Posted May 10, 2011 15:47:00 Collingwood defender Harry O'Brien says not much time will be spent analysing recent wins over a Geelong side which has clearly changed its game plan, as the two AFL superpowers prepare to clash at the MCG on Friday night.
A 22-point Magpies win in round 19 last year, followed by their 41-point romp in the preliminary final, led to a widespread belief Geelong's golden era was over.
Instead, the Cats have adapted under new coach Chris Scott and sit alongside the Magpies as the only unbeaten teams after seven rounds.
Friday night's blockbuster will be the match of the season so far and O'Brien said the Pies can take some confidence from their recent performances against the Cats.
"You can take out some confidence, they had the measure over us for probably four or five years," O'Brien said.
"Last year, for us to be able to beat them was quite a big thing for us.
"You do take a lot out of that, but we haven't analysed last year's games because we know they've tweaked a few things.
"But you can go into a game with confidence, knowing you can beat that team."
One potential issue for Collingwood is it is coming off the bye, a problem for several teams this season.
"We can't go by what other teams have done and I know teams haven't won games after the break," O'Brien said.
"But if I take myself back (to) last year, we started to gain our momentum after the mid-season break.
"I know it's a bit earlier, but we'll soon find out."
Captain Nick Maxwell, midfielder Ben Johnson and defender Chris Tarrant are all coming off injuries, but O'Brien said the only definite exclusion he knew of would be ruckman Darren Jolly.
"He's our number one ruckman, but we think Cameron Wood is an adequate ruckman," O'Brien said of Jolly's absence with a recurring knee injury.
"He'll be trying his hardest with this opportunity he has to take the next step in his football development and add something to his team."
The Cats are expected to field a near full-strength side, with captain Cameron Ling (hamstring) and forward Steve Johnson (shoulder) both likely to return from injury.
Ruckman Brad Ottens should also play, despite being subbed off with soreness in their most recent match.
Scott said the match will test just how good his side really is.
He said the Magpies' game plan had not changed much since last year and the Cats, like the rest of the competition, were working to catch up.
But he said even if they did not win this time, they expected to be much-improved by the time they met again in the final home and away round.
"I don't think we're playing our best football, I firmly believe that's still to come. But I think we're in pretty good shape to test ourselves," he said.
"But this is not the be-all and end-all.
"We'll put our best foot forward and we're desperate to win the game, but whatever happens we've got the big picture in mind."
-ABC/AAP
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