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The Greater Western Sydney Giants host the Collingwood Magpies in a match-up of injury-plagued teams hoping to make the top four of the 2019 AFL season.
GWS Giants
The Greater Western Sydney Giants have gone from second to sixth in the last month and now have lost star midfielder Stephen Coniglio for the rest of the season. Coniglio escaped an ACL injury but has been ruled him out of the rest of season. The injury happened during the Giants’ 9.13 (67) -13.16 (94) loss to Richmond last Sunday. Now the Giants’ enter next Saturday’s match against Collingwood Magpies as the betting underdog without their star player.
Collingwood Magpies
The Collingwood Magpies are currently the #2 team in the AFL with a record of 11 wins and five losses. They have scored a total of 44 points in the AFL table and are 8 points behind league leaders the Geelong Cats. The Magpies have been on a steady decline in the past month but kept their Top 4 hopes alive with an 11.12 (78) to 12.5 (77) win over West Coast last Friday night.
Who Wins?
The Greater Western Sydney Giants have won just once in their last five games played. Meanwhile, Collingwood is 3-2 SU in their last five games played. Head to head, GWS has won three out of their last five games against Collingwood. However, Collingwood won their most recent outing 9.15 (69)-9.5 (59).
There’s no question that The Collingwood Magpies are having the better season. They are 2nd in the current AFL standings while Greater Western Sydney is just in 6th place and out of a Top 4 spot. However, injuries may be the main story of Saturday’s match-up between the Magpies and Giants.
Collingwood Skipper Scott Pendlebury hurt his finger while Darcy More injured his hamstring during the Magpies’ thrilling one-point win against the Eagles last Friday. The two aren’t expected to make the trip to Sydney for Saturday’s match against the Giants.
Before the two got hurt, Collingwood was looking to get some much-needed reprieve with the return of defender Jeremy Howe who has missed their last three games with a calf injury. Likewise, midfielder Jeremy Adams who is making his long-awaited return from an abductor issue. Instead, the return of Howe and Adams will only offset the loss of Pendlebury and Moore.
The Magpies are already without star Dayne Beams who is out with a hip injury. The team is also without forward Jaidyn Stephenson, Daniel Wells, Tom Langdon, and Ben Reid. On the other hand, the Giants are without star midfielder Stephen Coniglio who hurt his knee against Richmond last Sunday. Josh Kelly, Jonathan Patton, and Callan Ward.
When you take a look at the injury list of both squads, it’s definitely a long list. I really would’ve loved to pick the underdogs at a better value. However, the injury to Coniglio is a tough blow to the Giants’ goal of making the top four. On the other side, Collington has played with an injury-depleted line-up for quite some time now and are where they are in the standings despite their early struggles. Prediction: Collingwood Magpies
