CARLTON 2.2.14 5.3.33 7.6.48 13.9.87
SCORERS - Collingwood: Fasolo (4.1), Reid (4.1), Swan (3.0), Elliott (2.1), Blair (1.2), Crisp (1.0), Maynard (1.0), Greenwood (0.1), Sidebottom (0.1), Sinclair (0.1)
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Fasolo, Swan, Langdon, Grundy, Elliott
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Matthew Scharenberg replaced Taylor Adams at three-quarter time
REPORTS: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 48,133 at the MCG
| 1. Collingwood rediscovers its winning ways The Pies' slim finals chances are still alive after they broke a six-game losing streak with an 18-point over the Blues on Saturday. It has been a long time between wins, with Collingwood last victorious in round 11 against the Giants, and Nathan Buckley commenting during the week that his side had forgotten how to win. The victory over the Blues has the Pies at 9-9 this season, and keeps them within four points of the top eight, but more importantly gives them some confidence ahead of next Friday night's clash with the Sydney Swans. 2. Injury-prone swingman's gallant return Ben Reid returned to the Pies side for his first senior game since round 21, 2014 following a series of soft tissue injuries. In his 100th game he started in attack, having played the last couple of weeks in the VFL as a forward, and got off to a terrific start kicking Collingwood's first goal of the game. He finished the game with four goals, but more importantly got through his comeback match unscathed. Small forward Alex Fasolo also kicked four, and had 15 disposals and eight marks. He was a livewire in attack for the Pies in the absence of Travis Cloke and Jesse White. 3. Magpies' midfielders masterclass Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan put on a masterclass at the MCG, with 78 disposals between them. The Pies skipper did as he pleased, racking up 14 touches in the opening quarter, and finished the game with 37 possessions, nine tackles, four clearances and give inside 50s. A beardless Swan was even more damaging with 41 disposals, six clearances and three goals. He joked with Buckley during the week he should be re-signed on a million-dollar deal, and with the form he's in, he has a good case for a hefty new contract. |
4. Few positives for the Blues There weren't too many highlights for the Blues on Saturday. Skipper Marc Murphy was outstanding. He had 35 disposals, with his gut running impressive. Young gun Patrick Cripps was also exceptional in the midfield with 11 clearances and 35 disposals. Andrejs Everitt can also hold his head high after kicking a career-high four goals. His highlight came in the second term when he intercepted a rogue kick from Magpie Taylor Adams, gathered and snapped a brilliant goal from the pocket. The lowlight for the Blues came in the last eight minutes of the game with the momentum in their favour, youngster Clem Smith gave away a free kick behind play before a centre bounce. The Pies took the ball immediately, pushed forward and kicked a goal to put the game out of reach for the Blues. 5. Late controversy at the 'G With seven minutes to go in the final term and Collingwood ahead by seven points, there was a controversial non-decision that raised eyebrows. A mark spilled from Fasolo's hands right on the Magpies' goal line, with the Pies forward appearing to throw it back towards Reid, who soccered it off the ground for his fourth goal. A review was called to ensure the ball wasn't touched over the line, and the goal stood. But Carlton fans would have every reason to feel aggrieved after the replay questioned the legality of Fasolo's disposal. The victory over the Blues has the Pies at 9-9 this season, and keeps them within four points of the top eight, but more importantly gives them some confidence ahead of next Friday night's clash with the Sydney Swans. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has declared star midfielder Dane Swan is back to his vintage best. The 31-year-old was one of the Magpies' best performers in the 18-point win over Carlton on Saturday at the MCG, amassing 41 disposals and three goals. It was the 13th time in his career that Swan has gathered more than 40 possessions in a game. Two of Swan's three goals came in the final term, each of them steadying the Collingwood ship that hadn’t won a game since round 11. Buckley said he was pleased to see one of his stars return to form after a disappointing season last year. "It was (vintage Dane Swan)," he told reporters after the win. "I thought last week that he was one of our few four-quarter performers. "Great players have the capacity to let go of the things they haven't done particularly well, and come back to the things they know that they can do … as long as you've got enough tools in the bag, and Swanny has." By his own admission, Swan's 2014 season was "putrid". He had surgery on his hip in the off-season and is now managing his ageing body more effectively. "He's been able to look after himself a lot better, we've changed