Round 12 - The Big Freeze 5
Collingwood v Melbourne
Monday, 10 June, 3.20pm AEST
MCG

12.00pm: MCC gates open

12.30pm: AFL + Public reserve opens

This year's match is an away game and Collingwood will now host Queen's Birthday in odd-numbered years.

Here's what all fans coming to the game need to know 

Members

Only Members with home + away game access can use their Membership to enter the game.

However with a large crowd expected, Home + Away Members are encouraged to upgrade to a reserved seat via Ticketek.

All other Members must purchase a General Admission ticket.

General admission

Tickets to the game can be purchased via Ticketek.

Fight MND's Big Freeze 5 is the headline of this year's Queen's Birthday match, with plenty going on pre-game:

RSVP to the Zurich Walk to the 'G - 11.30am at Federation Square

Join Neale Daniher and the red + blue army for the Zurich Walk to the 'G in support of Fight MND.

The event begins at 11.30am at Federation Square, with the walk leaving at 1.15pm.

Let us know if you're coming and RSVP HERE

There will be plenty on at Federation Square including:

• Big Freeze 5 beanie sales
• Zurich flag and collector cup giveaways
• Face painting
• Neale Daniher, Melbourne players and special guests in attendance

The Big Freeze 5 Beanies

Beanies are selling fast and fans are encouraged to buy online for $20 before they sell out!

You'll also be able to buy them at Federation Square and around the ground (between Gates 2 and 4) before the game, however supplies will be limited.

The Big Freeze slide - 2.00pm at the MCG

From 2.00pm, 15 former sports stars will brave the cold and slide into the ice in support of Fight MND.

This year they are:

• Dane Swan
• Lauren Jackson
• Bob Murphy
• Anna Meares
• Chris Judd
• Jobe Watson
• Liam Picken
• Brendan Fevola
• Bianca Chatfield
• Jimmy Bartel
• Nick Riewoldt

Public transport

Train

The ground is located in proximity to Jolimont and Richmond train stations.

Plan your trip to the game and view potential disruptions on PTV's Journey Planner.

Tram

The MCG is serviced by trams along Wellington Parade (Route 48 and 75) and the Olympic Park Light Rail (Route 70).

Car parking

All public parking will be closed at Yarra Park, with limited spaces available for mobility permit and pass holders from 8.30am at Gate 3.

Road closures

Brunton Avenue: 12.30pm - 6.50pm
Jolimont St and Jolimont Terrace: 12.30pm - 6.50pm
Wellington Parade: 5.50pm - 6.20pm

General Admission bays

Great Southern Stand
M1-M2
Q1-Q10
Q11-Q15 Rows K-DD

Ponsford Stand
Q31 Rows Q-MM
Q32 Rows N-MM
Q33 Rows Q-MM
Q34 Rows U-MM
Q35 Rows U-MM
Q36 Rows AA-MM

Olympic Stand
M56-M57
Q49-Q54 Rows S-MM
Q55 Rows K-MM

Please note the general admission areas are subject to change.

Look out for the screens displaying the map of available general admission areas on a match day, located inside each entry gate.

Cheer squad allocations

Collingwood: M33 Rows A-O
Melbourne: M3 Rows A-U

The Demon Shop on Brunton Avenue underneath the concourse will be open extra early from 11.30am on Queen's Birthday.

The shop will be open until 30 minutes after the game.

TV times

All broadcast info in local times.

Melbourne: Seven + Fox Footy – 2.00pm
Sydney: 7mate + Fox Footy – 2.00pm
Brisbane: 7mate + Fox Footy – 2.00pm
Adelaide: Seven + Fox Footy – 1.30pm
Perth: Seven + Fox Footy – 12.00pm
Tasmania: Seven + Fox Footy – 2.00pm
Canberra: 7mate + Fox Footy – 2.00pm
Darwin: Seven + Fox Footy – 1.30pm

For all other regions and radio info, refer to the AFL Broadcast Guide.

