Saturday second AFL Finals Week 1 match is between Collingwood Magpies and Port Adelaide Power with the game to be played at MCG. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:45pm 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 Port Adelaide Power.

WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, 7:45pm AEST Saturday, September 7, 2013

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Opening odds comparison:

Collingwood Magpies	1.30	1.28	1.23	1.28	1.30	1.28
Port Adelaide Power	3.55	3.70	4.30	3.70	3.55	3.70

Preview:

The third match of Finals Week 1 sees Collingwood play Port Adelaide, 7.45pm on Saturday at the MCG. This is the first elimination final of the weekend, and both teams will be desperate for a win. Collingwood have got the shortest odds all weekend, and should be able to take out what is a young and inexperienced Power side. The Magpies will also have the home ground advantage for this encounter, something that could prove crucial against a young side playing their first round of finals footy since 2007.

While Port have had some big wins this year against the likes of Sydney, West Coast, and Collingwood themselves in Round 14, the experience of the Magpies will be tough to overcome. Collingwood have won three of their last five matches, and this momentum together with a strong home ground advantage should get them though to the next stage.

Teams:

Collingwood Magpies:
B: Paul Seedsman, Nathan Brown, Heath Shaw
HB: Marley Williams, Lachlan Keeffe, Tyson Goldsack
C: Harry O’Brien, Dayne Beams, Alan Didak
HF: Steele Sidebottom, Quinten Lynch, Jarryd Blair
F: Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Ben Reid
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan
INT: Brent Macaffer, Nick Maxwell, Josh Thomas, Sam Dwyer
EMG: Jordan Russell, Jamie Elliott, Ben Kennedy

In: L.Ball, H.O’Brien
Out: J.Russell, B.Kennedy

Port Adelaide Power:
B: Cameron O’Shea, Alipate Carlile, Tom Logan
HB: Matthew Broadbent, Jackson Trengove, Tom Jonas
C: Brad Ebert, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes
HF: Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Domenic Cassisi
FF: Chad Wingard, Jay Schulz, Angus Monfries
Foll: Matthew Lobbe, Hamish Hartlett, Oliver Wines
INT: Andrew Moore, Jasper Pittard, Sam Colquhoun, Aaron Young
EMG: Cameron Hitchcock, Jake Neade, Jack Hombsch

In: A.Carlile, R.Gray, H.Hartlett
Out: B.Renouf, L.Stevenson, J.Hombsch

The injury cloud hovers uncomfortably over Collingwood big men Nathan Brown and Quinten Lynch on the eve of their sudden-death AFL final.

Both Brown, who has a knee problem, and Lynch (ankle) are still no certainties to play in the Magpies’ clash with Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday night despite being named in Collingwood’s 22, admits assistant coach Matthew Lappin.

The duo trained on Friday, and now must prove they have pulled up well from the session, or they’ll miss out.

“(Lynch) had a run yesterday and he’s improved a lot as the week’s gone on,” Lappin said on Friday.

“(Brown) is the same. He’s got the session to go, and we’re very hopeful they’ll get through.

“If Quinten Lynch or Nathan Brown doesn’t come up in the session we’re going to have to replace players, so it’s a squad of 25 at the moment and we’ll see how we go.”

But the Magpies will certainly have midfielder Luke Ball and wingman Harry O’Brien back from injury and illness.

Lappin said Collingwood have spent the week freshening up players following Sunday’s narrow loss to North Melbourne in a dead rubber match.

But he has no concerns about his side handling the short break.

“It was a funny game, but our players have freshened up really well this week,” Lappin said.

“Some of our best games this year have come off six-day turnarounds, so we’re certainly not worried about that.”

Port Adelaide beat Collingwood by 35 points in round 14.

But Collingwood have since shown with wins over Essendon, premiers Sydney and West Coast they are finding fluidity at the right time of the season.

Lappin agrees the Magpies have improved markedly since that defeat at AAMI Stadium.

“I think our best footy stands up against the best sides,” Lappin said.

“We can contest really well around the ball. Our defensive numbers stack up pretty well this season particularly after the first five or six rounds.

“We’re a lot more dangerous in attack with both (Ben) Reid and (Travis) Cloke as viable options.”

Collingwood also have far more recent finals experience.

The Magpies are entering their eighth successive finals series and netted a flag in 2010.

Port have not played in finals since being torched by Geelong in the 2007 grand final by a record losing margin.

Port regain star midfielder Hamish Hartlett from suspension and Robbie Gray and defender Alipate Carlile.