The Magpies and the Bulldogs will clash on Friday night AFL in a vital match for both teams.
Collingwood haven’t lost since Round 2, but with two draws in their record, they are in the middle of the pack inside the top eight and will want to win to get their heads into the top four, rather than risk battling finals from the lower half of the eight. Last week’s draw against Fremantle was one that they probably feel slipped through their fingers, and now with a hefty injury toll, the pressure will be on to maintain their spot.
In big news, skipper Scott Pendlebury will join Mason Cox, Brody Mihocek and Joe Richards on the sidelines from the side that played last week.
For the Bulldogs it’s probably even more crucial as they languish with a negative record in 11th place. On paper, their list looks like it should be playing finals, but they continue to under-deliver amid constant whispers of discontent with head coach Luke Beveridge. The Dogs can answer the critics here with a win over a premiership contender, and with a very good percentage, finals is still on the cards for the men from the west.
Draftstars continue to offer massive prize pools with the Friday night main contest being worth $60,000 along with their usual variety of alternate contests:
- AFL $60,000+ Magpies v Bulldogs
- AFL $5,000+ Magpies v Bulldogs High Roller ($150 Entry)
- AFL $3,000+ Magpies v Bulldogs Mini ($2 Entry)
The AFL Star contest is back for 2024 and Draftstars are offering the biggest prize pool in Australian DFS history with a $1 million guaranteed final with $250,000 top prize! There are qualifiers and satellites running for every AFL match, while there will also be a sprinkling of qualifiers across other sports such as NRL and NBA.
Meanwhile the 1000 AFL Target contests are set to return to Draftstars for the first time since 2018. Enter the contest and hit the 1000-point barrier with your team to scoop the jackpot!
Betting Markets
Collingwood ($1.90) vs Western Bulldogs ($1.94)
Line: Collingwood -0.5
Points: 170.5
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Weather
Melbourne - Partly cloudy, 16 degrees
No issues with the evening weather in Melbourne as we’ll be snuggled up safely under the roof at Marvel.
Where to Attack?
While the Bulldogs are pretty solid across the board in terms of conceding points to the opposition this season, Collingwood have been exploitable to opposition defenders.
Last week, we saw Luke Ryan (144) and Jordan Clark (128) rack up massive numbers as the designated kickers, while Heath Chapman (88), Brandon Walker (82) and Alex Pearce (73) all hit value. The Dogs have a number of players in the defensive half who like to rack up easy possession so look to link them together.
On the positive side for the Pies, they continue to be tough to play against for opposition ruckmen. Sean Darcy (83) and Luke Jackson (67) both had average scores last week, while Darcy Cameron pumped out a 117. He won’t have Mason Cox as backup this week, but maybe that will be a good thing as Tim English has historically been a soft match up.
Game script: Bulldogs defenders, Collingwood ruck
VALUE PLAYS
Will Parker ($6,000) looked handy in limited minutes for Collingwood on debut last week. Where Ed Allan appeared out of his depth and has been omitted, Parker came in as the sub and seemed to get involved quickly with 6 touches and 26 points in his 36% game time to hold his spot in the side. If he gets a full game, he might be worth considering. If Parker is the sub then Jack Bytel ($6,000) might be the pivot as he should get a run through the midfield at budget price.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan ($9,600) might be a sneaky point-of-difference play this week. With Aaron Naughton out through injury, JUH will step up as the main man in the Dogs forward line which is something he might just relish. There will be more space for him to operate and he’ll be the main target more often. It’s a good match up against some inexperienced defenders and if you think the Dogs can win then JUH is your man!
MID PRICED PLAYS
Riley Sanders ($10,440) looks a good option this week in the absence of both Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards through concussion. Sanders has been biding his time in the VFL, pumping out big numbers, and he finally got a chance last week after a late out and an early injury. In 76% game time he picked up 20 disposals and a fantasy score of 70. Should get more responsibility here and looks to have a decent floor with good upside with a couple of 80s earlier in the season.
Darcy Cameron ($13,510) is my pick in the ruck in this one as outlined above. He has been tough to score against all season, while pumping out solid numbers himself with a 90.5 season average and a 117 last week. No Mason Cox this week to share duties with and while Tim English has improved over the years, he isn’t the toughest to score against.
PREMIUM PLAYS
Jack Crisp ($14,240) is starting to get up there in price but his recent numbers tell the story of a positive shift into the core Collingwood midfield. Since De Goey went out, Crisp has been getting a big spike in CBAs - up to 83% last week - and has pumped out 93, 130, 118 and 105 in his last four. His role looks strong and should have no trouble finding plenty of ball again.
Nick Daicos ($16,470) is back to his best in recent weeks and quickly gaining ground in the hunt for his first Brownlow medal. His season average is up to 107.7 after 122, 131, 115 and 133 in his last four matches. With no De Goey, Mitchell or Pendlebury, it will be all left on the shoulders of young Daicos to run amok in the middle. Another big score looks likely!
Suggested Draftstars Team
AFL Fantasy Cheat Sheet
