VENUE & TIME: MCG, Saturday 28 August, 2.10pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 149, Hawthorn 55, Collingwood 94
LAST TIME: Collingwood 17.21 (123) def Hawthorn 8.11 (59), Round 4, 2010 at the MCG
WALKING WOUNDED: Grant Birchall is the latest addition to the Hawks' injury list. The hard-running defender strained a hamstring in Launceston last Saturday and could be sidelined for up to three weeks. Luke Hodge faces a fitness test on the knee injury he picked up against the Dockers and tests are likely as well for Rhan Hooper (general soreness) and Clinton Young (knee). For Collingwood, veteran defender Simon Prestigiacomo will miss with a quad injury while Alan Didak is in serious doubt after suffering a bruised shoulder against Adelaide last Friday night. Ben Reid will need to pass a fitness test on the quad injury that's kept him sidelined for the past fortnight.
FORM:
Hawthorn's Past Five:
Round 21: Win, 24.11 (155) - 5.9 (39) v Fremantle, Aurora Stadium
Round 20: Win, 15.9 (99) - 12.6 (78) v Melbourne, MCG
Round 19: Loss, 13.7 (85) - 19.15 (129) v Sydney, SCG
Round 18: Loss, 12.2 (84) - 13.14 (92) v Port Adelaide, AAMI Stadium
Round 17: Draw, 13.9 (87) - 14.3 (87) v St Kilda, Etihad Stadium
Collingwood's Past Five:
Round 21: Win, 6.18 (54) - 7.9 (51) v Adelaide, MCG
Round 20: Win, 24.18 (162) - 10.4 (64) v Essendon, MCG
Round 19: Win, 14.23 (107) - 12.13 (85) v Geelong, MCG
Round 18: Win, 15.15 (105) - 9.3 (57) v Carlton, MCG
Round 17: Win, 19.13 (127) - 6.9 (45) v Richmond, MCG
WHO'S HOT: Shaun Burgoyne enjoyed the best of his 14 outings in brown and gold against Fremantle at Aurora Stadium last Saturday. The former Port Adelaide star racked up 37 disposals and four goals - both season highs - to lead the way for the Hawks in their 116-point romp. Scott Pendlebury was a standout for Collingwood in last Saturday night's tight win over the Crows. The 22-year-old gathered a team-high 30 possessions and laid five tackles in the Pies' three-point win.
WE THINK: The Magpies' emphatic 64-point win over the Hawks in Round 4 this season snapped a four-game losing streak in head-to-head contests. The Pies are unbeaten since Round 10 when they fell to the Lions at the Gabba, though the Crows got to within three points of them last Saturday night. The Hawks are coming off successive wins over Freo by 116 points and Melbourne by 21 following a worrying spell which yielded just one win and a draw from the previous five games. They have the incentive of needing a win to claim a home final. The cloud over Luke Hodge is a concern for Hawthorn, though his form's been down over the past month or so. Lance Franklin looms as the major stumbling block for the Pies. He's averaged an impressive 4.5 goals per game against Collingwood in six career clashes. The Magpies evenness and consistency has earned them the minor premiership and should be enough to earn them the four premiership points on Saturday. It's Collingwood by 19 points.