After a two-week hiatus, we are back for this weekend as the fight for finals spots heats up. Ahead of Round 18, we ask some of the big questions we have as we reach the twilight of the home and away season. Collingwood v Geelong How does Collingwood reconfigure their forward line? Collingwood’s injury woes have gone from bad to worse with Brody Mihocek, who has already missed parts of this year, set to miss the rest of the home and away season.
Combined with injuries to other key offensive players such as Mason Cox and Jamie Elliott, the Pies again find themselves in a familiar position in many games in 2024 where they lack a proper forward line. This has forced Craig McRae to play the likes of Nathan Kreuger and Billy Frampton up forward and whilst these players are still developing, it doesn’t appear to be the long-term solution for Collingwood’s forward line. More AFL One thing that worked reasonably well against Essendon last week was playing Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe up forward as the duo combined for five goals and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to be dangerous up forward.
With Geelong’s defence returning back to their best in the last two games, only conceding 59.5 points on average, McRae simply has to find a way to spark a potent forward line and prevent the likes of Tom Stewart from hurting the Pies on transition if Collingwood are to stay in touch with the best teams in the league. Sydney v North Melbourne Can the Swans bounce back and.