Mobile app

Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app.

Download it for iOS or Android.

Social media

Match hashtag: #AFLPiesDees

Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day.

VFL/VFLW double header

The Casey Demons will host Collingwood in a huge double header on Sunday.

VFL Round 10
Casey v Collingwood
Sunday June 9, 2.10pm
Casey Fields

VFLW Round 5
Casey v Collingwood
Sunday June 9, 11.30am
Casey Fields

Admission prices

Melbourne/Casey Demons Members: FREE when you present your card on entry
Adult General Admission: $10
Concession/Pensioner General Admission: $5
Children Under 15: Free

Coverage

Television

Channel Seven will broadcast the VFL match live in Victoria from 2.00pm.

Radio

Casey Radio 3SER 97.7FM will provide play-by-play coverage of both matches from 11.00am.

Social media

Follow the Casey Demons on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for behind-the-scenes + live coverage of the match.

TEN YEARS AFTER by Whispering Jack

There are many who would argue that Melbourne’s current woes go back a full decade to their Queens Birthday engagement of 2009 when the Demons selected a young VCE student Jack Watts to make his debut on the MCG in front of what was expected to be the club’s biggest crowd for a game described as the club’s “grand final in June”.

That was the way of the world for the Dean Bailey coached Demons. The critics were skeptical of Melbourne’s decision to put a wet behind the ears schoolboy (albeit that he was a number 1 draft pick) under such immense pressure in his first AFL game against a team that had a big edge in talent and experience. When Watts was tested out physically by a school of Magpies who corralled him in a corner, the critics screamed in condemnatory terms accusing the club of sacrificing its valuable young colt on the altar for some sort of public relations stunt. The cloud of that introduction hung darkly over the player, his coaches and club officialdom for years to come and it hovered there until Jack Watts and Melbourne parted company at the end of 2017.

The Demons were traveling along nicely playing an uncompromising brand of football at the half way mark of the following season but, when they came to their first Queens Birthday clash without Watts who by now, was happily ensconced outside of Victoria with Port Adelaide Power, they hit a massive snag. Max Gawn was beaten in the ruck by Brodie Grundy, Mason Cox returned to form and kicked five goals and the Pies’ midfield set up the prototype game to overcome Melbourne’s power charged on ball division. Collingwood’s last half yielded them 11 goals from 15 shots at goal. Sound familiar?

Twelve months down the track and the injury riddled, wayward Demons are placed 16th on the ladder and with hope of making the finals all but lost. Max Gawn remains a ruck force but his opponent Grundy has taken over the mantle of the AFL's premier ruckman. 

Melbourne has a few things going for it as it approaches the weekend’s Big Freeze game against the third-placed Pies. Their injury woes are moderating and a number of players are in the mix to return to the team and particularly to shore up the defence which has been leaking easy goals with regularity. There will be a lot more pressure applied to the opposition attack this week so that we might actually see a regular football score rather than the 14.6, 13.7, 9.6, 15.5 or 20.6 such as we’ve seen to date. The fact that Collingwood will have a few outs from injury might also help balance the ledger and the Magpies are also under the pump to avoid a second successive upset loss at the MCG which would send them back into the pack.

Last year, the Dees were the hunted but this time they are the hunters. They won’t make the mistake of throwing a young rookie into the fray as they did ten years ago but they probably won’t be able to make up the gulf in talent of the personnel available to each of the clubs either.

Collingwood by 27 points. 

