The Anzac Day match day excitement starts before the players have even got on to the ground.

The pressure of playing on the biggest AFL stage outside arguably the grand final hits the players as they come up the race.

No one knows that better than Collingwood flag-winner and Channel 7 commentator Dale Thomas.

“It gives me goosebumps talking about it as when turn the corner from the homeroom at the MCG, and you walk up the race you can see the sky over the Shane Warne Stand, and the crowd gets the vision of you coming up,” he said ahead of the 30th instalment of the fixture on Friday.

“The roar goes up before you’ve entered the stadium, slaps you in the face, it’s just this wave of energy and noise that just reverberates around the joint.

“You go out, go through the banner, do a little bit of your warm-up, and then you stand for the Last Post.

“You go from 95,000 people screaming to five minutes later, it being deadly silent. The Last Post plays, the observance is had, and then the roar at the end of the national anthem, you’re walking on clouds.”

Collingwood and Essendon have played out some memorable matches on the hallowed day starting with a draw in 1995, which also happened again last year.

David Zaharakis kicked a last-minute goal in driving rain to win it for the Bombers in 2009 and in 2012 Jarryd Blair returned the favour with his own match-winning goal in a famous one-point Pies’ win.

Thomas enjoyed a terrific debut at his first Anzac Day game in 2006, taking a contender for mark of the year and then booting a contender for goal of the year in the Pies’ 17-point win over the Bombers.

He said playing in “the biggest game on the footballing calendar” was about a lot more than sport.

“It is a special day and special acknowledgement for people who’ve served the country to make sure we have the freedoms to play football on that day,” the 2010 premiership winner said.

“The World War I diggers, World War II diggers, the numbers are starting to dwindle, just purely through age and the sacrifices they made need to be commemorated. It’s great to see the next generation get into it as well.”

Legendary Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse made sure his players understood the significance of the day by taking the team to Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and sharing individual stories of Aussie Rules players who fought in a war but never came home.

“My first Anzac Day, I remember thinking of an 18-year-old going off to war and I’m running out on to the MCG,” Thomas said.

“That comparison should not be lost as to what men and women were doing at that age.

“I had a grandpa who fought in World War II, so it’s hard not to get a little bit emotional on the day, too.

“The lead up is enormous, and so it should be. Both clubs understand the privilege it is to play in that game.”

And while Thomas said he still misses playing in massive games like the Anzac Day match, of which he played seven, he had a new role on the day by helping call the game.

“I certainly enjoy being able to bring the viewer inside the feelings and emotions. I love the fact I get to be part of the coverage for Channel 7,” he said.

Collingwood go into the match as firm favourites against the inconsistent Bombers, but losing skipper Darcy Moore to an ear injury could make things interesting with Essendon forward Peter Wright in red-hot form.

Moore’s absence means Nick Daicos, below, will skipper the side to become the Magpies’ youngest captain in more than half a century.

“Moore’s been in really good form this year, from his spoiling to his positioning within that team defence. His numbers are as good as he’s put up across his career. So that’s a massive out. They will cover for it in the best way they can,” he said.

“But in terms of Nick Daicos, he is one of the most professional, level-headed, lovely, young gentleman, you’re ever likely to meet.

“He’s a fierce competitor on the field and delight to deal with off it. You see him with kids who idolise him from a four-year-old to a 40-year-old. Hopefully when the Pies win he’ll give a speech of a man beyond his years, He could be giving a double speech for the Anzac Day medal and then going back to the crowd again as they hand over the winning trophy.”

For the Bombers the job is very simple against Collingwood’s star-studded midfield.

“The need to be unbelievably good around the contest. In the draw last year, they were dominant from stoppage. They were dominant from centre clearance,” Thomas said.

“ButThey’ve got to keep an eye on (Collingwood’s) smalls. They’re dynamic, they’re fast. They get up the ground and they work hard going back.

“The Pies, with the numbers they put up against Brisbane last week, are showing that their game is in really good order.”

“The Bombers need to get an early mark, find a 15-metre kick laterally, just to relieve the pressure.

“If it’s a wet day it’s probably not going to be conducive for the big boys to play well.”