Melbourne defender Christian Salem says the Demons have timed their run into finals much better in 2023, admitting they \u201cran out of gas\u201d in their premiership defence last season.<\/p>\n
The Demons were eliminated in straight sets last season after winning five of their final eight home and away games to finish second.<\/p>\n
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Melbourne\u2019s Christian Salem and Collingwood\u2019s Scott Pendlebury know this Thursday\u2019s qualifying final between their teams is crucial to their respective premiership aspirations.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim\/Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n By contrast, this year they have won seven of their past eight matches to finish fourth and hit the qualifying final confident they can beat Collingwood, despite the Magpies being on top all but one week since round seven.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year we are in a great spot to attack it physically and mentally, and our game is in good shape. But in saying that, it is a whole new season with a fresh slate,\u201d Salem said.<\/p>\n The Demons will head into the match at the MCG on Thursday night as slight underdogs.<\/p>\n Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury said on Sunday his team had emerged from a slight slump to play much better football in the final three rounds. Although the Magpies won just two of their final five matches in the regular season, the 380-game veteran noticed a shift in the final round against Essendon.<\/p>\n Scott Pendlebury will enter his 29th final on Thursday night.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n Pendlebury noted Collingwood\u2019s ability to limit Essendon\u2019s ball movement in round 24, an indication that their full-ground team defence was getting back to its best. They also scored 64 points from turnovers.<\/p>\n He said the fact Collingwood qualified for the top four early might have had an impact on their late-season form.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just off that final five to 10 per cent, and that is all you need to be off in that competition, and once we got through that little bit of a rough patch, we played pretty well,\u201d Pendlebury said. \u201cThat last game was super-important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Magpies\u2019 legion of fans were also helping drive the team in their quest for a 16th premiership.<\/p>\n The Magpies have attracted just one crowd of less than 60,000 at the MCG this season \u2013 a Mother\u2019s Day clash against the Giants \u2013 and Pendlebury said he expected Collingwood\u2019s fans would outnumber, and drown out the sound made by, Melbourne supporters as both teams attempt to qualify for a home preliminary final.<\/p>\n Speaking after training in front of about 3000 fans on Sunday morning, the former Magpies skipper was confident the team would play well.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the fans at the moment are driving a lot of the [team\u2019s] momentum. [They will] turn the place over there [the MCG] into a colosseum for us,\u201d Pendlebury said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different season now, the pressure goes up in games and I feel like our game is in good shape. [It\u2019s] going to be a cracking contest.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [Melbourne] know what we want to do. We know what they want to do, and it just comes down to: \u2018go out there, execute\u2019. Finals are a small margin, so hopefully we can look after those things.\u201d<\/p>\n The veteran, who stood aside as captain at the end of 2022, allowing for Darcy Moore to take over, won the Norm Smith Medal in the grand final rematch of 2010 and has played in four grand finals (including the 2010 draw). He will play his 29th final on Thursday night and is showing no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n Steele Sidebottom was a teammate in that 2010 premiership, which was a much younger line-up than the team Collingwood will field on Thursday night. Pendlebury is aware that time is running out for him and teammates Mason Cox, Jamie Elliott, Jeremy Howe, Brody Mihocek and Tom Mitchell \u2013 all aged in their 30s \u2013 to play in a premiership.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are no longer spring chickens are we?\u201d Pendlebury joked.<\/p>\n Having seen plenty of teams succeed and fail over his illustrious career, he has a strong sense that the team is good enough to go all the way.<\/p>\n \u201cJust [with] the body of work we have done over the season, I know our best footy is going to stack up,\u201d Pendlebury said.<\/p>\n Salem was a key player in the Demons\u2019 2021 premiership, which broke a drought of 57 years for the club. But because of COVID-19 lockdowns, that grand final win over the Western Bulldogs happened at Optus Stadium in Perth, meaning many of the players\u2019 families were unable to attend, and many supporters also missed out on being there. Salem said the motivation to win a premiership at the MCG was running high within the team.<\/p>\n Pendlebury said pressure for places in the Collingwood line-up had driven the team, and the relative lack of injuries had kept training standards high.