The Pies of Collingwood make the trip to Perth in Round 22, needing a W to cement their position in the Wildcard finals picture.

The Pies enter in questionable form, coming off a 97-72 thumping at the hands of Geelong. That loss saw the Collingwood Football Club drop to ninth on the ladder, a top-six finish fading from view.

There were a few bright spots though, Daniel McStay turned back the clock with five goals against the Cats to push his career-best seasonal tally to 38 majors, while Nick Daicos did what we’ve come to expect, posting 35 disposals once again underline his Brownlow Medal case.

West Coast enter stinging from their own afternoon of frustration, an 84-73 loss to Richmond last Sunday that was defined not by a lack of opportunity but a failure to convert.

The Eagles couldn’t buy a goal in the second stanza, bagging just eight from 26 scoring shots. Jake Waterman and Harley Reid combining for an agonising 2.9. It was the kind of performance that saps confidence that this young Eagles squad have been thriving on all year.

When these sides last met, at the MCG in Round 11, the occasion of Scott Pendlebury's record-breaking 433rd AFL game, the Pies won 92-82, with Daicos finishing with 34 disposals and three goals. The full equation is very different this time, with West Coast holding home advantage at Optus Stadium.

Realistically, we’re expecting a relatively similar outcome, this time around. Can the Eagles prove us wrong in Perth?

For the latest team news, analysis, and expert insights, check out our West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood Magpies Round 22 prediction and preview below.

West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood Magpies Prediction and Betting Tips

Head-to-Head Prediction

The raw numbers from West Coast's loss to Richmond were confronting. Twenty-six scoring shots and only eight goals is not a recipe for winning football at any level and Waterman's 2.6 was the most visible illustration of a problem that trickled through the whole team.

The energy visibly drained from the group each time another opportunity slipped through, and it is that mindset reset, rather than any tactical adjustment, that matters most heading into Sunday.

The encouraging reading is that the scoring shots were there. West Coast can create territory, and if they can convert at anywhere near a reasonable clip against a Collingwood defence that has been porous in patches, this game will be far from straightforward for the Pies.

Collingwood were similarly embarrassed against Geelong; jumped early, hammered at the stoppages and never truly in the contest from the second quarter onward.

They arrive in Perth with a point to prove and with McStay's forward line form in full flight and Daicos as unstoppable as he has been all season; the Pies have the individual weapons to win this in a variety of ways.

The trip west for a genuine finals-stakes game is the kind of test that separates teams. We think Collingwood finds the answer, but expect West Coast's home crowd and the big Optus Stadium surface to keep this one uncomfortably tight deep into the fourth.

Head-to-head prediction: Collingwood Magpies by 10 points.

First Goal Scorer Prediction

Daniel McStay is playing the football of his career. Five goals against Geelong. Three, three, two, two in the four weeks before that. A tally of 38 goals for the season that represents his most prolific stretch as a professional.

The timing could not be better for the McStay renaissance and there is nothing in the West Coast defensive structure that suggests he won't get his opportunities early at Optus Stadium.

When the Pies set the tempo early in the match, Dan Mcstay is invariably involved.

Betting tip: Daniel McStay.

Most Disposals Prediction

Of course it's Nick Daicos. The Brownlow Medal frontrunner has been the competition's most dominant accumulator all season, and his 35-disposal, eight-score-involvement performance in a losing side against Geelong was another statement from a player operating at a level above the rest.

Against a West Coast midfield that will work hard but lacks the capacity to genuinely suppress the competition's best midfielder for four quarters, expect Daicos to find the ball consistently across Optus Stadium's wide expanses and build another signature performance.

Betting tip: Nick Daicos.

Odds are subject to change.*

AFL Same Game Multi Tips

Betting tip: Tim Membrey 2+ goals + Nick Daicos 30+ disposals + Jobe Shanahan 2+ goals + Collingwood to win by 1–39.

West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood Magpies Teams

West Coast Eagles Confirmed Team List

FB: Brandon Starcevich, Rhett Bazzo, Brady Hough

HB: Liam Baker, Tylar Young, Marcus Herbert

C: Liam Duggan, Elliot Yeo, Bo Allan

HF: Willem Duursma, Jobe Shanahan, Jack Graham

FF: Milan Murdock, Jake Waterman, Cooper Duff-Tytler

Foll: Bailey J. Williams, Darcy Cameron, Harley Reid

I/C: Josh Lindsay, Ryan Maric, Tom Gross, William Hayes, Hamish Davis

Collingwood Magpies Confirmed Team List

FF: Tim Membrey, Angus Anderson, Charlie West

HF: Beau McCreery, Daniel McStay, Lachie Schultz

C: Jack Crisp, Ned Long, Steele Sidebottom

HB: Dan Houston, Josh Daicos, Isaac Quaynor

FB: Liam Puncher, Noah Howes, Billy Frampton

Foll: Edward Allan, Tim Kelly, Nick Daicos

I/C: Harry DeMattia, Tom McCarthy, Wil Parker, Sam Swadling, Lachlan Sullivan

West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood Magpies Match Details

Date: Sunday, August 9, 2026

First Bounce: 4:10pm AEST

Location: Optus Stadium, Perth

How to Watch: Channel 7/7plus, Fox Footy/Kayo Sports