“Overture, curtains, lights

This is it, the night of nights

No more rehearsing and nursing a part

We know every part by heart

“Overture, curtains, lights

This is it, you'll hit the heights

And oh what heights we’ll hit

On with the show this is it” 

Yes folks. This is it - the culmination of the season.  

The final act.

Way back in March we contemplated the possibility of a Demon resurgence after Simon Goodwin’s summer of love. Many issues at the club had seemingly been addressed, key players were returning from injury and a brand new day was about to dawn. We imagined the coach pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The team would roar up the charts, push aside every opponent and make its way to a Grand Final ending in ultimate triumph with Goody and Max holding the premiership cup aloft under a shower of red and blue ticker tape.

Now, all we have is Friday night, our Grand Final against an old enemy. Two teams that are on the ropes, but only one has the ability to get off the canvas and live to fight another day. 

And that’s the crux of the issue. Since they lost the opening game of the season to the Giants in a cliffhanger finish that could have gone either way, the Demons have lacked direction and purpose. The season was always going to end in a not so grand final, destined for one final failure. And who else but the Magpies, rising from the floor like a bloodied Rocky Balboa to deliver the final blow?

Those familiar with my work would be aware that I am typically an optimist, but this week, a struggling Melbourne has nothing to play for - not even pride, a measure that fell by the wayside after Hawthorn comfortably demolished it last week with hardly a whimper in response except for a final-minute yelp. 

On the other hand, Collingwood might well be stuttering its way into the finals with five losses and a solitary unconvincing victory over wooden spooners Richmond in its past six outings, but don’t be fooled. 

They still have an outside chance of securing an unlikely top-two finish and must win to maintain the double chance, so they will be fighting vigorously to not only win but also to do so by the largest margin possible. Their problem last week was one familiar to Demon fans: a lack of forward connection. The narrow three-point loss against Adelaide came after generating 71 inside 50s to the Crows’ 37!

The problem is that Melbourne’s once much vaunted defence is no longer what it used to be in the absence of Jake Lever and with the slowing down of Steven May who has been hampered by injuries this season.

With the Daicos brothers usually unstoppable in situations such as the one facing them on Saturday night, that Demon defence will be under pressure from the very start with only the expected ruck domination to be garnered by their captain Max Gawn standing in the way.

Melbourne has been Collingwood’s bunny in recent seasons with four consecutive losses. Yes, they did come within one point of the Magpies on Kings Birthday and, in hindsight, the outcome could have cost the Pies a top four and possibly finals finish but that sort of opportunity doesn’t come all that often and the team blew it. 

Back then, the Demons were on the MCG stage, Simon Goodwin was coaching them to be positive and attacking and their flickering dream of a late season revival was still alive. The curtain has rapidly fallen on that scene.

Collingwood by 38 points.

THE GAME

Collingwood v Melbourne at the MCG Friday 22 August 2025 at 7.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD 

Overall Collingwood 157 wins Melbourne 85 wins 5 drawn
At the MCG Collingwood 89 wins Melbourne 64 wins 3 drawn
Last five meetings Collingwood 4 wins Melbourne 1 win
The Coaches McCrae 0 wins Chaplin 0 wins

LAST TIME THEY MET

Collingwood 11.6.72 defeated Melbourne 10.11.71 at the MCG in Round 13 2025

Max Gawn was outstanding in the ruck and Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett kicked three goals each in a close encounter won by the more accurate Magpies who fell across the line by the narrowest of margins.

THE TEAMS 

COLLINGWOOD 

B B. Maynard, D. Moore, J. Howe

HB H. Perryman, J. Daicos, I. Quaynor

C S. Sidebottom, J. Crisp, R. Steele

HF J. De Goey, T. Membrey, L. Schultz

F J. Elliott, D. McStay, B. McCreery

FOLL D. Cameron, N. Long, N. Daicos

I/C B. Frampton, D. Houston, P. Lipinski, B. Mihocek, S. Pendlebury

EMG W. Parker, E. Allan, M. Cox

IN J. Howe, R. Steele

OUT E. Allan (omitted), W. Parker (omitted)

MELBOURNE 

B D. Turner, S. May, C. Salem

HB J. McVee, T. McDonald, J. Bowey

C E. Langdon, C. Petracca, H. Langford

HF J. Culley, B. Fritsch, K. Chandler

F K. Pickett, J. Van Rooyen, T. Sparrow

FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, J. Viney

I/C B. Howes, J. Melksham, H. Petty, T. Rivers, H. Sharp

EMG B. Laurie, T. Campbell, A. Johnson

NO CHANGE

Injury List: Round 24

Oliver Sestan — face / available 

Jack Henderson — groin / TBC

Matt Jefferson — toe / TBC

Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season

Jake Lever — ankle/ season

Xavier Lindsay — hamstring / season

Shane McAdam — Achilles / season

Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

Caleb Windsor — hamstring / season

I used to hate it when Malthouse referred to Collingwood v Melbourne as our Grand Final

Hate it even more coming from Melbourne fans

If you could be guaranteed that the players would turn up to provide a hard fought contest fairly overseen by umpires not influenced by the baying majority of supporters you might attend.

The humiliation of last weeks effort and the condescending smugness of the Hawthorn supporters was bad enough but navigating a Collingwood dominated supporter crowd is just not worth it.

54 minutes ago, Go the Biff said:

I used to hate it when Malthouse referred to Collingwood v Melbourne as our Grand Final

Hate it even more coming from Melbourne fans

Sadly, on this year's performances we deserved the put down.