Key events
20CharactersNoSpaces is wearing their heart on their sleeve. But I’m very confident their email will only put a smile on the faces of one-eyed Magpies fans.
“I’m hoping for a Lions win, as I reckon then it’ll be a great grand final match up, and barracking against the Pies because I’m unimpressed with their feral supporters (the same reason I’m rapt that the Crows went out in straight sets). Hope it’s a great game!”
Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury is set to play his ninth preliminary final as the standout in a side that relies on the experience and composure of their many veterans as much as the class of Nick Daicos and brute force of Jordan De Goey.
Jonathan Horn says the Magpies are showing that the “too old, too slow” slight is not only outdated. For the likes of Pendlebury, it has turned into a badge of honour.
Listening to a man itemise his hot/cold routine is just about the most boring thing a grown adult can do. But it’s the tedious, meticulous stuff in late October that allows him the full expression of his game in September. And it’s a joy to watch him play in moments like that – to watch him conducting a game, to watch him compute and solve the game’s problems, and to navigate its chokepoints.
The similarly ageless Patrick Dangerfield leaves divots, bruises and trauma. Pendlebury doesn’t leave a trace. He hovers above the game, popping in where he sees fit, like a cat hopping on a lap.
Here is how Collingwood and Brisbane have been named.
COLLINGWOOD
B: Billy Frampton, Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard
HB: Harry Perryman, Dan Houston, Isaac Quaynor
C: Josh Daicos, Jordan De Goey, Ned Long
HF: Steele Sidebottom, Tim Membrey, Patrick Lipinski
F: Jamie Elliott, Mason Cox, Lachie Schultz
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Scott Pendlebury, Nick Daicos
I/C: Jack Crisp, Beau McCreery, Jeremy Howe, Brody Mihocek
Sub: Roan Steele
BRISBANE
B: Dayne Zorko, Darcy Gardiner, Ryan Lester
HB: Darcy Wilmot, Harris Andrews, Brandon Starcevich
C: Hugh McCluggage, Levi Ashcroft, Jarrod Berry
HF: Charlie Cameron, Ty Gallop, Zac Bailey
F: Cam Rayner, Logan Morris, Callum Ah Chee
FOLL: Darcy Fort, Josh Dunkley, Will Ashcroft
I/C: Kai Lohmann, Jaspa Fletcher, Sam Marshall, Oscar McInerney
Sub: Bruce Reville
Final teams
Teams are in with no further changes.
Collingwood name Roan Steele as their sub just as he was in their qualifying final victory over Adelaide a couple of weeks ago. Bruce Reville is Brisbane’s 23rd players, also backing up in the role that he took on in the semi-final win over Gold Coast last weekend at the Gabba.
The Magpies recall Jeremy Howe with the defender recovering from a groin injury sustained in the last round of the home and away season. The 35-year-old has played just twice since round 18 but comes in at the expense of youngster Wil Parker. Brody Mihocek will play after overcoming a toe issue, but the Magpies leave out 2023 Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill.
The Lions line up with the same 23 players that beat the Suns with Lachie Neale still on the sidelines due to a calf injury.
Collingwood and their team packed with veterans are benefiting from a week off either side of their qualifying final win over Adelaide, while they lead the league for pressure and tackles that help define their game.
Brisbane will have to take the long route to reach the grand final but showed last year that they can overcome that hurdle, and with a deep onball brigade are the best of the remaining three teams at taking command at the stoppages.
Here is where the game will be won – and lost.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the AFL preliminary final between Collingwood and Brisbane at the MCG. If you feel like we’ve been here before, you’re not too far wrong. This pair of modern-day powerhouses meet again at the pointy end of the season in a rematch of the 2023 grand final. But, this time, the past two AFL premiers are playing for a spot in the decider against Geelong next Saturday.
This is the first time the duo have faced off in a preliminary final, after the Lions won a pair of classic grand finals in 2002-03, and the Pies took the honours in a 2003 qualifying final sandwiched between. More recently, they shared their two clashes so far this season with the Pies making an early-season statement with a 52-point win at the Gabba, while the Lions turned the tables for a 27-point triumph at this same venue in round 21.
The reigning premiers are in their fourth consecutive preliminary final and seeking a third straight grand final spot, while the Pies are just as familiar with this stage – this is their third trip to the penultimate week of the season in coach Craig McRae’s four-year reign.
First bounce will be at 5.15pm local time / AEST. Team news will be coming shortly. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let’s get into it!
