David King is expecting Collingwood to beat Richmond comfortably on Friday night.
The Magpies are up and running in 2023, winning their opening two matches of the season and kicking big scores of 125 and 135 to boot.
They impressed against Geelong in Round 1 and Port Adelaide in Round 2 with a mix of defensive and attacking football that is pleasing on the eye.
King explained why Craig McRae’s Pies are so effective in the early stages of 2023.
“I’m in awe of the way they’re hand-in-glove defending and attacking,” King said on SEN’s The Picks.
“The way they defend is complementing the way they move the ball.
“If it’s a fast turnover, they’re off and gone through the corridor. It’s a slow turnover and the opposition are set, no matter where the ball is on the ground, they play wide.”
Sam Edmund added: “They’re breathtaking at the moment.
“The only query you’ve got is how long can they possibly stay this white-hot for? Because it’s an unbelievable tier of football they’re playing.
“It will be a real test for Richmond.”
King says it’s an exciting time to be a Pies fan due to the belief McRae is instilling in his playing group.
“If you ask the coach, this is just the start,” King added.
“This is the messaging. I keep coming back to the messaging. ‘Are we playing well are we? Ok, we still think we’ve got so much scope for improvement’.
“Instead of worrying about the last 20 weeks, he’s saying, ‘We’re not there yet, we are not at our best version just yet’.
“It’s exciting for a Collingwood fan.”
Richmond will be without Dustin Martin, Jacob Hopper, Jayden Short and Nathan Broad for the Friday night blockbuster which is enough to tip this fixture firmly in the favour of the Maggies, according to King.
“Just with the outs (at Richmond), I think Collingwood could really get hold of them here and put another show and kick another 120 points,” he said further.
“It could be 40-plus (points). There will be a point in the game where that (Collingwood by 40+) will be $2 instead of $3.45.”
The match kicks off at 7:50pm AEDT with a crowd of around 90,000 expected at the 'G.