Friday first AFL Round 21 match is between Hawthorn Hawks and Collingwood Magpies with the game to be played at MCG. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:50pm local time with home team Hawthorn Hawks currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Hawthorn Hawks and Collingwood Magpies.

WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, 7:50pm AEST, Friday 16 August

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Opening odds comparison:

Hawthorn Hawks	1.60	1.55	1.59	1.55	1.60	1.60
Collingwood Magpies	2.35	2.45	2.35	2.45	2.35	2.35

Preview:

With the finals now just around the corner, Round 21 of the AFL swings into action this weekend. Hawthorn take on Collingwood on Friday night, 7.50pm at the MCG.

The Hawks will go into this match as favourites, performing well at the moment and with history on their side.

Hawthorn have beaten the Magpies on four consecutive occasions since 2011, each of which was by a healthy margin. While Collingwood will have to be on top of their game if they want to turn this around, with recent wins against Sydney and Essendon to give them confidence, they might just be able to.

A great way to start of the round.
Teams:

Hawthorn Hawks:
B: B.Stratton B.Lake B.Guerra
HB: S.Burgoyne J.Gibson T.Duryea
C: I.Smith S.Mitchell B.Whitecross
HF: L.Hodge L.Franklin J.Gunston
F: L.Breust J.Roughead C.Rioli
FOLL:D.Hale B.Sewell J.Lewis
I/C: G.Birchall B.Hill S.Savage P.Puopolo
EMG: K.Cheney M.Bailey J.Simpkin
In: Luke Hodge, Grant Birchall, Lance Franklin
Out: Sam Grimley (omitted), Matt Spangher (omitted), Jonathan Simpkin (omitted)

Collingwood Magpies:
B: N.Brown N.Maxwell H.Shaw
HB: B.Macaffer L.Keeffe T.Goldsack
C: H.O’Brien L.Ball J.Thomas
HF: S.Sidebottom Q.Lynch J.Elliott
F: D.Beams T.Cloke B.Reid
FOLL: B.Grundy S.Pendlebury D.Swan
I/C: J.Blair B.Sinclair S.Dwyer M.Williams
EMG: B.Hudson B.Kennedy P.Seedsman

Hawks’ AFL stars return to face Magpies

Collingwood’s strong recent AFL form faces a huge test against a Hawthorn side buoyed by the return of stars Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge and Grant Birchall.

The fifth-placed Magpies enter Friday night’s bumper MCG clash following three straight wins, including crushing victories over fellow top-eight sides Essendon and Sydney in the past two rounds.

But while Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson noted those wins had featured the Magpies at their best, he added that form hadn’t been consistent.

“Their last two weeks have been superb. But having said that, their two weeks prior to that weren’t so flash,” Clarkson told reporters on Thursday.

“They got beaten by Gold Coast up there and took the best part of the game to get themselves over GWS.

“So we’ve seen the best and worst of Collingwood over the last four weeks really, but you’ve seen the best and worst of Hawthorn too in that period (including a loss to Richmond in round 19).

“We’re looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to start building some momentum going into finals.”

The top-placed Hawks have won their past four clashes with the Magpies by an average of 40 points and kicked at least 20 goals each time.

The return of Franklin, who missed last round’s win over St Kilda with hamstring soreness, skipper Hodge, absent from that game with a thumb injury, and Birchall, who hasn’t played since round 13 because of a knee injury, will further boost their confidence.

The Magpies need a win to keep their slight top-four hopes alive.

Clarkson credited the strong return of fit-again midfielder Dayne Beams for Collingwood’s striking recent improvement.

Clarkson said Collingwood had been unlucky with injuries but the return of key players, particularly reigning best and fairest Beams, had been crucial.

Beams has averaged 31 disposals in five games since recovering from a quad injury which delayed his season’s start until round 16.

“His last month has been superb,” Clarkson said.

“They’re a formidable unit and, when they’re playing like they have in the last two weeks, they’re going to challenge any side in the competition including us.”

Collingwood utility Steele Sidebottom backed Lachie Keeffe and Nathan Brown to handle Franklin, who has booted 50 goals in 12 games against the Magpies.

Brown struggled against Sydney’s powerhouse Kurt Tippett who kicked six goals last week.

“I’m sure we’ve got the guys who can control (Franklin),” Sidebottom said.

“Either Keefey or Browny will go to him.

“We’ve played against the best teams in the last two weeks and we’ve shown that we can match it.”