You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Stay on current site or go to US version. Round 9 of the AFL season gets underway Thursday night with a blockbuster clash between Fremantle and Collingwood at Optus Stadium, before the Saints host the Blues on Friday night. Join ESPN's footy team for some of the best AFL and AFLW analysis and insight on the ESPN Footy Podcast. Veterans Max Gawn and Patrick Dangerfield showed they can still star, but finals hopefuls Carlton and Fremantle got a massive reality check. Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 8. The Western Bulldogs have navigated injuries and drama in the early part of the season, but now sitting 5-3 with stars back on the park, the competition should be on notice, writes Rohan Connolly. Jesse Hogan ended Charlie Curnow's Coleman Medal reign in 2024 by booting 69 majors to claim the award. Who will win it in 2025? The Brownlow Medal is the highest individual honour in the AFL. In 2025, ESPN is giving you an advantage with our one-of-a-kind predictor. Nathan Brown believes the Pies may need to give Jordan De Goey a 4-6 week block of training but not playing to get him back to full fitness. Saturday night’s thrilling contest between Collingwood and Geelong has spawned numerous talking points with the Cats holding on in controversial fashion to claim victory by three points two on-field decisions determined by the umpires had major implications on the result of the game One of the major talking points from the contest was Bobby Hill’s chase-down tackle on Geelong’s Shaun Mannagh As Hill caught Mannagh in sensational fashion the Magpie wrapped his arms around the waist very briefly before the tackle slipped below the knees controversy remains surrounding a Lachie Schultz goal that was ruled as touched Geelong ruckman Mark Blicavs claimed that the football grazed his finger on the way through with the on-field call stating that the kick was touched The AFL Review System (ARC) explored all angles of the reported touch resulting in the umpire’s call of touched to stand Fox Footy and SEN’s David King stated that the umpiring decisions in the final term of the contest were enough to cost Collingwood the game “One man stood between Collingwood and victory,” King said “I should say five men: four in green (the umpires) and one with number 35 on it (Patrick Dangerfield) and I’ve talked about the umpiring a lot this year “Collingwood were hard done-by in the last 12 minutes of football There is absolutely no other way of looking at this “Patrick Dangerfield had 13 touches in the last quarter “But the umpiring has had a massive impact on the game.” King believes that the call should never have been a trip citing that the tackle commenced around the waist “It has always been where the tackle starts,” King continued The tackle starts at the hips; it can move down but in the spirit of the game I think that’s been a run-down tackle every time except for this time.” The Cats move to 5-3 on the season after grinding out victory while the Pies’ loss will see the winner of Sunday's Q-Clash leap to the top of the table Crafted by Project Diamond ABC News News HomeSport Western Bulldogs and Adelaide score big winsBy Andrew McGarry Jack Crisp (centre) is consoled by Magpies teammates after missing his late shot on goal Link copiedShareShare articleGeelong has held on to beat Collingwood in a thriller at the MCG as the drama extended beyond the final siren In an unbelievable finish, record-breaking Magpie Jack Crisp marked on the siren and had a shot to win the game but hooked the kick right to give the Cats a three-point win It's testament to the character and culture that we have," Magpies coach Craig McRae said after the agonising 13.12 (90) to 12.15 (87) loss regardless of what the scoreboard said." Meanwhile, West Coast threatened a boilover against Melbourne but the Demons took control in the second half to claim a comfortable 32-point victory The Western Bulldogs demolished Port Adelaide in a one-sided encounter in Ballarat The Bulldogs-Power match featured fewer than 5,000 spectators because of building works at the Ballarat venue Bailey Smith played a key role in the Cats' triumph over the Magpies Cats recruit Bailey Smith could not help himself with the former Bulldog comparing the atmosphere created by more than 80,000 spectators at the MCG to playing in Ballarat "It's beautiful … I'm not getting that at Ballarat," Smith told Fox Footy after the Cats' win over the Magpies Also on Saturday, the Adelaide Crows broke Carlton's winning streak, handing the Blues a hefty 60-point defeat after Jordan Dawson starred Look back at how the action unfolded in our blog Submit a comment or question Log in to commentLive updatesLatestOldestPinnedSat 2:56amSat 3 May 2025 at 2:56amAFL Saturday scoreboardABy Andrew McGarry ReactReactCopy linkSat 1:11pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:11pmCrisp misses after the siren as Cats claim modern-day classic against the PiesCBy Chris De Silva Collingwood's ironman Jack Crisp has missed a shot at goal after the siren as Geelong claimed an epic duel by three points Crisp marked about 50m out and his shot missed to the right with Geelong ending the Magpies' six-game winning streak on Saturday night at the MCG 13.12 (90) to 12.15 (87) the Cats took a 17-point lead late in the game on the back of an outstanding last quarter from captain Patrick Dangerfield set up Crisp for the potentially fairytale finish This is Crisp's 245th-consecutive game breaking the long-standing record set by Melbourne great Jim Stynes There was also controversy in the frenetic last few minutes with Bobby Hill running down Shaun Mannagh in the middle But Mannagh was paid the free kick because Hill's tackle was too low on his legs Collingwood small forward Lachie Schultz had a shot at goal late and it was ruled a behind The Magpies will rue this as one that they let slip given they dominated for plenty of the game When Ollie Henry pounced and snapped his second goal eight minutes into the last quarter the Cats led for the first time since the opening term Dangerfield had 13 possessions in the last term as he put the Cats on his back and kicked a goal Geelong sent Oisin Mullin to sit on Nick Daicos and while the Magpies star still had 28 possessions Daicos' frustration was apparent in the last term when he gave away a free to Mullin and a 50m penalty Needing to respond after last week's loss to Carlton the Cats made a quick start and kicked the first three goals But the Magpies settled and when Mihocek converted from his strong mark Geelong lost ruckman Rhys Stanley at quarter time with a hamstring injury Collingwood continued to look more threatening in the second term and piled the pressure on the Cats who managed to stay with them and only trailed by seven points at the main break Mihocek missed a shot at goal and the Magpies held a game-high lead of 20 points But Geelong kicked three of the next four goals including Oliver Wiltshire's first in his second senior game and the margin was still seven points at three-quarter time despite Collingwood having 14 more inside 50s ReactReactCopy linkKey EventSat 1:01pmSat 3 May 2025 at 1:01pmPetracca's heartfelt message to Oliver's 'bravery'CBy Chris De Silva Melbourne star Christian Petracca has paid tribute to teammate Clayton Oliver who missed tonight's win due to mental health reasons Petracca lauds Oliver for being able to speak out about his mental state I just want to give him a massive shoutout," he tells Fox Footy "It's incredible bravery and vulnerability to be able to speak up and say that he's not alright "We're wrapping our arms around him and I think we've come a long way I think it's incredible his ability to just own it and accept that he's not going well but I'll give him a call and a text message and send my best to him sometimes we get ridiculed or shut down for showing emotion or expressing our feelings the ability to show bravery and vulnerability is really good."  12:56pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:56pmImperious Gawn leads Demons to big win over EaglesDBy Dean Bilton Max Gawn has produced yet another rucking masterclass as Melbourne overcame a wasteful first half to post a 32-point AFL win over West Coast at Perth Stadium The Demons trailed by 12 points early in the third quarter of Saturday night's match but they kicked nine of the next 10 goals to secure the 16.12 (108) to 11.10 (76) in front of 41,991 fans Melbourne's third win on the trot improved its record to 3-5 while West Coast (0-8) remains winless and on bottom of the table racking up a career-high 35 disposals to go with 47 hitouts The 33-year-old also played match-winning roles in recent wins over Richmond and Fremantle and he helped Melbourne win the clearance battle 48-26 and inside 50m count 59-43 against the Eagles Demons forward Jake Melksham could be in trouble for his body shove on Jeremy McGovern that catapulted the star Eagles defender into a marking contest McGovern slammed into the back of Harrison Petty after receiving the shove The premiership defender was subbed out at half-time and his absence was heavily felt by West Coast as the Dees dominated in the second half Melbourne also subbed out Petty at halftime due to concussion West Coast debutant Bo Allan also faces a nervous wait for his swinging arm to the head of Jack Viney as the Demons tagger took a mark Christian Petracca finished with 29 disposals eight clearances and a goal for the Demons in the absence of Clayton Oliver (personal reasons) seven clearances) restricted Harley Reid to just 14 disposals and no clearances Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly finished with just 14 disposals and three clearances West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen did some nice things in an under-siege defence while Jake Waterman and Elijah Hewett kicked three goals apiece 12:52pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:52pm'Nearly brought a tear to my eye': Crisp reacts after heartbreaking missCBy Chris De Silva  Here's Jack Crisp after that heartbreaking finish on the post-siren set shot "A lot's going through my mind," he says "I was feeling pretty happy and content and confident in my ability to kick the goal at the end there "I had lots of blokes talk to me about this is what dreams are made of and then it was just about routine "We practice these scenarios and set shots that often throughout the week and I got the distance easy Crisp says he was emotional after being embraced by his teammates following the miss "We feel like we've built a really good culture like that," he says "We like to celebrate what happens on the field even if we win or lose we celebrate people and what they're achieving and their milestones as well "I definitely felt a lot of love with everyone getting around me "It nearly brought a tear to my eye to be fair." 12:45pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:45pmFinal stats from the MCG after a thrillerCBy Chris De Silva Here's how the final numbers look after an incredible win by Geelong Here were the top three-ranked players on the ground and there's no surprises as to who was the leader 12:36pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:36pm'Not getting that at Ballarat': Bailey Smith's swipe at the BulldogsCBy Chris De Silva It's safe to say Bailey Smith is enjoying life in Geelong and there appears to be no love lost between he and his old team He has a little swipe here at the Bulldogs Smith gets asked what it was like playing in front of that bumper crowd and here was his response so it's beautiful," he tells Cam Mooney "I'm very grateful to be where I am "I'm just forever in debt to this club so I'll keep working my ass off to repay them "I'm doing what I love and that's competing 12:30pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:30pm'It was a pretty special match': Dangerfield reacts after epic contestCBy Chris De Silva Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield was absolutely superhuman in that final quarter An incredible 13 of Dangerfield's 29 touches came in the final quarter He ends the game with a game-high 11 groundball gets I think," he tells Cam Mooney on Fox Footy and it was (about) wrestling back that momentum "We weren't great around the ball and they were starting to get some nice looks out of stoppage and I felt like we wrestled back that momentum and made it a bit more of a scrap and controlled play a bit better I think we were in an OK position and then bang they are a team that never gives up and they always fight." 