THE GAME 
 
Melbourne v Collingwood at the MCG Monday 10 June, 2019 at 3.20pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 83 wins, Collingwood 148 wins, 5 drawn

At the MCG Melbourne 63 wins, Collingwood 81 wins, 3 drawn

Last Five Meetings Melbourne 3 wins, Collingwood  2 wins

The Coaches Goodwin 1 win, Buckley 2 wins

MEDIA

TV - Channel 7, Fox Footy Channel live at 3.00pm

Radio -  Triple M 3AW SEN ABC
 
LAST TIME THEY MET

Collingwood 20.13.133 defeated Melbourne 14.7.91 at the MCG in Round 12, 2018

The Demons came into the game as favourites but it was clear that the Magpies meant business. Brodie Grundy beat Max Gawn and this went a long way to nullifying the Melbourne midfield’s grunt. They managed to get the ball to the outside where they overran the Demons and Mason Cox finished them off with his height advantage up forward.

THE TEAMS  

COLLINGWOOD VFL

B Brayden Maynard  Jordan Roughead  Levi Greenwood 
HB Jack Crisp  Darcy Moore  Jeremy Howe 
C Tom Phillips  Scott Pendlebury  Chris Mayne 
HF Josh Thomas  Brody Mihocek  Will Hoskin-Elliott 
F Jaidyn Stephenson  Jordan De Goey  Callum L. Brown 
FOLL Brodie Grundy  Steele Sidebottom  Adam Treloar 
I/C James Aish Mason Cox Brayden Sier Travis Varcoe
EMG Ben Crocker Josh Daicos Isaac Quaynor Ben Reid

IN Mason Cox Brayden Sier           

OUT Dayne Beams (hip) Ben Reid (omitted)

MELBOURNE

B Michael Hibberd  Steven May  Jake Lever 
HB James Harmes  Sam Frost  Christian Salem 
C Bayley Fritsch  Jack Viney  Oskar Baker 
HF Nathan Jones  Tom McDonald  Jayden Hunt 
F Jeff Garlett  Sam Weideman  Christian Petracca 
FOLL Max Gawn  Angus Brayshaw  Clayton Oliver 
I/C Mitch Hannan Marty Hore  Tim Smith  Charlie Spargo
EMG Alex Neal-Bullen Braydon Preuss Billy Stretch Josh Wagner

IN Marty Hore Jake Lever Steven May Christian Salem 

OUT Jay Kennedy Harris (omitted) Oscar McDonald (omitted) Billy Stretch (omitted) Josh Wagner (omitted)

Injury list: Round 12

Marty Hore (calf) – test
Jake Lever (ankle) – test
Harry Petty (knee) – test
Corey Maynard (concussion) – 1 week
Jake Melksham (foot) – 4-6 weeks
Joel Smith (groin) – 4-6 weeks
Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 6-8 weeks
Neville Jetta (knee) – 6-8 weeks
Tom Sparrow (knee) – 8-10 weeks
Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite
Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season

Dont know why, but have this funny feeling we'll roll the pies this weekend 

Salem, Hore, May, Lever are MASSIVE ins for us.

2 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Dont know why, but have this funny feeling we'll roll the pies this weekend 

Salem, Hore, May, Lever are MASSIVE ins for us.

Huge ins. Still can't see us winning, but getting four of our six best defenders back in is big. Synergy may be a bit off, but it is miles on what we have in there currently. 

20 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Dont know why, but have this funny feeling we'll roll the pies this weekend 

Salem, Hore, May, Lever are MASSIVE ins for us.

Assuming any of them are fit.

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Dont know why, but have this funny feeling we'll roll the pies this weekend 

Salem, Hore, May, Lever are MASSIVE ins for us.

I get that same funny feeling literally every week for no real reason. My feeling brain is ultimately the architect of my frustrated weekends post-Melbourne game as a result. 

T Mac to kick 7 this week.

Kicked 6 in the corresponding game last year. No reason he can't better that.

26 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

T Mac to kick 7 this week.

Kicked 6 in the corresponding game last year. No reason he can't better that.

Brave statement based on his 2019 form 

MCG predicting 82,000 on Monday. It would be awesome if we see so many of their fans leave early. 

Am a Home and Away Member but still think it is unacceptable that Home Members have to buy a ticket to gain admission.

