The changes
IN (extended squad): Mason Cox, Jamie Elliott, Jackson Ramsay, Matthew Scharenberg, Josh Thomas
OUT: James Aish, Ben Crocker (omitted)
What to expect
A look at the statistics in which Collingwood excels quickly gives a strong insight into their game-style.
The Pies rank first in the competition for marks and second for disposals, kicks and uncontested possession.
How this all translates to on-field performance is essentially a game of “keepings off”, where coach Nathan Buckley wants his side to own the ball by foot- kick, mark, kick, mark and so on.
Collingwood has clearly been able to execute this game-style commendably, and the statistics are proof of that.
But one could question the overall efficiency of this style, given that they rank 13th for points scored this season with just five wins to their name.
The Pies rank fourth in inside 50s for the year, averaging 56.4 entries a game, however the issue is they are only scoring at a lowly rate of 45% when going inside their forward 50.
They have struggled to generate potent targets within forward 50 this season, with Jamie Elliott being the only Pie to have reached the 20-goal threshold so far this year.
If the Hawks are to disrupt the Pies’ flow, players like Adam Treloar and Steele Sidebottom will have to be watched carefully, as they rank fifth and 17th respectively in the competition for uncontested possession.
Read: Hawks add three names to squad set to face Pies
Players to watch
Only Sam Jacobs and Shane Mumford have had more hit-outs than Brodie Grundy this season.
At just 23 years of age, Grundy is an up and coming star of the league.
No other ruckman in the league is averaging over 37 hit-outs and 18 disposals, while Grundy is also pacing the league’s ruck division for contested possessions with almost 10 per game.
One player who has benefitted from Grundy’s stand-out year has been Adam Treloar, who has also been one of the game’s prime-movers in 2017.
The former Giant is among just 11 players who averaging 30 possessions per game and has been a figure of consistency this year for the Pies, falling below 25 touches only once.
This midfield dynamic is pivotal to the Pies success and will require a strong team effort from the Hawks to quell their impact on the game’s outcome.