12:25pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:25pmFT: Melbourne 16.12 (108) def West Coast 11.10 (76)DBy Dean Bilton You always felt as if Max Gawn and Melbourne would break this one open at some point and the floodgates certainly burst clear in the third quarter The Demons' midfield dominance was profound and that turned into big wins in the inside 50 count also this might actually be the most disappointing showing of the season so far Against a team 14th on the ladder and at home this was seen as potentially a winnable game and they were indeed in front at half-time a horrible showing from a team that looks as far away from a victory as ever and only a handful of young players contributed anything at all Three in a row gets the season back alive again 12:19pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:19pmFT: Geelong 13.12 (90) defeats Collingwood 12.15 (87)CBy Chris De Silva That is one of the best games of footy I have ever seen Collingwood looked absolutely gone for all money with four minutes left The umpires gave a free kick against Mark Blicavs for holding the ball in the middle of the ground with six seconds left Steele Sidebottom grabbed the ball and slammed it on the boot haphazardly and Jack Crisp Crisp went back and badly missed the set shot so the Cats survive Pies teammates come from everywhere to console Crisp after his miss "It was like a footy Gods sort of moment wasn't it?" says Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield after the match Dangerfield was absolutely outstanding in that final quarter putting on the Superman cape has he has done so often throughout his career There was a number of controversial calls go against the Pies in the final few minutes the most controversial being that disallowed Schultz goal which will be a massive talking point in the wash-up 12:18pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:18pmCRISP MISSES GAME-WINNING EFFORT!CBy Chris De Silva 12:17pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:17pmCRISP TO KICK AFTER THE SIRENCBy Chris De Silva Steele Sidebottom sends it forward and Jack Crisp with a diving mark 40m out seconds before the siren 12:16pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:16pmMihocek goals with 20 seconds leftCBy Chris De Silva The margin is four points with 20 seconds remaining 12:15pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:15pmHUGE tripping call goes against the PiesCBy Chris De Silva Bobby Hill with an excellent chasedown tackle on Shaun Mannagh in the middle of the ground Everyone thinks it's holding the ball but the umpire says Hill's tripped Mannagh That's a stiff call but replays show that Hill's tackle attempt did slide below the hips so it's probably the correct call from the umpire 12:13pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:13pmMihocek keeps the Pies alive with a crucial goalCBy Chris De Silva Brody Mihocek drills a set shot to cut the margin to 10 points but there is enough time here for the Pies 12:12pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:12pmPies denied a goal after a dubious touched callCBy Chris De Silva Lachie Schultz doesn't quite make the distance on a set shot but Mark Blicavs goes for a spoil and doesn't really look to make any contact with the ball The boundary umpire comes in to call it touched but it's sent upstairs The ARC deems that there is insufficient evidence to overturn the on-field call Geelong by 16 points with three minutes left 12:09pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:09pmBowes snaps truly after another Dangerfield assistCBy Chris De Silva Jack Bowes makes it five straight goals for the Cats and it's going to be tough from here Patrick Dangerfield is doing everything but serve the popcorn in the stands He rucks at the forward line stoppage and then wins the loose ball on the ground and dishes it off to Bowes Dangerfield has completely taken over this match 12:06pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:06pmFive minutes to go at the MCGCBy Chris De Silva What does Collingwood have left in the tank here The Cats are running all over the top of them in this quarter Mark Blicavs and Patrick Dangerfield are all having HUGE quarters 12:04pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:04pmDangerfield drills a HUGE set shot to extend leadCBy Chris De Silva Patrick Dangerfield drills a set shot from 45m out on a slight angle to give the Cats an 11-point lead Max Holmes steamed out of a centre clearance and decided to go for a banana inside 50 and Dangerfield read it best to take a sliding mark on the lead Brayden Maynard reckons Dangerfield put his knee into him after taking the mark and he's not happy 12:02pmSat 3 May 2025 at 12:02pmDempsey puts Cats back in front after contested markCBy Chris De Silva Ollie Dempsey drills a set shot from directly in front 20m out from goal to give the Cats a five-point lead Dempsey outpointed his man Jack Crisp after a long kick deep inside 50 and the Pies defence is LIVID Brayden Maynard giving the back six a stern talking to as the ball travels back to the centre Nick Daicos has been held to just one possession in this quarter CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) The Collingwood Football Club is pleased to unveil its 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round (SDNR) guernsey Designed by First Nations artist Lisa Thorpe a woman from multiple Clans and Nations across Victoria the Magpies’ SDNR guernsey is inspired by her art piece ‘Wooroongi Biik’ Collingwood’s SDNR guernsey symbolises the unity of the Boonwurrung Baluk (people) to Biik (Country) Thorpe’s design features a magpie’s view of ‘Y’alla-Birr-Ang’ (Collingwood) at pre-colonisation with the six Boonwurrung seasons depicted within its streets and laneways Magpie footprints are depicted within the central white stripe of the guernsey representing the harmonious connection of life to Biik (Country) Spear-shaped elements along the white stripes signify the name Y’alla-Birr-Ang which denotes the sharpened tip of a spear  ‘Y’alla-Birr-Ang’ was the place where the ancestors and tribal men would gather to sharpen their spears in preparation for hunting or battle ‘Y’alla-Birr-Ang’ evolved into a meeting place for community trading sharpened spears for sharpened minds in preparation for the fight against injustice Thorpe spoke with pride about the story behind Collingwood’s 2025 SDNR guernsey which will be worn throughout the Sir Doug Nicholls Rounds “My Boonwurrung people lived in harmony with the six seasons and their neighbouring clans with focus on caring for Country,” Thorpe explained “The artwork emphasises the significance of aligning with the seasons ensuring the survival of land “The narrative of sharpening spears for battle or hunting is also a crucial aspect of survival It instils responsibility and accountability within the clans and community while also honouring the traditional practices and lore.”  The artwork describes the importance of everyone knowing the history of this country and being able to share it with their children and future generations and an even bigger supporter of the Collingwood Football Club this opportunity was one I couldn’t pass up,” Thorpe said “To see my art and the story of my people and Country on the jumper of my team is an absolute honour It allows us to share the rich history of the world’s oldest living culture most don’t know “To see the players share my people’s history and wear the story with pride is not only the most important learning we can offer the wider community but a step toward a more harmonious future for us all.” Collingwood’s AFL team will wear the guernsey in the 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round matches: The Collingwood AFLW team will wear the guernsey during the 2025 NAB AFL Women’s Indigenous Rounds Collingwood’s 2025 SDNR guernsey is now available via shop.collingwoodfc.com.au or at the Official Collingwood Club Shop The Collingwood Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the death of former player David Norman Record breaker Jack Crisp missed the chance to win the game after the siren for Collingwood as his side fell short by three points to Geelong in a thriller at the MCG VFLW captain Dom Carbone leads from the front in Collingwood's loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 3 Defender Charlie Dean was a standout in the Pies' VFL defeat to the Dogs Inside the team meeting as Craig McRae addresses the team following Collingwood's Round 8 loss to Geelong Watch all the goals from Collingwood's Round 8 clash against Geelong The Pies suffer their second VFL loss of the season going down to the Bulldogs at Victoria Park The Collingwood Football Club respectfully acknowledges the traditional owners as the land on which the Collingwood Football Club works and plays The Club pays its respects to elders past and present as the knowledge-holders and custodians of this land The Footy Almanac maybe those who have three brothers and a sister and their families’ who are ardent Cats’ fans but then I didn’t call after their Carlton debacle a week earlier My guess – I suspect we just saw this year’s Grand Final hopefully with a different outcome; none of the other ‘pretenders’ really worry me as much as Geelong Collingwood 12.15.87 were defeated by Geelong 13.12.90 Scoring shots – 27 (us; again – same as last week) / 25 (them) The 3 Point Winning margin reflected a very close game described by some commentators as a “modern-day classic” even given that decision to penalise Hill and Crisp’s final kick Match Report – www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/7030 Coach’s comments – www.afl.com.au/video/1313770/mcrae-post-match-r8-we-made-a-few-errors-and-good-teams-make-you-pay?videoId=1313770&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1746282741001&references=AFL_MATCH:7030 especially his varied definitions of winners and losers and his emphasis upon the Collingwood Club “character and culture” – more on that below it was slowly recovered; surplus at the First Break – 3 Points; Overlapping second half of Q3 and the first half of Q4 we scored a solitary goal to their 7 goals Surplus at the Final Change was unchanged at 7 Points; the decision on Hill’s tackle and the outcome of Crisp’s kick were game-deciding incidents Some numbers to seek to identify where there was a substantial difference and how this impacted on the game: a much better measure indicating we had a substantial advantage in each category While the HO difference is not reflected in the Clearance differential we maintained the advantage going the next step appeared extraordinary – Geelong received 14 of the last 18 Free Kicks in Q4 a situation including the extraordinary Hill “tackle of the year” contender decision stated “umpiring (of this game) had a massive impact on tonight’s game” Inconsistencies still exist – incorrect disposal Our domination of the Marks inside 50 was substantial and should have contributed to scoring appears based on the style of our play – we used short passes direct within the corridor within the context of greater Possession There was no real evidence of total dominance during the game The AFL website identifies Collingwood’s Best as: I don’t disagree with any of those identified or the order (well anyway) but I would probably have added a few more Both Maynard and Crisp were close to the top of the team’s list on Metres Gained – 580mG and 469 mG If Crisp had successfully scored that goal would he have automatically made the Best list Hill and Long contributed hugely under the Score Involvement category (7 SI 3 SI and 3 SI respectively) and both Elliott and Hill clearly were not Umpire favourites in particular Hill’s game-winning tackle at the death scored against him Each of these five contributed hugely to the team’s achievements Result: A great game unfortunately marred by lapses by us for specific periods We need to pursue total commitment over four quarters in addition to clean ball-handling and defensive tackling the Pies Lost because we lost control of the game for specific periods not because of any specific incidents late in the game 8 May 2025 Fremantle versus Collingwood in Perth; bounce at 8.10pm AEST Betting:           $1.54 (Pies’ Win) / $2.50 (Freo Win) – as at 4 May 2025 (May the fourth be with you?) Freo finished 2024 Home & Away season in 10th place on the Ladder with 12 Wins with us in Round 11) giving a 111.9% percentage They were talked about as a potential ‘mover’ this season They have flirted with the Eight this season but only managed to stay in it for a week where they are now with 4 Wins and 4 Losses and a 111.9% percentage Their Wins and Losses have included a variety of Wins in various locations They come into this game following their 61 Point Loss to St Kilda (and 3-Point Loss the week before to Sydney) We come into the game following our extensive list of Wins and our 3-Point Loss to Geelong It is difficult to clearly identify their game plan because of the limited time period on their Midfield and key positions back and front Based on their performance this season suggests the following players of significance: Also keep an eye on Aish – R3 sub & R6 HB I’d suggest a couple of changes to give some experience particularly to younger players: Game Plan –No changes of substance from last week if we decide that and implement our Game plan on the game And it will give me great pleasure if we can do so Any input from the Geelong supporting addressees BOG – De Goey with 37 touches including 13 Clearances Goal kickers include Mihocek and Hill each with four goals TV: FTA on 7mate and 7+; also rely on the usual Weather: A dry day is forecast estimated as feeling like 29 degrees While no rain is forecast in that period but noting the amount of slip sliding at our Geelong game I’m tempted to recognise it is likely always to be slippery I’d especially like to hear from the armchair warriors watching from afar 17 May 2025 – Collingwood versus Adelaide at the MCG;  bounce at 1.20pmAEST To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE The opinions expressed in their articles are their own Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Sign up for your weekly Almanac eNewsletter here VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE Copyright © 2025 · The Footy Almanac - Web Hosting by DISKMANdotNet Return to top of page Geelong heads back to the MCG for the third consecutive week as they prepare for a blockbuster clash against Collingwood on Saturday night The Cats will be looking to bounce back from their loss to Carlton last Sunday as they search for their fifth win of the 2025 AFL season There was only one change for Geelong at team selection on Thursday night with Mitch Duncan coming in for his first AFL game of the year replacing Tom Stewart Catch all the build up to tonight's big game with the official Geelong Cats Live Blog below Ollie Dempsey continues to go from strength to strength after another stellar display at MCG on Saturday night The AFL coaches votes are in for Geelong's thrilling win over Collingwood on Saturday night at the MCG Check out everything you can expect to see on the Cats channels in the build up to Sunday's clash with the GWS Giants Take an early glance ahead to Sunday's big clash with the GWS Giants at GMHBA Stadium Geelong Cats defender Lawson Humphries has entered the AFL concussion protocol following Saturday's game against Collingwood Jack Bowes joined 3AW on Sunday morning to chat through the big win over Collingwood at the MCG Following his sensational outing against the Magpies Patrick Dangerfield joined ABC Sport to talk through the incredible win on Saturday night Chris Scott praised the performance of Geelong's captain on Saturday night helping to steer the Cats to a brilliant victory Check out all the key details you need to know ahead of Geelong's blockbuster clash with Collingwood at the MCG Look back at some behind the scenes access after a huge win