Live: Bulldogs and Magpies meet at MCG for AFL's first ever wildcard match

It's sudden death for the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood in the AFL's first ever wildcard match, with a spot in the finals proper up for grabs at the MCG.Fri 28 Aug 2026 at 7:03pmFri 28 Aug 2026 at 7:03pmHas Pendles played his last Collingwood game?(Getty Images)Scott Pendlebury is not playing tonight due to a hamstring injury, and will be relying on his Pies going deep into September in order to play again this season.And if he doesn't? Well, the jungle drums are beating that a move to Gold Coast after this season is a possibility. If that was to become true, then that would mean he has already played his final game in the black and white.Much to play out in that space, but tonight he is in the building looking to help his teammates out in any way possible.Fri 28 Aug 2026 at 6:50pmFri 28 Aug 2026 at 6:50pmFinal Dogs-Magpies teams are inBont at full forward is something... (AFL.com.au)No late changes for either side.The Bulldogs will be very pleased to be able to recall Tim English for this one, with Lachlan Carmichael making way. Mixed news for Collingwood though, with Isaac Quaynor and Pat Lipinski coming in for Scott Pendlebury and Liam Puncher.Fri 28 Aug 2026 at 6:41pmFri 28 Aug 2026 at 6:41pmWelcome to Wildcard Round(Getty Images)Good evening and welcome back to ABC Sport's live blog coverage of the 2026 AFL season. Tonight we bring you something new, the league's first wildcard match between two sides looking to play their way into the finals series proper.The Western Bulldogs and Collingwood finished eighth and ninth respectively to earn a spot in this MCG game. Whether or not this counts as a true final or not is up to you, but what is for sure is that it is season over for tonight's loser.The winner will live to fight another day, premiership dreams in tact. A massive crowd is expected for what is a massive game. And we'll have all of it for you right here in the blog.