Final teams in for Blues-Giants, Pies face Power. Follow LIVE
REIGNING premier Collingwood and Port Adelaide kick off a mouthwatering four-game Saturday when they clash at the MCG.
After a shaky start to their premiership defence with three lacklustre defeats, the Magpies (2-3) bounced back with consecutive victories before having the opportunity to reset with the bye last weekend.
MAGPIES v POWER Follow it LIVE
Port Adelaide (4-1) has only dropped one game this season - to Melbourne in round three - but only just edged past Fremantle at home last week.
The Power will be keen to show they can match it with the top-ranked teams and be considered a genuine contender, with this clash perhaps the ideal time to make that statement.
Charlie Dixon will miss the clash for Port, with Jordon Sweet being called up as a second ruckman alongside Ivan Soldo. The Magpies are unchanged after their bye, with veteran Scott Pendlebury named despite a rib issue.
Collingwood v Port Adelaide at the MCG, 1.45pm AEST
NO LATE CHANGES
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Reef McInnes
Port Adelaide: Jed McEntee
Ladder-leader Greater Western Sydney travels to take on Carlton at Marvel Stadium.
Both sides have been hit hard by injuries, with pivotal Giants Sam Taylor and Stephen Coniglio sidelined while the Blues will go in without Adam Saad, Mitch McGovern and Adam Cerra, among others,
BLUES v GIANTS Follow it LIVE
The Giants (5-0) were almost given a rude awakening last week when they put the cue in the rack too early against St Kilda, but held on for a one-point win to remain undefeated.
Carlton (4-1) was also on the wrong end of the scoreline, finally running out of lives when it was pipped by Adelaide after winning its previous six matches decided by a goal or less.
The clash with the Giants will give the Blues a much better idea of where they are placed, with this match the first in a long stretch of games for the club against top-four hopefuls.
Leek Aleer returns for his first AFL game in 609 days to take Sam Taylor's vacant defending spot, while Callan Ward has also been included for GWS in place of Stephen Coniglio. The Blues have lost Mitch McGovern and Adam Saad to hamstring injuries, recalling Lachie Cowan and Lewis Young after solid hitouts in the VFL.
Brisbane will be looking for its first win of the season at the Gabba when it hosts the undefeated Geelong.
Last year's beaten Grand Finalists are well on the way to turning their season around after their shock 0-3 start, chalking up their first win against North Melbourne before an impressive victory over Melbourne last week.
LIONS v CATS Follow it LIVE
The Lions (2-3) still have plenty of fine-tuning to do, especially in their forward half, but now have an opportunity to do that in more familiar surroundings while also beginning to rebuild their Gabba fortress.
Geelong (5-0) faces its biggest test of its campaign so far after doing all that it has needed to against arguably pedestrian opponents so far this season.
The Cats will now need to flick a switch to bring their best each week with the clash against the Lions the first in an extended stretch against top-four hopefuls.
The Cats have recalled Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Hawkins, while Zach Tuohy and Rhys Stanley will be rested. Jake Kolodjashnij has also been named, while Jarryd Lyons is into Brisbane's 23 to replace Zac Bailey (ankle).
In the final game of the day, West Coast and Fremantle lock horns in the Western Derby.
The Eagles (1-4) have not had much to celebrate in recent seasons but will be flying high coming into the Derby after their stirring victory over Richmond.
EAGLES v DOCKERS Follow it LIVE
West Coast's relatively comfortable win over a depleted Tigers side was built on a blend of the old and the new that showed enough to suggest that it might even be able to keep pace with the Dockers for the first time since 2021.
Fremantle (3-2) has let its commanding start to the season slip with a pair of narrow defeats, while the goals have dried up with only nine majors in each of its past three matches.
The Eagles might not be the pushovers that they have been in recent seasons, but the Dockers will still expect to equal their longest winning streak of six with another victory over their crosstown rivals.
Dom Sheed is back for his first game of the season to bolster the Eagles' midfield, while Matt Taberner is managed for the Dockers, who have brought in Sean Darcy after a knee injury.