<\/p>\n Jon Pierik<\/em><\/p>\n Collingwood star Nick Daicos has been ruled out of Thursday night\u2019s qualifying final against Melbourne but is expected to return for the second week of the campaign.<\/p>\n As hordes of passionate Magpies supporters cast a keen eye over training on Sunday, in scenes more reminiscent of grand final week, Daicos\u2019 eagerness to return before a sold-out MCG was clear. The dynamic midfielder, a Brownlow Medal favourite, had been expected to just complete jogging, but broke out into sprinting, although not at full pace, in a sign he is making excellent progress.<\/p>\n Pushing hard: Nick Daicos made a strong impression at training on Sunday, and has not yet been ruled out of facing the Demons on Thursday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Darrian Traynor, Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n His brother Josh had suggested he could return to face the Demons, but Magpies high-performance boss Jarrod Wade said on Sunday night that would not happen.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s progressing really well, really happy with the progress so far. He\u2019s completed a couple of runs and pulled up really well from both of those. The timing is just going to be a little bit short for the first final [qualifying final], so we will rule him out of that one,\u201d Wade said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure we give him enough time to get the loads in his legs and now that he is able to run, make sure we build that load tolerance back up in there and make sure that the joint is responding each time to that load tolerance.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s unavailable this week and we\u2019re really confident that if required he\u2019ll be able to play week two of the finals series.\u201d<\/p>\n Daicos has not played since he was hurt against Hawthorn in round 21. Josh Daicos, like his brother also named in the All Australian side last week, had said Nick was still in the mix to face the Demons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s awesome. I think he was meant to just be jogging, but he picked up to a little sprint to show he might be right for Thursday night. It\u2019s so good for him to be back out with the group,\u201d Josh Daicos said.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, it\u2019s pretty tough to be injured. You don\u2019t feel part of it, but we have appreciated his support through the time, and we can\u2019t wait to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n Daicos\u2019 recovery has been ahead of schedule, for Wade said last month he was off crutches earlier than planned.<\/p>\n Josh Daicos said Nick will continue to lift his training loads this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this Tuesday he will ramp it up again. I think if it was an elimination, potentially, maybe, he would play, but I am not too sure, I haven\u2019t spoken about it to him too much because I know how many people ask him that same question: \u2018How\u2019s your leg, how\u2019s it going, will you play?\u2019,\u201d Josh Daicos said.<\/p>\n \u201cI have just tried to see how he is going outside of football. I think he is going pretty well. He is doing everything he can to be back. He is just doing, even though he misses it, and would love to be out there, taking a back seat, freshening up, and be ready to go for the next month.\u201d<\/p>\n Former skipper Scott Pendlebury, hoping to add a second premiership to his 2010 success, said it would not take long for the speedy and creative Daicos to return to top form \u2013 when he returns.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it will be that big of a hill to climb for him. I think they [fitness staff] will get the work into him,\u201d Pendlebury said.<\/p>\n \u201cI liken it to the start of the season \u2026 and he performed pretty well in week one and two.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh Daicos said he was looking forward to having another chat with his father, Magpies premiership legend Peter Daicos, about how to combat the spotlight that is September football.<\/p>\n \u201cI love talking to dad about football. Obviously, he has been through it, very similar, played for the exact same club. I can\u2019t wait to hear what he says, I am sure it will be pretty simple, but just hearing it from dad, who has been through it, definitely settles Nick and I,\u201d Daicos said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows how excited we are for these games. He will almost try and bring it back a little bit, just so we save a bit of energy for game day. I look forward to having those chats with dad.\u201d<\/p>\n While Daicos won\u2019t play, the Magpies have other selection issues to address, for Darcy Moore (hamstring), Nathan Murphy (back) and Beau McCreery (suspension) will return for the first final. The Demons edged the Magpies by four points on the King\u2019s Birthday in round 13, their only meeting of the season.<\/p>\n Back-up ruckman Ash Johnson\u2019s hopes of a recall are in doubt, with scans to determine whether he has fractured his arm. He was hurt in Saturday\u2019s VFL elimination final.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nick Daicos ruled out of Demons clash, expected to return for second week<\/h3>\n
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