Collingwood have expressed their desire to no longer be part of the AFL’s much-maligned Opening Round moving forward, expressing displeasure with consecutive interstate fixtures to open their last two seasons.
The mini-round, ostensibly added to the fixture in an attempt to have the league take advantage of the NRL beginning their season in Las Vegas, was brought in in 2024, and features the four NSW and Queensland-based clubs hosting Victorian counterparts – though the two Queensland matches were cancelled in 2025 due to the threat of Cyclone Alfred.
The Magpies are the only Victorian team to have been involved in both Opening Rounds to date, having lost back-to-back matches to GWS in Sydney, and according to Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary, they have had enough.
“They [Collingwood] have told the AFL they are done with playing Opening Round,” Cleary said on 7 News Melbourne.
“While they are in favour of the concept overall, they don’t want to travel next year, much like Carlton lobbied for this year.
“The Pies are the only club to travel in both years of Opening Round to date, losing both games, and want the load shared.
“It’s set to be a key talking point at the CEOs meeting in Gather Round next week.”
The Magpies have long courted controversy for their suggested lack of travel compared to several other clubs – most notably having not played a match against Geelong in Geelong since 1999.
The Pies’ request saw social media light up with mockery, with the Giants’ X page, long renowned for its humour, not missing the chance to sink the boots in.
The Giants later added a request of their own to play more games at the MCG next season, with just one match at the venue for the entire 2025 home-and-away season – their Round 1 win over Melbourne.
The concept of Opening Round itself has proved unpopular among fans since its inception, with the reduced amount of matches and lack of games in Victoria leading to accusations of an anticlimactic start to the season.
Blues make McKay call for blockbuster as Pies team makes history
Carlton coach Michael Voss has shut down questions around Harry McKay’s availability as the star forward will miss a third-straight game due to personal reasons.
McKay has sat out the last two weeks, with Voss confirming last week the left-footer needed time out from playing in the AFL.
Carlton had previously ruled McKay out of facing Hawthorn due to unspecified illness, later confirming it was mental-health related.
The 27-year-old trained on Tuesday, but was absent from Carlton’s captain’s run on Wednesday and was not named in the Blues’ team.
“I probably won’t go into the ‘H’ stuff,” Voss said earlier on Wednesday when asked about McKay’s availability.
“I think the important thing for us is that we don’t get into dialogue weekly about where he’s at.
“I think we’ve been pretty sound on our position as a club, that when he’s named in the team he’ll be ready to go.”
When pressed if he knew whether McKay would be ready, Voss repeated his previous answer.
“I think as an industry, we have been really supportive, and I think for us that that’s where we need to stay right now,” Voss added.
Harry McKay will again miss Carlton’s Round 4 clash with Collingwood. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
After a 0-3 start to the season, Carlton’s clash with their arch-rivals shapes as one of the most important matches of Voss’s four-year tenure at Ikon Park.
Small forward Will White will make his AFL debut, just 38 days after being signed to Carlton’s list as a replacement for No.3 draft pick Jagga Smith, who suffered an ACL injury in the pre-season.
After letting Matt Owies go to West Coast in the off-season, the Blues have struggled for goals out of their small forwards.
Carlton had just four goal-kickers – Brodie Kemp, Charlie Curnow, Lewis Young and Jesse Motlop – in last Friday night’s loss against the Western Bulldogs.
Carlton have made three changes, with only utility Matt Cottrell injured and unavailable.
Small forward Francis Evans and defender Jordan Boyd make way for Ashton Moir and Cooper Lord.
Elijah Hollands, who took personal leave on the eve of the season, will make his comeback via Carlton’s VFL team this weekend.
“Elijah’s been able to take some time away from the club, but I guess over the last little while he’s had more presence within our program,” Voss said.
“I guess how he finds his way back into the team is by putting in a solid performance.”
Collingwood have picked premiership player Billy Frampton as the replacement for injured young defender Reef McInnes.
Set for a breakout season, 22-year-old McInnes ruptured his ACL in the Magpies’ last-start win against the Western Bulldogs and won’t play again this year.
Premiership veteran Mason Cox has been axed in favour of forward Brody Mihocek, who missed the clash with the Bulldogs due to soreness.
Remarkably, the Pies’ team on Thursday night will be the oldest in VFL/AFL history, with an average age of 28 years and 275 days – beating the previous record set by Geelong in their victorious 2022 grand final.
After winning 10 of their last 12 matches against Carlton, Collingwood will start as warm favourites to move to 3-1 and send their bitter rivals to 0-4.
The Magpies won both games last season by combined tally of nine points.
(with AAP)
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/0fwGaKB News: ‘Want the load shared’ – Pies’ Opening Round request mocked, Blues make McKay call for blockbuster
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