Traditional rivals.

For the 235th time.

On centre stage. 

Collingwood Media breaks down the key numbers, names and narratives ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster.

Head to Head
Overall
Collingwood - 128
Essendon – 102
Draws – 4

At the MCG
Collingwood – 31
Essendon – 34
Draws - 2

Largest crowds (during the H&A season)
94,825 – Round 4, 1995
93,373 – Round 5, 2013
91,731 – Round 6, 2014
91, 234 – Round 4, 2006
90,508 – Round 5, 2007

Essendon’s recent form
Round 15 - Essendon 11.16 (82) def by Brisbane 13.12 (92) at Etihad Stadium
Round 14 - Essendon 12.13 (85) def by Sydney 11.20 (86) at the SCG
Round 13 – Essendon 19.17 (131) def Port Adelaide 8.13 (61) at Etihad Stadium
Round 12 – Essendon 15.11 (101) def by GWS 18.9 (117) at Spotless Stadium
Round 11 – Essendon 10.6 (66) def by Richmond 11.15 (81) at the MCG

Last five times we’ve met
Round 5, 2017 – Essendon 15.10 (100) def Collingwood 11.16 (82) at the MCG
Round 5, 2016 – Collingwood 22.10 (142) def Essendon 11.7 (73) at the MCG
Round 23, 2015 – Essendon 14.11 (95) def Collingwood 14.8 (92) at the MCG
Round 4, 2015 – Collingwood 9.15 (69) def Essendon 6.13 (49) at the MCG
Round 17, 2014 – Essendon 16.7 (103) def Collingwood 5.9 (39) at the MCG

Essendon’s injury list
Patrick Ambrose (quad) – 2-3 weeks
Mitch Brown (ankle) – 6-7 weeks
Ben McNeice (neck) - test

Avenging Anzac Day’s result
The taste of this year’s Anzac Day defeat won’t sit well with the Magpie Army.

Saturday’s rematch will give the men in Black and White a chance to atone for the 18-point loss earlier this season.

Essendon forward Joe Daniher will once again be the player to watch after he dominated the Magpies with a best afield performance on Anzac Day which included his collecting 16 disposals, eight marks and kicking 3.4.

What have the coaches said?

JOHN WORSFOLD
“It’s always going to be fierce (between the two clubs) and that’s what is great about the game,” the Essendon coach said at his media press conference this week.

“It would be great to have a huge crowd to see this clash because it’s really important clash for both teams.

“We are not assessing them as a team that’s a lot lower than us on the ladder and therefore not performing well.

“It’s two teams out of the eight, fighting to stay in the race for the eight.”

NATHAN BUCKLEY
“We’ve lost a couple of games. It’s getting closer to the end of the year,” the Collingwood coach said this week when asked about the media scrutiny.

“There’s a lot to like about our youth, and the development…in this season.

“We’ve shown some pretty positive signs and played some pretty competitive football, we haven’t won as many games as we would have liked…it’s the little things that you need to get right.

“This week (against Essendon), our focus will be to make sure we get (those things) right to try and turn the close losses into wins. That’s our challenge week by week.”



Buckley and Worsfold shake hands ahead of the first bounce on Anzac Day earlier this season. Image: AFL Photos.

ESSENDON’S SQUAD
B: Mark Baguely, Michael Hartley, Andrew McGrath
HB: Brendon Goddard, Michael Hurley, James Kelly
C: Zach Merrett, Dyson Heppell, Martin Gleeson
HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, Darcy Parish
F: James Stewart, Joe Daniher, Josh Green
Foll: Tom Bellchambers, Jobe Watson, Travis Colyer
Int: David Zaharakis, David Myers, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Conor McKenna