Anzac Day, Essendon v Collingwood

ESSENDON v COLLINGWOOD

• Where and When: MCG, Wednesday April 25, 2.40pm
• Head to Head: Essendon 96 wins, Collingwood 114 wins, four draws.
• Last Time: Essendon 10.14 (74) d Collingwood 9.7 (61), round 19, 2006, at MCG.

SUMMARY This is the biggest match of the home-and-away series – and arguably the most passionately supported game of the entire season, along with the two preliminary finals, given that the Grand Final sees an unusually high number of uncommitted spectators. The pre-match atmosphere is soul-stirring, and Essendon and Collingwood usually put on a passionate contest to honour the Anzac tradition. The Bombers are back and firing – second on the ladder, with a 3-1 record spoiled only by the fadeout against Carlton in round three. They’ve already won as many matches as they did for the entire 2006 season. The return of skipper Matthew Lloyd and the injection of pace in the midfield and up-forward are obvious reasons for the turnaround, but so too is the renaissance of Adam McPhee on the half-back line after being hampered by osteitis for the past two seasons. Things are not so chirpy in Magpieland, where injuries are threatening to derail Collingwood’s season. Captain Nathan Buckley still has not appeared in 2007; acting skipper James Clement has missed a couple of games, and terrier midfielder Paul Licuria is expected to miss the Anzac Day clash. Other key Magpies are in doubt. There will be much invocation of the Anzac spirit in the next couple of days at the Lexus Centre. match review found at www.afl.com.au