his program and he's bought into that," Buckley said. "For him to be running games out the way he is at the moment is testament to our fitness staff and to Swanny's professionalism to be up and about." The Brownlow medallist was left to his own devices by the Blues and was damaging around the stoppages with six clearances. "He's always had that breakout of congestion as one of his really strong points, and he was doing that late in the game last week as well as out of our defensive 50 stoppages. "Behind that exterior that looks like he CBF-ed (can't be f****ed) is a real want to win." BEN REID has made a triumphant return to football, kicking four goals in his 100th game to spearhead Collingwood's 18-point win over Carlton in a dreary clash at the MCG on Saturday. In his first game since round 21 last season, Reid made a bright start before kicking two fourth-quarter goals to seal the 16.9 (105) to 13.9 (87) win, which was the Magpies' first in seven matches. Staring at its worst losing streak since 1999, Collingwood was forced to lift in the last term after the Blues cut the margin from 29 points midway through the third quarter to just three points. Led by star midfielders Dane Swan (41 possessions and three goals) and Scott Pendlebury (37 and nine tackles), they turned a forgettable match on its head to kick seven of the last 11 goals and keep their slim finals hopes alive. It was a vintage performance from Swan, who won crucial clearances in the fourth quarter and finished with 40-plus possessions for the first time since round 15, 2013. He was never needed more than in the frantic fourth quarter, when Carlton got a smell of victory with back-to-back goals to cut the margin to seven points at the 21-minute mark. But the Blues gave away an undisciplined free kick before the resulting centre bounce, giving the Magpies possession in the middle and allowing them to push forward for Reid's fourth goal. Even that was laced with controversy after Alex Fasolo, who booted four goals, appeared to throw the ball into Reid's path. There was little to celebrate in the first three quarters, as the teams combined for 16 goals in a clash that reflected their recent records, with a win-loss of 1-11 between them since round 13. The open but chaotic fourth quarter was a riot in comparison, with another 13 goals being kicked. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told his players post-match "they won't play in an uglier win in their lives". "When you have a run like we've had, invariably it doesn't come with a breakout, it comes with an ugly performance," the coach said. "We left the door ajar for a long time rather than closing it shut, and that's what you get when you're not quite on top of your game. "We were able to hold the tide back for long enough and then kick enough of a score late in the last quarter to get over the line." The Blues took the bold step of dropping Chris Yarran this week, but they could desperately have done with a player willing to take the game on from half-back. They relied on midfielders Marc Murphy (35 possessions and nine inside 50s) and Patrick Cripps (35 and 11 clearances) to keep them afloat, with Andrejs Everitt booting four goals. "I was frustrated with some of the decision-making and frustrated with some of the skill execution," coach John Barker said post-match. "We tried to use our numbers around the ball and at times went sideways when we could have made ground … we overused the ball a bit. "There were a couple of inexperienced players who probably didn't quite get it right, but they'll learn from that." It's almost impossible to stop Collingwood's dynamic duo. Carlton will attest to that this weekend. Between them, Dane Swan (41 disposals) and Scott Pendlebury (37 disposals) amassed 78 disposals against the Blues on Saturday. Seventy-eight disposals. It's a truly remarkable feat that again reinforces why they remain among the league's finest players. It was the first time Swan had won 40 or more disposals since - ironically - another clash with Carlton, back in round 15, 2013, when he won 41 disposals in another Collingwood win. |
COLLINGWOOD got the four points, but coach Nathan Buckley says its win over Carlton was the ugliest he has ever been a part of. Buckley made that clear to the Magpies immediately after their 18-point win, but recognises that after a string of six straight losses, a win is, after all, a win. “I said (to the players that) they won’t play an uglier win in their lives,” he said. “Five of our boys just played in their first win for the club, that was encouraging. We were able to stick it out for long enough. We left the door ajar for a long time rather than closing it shut and that’s what you get when you’re not quite on top of your game. “Pretty much (the ugliest game I’ve experienced). There’s a lot we can improve out of that game but we haven’t been on the right side of the ledger for seven weeks, or eight weeks if you take into account the bye, we’ll take it.” The performance, riddled with errors from