.