Marvel or the moon, Pies unfazed by home venue shake-up

Coach Craig McRae is not too fussed about Collingwood taking on Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium. (Morgan Hancock/AAP PHOTOS)

Collingwood coach Craig McRae's former boss Damien Hardwick, then in charge of Richmond, famously declared he hated his side being forced to play home games three kilometres away from the MCG.

Hardwick implied the Tigers' legion of fans didn't turn up to Marvel Stadium because the AFL-owned venue lacked "soul" when compared to their regular base.

But Magpies mentor McRae approaches the necessary evil differently, unfazed by playing the odd home game at the Docklands venue to satisfy league contracts.

"We'll play on the moon, mate," McRae said ahead of Collingwood's clash with the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

"We don't care where we play. We'll go there and our fans will turn up - they always do - and we'll put on a good show.

"Friday night's a good opportunity for young guys who maybe haven't played (much) under lights and under the roof. It's an opportunity to show what they've got."

Collingwood, the league's MCG specialists, trounced interstate opponent West Coast by 66 points in their previous home fixture at Marvel Stadium in round 10.

This time, they face a Bulldogs outfit that is more familiar with the Docklands venue than almost every rival, playing more than half their games there.

Both sides have been smashed by injuries, adding an intriguing layer to the contest, with the Bulldogs losing leading goalkicker Aaron Naughton (knee) and in-form midfielder Ed Richards (concussion).

But McRae is wary of the Dogs, who sit 11th with a 5-6 record and the second-best percentage (121.3) in the competition behind ladder-leaders Sydney (10-1, 150.1 per cent).

"Percentage is a good reader of teams and theirs is really strong" McRae said.

"They can score really heavily and a couple of outs for them sort of helps us, but we've got a couple out too.

"They're a good clearance team, always have been, really good around the ball and contest and their hands out of stoppage is really strong.

"There's no easy games and we'll have to be at our best to get this job done."

Collingwood sit seventh and are unbeaten in their last eight games - six wins and two draws - after losing the opening three matches of their premiership defence.

They have lost Scott Pendlebury (arm), Brody Mihocek (hamstring), Mason Cox (knee/concussion) and Joe Richards (foot) in further injury blows this week.

Jeremy Howe (groin) and Jack Bytel (concussion) return from injuries, with Oleg Markov, Ash Johnson and Finlay Macrae also back.

The Bulldogs have recalled James O'Donnell, Lachlan McNeill and Rory Lobb in place of Anthony Scott (concussion), Richards and Naughton.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store