against the Pies at the 'G Ollie Dempsey spoke to Cats Media after a thrilling finish against the Pies After an importance performance down back in a thrilling win Watch Geelong’s press conference after round eight’s match against Collingwood Geelong Football Club acknowledges Wadawurrung as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Land on which our club our families and our communities work and play and those that will lead their collective future in Wadawurrung language is the place of the morning sun a place of deep cultural connection and significance a meeting place since the beginning of time We are honoured to walk with the Wadawurrung People respect and talk together on our journey on Wadawurrung Country Footscray has added five players to its team ahead of a Saturday afternoon clash with Collingwood Nick Coffield will play his first competitive hit-out of the year Josh Dolan and Diesel Moloney have also been recalled Jordan Croft and Josh Kellett will miss through injury while Tristan Maple and Ted Middleton have been omitted The five inclusions mean up to 13 AFL-listed Bulldogs could feature at Victoria Park The first bounce will be at 2:05pm AEST on Saturday 3 May and be live-streamed via the AFL website and AFL Live Official app The VFLW Bulldogs will play at the same venue from 10:05am marking a Dogs’ double-header at Victoria Park Defender Liam Jones will be sidelined for a number of weeks The Bulldogs have enjoyed another clean sweep of the coaches’ votes Keep your radios dialled into Nova all week to hear from your favourite Bulldogs players A deeper dive into the stats from our win over Port Adelaide The Western Bulldogs have made five changes ahead of Saturday's clash at Victoria Park Chris Bell provides an update on Liam Jones and Jordan Croft Lou Stephenson reflects on the day of activity with Fire Rescue Victoria The Magpies and Bulldogs clash in round six Backline coach Daniel Pratt reviews the round 8 victory over Port Adelaide in Ballarat The Western Bulldogs Official App is your one stop shop for all your latest team News Scores and Stats delivered LIVE to your smartphone or tablet train and play on the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation We offer our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today Geelong heads to the MCG for a clash with Collingwood on Saturday night set to be the 243rd time that these two teams have met across V/AFL history While Collingwood hold the ascendancy in the all-time match-up Geelong have pipped the Magpies in more Finals and Grand Final clashes Check out all the best numbers from this classic rivalry 242 - The total number of games between Geelong and Collingwood across V/AFL history 156 - Geelong's highest ever score in a single match against the Magpies This came all the way back in Round 13 of the 1940 VFL season 11 - The most goals in an individual game by a Cats player against Collingwood The record was set by George Goninon in 1951 96 - The Cats biggest margin of victory over Collingwood in a game The thumping win came in the final round of the 2011 home and away season Geelong kicked 20 goals to four after quarter time to finish with 149 points for the match 7 - Tied for the most contested marks by a Geelong player in a single match The record was equalled by Tom Hawkins in the 2011 Grand Final against Collingwood Lingy and Meg break down the loss against Carlton and find the positives heading into another big MCG game against the Pies 88,115 - The biggest crowd to attend a home and away match between the two teams 6 - The number of times the two sides have met in a Grand Final The Cats also hold an advantage in this statistic 13 - Matches between Geelong and Collingwood in the eighth round of a season 82 - Geelong's biggest win in a Finals match against the Magpies The Cats went on to win the VFL premiership a fortnight later 201 - Geelong's total number of wins at the MCG across V/AFL history let's look back at this instant classic from 2022 where the Cats came from the clouds in Joel Selwood's captaincy record-breaking game 46,696 - The current average attendance for Geelong matches this season currently the highest average in any season across the club's history 26 - The total number of Finals matches between Geelong and Collingwood The Cats currently hold a slight advantage with 14 wins against 12 losses 99,537 - The biggest crowd to attend a match between Geelong and Collingwood The Cats triumphed by 38 points on that day 14 - The most clearances by a player in a single match against Collingwood This record was set by Steven King in 2000 the second highest by any Geelong player in a match across the club's history Geelong's next home game at GMHBA Stadium is against GWS on Mother's Day, with first bounce at 3.20pm. Secure your ticket today via the link here.  All the key stats and figures to keep an eye on as Geelong takes on Collingwood at the MCG Collingwood are set to return to Victoria Park for the first time since Round 1 on Saturday where they will face Footscray in their Round 6 VFL clash VFL Head Coach Andy Otten has made five changes to the side that triumphed over Essendon by 31 points last week with Brady Grey and Josh Tovey returning to the side along with debutants Ben De Bolfo Ed Allan and Oleg Markov have been recalled to the AFL side while Joel Cochran has been ruled out due to concussion Young ruckman Oscar Steene will look to back up his impressive Round 5 performance six clearances and six score involvements to have him named as one of Otten’s best performers for the match Saturday will also mark the first of four Collingwood VFL and VFLW double-headers of the season with the VFLW side set to take on the Western Bulldogs at 10:05am in what will be their first home match of 2025 Stream the match live and free via Collingwoodfc.com.au Smithy’s VFL Round 6Collingwood v FootscrayVictoria Park Jack Crisp will break the all-time record for consecutive games played this weekend and Murphy Crisp are mic'd up for Jack's 245th consecutive game Geelong has prevailed in one of the most dramatic finishes to a match in recent history defeating Collingwood by three points in front of 82,514 at the MCG on Saturday night The Cats stormed to a commanding lead with four unanswered goals to start the final quarter before the Magpies pegged back the deficit late to set up a grandstand finish Jack Crisp had an opportunity to win the game after the final siren but he dragged his kick wide Geelong hanging on the record a famous victory Patrick Dangerfield dominated throughout the night finishing with 29 disposals 17 contested possessions and eight score involvements having a telling hand in numerous scoring opportunities in the final quarter five clearances) continued his strong run of form with another terrific display two goals) and Sam De Koning (10 intercept possessions) The thrilling final moments between Collingwood and Geelong in round eight Geelong started strongly in the opening term booting four of the first five goals to skip out to an early lead before Collingwood came charging back leaving the Cats trailing by three points at the first break Bailey Smith made his presence felt early collecting nine disposals in the opening stanza while Ollie Dempsey soared high into the night sky to pull down another mark of the year contender The Magpies continued to extend their lead early in the second quarter but Geelong were able to arrest momentum and fight their way back into the contest remaining just seven points adrift at half time Ollie Henry snaps Geelong into the lead after Darcy Moore slapped the ball into his path Smith continued his dominant half with 15 disposals and a game high 337 metres gained while Mitch Duncan did not look out of place in his AFL return accumulating 13 disposals at 85% efficiency The third quarter continued in a similar trend to the second with Collingwood threatening to break the game open as they raced out to a 19-point lead before the Cats wrestled the match back to cut the deficit to seven points at the final break Sam De Koning and Mark O'Connor were immense under pressure in the third term picking off numerous intercept possessions to help thwart a number of Collingwood attacks early Oliver Wiltshire takes his moment and drills his first major in the big time to cut the margin The final quarter was an absolute heart-stopper as both sides has chances to seal the deal in a dramatic finish to an epic contest Geelong kicked four unanswered goals to start the last term kicking away to a 17-point lead as time continued to tick down but it was never going to be that simple Collingwood mounted one final charge to pull back within a kick late setting up an opportunity for Jack Crisp to be the hero after the final siren Ollie Dempsey gets the sit on Steele Sidebottom and sticks a magnificent hanger before converting for his side Crisp dragged his set-shot wide and the Cats held on to claim an iconic three point victory Geelong return home to GMHBA Stadium next Sunday afternoon COLLINGWOOD     4.5      7.7      10.10     12.15    (87) GEELONG CATS     4.2      6.6       9.9       13.12     (90) GOALS Collingwood: Mihocek 4 INJURIESCollingwood: NilGeelong: Stanley (hamstring) SUBSTITUTES Collingwood: Will Hoskin-Elliott (replaced Mason Cox in the fourth quarter)Geelong Cats: Oli Wiltshire (replaced Rhys Stanley in the second quarter) Catch all the action from Geelong's blockbuster clash with Collingwood live from the MCG Collingwood Coach Craig McRae has made three changes to his team for Saturday night’s Round 8 clash with Geelong Captain Darcy Moore returns to the line-up after overcoming an inner-ear injury sustained in the Pies’ Round 6 win over Brisbane Forward Lachie Schultz is also back in the team overcoming a hamstring injury he sustained at training following his Richard Pratt Medal performance in the Pies’ Round 4 win over Carlton Ruck Mason Cox also returns to the team after he was omitted for the Anzac Day win over Essendon The 34-year-old booted two goals in Collingwood’s VFL victory against the Bombers The three omissions to the Round 7 team are Jeremy Howe (managed) Dan McStay (injury) and Lachie Sullivan (omitted) with the defender’s best performance coming in last week’s win where he collected 21 disposals and nine marks will miss the clash after sustaining a medial collateral ligament (MCL) strain to his left knee in the Anzac Day match win who started last week’s win as the substitute has been named as an emergency alongside Ed Allan and Oleg Markov Midfielder Jack Crisp has been named to play his 245th consecutive match overtaking the late great Jim Stynes for the long-standing V/AFL record 2014 and took 10 years and 268 days to achieve with the first six games being played at the Brisbane Lions The tactical substitution will be selected from the bench and will be named 60 minutes before the first bounce Collingwood fans can watch the game live on Fox Footy and kayosports.com.au Enjoy a Crisp 25% off our Flexi-4 Memberships! The Collingwood Football Club is pleased to unveil its 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round (SDNR) guernsey. The Collingwood Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the death of former player David Norman. Record breaker Jack Crisp missed the chance to win the game after the siren for Collingwood as his side fell short by three points to Geelong in a thriller at the MCG. Some incredible numbers have been accumulated, headlined by the consecutive 245 games and counting that will be recorded this Saturday night, but let’s take a look at some of the finer details of Crisp’s streak. VFLW captain Dom Carbone leads from the front in Collingwood's loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 3. Defender Charlie Dean was a standout in the Pies' VFL defeat to the Dogs. Watch as Sloane, Lilah, and Murphy Crisp are mic'd up for Jack's 245th consecutive game. Inside the team meeting as Craig McRae addresses the team following Collingwood's Round 8 loss to Geelong. The Pies suffer their second VFL loss of the season, going down to the Bulldogs at Victoria Park. The Collingwood Football Club respectfully acknowledges the traditional owners, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, as the land on which the Collingwood Football Club works and plays. The Club pays its respects to elders past and present as the knowledge-holders and custodians of this land. Catch up on this week's latest scores and AFL stories with ABC Sport. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. This is also known as Online Behavioural Advertising. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out Geelong Cats have made one change for Saturday night's blockbuster clash against Collingwood at the MCG Mitch Duncan has been selected for his first game of the 2025 AFL season and the 297th of his career In three VFL appearances to start the year Duncan performed strongly averaging 23 disposals and eight marks per game Tom Stewart makes way for Duncan and will miss Saturday's clash with knee soreness Geelong will head back to the MCG on Saturday night for the final game in their triple-header at the venue as they take on Collingwood from 7.35pm The Cats will be looking to bounce back after their three game win streak was snapped by Carlton last Sunday but they remain in seventh position on the ladder through seven weeks This will be Geelong's last match in Melbourne until Round 14 as they prepare to return home with four of their next seven games at GMHBA Stadium Jack Bowes joined 3AW on Sunday morning to chat through the big win over Collingwood at the MCG. Following his sensational outing against the Magpies, Patrick Dangerfield joined ABC Sport to talk through the incredible win on Saturday night. Chris Scott praised the performance of Geelong's captain on Saturday night, helping to steer the Cats to a brilliant victory See the full GMHBA Health Update in the build up to Round 8 against Collingwood Ollie Dempsey spoke to Cats Media after a thrilling finish against the Pies. Proudly Presented by Ford Australia. After an importance performance down back in a thrilling win, Mark O'Connor spoke to Cats Media! Proudly Presented by Ford Australia. The Magpies and Cats clash in round eight of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season 29 Disposals, 17 Contested Possessions, Eight Score Involvements, One Goal The Cats skipper stood tall on numerous occasions throughout Saturday's match, having a hand in a number of crucial scoring opportunities to help his side storm home to victory.  