Collingwood consolidated its place at the top of the ladder with an 82-point thumping of Richmond at the MCG last Saturday while Carlton ended a two-game losing run with a come-from-behind 26-point victory over West Coast at Subiaco Oval. The seventh-placed Blues have lost their past two against the Magpies and it is hard to see them ending that sequence on Saturday.

While Carlton is undoubtedly a talented side, there is a significant gap between there best and worst performances – which is simply not good enough when you are coming up against the likes of the Pies who have an even spread of contributors week-in-week out.

Collingwood’s past two wins over Carlton have been by 53 and 54 points. With this in mind, backing the Magpies to win by 40 plus points at $2.30 would be the logical option.