Pre-Season Game 1: Collingwood 131 Geelong 123

THE FACTS

COLLINGWOOD        0.3.1.19   0.6.3.39   0.17.5.107   0.21.5.131
GEELONG                 0.3.1.19    1.9.3.66   1.12.5.86     2.16.9.123

SUPERGOALS - Collingwood: 0
GOALS - Collingwood: Fasolo 5, Swan 3, Gault 3, Blair 2, Cox 2, Grundy 2, Macaffer, Greenwood, Sidebottom, Witts

BEST - Collingwood: Sidebottom, Cox, De Goey, Fasolo, Swan

INJURIES - Collingwood: Smith (ankle), Broomhead (arm)

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD: 20,460 at Simonds Stadium

THE MEDIA

COLLINGWOOD NEWS Collingwood slammed on 11 goals in a match-winning third quarter to defeat Geelong by just eight points in a high scoring first round of the NAB Challenge at Simonds Stadium. Cats' recruit Patrick Dangerfield had the first kick of the game and asserted himself at times to be among Geelong's best. He kicked three goals, including one on the three quarter-time siren, and also created a goal for Tom Hawkins with an intercept. Zac Smith also showed his huge leap at centre bounces, which should bring a grin to the faces of Geelong's fleet of midfielders. But the exciting performances from the new Cats weren't enough to grab a win. After being 21 points down at half-time, the Magpies went on a rampage kicking nine straight goals to take the lead from the Cats. Just when Collingwood looked home, Geelong kicked five of the last six goals of the game to drag the margin back to eight points. A desperate final two minutes entertained the large crowd but the Magpies hung on. In the defining third quarter the Magpies won the ball from the centre and kicked to the hot spot in front of goal or beat the Cats on the fast break, with four goals coming from centre breaks. Corey Gault, who was one of four Magpies introduced to the game in the second half, kicked three goals in the third quarter, as did Dane Swan as he went inside 50. Gault took over from where American rookie Mason Cox had left off, dominating in the air inside 50. Cox was the talk of the game at half-time, taking four marks and kicking two goals. The tall duo had great support at ground level from Swan and Alex Fasolo who played with great intent throughout and showed his class around goal when given half a chance with five goals. The Cats attacked solidly but struggled to find synergy in defence and did not apply as much pressure as would be expected in the premiership season. Both teams introduced players at half-time, with Geelong bringing on Nathan Vardy and Jordan Murdoch while the Magpies brought on Gault, Alan Toovey, Jarryd Blair and Brent Macaffer. What we learned Mason Cox has a great pair of hands and showed he will be hard to beat as a deep forward if the Magpies move the ball quickly. He took four strong grabs and kicked two goals. The Magpies might be tempted to let Travis Cloke (who didn't play) roam far and wide while Cox plays deep. With several stars missing it was hard to get a read on Collingwood from one outing but Jordan De Goey shapes as a talented regular. New faces James Aish has class but it was the tackle he laid on Corey Enright early in the third quarter, leading to a Brent Macaffer goal, that would have impressed most. He played on the wing, was prepared to work both ways and looks a good pick-up. Mature aged rookie Josh Smith played well in the first quarter before being forced from the ground with a leg injury in the second term. Next up The Magpies head to Wagga to play North Melbourne. Expect some of their big names to return, including skipper Scott Pendlebury and key forward Travis Cloke. Geelong heads to Shepparton to play Essendon. It might be the game it decides to give some of its youngsters a taste of senior football, although given the number of new faces the Cats will want their best team playing together.                                  REAL FOOTY When Patrick Dangerfield last kicked a football at Simonds Stadium the locals stood and cheered. That he was wearing an Adelaide jumper at the time made for a surreal scene. The Geelong faithful pride themselves on reading the play, and by round 23 last season were convinced they'd soon see him in hoops of a different hue. Their Danger dream came true on Friday night, and it took all of two seconds for them to be cheering again. Dangerfield's sharking of the opening bounce at the feet of the leaping Zac Smith was the first of 28 possessions for the most anticipated recruit of the year, who capped his night with three goals. Hours before his blue and white debut Dangerfield had tweeted a photo of the tiger snake he encountered on a morning beach walk, disappearing into the scrub. Come game time he was the threat. On balmy February nights the result is secondary to the promise of things to come, which was just as well for Geelong. The Cats led by 27 points early in the third quarter, then were virtual spectators as Collingwood kicked nine unanswered goals and 11 for the term. In the end the Pies won by eight points as the goals kept coming. Dangerfield lifted again, ending the barrage of black and white goals with a bomb from outside 50 after the three-quarter-time siren. The atmosphere as the home team kicked five of the game's last six was redolent of August, glossing over the reality that their boys conceded 92 points in a half. If there was an obvious headline act, there were plenty of supports on both teams vying for their share of the spotlight. The fruits of Jordan De Goey's second pre-season were at times breathtakingly evident for the Pies, and former Lion James Aish picked up where he'd left off in a striking intra-club outing last week. Up forward Mason Cox showcased what a threat a 211-centimetre athlete poses when he starts to grow as a footballer, at times simply too tall and clean of hands and sound enough by foot to kick two. Lachie Henderson found himself swatting at thin air when left to contend with the giant American, a fair summation of a trying night for the former Blue. Corey Gault joined Cox in the attacking arc after half-time and booted three in a third term that – the calendar's page notwithstanding – was something to behold. Dane Swan did likewise, showing what a threat he'll be playing forward and demanding the attention of Cam Guthrie after sauntering around the goalmouth doing as he pleased. Brent Macaffer came on at half-time and kicked a goal within 25 seconds of his return from a knee reconstruction, Alex Fasolo threatened from go to whoa and booted a handful of goals, and Jarrod Witts and Brodie Grundy worked in tandem in a manner to support the theory that ruckmen will be the big winners in the death of the sub. For the Cats, Nakia Cockatoo's work with Dangerfield brought instant results, the rucking of former Gold Coast Sun Smith was eye-catching, and the appearance of a fit, strong and bubbly Dan Menzel across half-forward in his first pre-season outing for five years warmed hearts. The flipside of so much February optimism was evident in the hobbling forms of two other newbies, Cat Sam Menegola suffering what was feared to be a serious knee injury and mature-aged Magpie Josh Smith suffering a leg injury. Both had hitherto been impressive.

