It's sudden death for the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood in the AFL's first ever wildcard match, with a spot in the finals proper up for grabs at the MCG.
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The Bulldogs' first foray forward costs them dearly, as the Pies find the opening goal with a slick move from half-back.
Daicos was involved in the chain, as was Swadling and Schultz, before the kick inside 50 hit the broad chest of McStay. His set shot was true, and the first goal is on the board.
Joel Freijah tackled Daicos over the boundary line and then briefly stood over the Collingwood champ. And boy, did he not like that.
Freijah stood up and copped a good couple of jumper punches before the umpire chucked the ball back in and everyone got on with the game.
Stuff it, we're getting into the spirit of things… finals are finally here! Time for the footy to really matter in 2026.
The ball is in the air and the Wildcard Round is underway.
If you were wondering whether the AFL was considering this game an "official" final, this might give you a hint. We're getting a full Welcome to Country and rendition of the national anthem before the bounce, as we do for the traditional finals.
And I've got to say, the roar that greeted the siren after the anthem certainly had a very finals-like edge to it. August 28 is close enough to September, I guess.
It's a Collingwood away game tonight, technically, but you can expect the MCG to have distinct black and white tint to it.
It's up to the Dogs and their inspirational captain Marcus Bontempelli to silence the Magpies faithful. Bounce not far away.
As per usual. The Magpies' maestro will be critical to his side's hopes tonight.
But why is that exactly? Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson have dug into the numbers to find out precisely what makes Daicos so good – and how the Dogs might be able to stop him.
