The biggest home and away game of the AFL season has arrived as Collingwood faces Essendon in the traditional Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG.
The Magpies (5-1, 136.6%) are the hottest team in the league, with five straight wins rocketing them into top spot on the ladder.
The Bombers (3-2, 92.7%) have also found form recently, winning three straight matches.
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Anzac Day also marks the 244th straight game played by premiership Magpie Jack Crisp, which draws him equal with Melbourne legend Jim Stynes for most consecutive VFL/AFL games played.
Crisp has played in every possible game since moving to Collingwood, with his record run dating back to Round 18, 2014.
“It obviously means a lot,” Crisp told Fox Footy last week. “When you grow up, all you wanted to do was play AFL football as a kid and then I was able to live out that dream early days – with Collingwood got that opportunity to play some consistent football.
“(Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley) Bucks had faith in me obviously from the start … and then here we are 10 years later still going.
“You probably say a little luck goes into football every game but I don’t shy away from changing anything with occasions coming up.
“I still go hard at the footy. I do everything I do like fly for the ball in the air, go hard at the ground.”
Essendon has won just one of the last six Anzac Day games (2021), but five of those games were close including four decided by 13 points or less.
Last year’s 85-all draw was the second in the fixture’s history, after the 111-all draw in the first meeting in 1995. Collingwood leads the all-time series 17-2-10.
The match gets underway at 3:20pm AEST from the MCG. Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504) and stream it on Kayo Sports.
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