SUPERFOOTY Collingwood crashed Patrick Dangerfield's 'Welcome Home' party at Simonds Stadium on Friday night, overcoming Geelong in a thrilling NAB Challenge clash. Having trailed by 27 points at half-time, and minus last year's best-and-fairest (Scott Pendlebury) and the club's top two goalkickers from last year (Travis Cloke and Jamie Elliott), the Magpies appeared in trouble after coughing up a string of goals during the second term. Dangerfield and the young Cats were running hot at that time, but somehow against the flow, and the pro-Geelong crowd, Nathan Buckley's Magpies were able to conjure up an extraordinary third-term turnaround. Collingwood kicked 11 goals during a lop-sided third quarter, including nine unanswered majors, that changed the context of this match. With five goals to rejuvenated forward Alex Fasolo, and a host of cameos in attack from unlikely sources in Mason Cox and Corey Gault, the Magpies managed 21 goals for the game to secure a hard-fought eight-point win. The Cats, with Dangerfield dominant as expected with 28 touches, never gave up chasing the visitors and looked like stealing the game back in the dying moments, but just ran out of time. Geelong kicked the only two super goals of the game - to former Suns big man Zac Smith and Daniel Menzel - but just gave up too many regulation goals in the third term. This match was much about renewals as anything else, not the least of which was the Cats' home ground which is currently under serious redevelopment. There were hard hats (though not for the coaches as tipped), work boots, high-visibility vests and two once-powerful clubs desperate to construct new futures for themselves after the disappointment of 2015. Yes, this was a practice match dressed up as a NAB Challenge, but both sides would have taken plenty of their first appearances in 2016. For a team that struggling to kick goals last year, and struggled with their speed and flow of ball use at times, last night showed the Magpies had worked considerably on both of those aspects. US import Cox and Gault continued on their good form from last week's intra-club match, and loom as genuine wildcards in attack this year. They kicked five goals between them - Cox with two and Gault three - but they provided a contest that was missing for large patches of last season. Fasolo provided a real spark, Dane Swan chimed in with three goals, and Brodie Grundy kicked two goals and performed well both in the ruck and down forward. Acting captain Steele Sidebottom was outstanding, James Aish was more than serviceable in his first game for the Pies, while Jordan De Goey, Jack Crisp and Travis Varcoe were important players on the night. The good news for the night was the return of Brent Macaffer in his first serious game since 2014 after missing last year with a knee injury. He kicked a goal 30 seconds in his return - after being brought on at half-time - but unfortunately young Magpies Tim Broomhead (shoulder) and Josh Smith (ankle) were injured, as were Cats Jed Bews (shoulder) and Sam Menegola (leg). Dangerfield was every bit as good as the Cats fans had hoped, and played a big part in getting Geelong back into the match. Smith was solid in the ruck, while Nakia Cockatoo gave a few action-packed moments to the highlights' reel. Mitch Duncan was a key player for the Cats, George Horlin-Smith made a solid contribution and Menzel delighted the crowd whenever he went near the ball. Three things we learnt 1. Don't bother trying to put a lid on Dangermania Cameron Ling said pre-game that it was time to temper the expectations surrounding Geelong's boom recruit Patrick Dangerfield. Good luck with that one. The midfielder from Moggs Creek got the first kick of his first game in Geelong colours and was cheered all night. Can this bloke play. 2. Black and white stars and stripes When you are 211cm, can mark overhead and can slot through a goal smoothly, you are going to get to noticed. That's what happened to Collingwood's US import Mason Cox last night. He kicked two second quarter goals and competed well in the air and on the ground. And Corey Gault was just as impressive. 3. Fas looks the goods With Jamie Elliott's back injury causing some concern for the Pies, it's good timing that Alex Fasolo seems ready for a big season. 'Fas' showed a real spark last night, kicking five goals and kicking several other off in an exciting performance for the Magpies.                               AAP Patrick Dangerfield could hardly have done more in an impressive debut for Geelong but he still ended up on the losing side as Collingwood won a NAB Challenge match by eight points. Dangerfield amassed 28 possessions and booted three goals, including a clutch effort after the three-quarter time siren which brought the near-capacity crowd to its feet. Another of Geelong's big-name off-season recruits, former Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith, was also among the Cats' best last night but the home team still came up just short as Collingwood booted 11 goals in the third term and held on in the dying minutes to win 0.21.5 (131) to 2.16.9 (123). Unheralded Collingwood rookie tall forwards Corey Gault and Mason Cox combined for five goals at Simonds Stadium. Cox, a 211cm, 110kg product of Oklahoma State University playing only his second season of Australian Rules football, was particularly impressive in the first half. He took several marks, including a couple of contested efforts against established defenders Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson. The hard-running Magpies also had excellent returns from Steele Sidebottom, young gun Jordan De Goey and five-goal forward Alex Fasolo. Geelong led by 27 points early in the third quarter following a goal to Shane Kersten. But that proved to be the signal for the Magpies to go on a goalscoring rampage. They kicked 13 of the next 15 goals, with Dangerfield one of the few Cats to look capable of stemming the tide. Collingwood blew the lead out to 37 points midway through the last term only for the Cats to boot five of the last six majors. Cox, a 211cm, 110kg product of Oklahoma State University playing only his second season of Australian Rules football, was particularly impressive in the first half. He took several marks, including a couple of contested efforts against established defenders Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson.