WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Saturday August 18, 7.40pm
LAST TIME: Collingwood 22.15 (147) d North Melbourne 3.12 (30), round 16, 2011, at the MCG

Collingwood's eight-point win over the Sydney Swans on Saturday night leveled the Pies on points with the top two sides and gave them a hope of sneaking into first or second, avoiding an away final in the first week. It was their best win for the year and came after a week where Dane Swan was suspended for breaking a team alcohol rule. North Melbourne's spirited win over Essendon has solidified the Roos' hold on the top eight but there's plenty to play out at that end of the ladder. They also impressed in their victory over the Bombers by doing it without Daniel Wells and Leigh Adams, who were injured in the opening minutes.

COLLINGWOOD

1. Dale Thomas suffered a corked thigh in the opening minutes of Saturday night but played until the second quarter when he was substituted for Alan Didak. The Pies maintain he'll be right to face the Kangaroos, while Simon Buckley and Caolan Mooney will have fitness tests on hamstring injuries. Tyson Goldsack will miss at least another week with the ankle injury he sustained against St Kilda.

2. With Ben Johnson impressing in the VFL on return from a shoulder reconstruction and Andrew Krakouer and Brent Macaffer getting through their second games back, the Pies are poised to enter the finals with almost a full list to pick from. Luke Ball, Lachlan Keeffe and promoted rookie Marley Williams are the only ones who won't take any further part in this season. After timing went against the Pies in the lead up to September last year, it appears they're much better placed this time around.

3. Swan missed Saturday's win and is a chance to join Johnson, Krakouer and Macaffer in the VFL this weekend as preparation for his return against West Coast in round 22. He trained last week with his teammates after the leadership group enforced his two-week suspension. If his attitude isn't affected by the sanction, will he return to the side in the blistering form he's previously shown after a break from the game?

4. Dayne Beams' emergence this season has been nothing short of remarkable, especially given his pre-season was affected by shin problems. Behind Swan, he's had the most disposals at the Pies and is ranked sixth in the competition, while he's kicked 23 goals, which leaves him placed second at the club behind Travis Cloke (45 goals). He's also had the second-most clearances (100) behind Swan (106), and is ahead of Scott Pendlebury (90). He stood out on Saturday night for not only his 34 disposals, but his match-winning goal - his third for the night - in the last 30 seconds.

NORTH MELBOURNE

1. North has lost its past four games to Collingwood by an average of 80.5 points. However, the Roos' 2012 form suggests they should be far more competitive against the Magpies this round. After struggling to beat the competition's top teams in Brad Scott's first two years as coach, the Roos have beaten reigning premier Geelong and second-placed Adelaide this season. They also head into this game on the back of an impressive 8-1 run.

2. North's midfield will be missing Leigh Adams (shoulder surgery) and, possibly, Daniel Wells (calf) against the Pies. Wells and Adams will be big losses for the Roos, but they will regain co-vice-captain Jack Ziebell after a four-week suspension. Despite missing six games this season, Ziebell is ranked third at North for clearances (67) and sets up his fellow Roos midfielders at stoppages with his strong bodywork.

3. Last season, Collingwood smashed North in uncontested possessions, 186-129 in round two and 272-201 in round 16. However, North's resurgence this season has been based on a high-possession game-plan that has them averaging 25.8 more uncontested possessions than their opponents this season (the third highest differential in the competition; the Magpies, -0.9 a game, are ranked ninth). North's playing style has stood up under considerable pressure in recent weeks but Collingwood's relentless all-ground defence will provide its toughest test to date.

4. Scott has stressed in recent weeks that he judges the output of his three tall forwards (Drew Petrie, Lachlan Hansen and Robbie Tarrant) as a group rather than individually. Petrie, Hansen and Tarrant have the height to stretch Collingwood's defence. They have also shared the goalkicking load in recent weeks, so Collingwood's defenders will need to be wary of zoning off them.

AFL.com.au prediction: Collingwood by 19 points.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL