This year's King's Birthday match is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, as the benchmarks of the competition in Collingwood and Melbourne play off against one another.
The game will have some added intrigue, as Brodie Grundy takes on his former side for the first time since effectively being 'pushed out the door' at the end of last season, with years left on a monster contract at the Magpies. No doubt Collingwood players and fans will also remember Ed Langdon's infamous "all duck, no dinner" comments made last year, and expect them to get into him once again.
However, the footy is only one aspect of the King's Birthday clash, with Monday ultimately involving Neale Daniher and his fight against MND, as well-known Australian icons plunge into an ice bath to 'Freeze MND.'
It's going to be a big day, with the AFL announcing that general public tickets are officially sold out, so we've taken a look at the five biggest King's Birthday moments.
1. Big Freezeย
2015 marked the inaugural Big Freeze slide, with $1.5 million raised by the conclusion of the slide coverage at 3 pm, and $2.2 million by the final siren. Media personalities like Tim Watson, Mick Molloy, Brian Taylor, Garry Lyon, and Peter Helliar were amongst the inaugural names to go down the slide and into the ice to 'Freeze MND,' for a great cause.
2015 was also the first time that the Neale Daniher Trophy was introduced for the best on ground. The big names to receive the Daniher Trophy include Scott Pendlebury, Clayton Oliver, Travis Cloke, Christian Petracca, Mason Cox, Adam Treloar, and Max Gawn.
Since the first slide, the Big Freeze has become a regular fixture in the footy calendar, as fans arrive at the MCG early to see who will be sliding and what they're wearing, whilst most importantly showing up in their blue MND beanies to raise money for a great cause. Whilst Monday is about the big fixture between Melbourne and Collingwood, the real meaning behind the day trumps the game.
2. Jack Watts' matchwinner
Exactly eight years after his infamous debut on the Queen's Birthday where he was bumped by a Collingwood trio straight after coming on from the bench, Jack Watts finally had his revenge. After trailing all day, Melbourne went into the final quarter with a one-point lead.
With less than two minutes left in the game, the Demons only lead by five points and needed a goal to secure the win. As it happened, Jack Watts found himself in space on the wing, receiving a kick from James Harmes to run into Melbourne's forward 50, bounce the ball, kick a terrific goal and break the hearts of the Magpie army.
3. Queen's Birthday in Sydney
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a strange era for footy- with hubs and grand finals played in both Perth and Brisbane. Another strange moment was the Queen's Birthday match being played in Sydney in 2021. As Melbourne entered another lockdown and Sydney continued life under minimal COVID restrictions, the game was able to be played at the SCG in front of 16,453 fans.
Whilst there was no Big Freeze slide in front of fans, the slide was broadcast from an empty MCG as Sarah Jones, Billy Brownless, and Gillon McLachlan all participated in the cause.
The occasion was even bigger for Collingwood, as it marked Nathan Buckley's last game as head coach. To send Buckley out in style, it was going to take a massive upset for Collingwood to overcome the ladder-leading, and eventual premier, Demons. Yet, in true backs-against-the-wall Collingwood fashion, they did just that, winning by 17 points.
4. Pies come from nowhere
Collingwood's remarkable comebacks that they have produced so often over the last year were on display for one of the first times in last year's Queen's Birthday clash. After winning three in a row against Fremantle, Carlton, and Hawthorn, some talk about Collingwood's form under new coach Craig McRae was starting to build.
The reigning premiers in Melbourne had lost two games in a row and after some off-field issues with Steven May and Jake Melksham, they hadn't gone into the clash how many would have expected.
Melbourne was leading at every change but Collingwood just kept on coming, kicking a remarkable six goals to Melbourne's one in the final quarter and producing a stunning victory. Mason Cox set the crowd alight, as he kicked a running goal and finished the game with 21 disposals and nine marks to go with his goal.
Despite Melbourne's loss, Clayton Oliver was voted the best on ground and the winner of the Neale Daniher Trophy after he finished with 43 disposals, seven marks, six clearances, and a goal.
5. Jumping Jeremy Howe
As he has done so many times in his career, Jeremy Howe took another screamer to place himself in Mark of the Year contention, this time over his old side.
Howe leaped for the ball, balancing himself on the 195 cm frame of Tom McDonald, getting some serious air time, and managing to mark the ball with the crowd off their feet in shock. After the match, Scott Pendlebury described the mark as "probably the best mark I've ever been involved with playing a game of football."
Whilst it seemed Howe's grab was a certainty for Mark of the Year, Joe Daniher controversially beat him for the award on Brownlow night. Whilst Howe was visibly trying to hide his surprise at the decision, finishing with 41 percent of the public vote, he tweeted congratulations to Joe Daniher. Adam Treloar later described it as "the biggest robbery in the history of any sport."
Despite not receiving the award, it was definitely one for the highlights reel.