Dangerfield collected a season-high 29 disposals as he rotated between the forward line and midfield, but importantly he recorded eight score involvements to help generate plenty of the Cats attacking forays.  In a tense final term, Dangerfield converted a pivotal set-shot opportunity and also dished off a goal assist to Jack Bowes, capping off a stellar night that helped to lead Geelong to victory.  34 Disposals, 715 Metres Gained, Five Clearances, One Goal Smith capped off a brilliant run of games at the MCG with another impressive performance on Saturday night, collecting a game-high 34 disposals to go with five clearances and a goal early in the game.  Perhaps the most important stat from Smith's night was his ability to generate plenty of run and carry, finishing with a game-high 715 metres gained to help drive the Cats forward on numerous occasions.  Smith also registered five score involvements at went at a very handy 74% efficiency, continuing his terrific start to the year.  14 Disposals, Seven Marks, 10 Intercept Possessions One of the most crucial points in the game came during the third quarter when Geelong's defence held up under immense pressure, lead by Sam De Koning who helped to flip the momentum back the Cats way.  Following on from a strong performance last week, De Koning collected another 10 intercept possessions against the Magpies as he continues to settle back into the Cats defensive unit.  In the absence of some key defensive stars, De Koning has stood tall picking off 21 intercept possessions across the past two matches. Watch the Cats celebrate their round eight win 18 Disposals, Eight Clearances, Nine Score Involvements, Two Goals A player who continues to perform on the biggest stages, Shaun Mannagh added to his sensational stretch of football with another brilliant display against the Magpies on Saturday night.  Playing a variety of roles for the Cats and spending time around stoppages, Mannagh was able to have a big influence through the midfield as he won a game-high eight clearances.  But his impact did not stop there, pushing forward to boot two goals while also having a hand in nine score involvements to help steer Geelong to victory.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Geelong Cats (@geelongcats) Playing one out on the last line of defence is never an easy task but Mark O'Connor did it extremely well and thwarted a number of Collingwood attacks throughout the night The Irishman took eight marks and collected five intercept possessions but his impact stretched far beyond the stat sheet in an instrumental display Another player that has been in great form in 2025 O'Connor has proved to be a solid and reliable asset in defence for Geelong Geelong have held on to secure a famous win at the MCG defeating Collingwood by three points on Saturday night COLLINGWOOD veteran Tom Mitchell is back in full training and closing in on a return after missing the past 12 months due to a nightmare run of foot injuries while Lachie Schultz has been cleared to return for Saturday night’s clash against Geelong Mitchell hasn’t played a game since being substituted out of the Anzac Day draw last April following a tough start to the year with a plantar fascia problem The 2018 Brownlow Medallist underwent surgery on his foot at the start of June and fully recovered during the off-season before being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot in December Mitchell trained fully on Thursday and is aiming to return in the VFL by the end of the month potentially as soon as the fixture against Greater Western Sydney at Victoria Park on May 17 Collingwood coach Craig McRae said Mitchell now has a clear timeline after a frustrating second season at the club following a 2023 campaign where he played every game and finished fourth in the Copeland Trophy in a premiership year he is a couple of weeks away,” McRae said on Thursday There is a bit of energy around him in the gym and out on the track because he knows he is getting close He still has a few things to get through to get there but he is doing match play now and a lot of things Schultz hasn’t played since winning the Richard Pratt Medal as best on ground against Carlton in round four but was ticked off on Thursday to face the Cats The 27-year-old had made a fast start to 2025 before straining his hamstring in the days after that win over the Blues Captain Darcy Moore will return against the Cats after missing Anzac Day due to vertigo symptoms he suffered from an incident in the Easter Thursday win over Brisbane Mason Cox is tipped to fill the role vacated by Dan McStay in attack after the key forward sustained a moderate grade MCL injury in last Friday’s 41-point win over Essendon Cox missed the end of the pre-season due to a finger injury and has only played two senior games to start the year – round two against the Western Bulldogs and round six in Brisbane – but performed strongly in the VFL on Saturday night to put his hand up for a recall “I think so,” McRae said when asked about Cox “We’ve still got a few questions to ask at match committee The ability to help Darcy Cameron in the ruck helps.” Draftee Charlie West is also closing in on a debut after kicking three more goals in the VFL to make it 11 from his first four games after the 194cm key forward was selected at pick No His name will be mentioned to come in this week or the coming weeks,” McRae said “We are rapt with what he’s doing; he is 18 and he is performing beyond his years We are cautious too that he is playing VFL not AFL but what he’s doing is playing above the VFL level.” to address the playing group ahead of a game where Jack Crisp breaks the Irishman’s long-standing record of 244 consecutive games in a week where Collingwood and the game has recognised a stunning achievement from the two-time best and fairest winner “I was lucky enough to chat to Sam Stynes last night and we are going to get Sam in to celebrate Jim and show the incredible longevity of his career but also what he did for so many in the game,” he said “Then show some footage of Jim and get Sam to take us into his world It’s a massive achievement to be able to play that many games in a row.” Collingwood VFL pair Riley Mason and Josh Browne trained with the AFL squad on Thursday ahead of next month’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft Both are being considered by clubs after eye-catching starts to 2025 Mason kicked nine goals in the first two weeks and is now up to 12 from four games after joining the program from Seymour while Browne has averaged 22.8 disposals since crossing from Williamstown during the off-season After selecting Ned Long out of the VFL program last May Collingwood is understood to be keen to promote from that team more often going forward West Coast selected Jack Hutchinson from the VFL Magpies with pick No.3 Long has played all seven games to start 2025 and 14 of 15 since the former Hawk got his first shot last year while Hutchinson has featured 11 times for the Eagles Gold Coast Academy’s Usher on her ACL injury rehab battles and best friend Havana Harris incredible misses and more in our look back on the April action of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership season Three-time premiership coach Mick Malthouse gives host Bharat Sundaresan the rundown on how Australian football began and how it became such a significant part of Australian culture With a challenging month of away clashes ahead Fremantle needs to find a way to win on the road if it's to seriously contend in 2025 One of footy's famous rivalries will kick off the AFLW season to mark the 10th season of the competition Check out all the action from the state leagues around the country Damian Barrett and Matthew Lloyd with the latest news and opinions from Round 8 James Rowbottom and Harry Himmelberg spoke to the media ahead of Sunday's huge clash Footy Feed: Sarah Olle and Riley Beveridge with the latest news Check out the Rising Star for AFL’s Round 8 Will a hard tag from Jack Viney be the reason Harley Reid leaves the Eagles Vote now on your favourite marks from Round 8 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season The Match Review findings for Sunday's round eight games are in In the spirit of reconciliation the AFL acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today Match: Collingwood Magpies vs Geelong CatsDate: Saturday Collingwood and Geelong headline Round 8 action when they battle it out at the MCG on Saturday night The Magpies secured their sixth consecutive victory by downing traditional rivals Essendon on a rainy Anzac Day by 41 points 34-year-old Steele Sidebottom steered that triumph by having 35 disposals and a career-high 15 clearances He now has a league-leading 34 coaches' votes alongside teammate Nick Daicos Meanwhile, Geelong will be looking to return to winning ways after being shocked by Carlton last time out in a disappointing afternoon that saw them drop out of the top four they will have to end Collingwood's run of eight wins on the trot at the MCG They will fancy their chances considering they have won five of the previous seven meetings between the two sides Geelong has won three of the past five H2H meetings against Collingwood Below are the odds (at the time of writing) for Collingwood vs Geelong on Saturday across multiple bookmakers Collingwood vs Geelong Prediction & Odds – AFL | 2025 Check out our Collingwood vs Geelong prediction now See all the odds for the AFL Round 8 match at MCG Match: Collingwood Magpies vs Geelong CatsDate: Saturday Collingwood and Geelong headline Round 8 action when they battle it out at the MCG on Saturday night The Magpies secured their sixth consecutive victory by downing traditional rivals Essendon on a rainy Anzac Day by 41 points Meanwhile, Geelong will be looking to return to winning ways after being shocked by Carlton last time out in a disappointing afternoon that saw them drop out of the top four Electrifying forward Bobby Hill has put pen to paper and signed a four-year contract extension with the Club the new deal will see the 2023 Norm Smith Medallist remain in black and white until at least 2030 Hill represented the AFL Indigenous All Stars in Perth he has been instrumental across the forward line hitting the scoreboard with 10 majors and adding a dynamic presence in the Magpies' attack the 25-year-old said now was the right time to recommit “I’m excited to sign on and stoked to be hanging around at the Pies “Collingwood is my future and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my career here “Getting the taste of premiership success in 2023 that’s what drives me to want to play more footy here at the Pies in front of our big fan base I’d love to achieve more premiership success but I really just want to keep playing consistent footy and making more memories to cherish for the rest of my life.” Hill made his AFL debut for GWS Giants in 2019 going on to play 41 games for the Giants before being traded to Collingwood ahead of the 2023 season Taking his game to another level since joining the Magpies Hill quickly became a mainstay in Collingwood's lineup with his breakout moment coming in the 2023 AFL Grand Final where he played a starring role and earned the prestigious Norm Smith Medal as best on ground Hill claimed the Gordon Coventry Trophy as Collingwood's leading goalkicker and was awarded the 2024 Virgin Australia Mark of the Year Hear from Collingwood Forward Bobby Hill after he extended his contract with the Club keeping him in black and white until the end of 2030 General Manager of List and Talent Strategy Justin Leppitsch said the Club was thrilled to have Hill commit for a further four years "Bobby is a much-loved member of our Club and it's fantastic to have him extend until at least the end of 2030," Leppitsch said Bobby has become an integral part of our forward line and continuously works to grow and develop his own game and we look forward to seeing many more magical moments that will excite our fans." Dan Houston and Harry Perryman as Collingwood players contracted until 2030 while Nick Daicos and Isaac Quaynor are committed until 2029 Join the Magpie Army with Bobby, today! Sign up as 2025 Collingwood member. Collingwood’s Head of High Performance Jarrod Wade has provided an injury and health update ahead of Collingwood’s Round Eight match against Geelong at the MCG on Saturday As Ollie Dempsey soared into the night sky against Collingwood on Saturday you could not help but feel that the incredible grab was symbolic of his start to the season the 2024 Rising Star winner has continued to find plenty of the footy averaging over 16 disposals per game but he has also been able to use his work rate to become a genuine threat inside forward 50 Dempsey has kicked 13 goals in eight games to start the year while registering a total of 45 score involvements which is the third most of any Geelong player in 2025 The young star has proven to be a dangerous asset at the MCG in particular collecting over 17 disposals per game and kicking 12 goals from his last eight appearances at the venue With the ability to utilise his elite running prowess Dempsey said he enjoys playing in front of the big crowds at the MCG and recapped the impressive win over Collingwood "I was on the wing just thinking please miss it please miss it," Dempsey confessed to Cats Media "Luckily he missed it but we made it a little harder than we should have There is a lot of running and I love everything about it to be honest The last three weeks have been massive crowds for us it is good experience and you can't really buy that experience "We are lucky enough to get that down in Geelong too which is good." Geelong were able to mount yet another fourth quarter comeback in Round 8 clinching a thrilling three point victory over the Magpies after trailing by as much as 20 points throughout the night Across the opening eight weeks of the season the Cats have outscored their opponent in the last quarter on seven occasions with a total differential