Geelong and Collingwood will lock horns in an enthralling contest on Thursday night, one that has the potential to shape the top eight in the final month of the home and away season.
The two sides currently sit in eighth and ninth on the ladder entering Round 21, with a victory imperative to stay within striking distance of the top six, looking to avoid the Wildcard Weekend.
Collingwood have hit their straps recently, winning six consecutive games to ignite their season which includes last week's impressive victory on the road, defeating Adelaide by 34 points.
They are led by the Daicos brothers and have a number of dangerous players right across the ground, but the Magpies have also evolved a very distinct style that is propelling them back into premiership contention.
With a monster clash on the horizon at the MCG, take a look through some of the key strengths of Collingwood's game, proudly presented by Deakin University.
2026 Ladder
Collingwood: 8th (11-7-1)
Geelong Cats: 9th (11-8)
Recent Games
2026, Round 9 - Geelong 18.14 (122) def. Collingwood 9.14 (68)
2025, Round 8 - Collingwood 12.15 (87) def. by Geelong 13.12 (90)
2024, Round 18 - Collingwood 10.11 (71) def. by Geelong 13.13 (91)
Deakin Performance Stat of the Week
The Handball Game
When combing through the stats, there is one standout feature of Collingwood's game and that is their ability to handball out of trouble, using it as a weapon to take ground and attack the front half of the ground.
In an era where this facet of the game has never been more important, the Magpies have developed their handballing prowess as the season has unfolded, now ranked second in the competition for handball metres per game (525.1).
Collingwood also rank second for metres per handball, third for total handballs and second for disposals without an opposition tackle, able to chain through the middle of the ground and set-up attacking forays.
It helps them to be the fifth best team in transition from defensive 50 to forward 50, while also able to generate scores from their back half better than most teams in the AFL.
The Magpies have generated more handball metres than their opponent in all bar one game this year, which just so happened to be the Cats in Round 9, something they will look to emulate on Thursday night.
Collingwood's 2026 Stats
| Statistic | Average | AFL Rank |
| Handball Metres Gained | 525.1 | 2nd |
| Metres Gained per Handball | 3.1 | 2nd |
| Total Handballs | 168.8 | 3rd |
| Transition from D50 to F50 | 25.0 | 5th |
| Disposals Without Opposition Tackle | 7.8 | 2nd |
Stopping Daicos: Josh Daicos
Nick Daicos is a superstar, one of the best players in the competition and every footy fan knows that, but his brother has been incredibly impressive in his own right so far in 2026.
Josh Daicos is a different prospect, more of a distributor off half back and a prime user for the Magpies, sitting second at the club and 16th in the AFL for total disposals this year.
He also ranks second at Collingwood for marks, fourth for inside 50s, second for rebound 50s and fourth for score involvements, while also sitting seventh in the league for uncontested possessions.
What has been most impressive however is Daicos' ability to use the football cleanly, going at more than 80% disposal efficiency across the season despite how many times he finds the footy, leading Collingwood for total effective kicks.
His consistency has also been outstanding, collecting 20 disposals or more in 17 of his 19 games this year, making Josh Daicos someone the Cats will need to put some time into on Thursday night.
Locking the Ball Inside 50
Pairing with their outstanding handball game, Collingwood are also exceptional at repelling the ball out of defence and turning it into attack, an area of the game that not many teams excel at.
The Magpies bring immense pressure around the football, ranking first in the AFL for pressure acts and second for tackles, which helps them to win the ball back around contests.
They average the second most rebound 50s per game (42.3) of any team in the league, while also having the fourth highest rebound 50 rate (77.2) of any team in the 2026 season.
But what makes this a dangerous area of their game is the ability to turn it into scores. Collingwood rank fourth in the AFL for transition from defensive 50 to scores, while also ranking fifth in transition from defensive 50 to forward 50.
They have scored more than their opponent from the defensive half in six of the last seven weeks, leading to a 6-1 record over that span, which will add extra importance to the pressure Geelong's forwards can apply on Thursday night.
