A potential top-four finish for Collingwood or a confidence-boosting launching pad into the AFL finals for Essendon: the stakes will be high at the MCG when round 23 kicks off with a blockbuster clash between the traditional rivals.
It’s a fitting start to a grandstand finish to the home-and-away season that has 11 clubs vying for spots in the eight with multiple permutations to play out across the weekend.
The fifth-placed Pies can finish as high as third with a win on Friday night if West Coast or Richmond slip up.
The Bombers will finish between sixth and eighth after securing their finals berth with last week’s win over Fremantle.
Win, lose or draw, Essendon will be desperate to play well and enter September confident they can secure a first finals win since their elimination final victory against Melbourne in 2004.
Securing a double chance is a huge carrot for Nathan Buckley’s men as last year’s beaten grand finalists aim to hit the finals with winning momentum.
“We’ve certainly been building after that sloppy patch there, so that’s really given us some confidence to see how far we can go,” said Pies assistant coach Garry Hocking.
“It’s really about us and how far that we can go.
“We know that our footy stands up when we’re up and about, so we’re hoping we can keep finding our best footy.
“The boys are super keen and we know Essendon are going to provide a massive challenge.
“We don’t have a focus beyond the Bombers because we can’t control all of the permutations and we need to keep our form going against a really good side that will challenge us with the ball and around stoppage.”
If Collingwood can do their bit and make it four wins on the trot they face an anxious wait to learn their fate.
The Pies need Hawthorn to upset the Eagles at Optus Stadium on Saturday night or ladder leaders Brisbane to beat the Tigers at the MCG on Sunday to jump into the top four.
If neither of those results occur they will finish fifth and could host the Bombers in an elimination final in the first week of the finals.
Depending on results, the final make up of the top eight won’t be known until Port Adelaide host Fremantle in the last game of the round on Sunday, with the Western Bulldogs, the Hawks, Adelaide and the Power all vying for eighth spot.