COLD AS ICE by JVM

Two teams whose recent records have been disappointing meet on Saturday afternoon at the MCG. The Magpies are on a five game losing streak, their last win coming against the GWS Giants in the week after Queens Birthday. That was the day that Mummy, Phil Davis and Joel Patfull all got injured and the Giants fell apart conceding eight final quarter goals in what became a 42 point defeat. A week earlier, it also took a resounding final term for the Magpies to prevail over their old rivals, the Demons.

For its part, Melbourne has also been disappointing with two wins (Geelong and Brisbane), some narrow defeats (St. Kilda and Essendon) and a couple of beltings (West Coast and St. Kilda, the second time around).

Both teams can lay claim to being young and inexperienced and use that to explain away their indifferent form. You could also say that the form of both teams is as cold as ice (or snow in the case of the MFC ) However, most people would still see the Magpies' form as more encouraging than the Demons.

Whilst Collingwoods run of losses has been disastrous to its finals prospects, the defeats have in the main been gallant as they have struggled with injury and still come close to beating some of the competition's leading lights like Fremantle and Hawthorn. Recently, they have had to soldier on without Travis Cloke and Jamie Elliott who between them kicked 10 goals straight and registered 200 dream team points on Queens Birthday.

With both players highly in doubt to take their places in their team this week, you would have thought Collingwood might start underdogs but hey ... the opposition is Melbourne, a team that's flakey and never too comfortable with the prospect of being the favourite. In fact, the Demons are more likely to perform well when they're down and out ... so perhaps there's hope for them.

THE GAME

Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG Saturday 1 August 2015 at 2.10pm (AEST)

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Collingwood 146 wins Melbourne 79 wins 5 drawn

At the MCG Collingwood 79 wins Melbourne 54 wins 3 drawn

Last Five Meetings Collingwood 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins

The Coaches: Buckley 2 wins Roos 0 wins

MEDIA

TV - Fox Sports 3 at 2.00pm (live)

Radio - Triple M 3AW

THE BETTING

Collingwood $1.31 to win Melbourne $3.45 to win

LAST TIME THEY MET

Collingwood 17.8.110 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 at MCG in Round 10, 2015

It was a game where both teams played in fits and starts but the Demons were forced to play catch up footy for most of the afternoon after Travis Cloke burst out of the blocks with a bang and smashed the previously untouchable Tom McDonald. Melbourne made a good fist of catching up, doing so twice in the space of the afternoon before a goaless final quarter finished them off.

TEAMS

COLLINGWOOD

B: Tom Langdon, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams

HB: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Brayden Maynard

C: Paul Seedsman, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom

HF: Sam Dwyer, Darcy Moore, Jordan De Hoey

F: Alex Fasolo, Brodie Grundy, Jamie Elliott

Foll: Jarrod Witts, Jack Crisp, Scott Pendlebury

I/C: Tyson Goldsack, Levi Greenwood, Paul Seedsman, Travis Varcoe

EMG: Jarryd Blair, Jonathon Marsh, Matthew Scharenberg

IN: Taylor Adams, Sam Dwyer, Jamie Elliott, Paul Seedsman

OUT: Jarryd Blair (omitted), Ben Kennedy (omitted), Adam Oxley (rested), Jesse White (omitted)

MELBOURNE

B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta

HB: Daniel Cross, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe

C: Jack Grimes, Dom Tyson, Heritier Lumumba

HF: Angus Brayshaw, Chris Dawes, Bernie Vince

F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts

Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney

I/C: James Harmes, Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Aaron vandenBerg

EMG: Mark Jamar, Matt Jones, Jordie McKenzie

IN: Alex Neal-Bullen

OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted)

There are two games of AFL being played on Saturday afternoon and historically at least, you would have thought a Collingwood v Melbourne clash would easily overshadow the one down the highway between Geelong and the Brisbane Lions. After all, the two teams doing battle at the MCG were once the biggest show in town when they clashed, they're won plenty of premierships between them and they've produced some fascinating and famous past contests.

Not so these days. The Pies are facing their sixth defeat in a row - something they haven't done since 2005 when you could have sworn they were tanking for draft picks. Melbourne is looking at a fifth consecutive game in which it has been unable to exceed 60 points and its opposition in its three past games have occupied the bottom third of the ladder, a fact that is so completely damning of its playing style, skills and the decision-making of those who make up its team, that some of its staunchest and most loyal supporters are wondering whether it's really worthwhile turning up to the game.

If there is a silver lining for the Demons, it's the fact that the two players instrumental in destroying them on Queens Birthday, Cloke and Oxley, will be watching from the stands and another in Elliott was looking proppy earlier in the week and even ruled out of this game by some at the club. However, it may not matter because the Pies seem to have discovered a new goal kicking ace in Darcy Moore who booted five last Sunday against the Bulldogs and, let's face it, anyone can fill the role that Oxley played if they're allowed to play the extra man in defence while their presence goes completely ignored by an opposing side that continually bombs the ball up making it all the more difficult for its own forwards to take marks and outnumbered if the ball hits the ground.

Melbournes midfield led by Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince and Jack Viney can be relied upon to toil away and work hard but that's not enough. Apart from the possibility of a few sparks of excitement from Jesse Hogan and Angus Brayshaw and another strong ruck performance from Max Gawn, there's little for the Demon fans or anyone else for that matter to get excited about in what was once billed as one of the great clashes of traditional rivals of our game.

Collingwood by 42 points in a low scoring, dull affair that will make many wish they were in sleepy hollow or just home by the fireside.