of +140 points which is the second highest in the competition behind Gold Coast Dempsey provided insight into Geelong's ability to finish strongly each week while also noting Chris Scott's message at three quarter time on Saturday night "We trust that we are a really good fourth quarter team," Dempsey told Cats Media "We have got a lot of really good runners in the team which is nice "'Scotty' just gave us the message at three quarter time he reminded us that we are a great fourth quarter team and to just back ourselves in and play our way Geelong return to GMHBA Stadium in Round 9 as they prepare for another big game taking on the GWS Giants at 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon Geelong head back to the MCG for the final leg of their triple-header at the venue taking on Collingwood in a Saturday night blockbuster The Cats will be looking to bounce back after their three game win streak was snapped by Carlton on Sunday but they still remain in the top eight on the ladder through the first seven weeks of the season It is another big match for Geelong as they face an in form Collingwood team who currently sit on top of the ladder after winning their last six consecutive games Take a first look ahead to Saturday night's game and everything you need to know in the lead up 2025 AFL Season - Round 8 Collingwood v Geelong Cats Bowes has quietly been putting together a strong patch of football in 2025 showing the ability to effectively play a number of different roles as the team requires Against Carlton in Round 7 the 27 year old finished with 17 disposals Bowes was instrumental accumulating 24 disposals and seven clearances poised to be important once again on Saturday night While it is easy to focus on Nick Daicos when analysing Collingwood's midfield Scott Pendlebury is another that continues to impress in his 20th season of AFL football Last week in the traditional Anzac Day clash Pendlebury collected 31 disposals and nine score involvements to help propel the Magpies to their sixth consecutive victory the veteran averages over 24 disposals and nearly a goal per game the Cats will need to keep a close eye on him in Round 8 Geelong and Collingwood have squared off in a number of entertaining clashes in recent history one of the more enthralling football rivalries across the past two decades in particular The Cats came out on top in their most recent meeting with the Magpies triumphing by 20 points late in the 2024 season in front of a big crow at the MCG Since 2020 Geelong have held the ascendancy winning five of the last seven matches against Collingwood Take a look back at our Round 18 clash at the MCG against the Collingwood Magpies Geelong have split their opening two games at the MCG this season defeating Hawthorn on Easter Monday before falling to Carlton on Sunday in Round 7 It has been a mixed bag of results for the Cats over the past 12 months winning five of their last nine matches at the venue while also taking down Collingwood by 20 points among that stretch The Cats have won seven of their last 10 matches against the Magpies at the MCG Tickets are available through Ticketek for Saturday night's game against Collingwood, follow the link here to secure your seat Access this game is with a Geelong Cats membership! Buy a Melbourne Flexi Membership for $49 to get General Admission access (subject to capacity):Melbourne Flexi Membership Geelong's Round 8 clash will be broadcast on Fox Footy and streamed through Kayo from 7.30pm AEST For those tuning into the radio, K rock will be covering all the action from 6.00pm on 95.5FM, krockfootball.live and the AFL app Cats fans looking to catch all the action at home this year can secure a 2025 Digital Plus Membership which includes a 12 month subscription to Kayo Premium Cats Membership: 2025 Digital Plus  Broadcast Details: 2025 AFL Broadcast Guide Catch up on all the action from Geelong's clash with Carlton at the MCG Darcy Moore developed inner ear and vertigo symptoms following the Round Six game against Brisbane which ruled him out of the Anzac Day match Moore has been cleared of these symptoms for three days now and has returned to training He will continue to build over the coming days and will be available for selection Lachie Schultz returned to full training this week following his hamstring injury Schultz will focus on high-speed running this week and will be a test for Saturday’s game against Geelong Joel Cochran sustained a concussion in Saturday’s VFL game against Essendon and has entered concussion protocols Ash Johnson is progressing well through his recovery from a broken fibula Johnson is out of the moon boot and has started the next phase of rehab Johnson will continue to work through a running program with a four-to-five-week timeline to return to play Fin Macrae underwent successful shoulder surgery last week and is in recovery mode Hear from young forward Charlie West following Collingwood's VFL win over Essendon Dan McStay sustained a medial collateral ligament (MCL) strain to his left knee during the final quarter of Collingwood’s Round Seven Anzac Day match McStay will be in a knee brace for the next two weeks before commencing a rehabilitation program Tom Mitchell has returned to full team training He will be managed over the next fortnight focusing on increasing his loads before being introduced to match minutes through the VFL Harvey Harrison (ACL) and Reef McInnes (ACL) are both progressing well with their individual rehab programs Collingwood and TaylorMade Golf have teed up a perfect partnership with the golf equipment brand joining the black and white family for the next two years You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Stay on current site or go to US version In Round 8 of the 2025 AFL season a couple of veteran stars showed they can still star but Carlton and Fremantle got a reality check Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down Whose stocks are up and down after Round 8? ESPN/Getty Images Stocks up: When skipper Jordan Dawson is playing well it was as if they had three of him running around in Saturday's win and tallied six clearances in a BOG performance a Mexican Wave broke out halfway through the fourth term which is an incredibly rare sight at a footy game What do you think about seeing this sort of stuff at the footy Stocks up: Does Josh Dunkley get enough plaudits for being one of the league's best defensively-minded midfielders Tasked with taking down the Suns' deep and impressive midfield Dunkley was instrumental in curtailing the influence of Matt Rowell while he also spent time on Noah Anderson briefly when he got hot All this while Dunkley himself picked up 26 disposals Stocks down: It's never great when players go down with injuries but even moreso for Sun-turned-Lion Sam Day who just can't keep his body fit enough for long enough Subbed out in the first term of Brisbane's win over their Queensland rivals with a hamstring injury it's the latest bad news for the key position player who has had one of the more luckless runs in footy Stocks up: He didn't get the mention last week for his spectacular eight intercept marks in Round 7 against the Cats but given the dismal showing against the Crows His disastrous navy blue debut against Richmond has all but been forgotten and Haynes was once again one of the Blues' better players against Adelaide looking a lot more confident flying for marks and spoils and choosing to use the ball with a bit of dare out of the back half Could be a handy pickup if his form continues Stocks down: The Blues' depth has long been an issue it's so easy to see how they can get blown away Veteran Sam Docherty came in for the injured Zac Williams and tries to cover his deficiencies with rushed kicks but lacks the creativity and offensive nous compared to the hard-running of Matthew Cottrell Stocks up: Brody Mihocek was incredible against the Cats fighting for every contest as he has done for years and proving to be Collingwood's main route towards the goals all night the hard-working forward didn't have too many helpers but his six marks (four contested) and 4.3 from 10 disposals was highly effective Stocks down: After an injury-interrupted preseason Jordan De Goey has entered the frame this year quite underdone and it means his performances aren't at the level they need to be if the Pies want to be featuring at the pointy end of the season The powerful mid-forward amassed just three kicks from nine disposals on Saturday night A spell on the sidelines to get himself fit might be on the cards and with a five-day break leading into Round 9 Stocks up: It seems every time Essendon wins a game of football Merrett was as solid as ever on Thursday evening but took his game to a ridiculously high level in a tight and tense final quarter to finish up with a game-high 35 disposals His defensive intercept mark in the defensive 50 in the dying moments proved pivotal Stocks down: Any night you bank four premiership points is a good one but maybe not when it comes at a significant injury cost The Bombers lost reliable defender Jordan Ridley to a hamstring injury in the first half before Harry Jones suffered a suspected broken ankle Jade Gresham limped off with a groin complaint Zach Merrett has firmed to third favourite in Brownlow Medal betting. Josh Chadwick/Getty ImagesFremantleStocks up: There isn't too much to celebrate from a Fremantle perspective but this loss is not on captain Alex Pearce who is arguably the only Docker who can hold his head high after a disastrous defeat under the roof Pearce finished his night with 18 disposals and 19.1 rating points -- more than any other teammate and better than every Saint didn't Freo's midfield get a wake up call.. The subbing of an injured Hayden Young doesn't help and usual stars Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong were nowhere near their prolific best the latter picking up his lowest tally since his maiden season in 2020 and there's no other way to put it; they were -28 in clearances It's hard to see them producing that again and there's no better test to prove it was an anomaly than this Thursday night against Collingwood it was Patrick Dangerfield who put on the cape and dragged his side over the line his 2025 campaign only strengthened after his match-winning 29 disposals eight score involvements and one crucial fourth-quarter goal against the Pies His 13 disposals and 10 contested possessions in the final stanza alone is seriously something to marvel at and there's no denying (although it's early) he is well on his way to All-Australian blazer number nine but Bailey Smith adding fuel to the Bulldogs-Cats fire by declaring "you're not getting [82,000 at the MCG] in Ballarat" in his post-match interview with Cameron Mooney raised eyebrows AND really didn't acknowledge that Geelong playing a game away to Collingwood at the Magpies home ground is the main reason for which 82,000 showed up the Bulldogs drew 78,027 in a home game at the MCG against the Pies ☠️ #AFLPiesCats pic.twitter.com/nLSJn58yWe Stocks up: It was a disappointing night for the Suns in the QClash but Mac Andrew can hold his head high after an excellent outing in defence (and and even snuck forward to kick a cheeky goal to keep his side in the contest in the second term but just didn't have enough help on the night Bailey Humphrey cost his side a crucial goal after the first quarter siren sounded giving the Lions the momentum and setting them up for an early flurry in the second term Humphrey was on the mark for Jarrod Berry's long-range shot at goal but decided to throw a bunch of mud and grass as Berry was kicking -- against the rules The umpire rightly paid a 50 metre penalty and the Lions were guaranteed the six points Stocks up: It had been a little bit of a dry patch for Finn Callaghan since stamping himself on the 2025 season back in Opening Round but the young Giant delivered another monster performance for his club- albeit in a loss to cross-town rival Sydney Stocks down: The Giants' premiership aspirations have taken a real hit in recent weeks and Swans have dropped them to eight on the ladder many now questioning whether they can consistently find answers against other likely finalists Plenty of work to do for Adam Kingsley and his coaching staff Stocks up: The lack of reliance and an even spread of contributors is what's making this Hawks team so dangerous Running machine Changkuoth Jiath was also in fine form tallying 32 disposals and providing his trademark drive out of defence Next week it will likely be another pair that stands up Stocks up: He's been lauded in this column a couple of times this year Max Gawn is a warrior for this football club On an evening in which he really needed to dominate West Coast's poor ruck room the Melbourne skipper did all that and more having one of the biggest games of his career; 35 disposals nine clearances 47 hit outs (to the Eagles' 27 total) and a goal it's now been three weeks since we've heard from the Melbourne knockers they've beaten two of the bottom three teams in the past fortnight and were trounced by North in their only win of the season But all this club could do at 0-5 was reset and give yourself a base to build from for the remainder of the year Let's see what they can do against tougher opposition in Hawthorn next week Max Gawn was a colossus on Saturday night. Paul Kane/Getty ImagesNorth MelbourneStocks up: After copping criticism from all angles this week Harry Sheezel reminded the footy world why he is one of the league's brightest young prospects he's still just 20 years of age!) won a team-high 32 disposals and finished with almost 600 metres gained We wouldn't be too worried about the player he will be in a few years time.. Would there be anything worse than running out of time on a set shot Let alone doing so with under two minutes remaining It's a moment North debutant Finnbar Maley will regret for quite some time and one which would have had head coach Alastair Clarkson pulling his hair He had some very bright moments and brought a new dynamic and presence to the forward line Stocks up: It was a grim afternoon in Ballarat for the Power to see the composure and skill shown by Will Lorenz at times Lorenz is slowly getting his chance to put his hand up for more