both sides, will go a way to restoring some belief, particularly given the fact Carlton came within three points in the last quarter. Buckley says he knew the run of losses would come to an end eventually, and when it did, he knew it would be anything but pretty. But he was pleased with his side’s composure. “When you have a run like we’ve had, invariably it doesn’t come with a breakout, it comes with an ugly performance,” he said. “Our effort and intensity early, in the first half in particular, was really strong. We got nutted around clearances in the second half, contested ball in the second half was really poor but we were able to hold the tide back for long enough and then kick enough of a score late in the last quarter to get over the line. “We needed to be composed, trust the game plan and make decisions based on what was in front of us and not be affected by the ramification I suppose. For us to be composed and work our way out of it was a really strong point for us.” With fraying nerves and bursting sinews, Collingwood snapped a six-game losing streak to defeat arch-rival Carlton by 18 points at the MCG on Saturday. The Magpies came into the game as solid favourites, always looked like winning, but somehow made heavy work of putting away a determined opponent. Collingwood led by 29, 21 and 24 points at various stages of the second half, but Carlton just kept nipping at their heels. A match between two such storied rivals always had a touch of the surreal about it. How often in this great rivalry have the protagonists come into a game with one win between them in the previous 12 games. How often has a modern-day MCG clash between them drawn fewer than 50,000 spectators? In the end, Collingwood went into the game with a six-game losing streak and, in winning, inflicted the same sorry fate on Carlton. That was vital for the Pies, who could not clinch a place in the final eight with a win, but could have played themselves out of contention with a further loss. Errors were strewn through the game like confetti at a wedding. Nathan Buckley and John Barker will still be picking them out of pockets and hair for a few days yet. Collingwood simply made fewer errors and, in Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan, had a minor, but significant edge in class around the ball. That is something of a slight, perhaps, on Carlton's Marc Murphy and Patrick Cripps. Murphy was almost as prolific as the Collingwood pair, his impact measured by the booing he received from Collingwood fans, presumably for the "crime" of receiving one or two contentious free kicks. Cripps, for his part, almost dragged the Blues back into the contest on his own, with six clearances in the last quarter alone. The Blues closed to within three points early in the term and seven later on, but could get no closer. Two passages of play illustrated the difference. Dylan Buckley raced forward to take a handball from Andrew Walker and goal before, in the very next passage of play, the ball went forward for Swan to mark and Buckley was penalised 50 metres for his mostly over-committed, but unfortunately late and clumsy attempt to spoil. A 50 metres penalty enabled Swan to restore the margin to 15 points. A little later, Ben Reid scored his fourth goal of the afternoon with an opportunistic kick off the ground which Sam Docherty touched mere centimetres over the line (the ball had come back to Reid with an even more opportunistic shovel from Alex Fasolo, which was deemed somehow not to have been a throw). From the centre bounce, Carlton attacked and Andrejs Everitt raced inside 50 metres onto a loose ball only to blaze wide and out-of-bounds on the full. Another chance missed when Carlton could ill afford to miss any more. There was little to choose between Swan and Pendlebury for Collingwood's best. It was Pendlebury's ability to use the ball creatively which drove Collingwood most of the day, but Swan's sheer doggedness which drove them on in the final quarter. He was twice involved in the build-up to Jarryd Blair's final-quarter goal, which pushed the lead out to 18 points, crashing through a pack to gain possession and handball clear and then again finding a teammate with another handball which led to the goal. Reid, playing his 100th game but first since round 21 last year, kicked four goals. He started the game at full-forward and marked strongly in the first couple of minutes as Fasolo found him with a centring kick. He missed that shot, but got his team's first soon after. Fasolo also kicked four goals, and could have had five had Travis Varcoe not conceded a free kick for high contact on Walker as Fasolo was lining up from 40 metres. Everitt kicked four for Carlton. He was opposed for much of the game by first-gamer Jonathon Marsh, who showed plenty of dash as he went forward off half-back. So Collingwood their finals campaign afloat while Carlton can travel to Brisbane next weekend with some confidence that a win is not far away. |
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