Pie's Face Gold, As the Achilles Heal of Essendon strikes again.

Collingwood will go into the 2025 Anzac Day clash against the Bombers as heavy favourites after comfortably defeating both of last year's grand finalists, Sydney and Brisbane, over the last two weeks. They continue to defy the age issue with some of their older veterans—Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Howe, and Elliott—putting up impressive numbers in 2025.

Up north at the Hangar, Essendon will be without their first ruck option, Sam Draper, who has had a stellar start to his 2025 campaign. This is a massive blow for Essendon, as their second option will now have to go up against Darcy Cameron—or will they? Essendon are likely to pick veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein as Draper’s replacement. Goldstein hasn’t played senior footy since Round 20 last year against Adelaide. They may also be without tank runner Xavier Duursma, who was taken to hospital after the Bombers' two-point win over the West Coast Eagles. Duursma suffered a blow late in the last quarter and told the medical team he had never felt so winded before.

Is this an opportunity for Collingwood to use Essendon’s injury cloud to rest players and introduce the young talent the Pies have to offer? Collingwood could rest ruckman Darcy Cameron, as he has a tough month of footy ahead. The Pies face Geelong and Fremantle, who are likely to play star ruck duo Sam Darcy and Luke Jackson within the space of five days. An extra week off for Cameron could help the star Pie prepare for his next two challenges.

To make this possible, the Pies would need to play ageing American Mason Cox as the number one ruck option and bring back veteran forward Tim Membrey to share the load as the second ruck with Dan McStay.

Collingwood could also manage Scott Pendlebury or Steele Sidebottom to ensure the duo are as prepared as possible for the next month of footy, especially as the Anzac Day clash should be a walkover for the Pies. Ned Long, Ed Allen, or promising young mid Finlay Macrae could be possible inclusions and step up on such a big occasion.

Essendon, though unlikely to stand a chance against the flag favourites, shouldn’t be taken lightly. Brad Scott’s men are aiming for their third straight win, led by captain Zach Merrett, who is in All-Australian form.

Collingwood sit comfortably on top of the Premiership Ladder, and the strategic resting of key players could help solidify them as the best team in the competition.