It’s all or nothing this Sunday 21 July, as the Magpies begin their finals campaign against Essendon in an Elimination Final.
The two sides are no strangers - it’s a match-up that footy fans would dub the ‘Anthony Perito’ or ‘Sam Maraldo’ Cup as the now-Pies duo once lined up donning the sash in the Collingwood v Essendon 2021 VWFL Grand Final, where Collingwood become Premiers in a five-point thriller.
Last time they met
Finishing third on the ladder in 2024, the Magpies met fourth-placed Bombers in Round 7 and left the court 73-point winners.
It was the forward half dominance that was the story of the day. Patrick McKay was clinical with a nine-goal haul; one of his three 9+ goal performances this season. Captain Ben Jankovski also starred, scoring six goals alongside Perito’s five goals to ensure the Magpies held their lead all day.
Players to watch
The trio have found a more recent run in form too. McKay, Jankovski and Perito were unstoppable once again in an impressive 153-point victory over Hawthorn in Round 10 and will be looking to keep the momentum going into finals.
Magpie fans based in Tassie will be excited to see the return of it's National Championship Captain Josh Christian, who adds extra strength in the centre to an already stacked Collingwood side.
Collingwood’s backline will need to be at the top of its game to stop Essendon forward Caleb Logan, who has been its main scoring architect. Logan finished the season with 74 goals, and second in total as the league’s top-scorer.
Take in the action
The Magpie Army can stay updated with the VWFL team via the Official Collingwood website and social media channels.
Visit collingwoodfc.com.au, @collingwood_fc on Instagram and threads, @collingwoodfc on X (formerly Twitter), Collingwood Football Club on Facebook and YouTube for a range of behind-the-scenes content, the latest news and more.
Wheelchair footy at a glance
Played between two teams of five (5), plus interchange players.
The field is an indoor basketball/netball court and is divided into three zones: a centre zone and two scoring zones.
Players are restricted to which zone they can enter and are required to wear a coloured item to differentiate themselves as either a forward, centre or back.
Teams score by handballing or passing the football into their attacking scoring zone to the designated scorer, who can score a goal or behind by handballing the ball between the goal posts.
A mark is awarded when the ball has travelled three or more metres.
A handball is equivalent to a kick and a thrown ball equivalent to a pass. The ball may not be thrown overarm.
The game consists of four 10-minute quarters with no time-on.
