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Brisbane seek to take a huge step towards locking in a top two position when they travel to Marvel Stadium to face Collingwood. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:50pm (AEST).
With the top four looking set as we head towards the finals in a fortnight’s time, all that remains is the teams behind Collingwood to grapple for positions, with second a huge advantage, particularly for interstate team such as the Lions and Port Adelaide.
Chris Fagan’s men have continued to produce the results despite the terrible end to Will Ashcroft’s season. Adelaide, Fremantle and Geelong have been the most recent wins, with only a shock loss to Gold Coast blotting their copybook over the last month.
Home advantage looks to be the Lions’ biggest weapon; a win today would make a Gabba finals series likely before grand final day.
Collingwood have been the best team in the competition across the course of the season, yet find themselves in a spot of bother with the finals looming. The loss of Nick Diacos has been well documented, and Darcy Moore and Jordan De Goey are also absent this week. The depleted squad gives the Lions a clear chance to take the four points and demand Port Adelaide keep winning to maintain pace with them.
Team news sees Daicos, De Goey, Moore and Bobby Hill all out for the Pies, and Steele Sidebottom back into the 22 in what is a much-needed inclusion. The Lions, meanwhile, welcome back half-back Keidean Coleman, but will miss veteran Jack Gunston with a knee injury.
Prediction
In what looms as one of the games of the season and a match-up we could see repeated during the finals series, the Lions look clear favourites considering the Collingwood casualty ward.
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At a venue the Pies enjoy far less than the MCG, they should also have the quality to win in Melbourne against a Collingwood team with little to play for across the final two weeks of the season.
Brisbane by 19 points
Game Information
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne First bounce:7:50pm (AEST) TV: Channel 7, Fox Footy Streaming:Kayo Sports Betting: Magpies $2.00, Lions $1.81 – odds via PlayUp
Teams
Collingwood
B: J. Howe, B. Frampton, I. Quaynor
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HB: B. Maynard (c), N. Murphy, J. Noble
C: O. Markov, T. Adams, J. Daicos
HF: S. Pendlebury, B. Mihocek, W. Hoskin-Elliott
F: J. Elliott, D. McStay, J. Ginnivan
R: D. Cameron, J. Crisp, T. Mitchell
I/C: P. Lipinski, S. Sidebottom, J. Ryan, B. McCreery
EMG: E. Allan, R. McInnes, J. Carmichael, M. Cox
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IN: Ginnivan (R22 sub), Ryan, Sidebottom.
OUT: De Goey, Hill, Moore.
Brisbane
B: B. Starcevich, H. Andrews (c), J. Payne
HB: C. McKenna, R. Lester, D. Wilmot
C: H. McCluggage, J. Dunkley, D. Zorko
HF: C. Cameron, E. Hipwood, L. McCarthy
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F: C. Rayner, J. Daniher, Z. Bailey
R: O. McInerney, L. Neale (c), J. Berry
I/C: D. Robertson, C. Ah Chee, K. Coleman, J. Fletcher
