Collingwood aren’t tasked with touring typically however once they do it’s with model.
The Magpies made a really informal entrance into Perth forward of their conflict with the lowly Eagles on Saturday.
Plenty of followers had been readily available to welcome the buoyant league leaders with Brayden Maynard poking his tongue for the cameras whereas skipper Darcy Moore had tales to share.
Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury was even caught stretching.
There’s little doubt the Pies can be in a really completely different place for the sport with West Coast set to get a style of the tougher facet of Collingwood wunderkid Nick Daicos because the Magpies mull unleashing him in midfield.
Speaking on the teen extensively tipped to win this yr’s Brownlow, Tom Mitchell — a person who has already acquired one — says he’d love Daicos lining up alongside him in midfield.
The 19-year-old’s time inside shot as much as greater than 40 per cent in a win over North Melbourrne final week. He had 32 disposals, a purpose and a team-high seven clearances, defying critics of his contest work.
“Hopefully, he has been really good when he’s had the opportunity in there,” he informed The West Australian.
“But I think he’s quite damaging at half-back as well. We’ll figure our plans out with what we’re going to do.
“Not only Nick, but a lot of our players, we’ve got a lot of flexibility in being able to adapt and play multiple positions.”
It’s that flexibility that leaves Adam Simpson cautious of sending a tagger to the Pies’ son-of-a-gun.
Xavier O’Neill is the Eagle most certainly to do a run-with job, however let Essendon ball magnet Zach Merrett run with none shut minding final week.
“We’ll have a look at doing it, but we might not as well. I’m sure they’ve gone through every scenario already,” Simpson informed reporters.
“He’s a young player but he seems to work through it pretty well. He’s got fair support with his teammates as well.
“The reason it’s a challenge is he can play on-ball, wing, half-forward, so to do that you’ve got to disrupt a fair bit of what you’ve got to do and it doesn’t mean you win anyway.
“That’s what teams weigh up and that’s why it’s not happening every week.”
It’s simply the second time Daicos has performed in Perth, the primary being a win over Fremantle final week that stamped the Magpies as real finals contenders.
Mitchell wasn’t part of the Collingwood staff that suffered a shock loss to West Coast on their technique to a preliminary last look final season, but he’s nonetheless conscious of a midfield that has been bolstered by the return of Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo in latest weeks.
“They’re really strong through the midfield,” Mitchell stated.
“Kelly, Gaff, Sheed, Yeo — they’re very strong through that area of the ground, so we definitely won’t take them lightly because they’re very damaging at their best.”
That midfield will on Saturday afternoon embrace two rucks. The Eagles dumped Callum Jamieson in a late change final week, however he has been reinstated to battle Collingwood’s duo of Mason Cox and Western Australian product Darcy Cameron.
Bailey Williams dominated the hit-out depend towards Essendon large man Sam Draper final week, however his staff nonetheless misplaced the clearance battle — with Josh Rotham serving as back-up.
Cameron, who returned from a knee damage towards Carlton a fortnight in the past, didn’t shrink back from admitting final yr’s defeat to the Eagles stung. Something they’ve became a driver.
“We used that one as motivation, last year they won two games for the year and one of them was against us,” he stated.
“We use that as motivation and a way to fuel us for tomorrow afternoon.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
