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One thing like Darcy Cameron’s fortieth sport is perhaps a curious instrument for Collingwood forward of their Queen’s Birthday AFL blockbuster towards Melbourne.
Monday will deliver a season-defining conflict for the 2 groups, with the Demons out of the blue in strife and the Magpies decided to verify their top-eight bona fides on a large stage towards the reigning premiers.
Younger Collingwood defender Nathan Murphy and his teammates are properly conscious the league’s greatest workforce will come out firing towards them.
However amid all of the hyberbole for doubtlessly the sport of the season, the rising ‘Pies know that all of it comes again to themselves.
A living proof was final weekend, when Collingwood gained by 4 factors as Hawthorn stars Liam Shiels and Luke Breust performed their 250th video games … and Cameron performed his fortieth.
That is not usually one thing even price mentioning and Murphy chuckled as he defined the Collingwood pre-game assembly.
“The great thing about Fly (coach Craig McRae) and our coaches is we prefer to preserve it about ourselves,” Murphy stated.
“For instance, on the weekend, we knew Hawthorn had two gamers taking part in 250 video games.
“We did not need to get caught up in that, so we acquired round DC and began celebrating his fortieth sport.
“It softened the temper a bit – there have been messages from a number of the gamers and his girlfriend.
“On the identical time, it made everybody conscious that we’re an important folks going into the sport. We do not have to fret about them an excessive amount of.”
As an alternative, Collingwood are out to construct on three straight wins.
By contast, Melbourne’s profitable streak is over with two losses – however that is not the worst of their issues.
Fullback Stephen Might, one in all Melbourne’s most essential gamers, will miss the sport after a restaurant punch-on final weekend with teammate Jake Melksham.
Soiled linen additionally continues to be aired within the media about inner issues on the membership throughout their tumultuous 2020-21 low season, when premiership coach Simon Goodwin’s future was on the road.
Murphy’s twenty first AFL sport will most likely function his greatest crowd, with greater than 80,000 anticipated for the sport that doubles because the Massive Freeze fundraiser for Neale Daniher’s Battle MND marketing campaign.
He performed in final 12 months’s Anzac Day conflict and the sport towards Carlton a fortnight in the past featured 80,627 followers, so Murphy is aware of what’s coming.
However once more, it is all about how he and his teammates deal with the event.
“That is shaping as much as be the largest one, so I am bloody excited for that. 80,000 on the ‘G and it is towards Carlton and also you’re down by two factors – you do hear and really feel that much more than when it is 40,000,” he stated.
“I am extraordinarily fortunate. I’ve two of the very best leaders within the workforce and I would say within the comp, Howey and Darc (Jeremy Howe and Darcy Moore).
“We kind of work as a 3 and we simply find yourself smiling and simply attempt to take all of it in, as a result of we do not understand how for much longer we’ve got with it.
“Nevertheless it’s refreshing to know you may make a mistake, even with that kind of crowd, and it is all good.”
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