3 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

T Mac to kick 7 this week.

Kicked 6 in the corresponding game last year. No reason he can't better that.

I expect he might have 7 kicks this week. Hope I'm wrong.

Where are the goals going to come from? 3rd best defence versus third worst attack by the numbers. Monumental task. Goodwin has to take some risks starting with bringing in Preuss and releasing TMac further up the ground. Get it in there quickly, get crumbers around the big fella and maybe things fall our way. Same line up this week won’t gave a hope in Hades.

3 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I expect he might have 7 kicks this week. Hope I'm wrong.

I’ll get more detailed. With these  7 kicks He’ll kick 3 behinds  (his other 4 will be  2 out on the full,  1 didn’t make the distance from 35 and 1 a turnover upfield  ) but yeah... hope I’m wrong too. 

Dont we miss his form from last year! I hope whatever injury he’s carrying isn’t permenant and he can regain that elite level he was at last year. 

I'm not sure whether we can win this one but I don't think they will thrash us. I hate the description but it will likely be an honourable loss.

Buckley knows Viney can only play on his left side so he always parks a player there and takes him out of the game.  They then get the ball out on his side of the ground and run it forward to an open fwd line.  In many respects Viney is our weakest link vs the pies.  Perhaps we should put Viney on the wing and Brayshaw back in the middle to counteract Buckley's plan and put Gus back where he belongs.

Geez if they can't get up for Daniher's likely last....

Lever, May, Hore, Salem all named. JKH and Oscar out. Preuss, ANB on extended I/C, final team announced Saturday.

Edited June 6, 20195 yr by bing181

5 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Buckley knows Viney can only play on his left side so he always parks a player there and takes him out of the game.  They then get the ball out on his side of the ground and run it forward to an open fwd line.  In many respects Viney is our weakest link vs the pies.  Perhaps we should put Viney on the wing and Brayshaw back in the middle to counteract Buckley's plan and put Gus back where he belongs.

I heard an interesting suggestion on radio to play Viney in the forward six to help apply pressure and lock the ball in once we get it in there. Maybe jag a goal or two as well. 

Agree that Buckley has got him worked out in the middle. Need to spring a few surprises.

MCG game dont let last week fool you, we dont play this ground good when on the attack. Its going to be like the Anzac eve game with a gameplan of "We aint scoring so we are going to do everything to make you not score either." Defensive, low scoring slog with them to get away by a few goals at the end.

22 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Lever, May, Hore, Salem all named. JKH and Oscar out. Preuss, ANB on extended I/C, final team announced Saturday.

Extended I/C, my read is

Garlett/Spargo

Weideman/Preuss

Stretch/ANB

Wagner/Hibberd

Surely the Bold are in, unless injury concerns.

Off the extended bench, I’d like Weed, Hibbo, ANB and ........

 

Smithers, release the Preuss 

 

Edited June 6, 20195 yr by Deemented Are Go!

Hibberd, Preuss, Neal-Bullen, Garlett, Spargo, Stretch, J.Wagner all named for Casey (does that mean anything?)

2 minutes ago, SwissDee said:

Hibberd, Preuss, Neal-Bullen, Garlett, Spargo, Stretch, J.Wagner all named for Casey (does that mean anything?)

No. Extended bench always gets named in 2s 

Edited June 6, 20195 yr by Deemented Are Go!

A battle royale afoot.

My crystal balls, although well beyond prime, fortell someone to stand up & kick a bag for us.

1 minute ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

No. Extended bench always gets named in 2s 

Found it more interesting that Lever wasn't named in the extended team in the 2's

Lever being named on the field suggests they’re expecting him to play. He definitely won’t play in the VFL in any case.

Very hard to pick who’s in from the extended bench. I’d say Hibberd and Weideman are locks for in and Wagner is a lock for out (like for like player for Hore, obvious which player is better). After that, plenty of room to justify any of them.