When Collingwood last prepared to face North Melbourne in a late-season dead rubber, the uncertain future of Nathan Buckley and Brad Scott was just about the only source of intrigue.
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A lot can change in 12 months. Buckley and Scott have repaid the faith after signing new deals, their teams are playing scintillating football that has them in the hunt for finals and Saturday's replay at the MCG is suddenly a must-watch.
The Kangaroos sit ninth on the ladder and can ill-afford to slip up with Hawthorn, Adelaide and Essendon breathing down their necks.
Collingwood hold third spot but are just two wins clear of the Roos and face a nightmare run home with games against Richmond, Sydney and Port Adelaide.
The return of towering American Mason Cox is a major boost for the Magpies given his importance to their structure, while the continued absence of tagger Ben Jacobs (delayed concussion symptoms) is a blow for the Roos.
Scott's ability to swing powerfully built backman Majak Daw forward alongside Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown remains an ace up his sleeve.
"Trying to stretch them is an option but we also want to be able to pressure them in our forward half," Scott said.
"Majak's been primarily played down back for us this year and there's a good chance that with Mason Cox coming back in, maybe Majak goes back as well."
North are the only team other than ladder leaders Richmond not to have incurred consecutive losses this season.
A key question is whether their fast-paced style, so well-suited to Etihad Stadium, will hold up at the MCG in just their fourth visit since the 2015 finals.
"We love going there but we also love playing at Blundstone Area in Hobart and we love playing at Etihad Stadium too," Scott said.
"We'd love an even spread across all three but I don't think that's going to happen."
Injuries continue to trouble the Pies but key defender Darcy Moore's confident return from a hamstring issue was a shining light in last week's 35-point loss to West Coast.
"Our tall-small balance will look very similar to how it has for the majority of the year," Buckley said.
"We probably lost a couple more one-on-ones behind the ball than we have on average this year, playing against some pretty good players in Kennedy and Darling. But it was good to get Darcy back in the mix and I thought that his signs were encouraging."
Australian Associated Press