consistent selection and gathering 15 disposals and no turnovers is one way to keep doing that Stocks down: The leaders at Port need a good hard look in the mirror after that embarrassing 90-point loss to the Bulldogs it's that they had no answers to stop the barrage from Luke Beveridge's side and were left humiliated by the final siren Great teams just don't have these sort of losses Stocks up: This season was always going to be a year Tigers fans spent searching for green shoots and potential They had to have been impressed with Luke Trainor's game against the Hawks on Sunday afternoon but Trainor found plenty of the ball (21 disposals) showed he had a very tidy disposal (90% efficiency) Stocks down: We understand it was blustery at the MCG but how do the Tigers only kick 44 points for the game when they are able to generate 13 marks inside 50 With a little more efficiency in front of the big sticks perhaps the 65-point margin could have looked a little more favourable to Adem Yze's squad Stocks up: The more we get performances like that from Cooper Sharman the more we have faith in what the Saints are building under Ross Lyon Because it's those that aren't universally seen as A-graders that need to take the next step for the club to do the same as a whole The 24-year-old has shown these signs before and his aerial work -- namely the ability to mark the ball at its highest point -- has always been his best trait His four goals and nine grabs against the Dockers is a sign that things might just be okay without Max King for a little while Stocks down: Another case of a sub not being used who was initially a late replacement for Mattaes Phillipou who was made to sit on the bench for the entirety of the match with Ross Lyon electing not to activate the youngster Stocks up: Could it be anyone other than Chad Warner! winning the Brett Kirk Medal for best afield in the Battle of the Bridge Warner finished his afternoon with 24 disposals making something happen every single time he touched the Sherrin Stocks down: Not for the first time in 2025 we're shining the spotlight on Brodie Grundy Just eight disposals and zero marks against the Giants was the story of Grundy's afternoon It's nowhere near good enough from one of your experienced players Chad Warner was best on ground for the Swans. Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesWest CoastStocks up: He's featured a couple of times this year but we really are seeing a breakout season from Elijah Hewett He was again one of the Eagles' best in the loss to Melbourne picking up 15 disposals and kicking three goals He's a high impact player who doesn't need a ton of ball to impart influence on the contest Stocks down: Stay with us here, but this is an excellent 'buy your stocks now' situation for Bo Allen. The West Coast draftee and WA local had a poor start to his AFL career, getting suspended for a high arm on Dees veteran Jack Viney but he'll bounce back and be an important player for the Eagles for many years Stocks up: It might have been by accident when Ed Richards was thrown into the midfield last year due to the absence of the team's mainstays but he really has made that position his own now becoming one of the most effective mids in the league and two goals -- including one goal of the year contender and he finished with 33.4 rating points -- the most he's ever had in his career Stocks down: We're reaching here, but what do we make of Marcus Bontempelli being dragged into a media spat with Bailey Smith? Yes, the skipper was asked about it on TV saying "it's nice to know we're still on Bailey's mind followed by "There's probably a few less people down in Ballarat to flip the bird to" This article features Stats Insider's prediction and tips for the Fremantle vs Collingwood game Using advanced machine learning and data, Stats Insider has simulated the outcome of Thursday's Fremantle vs Collingwood AFL match 10,000 times Our independent predictive analytics model currently gives the Magpies a 51% chance of defeating the Dockers at Optus Stadium The latest Bet365 betting odds for Thursday's AFL clash at Optus Stadium are listed below: Odds are correct at the time of publication and subject to change Bet365 currently has Fremantle at $2.40 and Collingwood at $1.58 The Dockers are 8.5-point underdogs against the Magpies For the favourite Magpies (-8.5) to cover the line The over/under for total points scored is set at 160.5 with Bet365 which has odds of $1.91 for the over and $1.91 for the under the Dockers (+8.5) are predicted to cover the line 60% of the time while the 160.5-point over/under is expected to go over 76% of the time If you see a 🔥, you know you've found one of our best tips of the day across any sport Stats Insider's Fremantle vs Collingwood best bets are based on market-leading simulations and betting expertise to give you the best possible advice every day of the year While the Magpies have a higher chance of winning the game betting on the Dockers to win is our preferred option due to the 7.2% edge found when comparing our data-led probabilities to the odds currently available Making use of the edges published here at Stats Insider is crucial to achieving long-term profitability Stats Insider's predicted final score for Fremantle vs Collingwood at Optus Stadium this Thursday is Collingwood prevailing 87-86 This prediction is based on each team's average score following 10,000 game simulations Stats Insider provides full betting coverage of the Fremantle vs Collingwood match on Thursday including data-driven predictions and expert tips so refresh this article for the latest betting analysis before the Fremantle vs Collingwood match As always, see our Best Bets to get the best tips for every AFL match as well as predictions for a wide range of other sports The AFL Round 9 clash between the Dockers and Magpies at Optus Stadium is scheduled to start at 8:10pm AEST on Thursday All dates and times mentioned in this article are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) Our Fremantle vs Collingwood predictions have been made thanks to 10,000 data-driven simulations of the game, carefully curated by our team of experienced data scientists and analysts. We use cutting-edge technology and machine learning to ensure our AFL tips are trustworthy and reliable so that you can make informed decisions with confidence If you choose to use our AFL predictions for betting purposes, it's vital that you gamble responsibly and know when to stop. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au Stats Insider is your go-to source for betting on the AFL, with the latest AFL betting news, tips for every AFL game, and futures probabilities for the AFL. Australia's leading predictive analytics website offers Australian sports fans innovative tools and content to enhance their enjoyment of major sporting events both domestically and internationally Our goal is to transform the sports fan experience by providing readily accessible data-driven content for sports enthusiasts like us © 2015-2025 Hypometer Technologies Pty Ltd (ABN 78 609 507 744) Proudly part of Cipher Sports Technology Group The Pies face the Cats in a blockbuster Saturday night match-up at the MCG winning their last eight at the home of footy and covering the line in seven of those games The Pies have been quite rightly been backed into premiership favouritism following a six game winning run since opening round they’ve already played six of last year’s eight finalists so it’s hardly been a cushy run to start 2025 The big question mark on Geelong has been their midfield especially with the veteran Patrick Dangerfield spending most of his time forward Two of their three losses have come against top four clearance differential teams in Brisbane and Carlton Collingwood are ranked fourth in this stat this year If Geelong can’t be competitive around the pill it’s hard to see how they’ll kick a winning score against the AFL’s best defensive team who are giving up just 66 points per game The Pies will also recall Darcy Moore and likely Lachie Schultz Take the Pies to win and cover the line in this one He’s had 25+ in seven of his last eight at the venue Steele Sidebottom’s midfield renaissance should continue Ollie Dempsey has kicked two goals in three straight While we do like the Pies in this one it’s hard not to have a throw at Jezza kicking a bag considering his great record against this opponent He’s kicked 3+ in four of his last five against Collingwood including bags of six and seven Betseeker’s expert tipsters have you covered for the best AFL tips The weekend concludes with the biggest Q-Clash yet with Brisbane taking on Gold Coast at the Gabba In between two ripping derbies on Sunday sits this stinker between fourth-placed Hawthorn and 16th placed Richmond The first Sydney derby of 2025 sees the Giants comfortable favourites to beat the Swans at the SCG Our expert team is made up of experienced professional punters we have more than three decades of industry experience with major bookies including TAB Learn more about Betseeker If gambling is a problem for you, call Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au Betseeker is strongly committed to responsible gambling and wants gambling to be a fun recreational activity Read our practical tips to keep your gambling safe here Betseeker content is provided for entertainment and informational purposes only No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of betting information provided You are encouraged to do your own research prior to placing any bets All odds and information provided are subject to change Betseeker has no relationship with any of the sporting bodies listed on this website or any other platforms Former Collingwood star Alan Didak is selling his luxury Kew home Former Collingwood star Alan Didak is hoping to kick a big goal at auction listing his luxury Kew home with $3.95m price hopes Property documents confirm the premiership forward’s four-level pad is a limestone-clad showpiece that was completed just three years ago designed by acclaimed architect Coy Yiontis the residence offers lift access to every level and a deluxe basement speak-easy complete with a cocktail bar RELATED: Brighton beach boxes: Six-figure sale for coastal icon Run down Coburg pad scores an almost-$1m payday, after 73 years High-flying Mecca, MCC bigwigs list $9m Peninsula retreat oak floors and soaring ceilings set a sophisticated tone with a wide entrance hall flowing through to multiple living zones A stone kitchen is fitted with Miele appliances an integrated Liebherr fridge and freezer and a butler’s pantry — while the main living area features a gas fireplace and tall glass sliders that open to a limestone-paved terrace The outdoor area features a built-in barbecue Premiership forward Alan Didak dazzled Magpie fans for more than a decade The home’s open-plan living and Super White stone kitchen flow to a sunlit terrace the main bedroom includes a lavish walk-in dressing room and luxurious ensuite with double vanities and marble finishes Three additional bedrooms each have built-in robes the basement level also includes a fully equipped gym and bathroom A living area that opens straight out to the back yard The limestone-clad facade of Alan Didak’s Kew home Didak played 218 games for Collingwood between 2001 and 2013 and was renowned for his dazzling left foot matchwinning flair and ability to deliver in big moments he was a key part of the Magpies’ 2010 premiership side that broke a 20-year flag drought won the club’s Copeland Trophy as best and fairest in 2006 and earned all-Australian honours the same year Known for being part of the Magpies notorious ‘rat pack’ alongside Dane Swan Didak was a crowd favourite among Pies fans The north-facing backyard features a gas and solar-heated pool A hidden speak-easy-style bar and wine cellar is one of the home’s standout features The location is within easy reach of Kew Junction’s cafes and shops private schools including Xavier College and Methodist Ladies’ College and Yarra River parkland and cycling trails Other features include zoned heating and cooling The deluxe main bedroom includes a walk-in dressing room and a marble-finished luxury ensuite Marshall White Boroondara director Chris Barrett declined to comment The home is scheduled to go under the hammer at 12.30pm on May 17 Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox MORE: Surprise number of Aussie families locked out of their own suburb Mortgage over marriage: couples ditching the altar for bricks and mortar Young family’s reno pays off with $1m+ result in Seaford third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. Geelong's most recent meeting with Collingwood came in Round 18 last year on a cold Friday night in front of over 70,000 spectators at the MCG The clash came at a crucial stage of the 2024 season with both teams entrenched in a ladder logjam that saw second place all the way down to tenth position separated by just two wins the Cats got off to a dream start as they kicked three goals inside the first four minutes of the match needing just 11 disposals to fly out to an early 18 point lead But with the stakes high and pressure intense it was never going to be one way traffic as Collingwood answered swiftly with four unanswered goals leaving Geelong six points adrift at quarter time Geelong bursts out of the gates to stun Collingwood as Shaun Mannagh and Shannon Neale each snare an early goal Momentum shifted once again early in the second term the Cats kicking four of the first five majors to take the lead back led by a double strike from Jeremy Cameron Geelong would carry the lead into the main break but only four points separated the two sides in a match that was certainly living up to the hype The third quarter followed a similar trend to the first half with both teams trading blows in a see-sawing affair Collingwood hit back with two majors to take the lead before late goals to Tyson Stengle and Ollie Dempsey gave Geelong an 11-point buffer heading into the final term If things were not tense enough at the MCG Steele Sidebottom kicked the opening goal of the last quarter after just one minute trimming the margin to five points and setting up a grandstand finish Geelong's leaders stood up and took control of the contest as the Cats kicked away with three unanswered goals holding Collingwood scoreless for more than 20 minutes to secure a 20-point victory The big takeaway from the match was the Cats ability to control the football finishing with 70 more marks (145-75) than Collingwood while also finishing well in front in disposals (+56) seven clearances) was awarded the three Brownlow Votes Jeremy Cameron (three goals) lead the way inside 50 96% efficiency) received the Round 18 rising star nomination in just his third AFL match COLLINGWOOD      4.5      6.8       8.10      10.11    (71)GEELONG CATS      3.5      7.6      10.9      13.13     (91) RISING STAR NOMINATION: Lawson Humphries - 23 Disposals (96% efficiency) Norman was a highly skilled rover/forward who was a key part of Collingwood’s resurgence under coach Bob Rose in 1964 He had won two country competition best-and-fairests the first with his home town of Beaufort and the second with Ballarat North He established himself in the senior team almost immediately making his debut after only one reserves match and kicking four goals from a forward pocket in just his second game As the Pies themselves described him in an early update: “David is an ideal type of rover clever and willing to go into packs to get the ball adding bite and cleverness to the attacking division.” 41 in 1964 and 32 in 1965 to top the Club’s goalkicking the arrival of future Hall of Famers Wayne Richardson and Barry Price brought on a selection squeeze and his League career ended at just 24 He returned to be a star in country football But he remained a devoted Magpie fan all his life and often took part in the past player golf days He suffered a sudden stroke late last year coaches and players of the Collingwood Football Club would like to acknowledge Dave Norman’s outstanding contribution to our club and his friends from Collingwood and beyond To read Dave’s full story and the stats from his career, check his bio on Forever. Geelong and Collingwood has been another iconic rivalry in the modern game with the two sides squaring off in a number of classic battles across recent history big-name players and massive crowds at the MCG there have been plenty of games and moments etched into the memories of fans from both teams The Cats and Magpies have faced each other 242 times across V/AFL history Geelong holding the ascendancy in recent times winning five of the last seven clashes with Collingwood Take a look back at five of the most memorable games against Collingwood in recent history Cats fans were on the edge of their seat throughout this entire match as Geelong secured a home Preliminary Final in 2022 with a thrilling six-point win over Collingwood There were plenty of ebbs and flows all afternoon; the Magpies jumped out to an early lead Collingwood opened up a 12 point advantage in the last quarter before Geelong finished with a flurry to steal victory The match produced a number of iconic moments including Jeremy Cameron's set-shot from the pocket Gary Rohan's big pack mark and long range goal and the scene of Max Holmes storming into an open goal to seal the deal late Tom Atkins and Joel Selwood were huge through the middle while Cameron and Rohan dominated up forward to help lead the Cats to a huge victory which set them on the path to the 2022 Premiership Watch the highlights of Geelong's qualifying final clash with Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday Geelong entered the 2011 Grand Final as the only team to defeat Collingwood throughout the entire season creating one of the most anticipated season finale's in recent history Through three quarters the match certainly lived up the hype the competition's two biggest juggernauts going toe to toe with neither team able to build a match winning lead With the Cats ahead by just seven points heading into the final term Tom Hawkins had his coming of age moment as he monstered Collingwood's defence helping Geelong to boot five unanswered goals as they pulled away to a 38-point win Geelong had their third premiership in five years Jimmy Bartel won the Norm Smith Medal and the Cats stamped themselves as one of the greatest teams of the modern era AFL Media's '2Hours' Relives all the behind the scenes emotions of the 2011 Grand Final between Geelong and Collingwood Featuring never before seen on field footage Many Geelong supporters look back on this game with fond memories the breakthrough that set up a dynasty for the blue and white Hoops The Cats were trying to make their first Grand Final in 12 years while still attempting to break the 44-year premiership drought when they arrived at the penultimate week of the 2007 season see-sawing affair that went right down to the wire with less than a goal separating the two sides as time ticked down in the last quarter Gary Ablett Junior seized the big moment as he curled home a memorable goal which was ultimately the sealer with the Cats then going on to break their premiership drought one week later we'll look back to some famous moments starting with Gary Ablett Jnr's timely goal in the 2007 Prelim vs Collingwood Collingwood were only defeated three times in the 2011 season all three were at the hands of Geelong and the second of these came right on the eve of the Finals series Many believed the Magpies were the premiership favourites and the Round 24 clash was expected to be an intriguing one but the Cats flipped the narrative with a barnstorming performance that was ultimately a sign of what would follow a month later Incredibly it was Collingwood that booted the opening four goals of this match before Geelong went on a scintillating run and kicked 15 of the next 16 goals to blow the game wide open Dan Menzel's five goal haul lead the way for the Cats as they cruised to a massive 96 point victory which would give them plenty of momentum heading into the 2011 Finals series Watch as Daniel Menzel boots five goals against Collingwood in Rd 24 Another iconic match from the famous 2022 season Geelong chased down a 30-point three quarter time deficit to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against the Magpies The Cats were on the back foot after conceding nine goals in the third term but arrested momentum and stormed home with seven unanswered majors of their own in the last quarter to record a memorable win the night was also memorable for another reason as Joel Selwood became the longest serving captain in V/AFL history surpassing Stephen Kernahan's long standing record Tune back into Time Cat-Sule on Wednesday night for a more in depth look back at this incredible match Take a look back at the most recent clash against Collingwood, with the Cats prevailing in a tight contest late last year Look back at some behind the scenes access, after a huge win against the Pies at the 'G COLLINGWOOD ironman Jack Crisp insists there's no end in sight to his remarkable streak as he prepares to break Jim Stynes' AFL/VFL record for consecutive games played. Crisp will pass the legendary Irishman's mark when he makes his 245th consecutive appearance in the Magpies' clash with Geelong at the MCG on Saturday night. "As long as the club keeps giving me a contract I reckon I can keep going for a while," the 31-year-old said, whose current contract expires at the end of 2026. "I feel really good physically. I've got a couple more years left and then we'll see what happens after that." Crisp's record-breaking run began in 2014 when he played with Brisbane, before he was traded to Collingwood as part of a deal for Dayne Beams. He has since played 238 games for the Magpies without missing, claiming the club's 2021 and 2022 best-and-fairest awards along the way and adding a premiership in 2023. In that time, a total of 914 players have made their AFL debuts and 339 of those are no longer on club lists. Breaking the record became a serious goal for Crisp about two years ago as he passed durable greats Jack Titus (202 consecutive games), Adam Goodes (204) and Adem Yze (226) on the list behind Stynes. "I'm just very humbled and grateful to have my name up against his in the history books and it's something that I'm definitely not taking for granted," Crisp said. "As a little kid all I wanted to do was play one AFL game, so to be able to put 10 to 11 years together in a row, I'm very proud." Collingwood players had an emotional address on Thursday from Sam Stynes - Jim's widow - ahead of Crisp breaking the record. "We had a bit of a joke that Jim would be a bit narky about this happening because he was competitive," Sam Stynes said. The panel pick their favourite ever Hawthorn players ahead of the club's 100-year anniversary game against Richmond From 2011 to today, we take a look back at the best moments from the Queensland derby What's ailing the Sydney clubs so far this season? Chad dissects the key player gap for Geelong Josh Gabelich tells the story of Will White while the panel praises Harry McKay after a rollercoaster start to 2025 Two of the best midfields in the game will go head-to-head on Saturday We preview Thursday night's clash between Essendon and North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium Chad Wingard, Nat Edwards & Josh Gabelich preview round eight Chad Wingard goes deep on why Carlton can buck recent form and stop the high-flying Cats "But having said that, he would be the first to want to take Jack out for a meal and shout him a beer and congratulate him. "Knowing how difficult it is to achieve this record, he would just have so much admiration for Jack doing that." Collingwood coach Craig McRae said it was a "massive achievement" to play so many consecutive games. "We'll make sure we celebrate that appropriately," McRae said. "We celebrate these things because on our journey of trying to reach the (top) of the mountain, we want to appreciate the journey we're on." McRae lauded Crisp's ability to play while injured and also noted the two-time Copeland Trophy winner rarely missed training sessions. McRae added there had been times when Crisp almost had to miss games, including at least once because of illness. "At one stage he might've had symptoms of Covid, but maybe he didn't have Covid," McRae said. Crisp felt injuries had been a bigger threat to the record. "I've had sore hips, back, feet ... I ended up having a stress fracture in my lower back at the end of 2018 and had my hip cleaned out, so I didn't run for three months," he said. "I know the club was a bit cautious after that because Jamie Elliott had just missed a whole year with a back (injury). "I was lucky the timing was end of season, but I get managed pretty well at different times of the year when I need to. "I put a lot of time into my body now to make sure none of those niggles are going to progress any further and cause big injuries." Crisp said wife Mikayla and the couple's three daughters had been crucial to his successful career by helping him to switch off away from football. Gold Coast Academy’s Usher on her ACL injury, rehab battles and best friend Havana Harris Unusual celebrations, freak goals, incredible misses and more in our look back on the April action of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership season Three-time premiership coach Mick Malthouse gives host Bharat Sundaresan the rundown on how Australian football began, and how it became such a significant part of Australian culture With a challenging month of away clashes ahead, Fremantle needs to find a way to win on the road if it's to seriously contend in 2025, writes Nathan Schmook Damian Barrett and Matthew Lloyd with the latest news and opinions from Round 8. Sean Darcy says he's looking forward to the return of fellow big Luke Jackson ahead of Friday night's clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. Check out the Rising Star for AFL’s Round 8, Hugo Garcia Will a hard tag from Jack Viney be the reason Harley Reid leaves the Eagles? Vote now on your favourite marks from Round 8 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season. In the spirit of reconciliation the AFL acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Collingwood and KGM SsangYong steer towards the future with the Korean automotive manufacturer joining the black and white family for the next three years. The iconic brand has a 70-year-old proud history in the industry and has joined as a Premier Partner in the automotive category. The partnership marks the start of an exciting new era for KGM in Australia, building on the company’s fresh rebrand from SsangYong to KGM. As Premier Partner, KGM will actively support the Club through its sponsorship throughout the AFL season, showcasing the latest KGM range through home match-day activations, junior clinics, and march to the ‘G’ events. Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly said the Club is excited to welcome KGM SsangYong on board. “We’re pleased to welcome KGM SsanyYong as a Premier Partner of our Club for the next three years,” Kelly said. “KGM is a strong fit for our Club with a focus on delivering premium product and experiences for their customers, as do we with our Collingwood Members. “As a Club we look forward to using our platform in supporting the growth and exposure of a global automotive brand in the Australian market.” National Marketing Manager of KGM SsangYong Australia Stevan Dimitrovski shared the significance of the partnership. “Collingwood’s resilience, connection to the community, and pursuit for success align perfectly with the values of KGM SsangYong,” Dimitrovski said. “This partnership places KGM at the heart of Australia’s sporting passion and allows us to stand side-by-side with fans and support footy, and the Collingwood Football Club.” Since founding the brand in 1954, KGM SsangYong has established itself as the Korean SUV leader. Crafting a range of award-winning vehicles, it has also led the advancement of eco-friendly diesel technology. The brand was first introduced to Australia in 2018, with the National Head Office and National Parts Distribution Centre located in Melbourne. Collingwood has made five changes to face the Bulldogs as the Pies return to Victoria Park. Numbers, numbers, numbers. It’s what footy’s all about these days. Whether you like it or not, they highlight trends, are tangible indicators of good or poor performance, and generally inform football teams, fans, and analysts on what’s good, and what’s not. But the numbers to come below, in the case of Jack Crisp’s record-breaking consecutive games streak, are nothing more than an incredible celebration of longevity and consistency. It perhaps wasn’t always expected to be the case, with Crisp’s first two seasons yielding just 12 games, with five during his first year his longest streak, but it was soon after that the groundwork for this incredible feat was laid. Back on 26 July, 2014, Jack Crisp took to the field for the 13th time, wearing a Brisbane Lions jumper where he was playing his third season. It was Round 18 of 2014 that day, and Crisp’s first game at the top level for the year, as he fought for his place in a Justin Leppitsch coached Lions team. He played the final six games of that season, but was soon on his way out of Queensland, joining the Pies at the last-minute in the infamous Dayne Beams trade. He didn’t know it then, but those six games would be the beginning of a streak that the Pies would be all too happy to help continue, as he suited up in black and white straight away during Round One, 2015.Remarkably, Crisp has not missed a single game the Pies have played since he joined the Club. If you’ve seen the black and white stripes on your TV or on the field over the last 11 seasons, you can guarantee Crisp has been wearing one of those guernseys. Some incredible numbers have been accumulated over that time, headlined by the consecutive 245 games and counting that will be recorded this Saturday night, but let’s take a look at some of the finer details of Crisp’s streak. ******************************************************************************************************************************* As Data Solutions Manager within the Club’s data, analytics and technology team, Lydia Badoer’s career journey is fearless, bold and exploratory. It was a game where you kind of expected something like that to happen. The holding the ball free kick in the middle added to the theatre of it, they get it forward and have a shot after the siren. The one that was more frustrating was the mark in the goal square before that, we were fortunate to get away with a win in the end the way the last few minutes played out. Not fortunate before that to get ourselves in that position, I thought that was great. After being outplayed for a big part in the middle of the game, the ability to hang in there and give ourselves a chance, that was admirable.  They are really good at what they do. A big part was taking away their strengths as much as possibly because if they do have the game played their way, they have some really nice ball-users and they are prepared to use those skills. I thought we probably defended the corridor a little bit better, they still used the ball okay to build it up and take field position to make it hard for us to rebound the ball, but that is still a better outcome than having them chain the ball off half back and play fast. We worked hard to arrest that, did a pretty good job but if you play safe against them and don't make them defend, you are likely to get beaten. I thought some of our offensive weapons put them under a bit of pressure. I think what I admire about our players at the moment, it is not just in this moment but it has been going on for a while, they hang in. It was a bit frustrating last week, you say it was a bad loss but we had the chance to win that one as well. We played much better tonight, I am not a huge believer in the response or that you need a loss to inspire the effort required. I think it was more practical and just our ability to hang in and the effort, we were clear on some things that we wanted work on during the week. We didn't get them perfectly executed for the whole night, but there were signs there that lead us to believe that we should be optimistic.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Geelong Cats (@geelongcats) especially given the way they picked their team with Cox in there as a second ruck and with Frampton in there as well I won't lie to you I thought it is going to be a real challenge now We needed some guys to step up and play some big minutes there is nobody better equipped in the game to do that than Blicavs he is really enjoying that part of the game I mean he always has and we know that he is a threat he has always been a threat forward and he can attack the ball in the air I am a bit biased but I like those sort of players that are powerful Ranks ninth in the AFL for disposals in 2025 (223) Head to the Pies Fan Zone located at the MCG between Gates 2 and 3 and join us before the game day for non-stop fun with a DJ Magpie fans can also write a letter to their favourite player at our Magpie Mail station or relax in our Chill Out Zone Collingwood’s Head of High Performance Jarrod Wade has provided an injury and health update ahead of Collingwood’s Round Five (Gather Round) match against the Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval on Friday night Jordan De Goey will be ruled out of Collingwood’s Round Five match against the Sydney Swans on Friday night as he recovers from right ankle and Achillies inflammation The midfielder was subbed off in the final term of the side’s Round Four match against Carlton after experiencing soreness De Goey will be assessed leading into the side’s Round Six match against Brisbane Lachie Schultz will be sidelined for Friday night’s game after scans revealed the forward sustained a minor hamstring strain during the side’s training session on Sunday afternoon Schultz is expected to spend two to three weeks on the sidelines Tom Mitchell has commenced running and will continue to build on this over the next few weeks Mitchell is no longer experiencing plantar fasciitis symptoms and continues to progress re-loading his ankle Harvey Harrison is progressing well in his return from an ACL injury The forward commenced a running program this week and is expected to return to some light skill work within the next month Following a successful surgery 10 days ago Reef McInnes is progressing well as he recovers from an ACL injury McInnes will commence a gym-based program to build on his strength over the next four to six weeks Ash Johnson continues to progress well following successful surgery to his left fibula Johnson will remain in a moonboot for the next two to three weeks and will commence a re-load period The Club expects Johnson to return to play within the next six to eight weeks Collingwood Coach Craig McRae has made three changes to his team for Friday night’s Gather Round clash with Sydney 2023 premiership player Will Hoskin-Elliott will return to the AFL side after overcoming a knock he sustained to his back in the Opening Round fixture The utility has played the last two matches at VFL level collecting 12 disposals and a goal from limited game time in Sunday's win over Coburg Midfielder Ed Allan also returns for his second match of 2025 after playing in the first match of the year against GWS The 20-year-old has impressed in recent weeks highlighted by his 31 disposal and one goal game against Sydney in Round 1 of the VFL Midfielder Lachie Sullivan will play his second match of the season following his 26 disposals and seven clearances in the VFL on Sunday against Coburg In the 27-year-old's only match at AFL level this season Sullivan collected 12 disposals and kicked a goal in the Pies’ 91-point victory over Port Adelaide The three omissions to the team that defeated Carlton are Dan Houston (suspension) Jordan De Goey (ankle/achilles) and Lachie Schultz (hamstring) 19-year-old key forward Charlie West has been included in the squad for the first time in his career joined by Oleg Markov and Mason Cox as emergencies Collingwood ruck Darcy Cameron will notch his 100th AFL match against his former team Collingwood midfielder Scott Pendlebury will move into third all-time for games played in VFL/AFL history overtaking former Hawthorn and Port Adelaide player Shaun Burgoyne’s 407 It will also be the 37-year-old's 400th game in the number 10 guernsey after he played his first season in the number 16 Collingwood fans can watch the game live on Channel Seven Don't miss out on the action! Lock in your Level 1 seat for our biggest home games at the 'G with the Standard Reserved Bay Membership. JANNIK Sinner won the 2024 Australian Open but Ned Long didn't spend the fortnight tracking the Italian world No.1 at Melbourne Park the midfielder had just started his first proper job as a data analyst in sports tech When he wasn't inside the office above the Duke of Wellington on the corner of Russell and Flinders Street – or trying to land a second chance at Collingwood Football Club – Long was at the tennis That second chance arrived via last year's Mid-Season Rookie Draft when the Magpies used the second last live pick to promote the 22-year-old from its VFL program to the AFL squad nine months after Hawthorn delisted the 194cm midfielder after just five games in two years at Waverley Park Craig McRae picked him for the first time against Essendon in round 17 last year and has kept picking him – Long has played 11 of the past 12 games – including all four to start 2025 Long is still working a day each week for PMI around a commerce degree he started in 2024 and his time at Collingwood but enough to reset his direction after staring football mortality in the eye but the one thing I'm grateful for was it forced me into starting a job and seeing a different aspect of life," Long told AFL.com.au this week "I started a data analyst role with a company called PMI They do data in sports and events and tech I've been involved in the data at sporting events around the world We provide that analysis back to those organisations like Tennis Australia to help them for future events "I started that when I was at Collingwood VFL and I’ve been lucky to keep that going while in the AFL program one day a week They've been really flexible and amazing allowing me to do that." When Hawthorn opted not to offer him another contract at the end of 2023 He met with a few VFL clubs and even contemplated a move across the border to play for Norwood in the SANFL Collingwood had spots open during the pre-season supplemental selection period that summer They invited six players to train and ultimately selected Lachie Sullivan But Long never stopped impressing the Magpies with his work rate "It was about what would be the best club and the best opportunity [to get back in the AFL]," Long said "Collingwood had the list spots available at the time they were looking to reward and bring up VFL players to the AFL It felt like a good opportunity and I would have a chance to make that transition." Collingwood is stacked with box office names like Nick Daicos but McRae seldom wastes an opportunity to shine a light on an unheralded role player Less than 45 minutes after last Thursday night’s win over Carlton the premiership coach pointed out the impact of Long He did it again on Wednesday morning at the AIA Centre "He has always backed me in and it's the way he talks and also through his actions I feel like he gives me a chance and has rewarded me with games It makes you feel valued and from there being able to play with that belief has been great and I think makes a different in performance." Long has started as the sub in three of the four games to this point of 2025 – he was also sub twice last year – and only played a quarter in Opening Round and round four He produced the best game of his career when he started against Port Adelaide in round one 14 contested possessions and seven tackles "Whatever role I can contribute in I am very happy to do It is a great team and very healthy overall I am accustomed to it; I feel like I've developed a bit of a routine but I have given the trust that I can fill that role and impact when I come on," he said ahead of Friday night's Gather Round fixture "The more times you do it the more you build a routine but it is hard sitting on the bench and not knowing if it will be the first five minutes or the last five minutes stay engaged enough in the game that I'm ready at any point but not too amped up that I lose energy I find if you're too involved sometimes you are actually using your energy on the bench so it's important to stay calm and relaxed so you're ready to impact." Long has had to earn every opportunity to date No club was prepared to offer him an instant return to the AFL when Hawthorn cut him "I do believe that [I can have a long-term AFL career]," he said "I feel like I always had the belief that I had a lot of AFL footy in me It's great to now have that security that I've got the next two years and really try and go to work and build my career over that period." Long had just landed in Adelaide to play for the VFL against the SANFL in Glenelg alongside former Magpies Cal Brown and Trent Bianco Long landed back in South Australia on Thursday morning to face Sydney at Adelaide Oval on Friday night If Long was tracking how many have turned up at the MCG since he reignited his AFL career the average is 73,236 across his nine games for the Magpies at the home of football Now a capacity crowd in Gather Round beckons A full-time career in sports technology will need to wait Collingwood midfielder Nick Daicos fronted the media in Adelaide today following the Pies' 31-point victory over the Swans Watch all the highlights from Collingwood midfielder Nick Daicos' 34-disposal effort in the Pies' Gather Round win over the Swans Watch all the highlights from Collingwood midfielder Steele Sidebottom's 28 disposal performance in the Pies' Round 5 win over the Swans Watch all the highlights from Collingwood midfielder Ned Long in the Pies' 31-point Gather Round victory over the Swans Hear from Ned Long following his career-best game of 29 disposals in Collingwood's 31-point victory against Sydney Collingwood Ruck Darcy Cameron reflects on playing his 100th AFL game against his former side Hear from Craig McRae following Collingwood's 31-point victory against the Sydney Swans Watch the highlights as Collingwood defeat the Sydney Swans at the Adelaide Oval Jack Crisp drilled home his first goal of 2025 Bobby Hill lights up the Adelaide Oval with the opening goal of the Gather Round