Magpies bracing for pressure-packed Swans

Collingwood coach Craig McRae has warned his gamers to be on guard for a high-pressure onslaught from Sydney of their AFL conflict.

The Swans are preventing to show their season round, having misplaced 4 of their final 5 matches amid a horror run of accidents to key gamers.

However McRae has been fast to level out the standard of Sydney’s opposition throughout that stretch, which introduced losses to Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Geelong and GWS.

The second-year Magpies mentor can also be cautious of the threatening hallmarks of John Longmire’s aspect – most notably stress.

The Swans have overwhelmed Collingwood of their final three conferences, together with final season’s preliminary closing thriller.

“It is our subsequent step ahead and we’re below no illusions about what the Swans are going to convey,” McRae stated forward of Sunday’s conflict on the MCG.

“In the event you take a look at the groups they’ve performed within the final 5 rounds, they’re (largely) within the eight and proper on the high of the ladder.

“We all know what’s coming and we have to be prepared.

“They’re the No.1 stress workforce within the competitors.

“They have a soar on us the previous couple of instances we have performed them so we will should convey our A-game.”

Mason Cox will make a welcome return from a spleen damage to steer Collingwood’s ruck towards Swans pair Peter Ladhams and Hayden McLean.

The American-born 211cm goal’s comeback after 5 weeks on the sidelines will permit Billy Frampton to return to defence, the place Sydney famous person Lance Franklin lies in wait.

Franklin kicked a season-best three objectives in final week’s single-point derby defeat to GWS after a fortnight out by means of damage.

The tally meant he overtook Collingwood legend Gordon Coventry because the participant who has kicked a number of objectives in probably the most AFL/VFL video games (257 instances).

“You at all times put together for gamers at their greatest and Buddy (Franklin) is likely one of the most-targeted gamers of their workforce,” McRae stated.

“In the event you’re not in your sport he’ll get quite a lot of alternatives to show the good strengths that he has.”

Stylish veteran Scott Pendlebury is again for Collingwood after per week out with a watch damage, with Nathan Kreuger (ribs) and Jack Ginnivan (omitted) out.

The Swans have recalled Robbie Fox and Justin McInerney, dropping Aaron Francis, Angus Sheldrick and Dylan Stephens.

In a quirk of the fixture, Sunday’s conflict would be the first Collingwood-Sydney assembly in Melbourne since 2013.

The Swans maintain a 6-4 file of their Sydney contests during the last decade, whereas the Magpies gained the 2020 battle on impartial turf on the Gabba.

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