Round 8 starts with a Magpies team list that has nothing to do with the run home and everything to do with arithmetic. Scott Pendlebury, 38 years old and 431 games into one of the great careers, is officially rested for Thursday night's clash with Hawthorn at the MCG. The reason is the five-day turnaround out of his record fourth ANZAC Day Medal performance, and the timing means his pursuit of Brent Harvey's all-time games record now lands on a different fixture entirely.
The Record Pushed to Round 11
Pendlebury sits one game short of equalling Harvey's mark of 432 senior matches. Coach Craig McRae confirmed Tuesday that the veteran will be managed against Hawthorn given how much load he carried through ANZAC Day, and the timing reshapes the lap-of-honour calendar. Pendlebury is now expected to equal the record in Round 9 against Geelong at the MCG, then break it in Round 11 against West Coast at the MCG, rather than the Round 10 Sydney trip that some had pencilled in. The MCG matters here. Collingwood plan a gold No. 10 guernsey for the milestone, and the home crowd is the obvious stage.
The decision drew the predictable take. Kane Cornes argued on radio that Hawthorn have beaten no one and Pendlebury should be playing. The counter is that Pendlebury racked up 43 disposals at 38 years old in front of 95,000 people six days ago and the long game is the right one. Either way, the Pies host the Hawks at $3.40 with Hawthorn the $1.30 favourites at Picklebet, the visiting side coming off back-to-back wins.
Friday Night, Adelaide Oval, Showdown 59
The bigger card sits Friday night at Adelaide Oval. The 59th Showdown lands with both sides 3-4, the Crows fresh off a 52-point loss to Brisbane and Port Adelaide carrying genuine momentum after a 30-point win over Geelong last week. The bookmakers like the Crows, with Bet365 framing Adelaide $1.52 and Port $2.55, the line at -11.5 each way. Stats Insider's model gives Adelaide a 64 per cent chance of winning at home, while Port's 70 points-per-game defence over the last month is the lurking concern.
Darcy Moore's return is the third headline of the round. Collingwood's captain plays just his second game of the season after recovering from a hamstring strain, having battled two pre-season calf strains before that. He slots straight into the back six against Hawthorn. Showdown ins for Adelaide include the likely return of Alex Neal-Bullen from a knee complaint, while Port get Todd Marshall back from illness.
Where the Markets Land
Punters reading the round have three angles. The Pies are short overnight money at dabble despite missing Pendlebury, with the line drift suggesting layers expect Hawthorn to cover. Showdown 59 has Port the live underdog with the +11.5 line attractive given Port's last four results. The Brownlow market continues to favour Jeremy Cameron at $5 ahead of Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Patrick Cripps, with Cameron coming off a 10-goal haul and Butters tipped for another big midfield outing in the Showdown.
The Round 8 fixture runs across four days from Thursday with Friday's Showdown the marquee card and Sunday's Geelong-North Melbourne the closer. Full team selections and injury notes from the AFL match committees are at AFL.com.au. Our AFL Round 8 tips and predictions are live across every match including the Showdown.