It’s one of the biggest days on the football calendar and the 22nd edition of this famous match carries significant weight.
Collingwood are in need of a win to get its season back on track, while Essendon is armed with belief after a strong showing against finals fancy Geelong.
These are the Burning Questions.
Do the Bombers bat deep enough in the midfield?
For all Collingwood’s troubles over the last few weeks, their midfield still boasts talent and toughness.
Scott Pendlebury’s class is well known while Adam Treloar is becoming an influential player. Levi Greenwood and Taylor Adams offer grunt, while Steele Sidebottom provides the polish.
In Robert Shaw’s match preview he stressed the need to match the Magpies on the inside and then look to use the run of players like Orazio Fantasia, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Courtenay Dempsey on the outside.
The arrival of Darcy Parish and Craig Bird has added layers to the Essendon midfield while David Zaharakis’ form has been eye-catching.
Experienced heads Brendon Goddard, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes can all take their turn in the centre of the ground, while Kyle Langford is beginning to spend more time there.
The Bombers have the midfield numbers, but will need a strong effort across the board to get the win.
Have the Bombers found the right forward mix?
Essendon were good in most departments against the Cats, but it didn’t translate on the scoreboard.
Much of the Bombers attack was channeled through Joe Daniher and the experienced Geelong defence feasted on the predictability of the Dons forward entries.
John Worsfold has included Sam Grimley to provide the midfield with another marking target.
The former Hawk has had nine shots at goal in the first two rounds of the VFL season, for a return of four goals, five behinds.
Grimley is a good athlete and strong in the air. His role will be important. He doesn’t need to be a match winner, but he does need to be a threat to keep the Collingwood defence honest, and leave Daniher one on one as much as possible.
How will the Bombers cope on the big stage?
After the events of January, few expected an Essendon match to take on such meaning so early in the season. The Bombers have belief and Collingwood desperately need a win.
It is a new team under John Worsfold, but there are plenty of experienced players who have played on football’s biggest days.
James Gwilt, Brendon Goddard, Mathew Stokes, James Kelly and Craig Bird have played on Grand Final day, while others have tasted big finals and previous Anzac Day games.
That will hold them in good stead when they run on to the field on Monday.
For a number of others though, this will be the biggest game of their career to date. Michael Hartley was working in a hospital not that long ago, while Matt Dea, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Sam Grimley spent last season running around suburban grounds in the VFL.
It will be a new experience for them, but they’ve risen to every challenge so far this season – so there is no reason why they won’t step up again.
