Thursday only AFL Round 9 match is between Port Adelaide Power and Fremantle Dockers with the game to be played at Adelaide Oval. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7.50pm with away team Collingwood Magpies currently holding favouritism. View our AFL live scores, odds and results for the game between Port Adelaide Power and Fremantle Dockers.

Round: Round 9, Thursday May 15, 7.50pm
Stadium: Adelaide Oval
Weather: 23° Mostly sunny

Odds Comparison:

Adelaide Crows	2.80	2.80	2.80	2.80	2.80	2.85
Collingwood Magpies	1.46	1.45	1.46	1.45	1.46	1.45

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

A MASSIVE crowd is expected for this big clash on Thursday night and it’s a game in which Adelaide can’t afford to again sadden its supporters. A win would square the Crows’ season up to 4-4 and that’s enough to offer the club’s players some hope of salvaging the year. Lose, and a place in the final eight at season’s end would seem unlikely. Collingwood’s recent form is imposing to say the least. The Magpies are looking for their fifth straight win and with several key players available for selection, and despite the return of star Crow Taylor Walker, they appear very difficult to beat.

LAST FIVE TIMES
R16, 2013, Collingwood 17.9 (111) d Adelaide 12.12 (84) at the MCG
R9, 2012, Collingwood 10.15 (75) d Adelaide 6.13 (49) at AAMI Stadium
R9, 2011, Collingwood 20.15 (135) d Adelaide 14.8 (92) at Etihad Stadium
R21, 2010, Collingwood 6.18 (54) d Adelaide 7.9 (51) at the MCG
1SF, 2009, Collingwood 12.11 (83) d Adelaide 11.12 (78) at the MCG

THE SIX POINTS

1. Adelaide and Collingwood meet for the 37^th time but it’s the Magpies who have dominated, winning 25 games to 11. The Crows have lost eight of the last nine.

2. The Magpies are ranked equal fourth in 2014 for marks inside 50, averaging just under 14 a game. Travis Cloke is equal eighth for the stat so far (19 marks inside 50), after being the number one player in 2013.

3. The Crows have struggled on the inside of the contest this year and are ranked 16^th for contested possessions, averaging 134 a game. That’s compared to the League’s best, Gold Coast, which is averaging 157 a game.

4. This contest may well break the Adelaide attendance record between these sides, which currently sits at 48,522 from round 22, 1993 at AAMI Stadium.

5. Tackling continues to trouble the Crows; they’re ranked 16^th for tackles, averaging 62 a game, while Collingwood is third with 73 a game.

6. Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and Adelaide’s acting co-captain Patrick Dangerfield are in the middle of a battle for second spot in the Official AFL Player Ratings. Dangerfield holds second by just 15 points.

Teams:

Adelaide Power
Backs: K.Hartigan B.Rutten L.Brown
Half Backs: B.Smith D.Talia M.Jaensch
Centreline: R.Sloane S.Thompson D.Mackay
Half Forwards: M.Crouch J.Jenkins M.Wright
Forwards: J.Podsiadly T.Walker E.Betts
Followers: S.Jacobs P.Dangerfield R.Douglas
Interchange: S.Kerridge R.Laird B.Martin C.Cameron
Emergencies: J.Petrenko S.Shaw M.Grigg
In: B.Rutten, R.Douglas, B.Martin, T.Walker, C.Cameron

Out: B.Reilly (Omitted), J.Petrenko (omitted), T.Lynch (Jaw), S.Shaw (omitted), M.Grigg (omitted)

Collingwood Magpies
Backs: N.Maxwell J.Frost M.Williams
Half Backs: A.Toovey L.Keeffe T.Langdon
Centreline: H.Lumumba B.Macaffer D.Swan
Half Forwards: S.Dwyer J.White S.Sidebottom
Forwards: J.Elliott T.Cloke T.Goldsack
Followers: B.Grundy D.Beams S.Pendlebury
Interchange: J.Blair L.Ball C.Young J.Witts
Emergencies: A.Fasolo N.Brown J.Thomas
In: N.Maxwell, A.Toovey, C.Young
Out: J.Thomas (Omitted), T.Adams (omitted), B.Kennedy (omitted)

News:

After weeks of counting bodies in the treatment room, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley faces an embarrassment of riches for Thursday night’s match against Adelaide.

Nick Maxwell, Alan Toovey, Alex Fasolo and Clinton Young have all passed fitness tests and will push their selection claims.

The biggest problem now for Buckley is striking the right balance between keeping faith with a winning side and returning players back into the fold.

“We lost two thirds of our backline between the Essendon game and the Carlton game, and we’re going to get two thirds of it back so there’s going to be a bit of manipulating to do,” Buckley said.

“There’s far more players worthy of selection then there will be spots.”

“We’ve got a squad of 28-29 players who have legitimately got claims … we’ve just got to get the mix right.”

Buckley committed to picking his best line-up each week rather than rotating his squad as he seeks to continue the Magpies’ winning ways.

Their 5-2 record comes despite their surprisingly poor kicking and disposal efficiency – Collingwood are last in the league for both.

Still, they’ve managed to beat all-comers this year save powerhouses Fremantle and Geelong.

That suggests Collingwood have much improvement this season. And with a month ahead which includes Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Melbourne, the Magpies could start to build towards September placed very nicely.

Collingwood’s first trip to play on Adelaide Oval is likely to coincide with Taylor Walker’s return to the Crows line-up.

“We’re looking forward to testing ourselves against a side that has played at their best in patches and were starting to find that momentum before the contest against Melbourne last week,” he said.

“Walker probably creates a little bit of a different dynamic … we won’t be under-estimating him.”

While he wouldn’t declare any of his returning players certain starters, he did say key position player Ben Reid’s calf injury left him a couple of weeks short from his first appearance of the season.