COLLINGWOOD can sew up the minor premiership with a win over Essendon at the MCG on Friday night to kick off the final round.
Both sides' form has been patchy of late, with Collingwood dropping three of its past four games to bring it back to the chasing pack of teams below it in the top four.
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The Bombers were smashed by Greater Western Sydney last round and had narrow wins over bottom sides North Melbourne and West Coast prior to that.
The Magpies (17-5) sit one game clear in top spot and will secure the minor premiership with a win, however a loss will see the Pies drop no lower than second.
Essendon (11-11) has the slimmest of hopes of making the eight, currently sitting in 10th spot on the ladder, one game behind eighth place. The Bombers would need to win by 100-plus points, the Giants lose to Carlton by 100-plus and the Bulldogs go down to Geelong.
The sides have already met once this season - in their annual Anzac Day clash - where the Magpies were victors by 13 points.
Brad Scott has lost six players - including Jake Stringer, Sam Draper and Peter Wright - to injury, but has named Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti as the sub for his farewell game after announcing his retirement during the week.
The Magpies have regained Jordan De Goey and Bobby Hill but will be without Nathan Murphy and last week's debutant Jakob Ryan. Fin Macrae will start as the sub for the Pies.
Essendon v Collingwood at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST
NO LATE CHANGES
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
Collingwood: Fin Macrae
