Macaffer has lifted his game again this season and restricted Richmond captain Trent Cotchin to just 13 largely ineffective disposals and completely minimised his influence on the game.
With close-checking tactics, it can often lead to raised tempers and scuffles off the ball. Something along these lines has been commonplace during Collingwood games so far this season.
When North closed its 2013 campaign against the Magpies, Macaffer tagged Daniel Wells but didn’t have a large say in how he played. North’s star midfielder had 21 disposals at almost 86 per cent efficiency and kicked two goals to be one of the better players on the park.
However the general flow of the Round 23 game was one of hard outside running and very few tackles. It would be a stretch to imagine Saturday’s encounter playing out the same way given it’s still early in the season with a lot to play for.
Elsewhere there are multiple threats for North to think about containing. In Scott Pendlebury, the Pies have a player who Brad Scott termed as the best in the competition outside Gary Ablett. After averaging 31.5 disposals in his two games against the Kangaroos last year – and 28 in his 10 career matches – there’ll be plenty for the coaching staff to think about.
Pendlebury has often gone head-to-head with a North midfielder, as has Dayne Beams. However where Beams differs from Pendlebury is the right footer tends to hit the scoreboard more often when he is in good form. Pendlebury averages just under a goal a game while Beams is on the other side of the equation.
In 2011 and 2012, Beams not only averaged 32 possessions a game versus North, but also kicked bags of two and three goals in those games. After an injury interrupted 2013, Beams has used a solid pre-season to bounce right back to his best – averaging a shade under 30 possessions a game.
Pendlebury and Beams as a one-two punch is impressive enough without mentioning the man who has been one of the most prolific possession winners in recent years – Dane Swan.
Despite a slow start, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Swan has averaged more than 30 possessions a game for each of the last five seasons. As Pendlebury and Beams attract more of the opposition’s attention, it allows Swan to fly under the radar.
In addition to the aforementioned two, Swan can also hit the scoreboard. As a trio it can hurt opposition teams with their ability to kick goals. Richmond coach Damien Hardwick made special mention of Collingwood’s midfield following last week’s game in an interview with the Tigers’ website.
“The mids were equal with contested possession. The place where they hurt us on the scoreboard is we kicked 2.4 from the midfield and they kicked 9.3.”
With an all-star midfield, North’s own brigade will have to be on the top of their games for the entire four quarters to notch up its fourth successive win.
