FOOTSCRAY 3.0.18 4.2.26 6.5.41 11.8.74
GOALS - Collingwood: Moore 2, Fasolo, Pendlebury, Crocker, Blair, Treloar
BEST - Collingwood: Sidebottom, Reid, Howe, Pendlebury, Greenwood, Treloar
INJURIES - Collingwood: Toovey (concussion), Adams (hamstring, knee), Fasolo (shoulder), Moore (shoulder)
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 45,078 at the MCG
| 1. Bulldogs dodge a bullet The Bulldogs kicked the opening goal of the game through Tory Dickson, but surrendered the lead three minutes later and trailed the Magpies for the next three quarters until Josh Dunkley goaled at the six-minute mark of the final term. Collingwood looked to have all the momentum when a Ben Crocker goal put them 15 points up midway through the third term, but the Dogs – with the help of a string of Magpie injuries – overran the Pies, kicking seven of the last eight goals of the game to win by 21 points. On a day when fellow top-four contender Geelong suffered a shock loss to Carlton, it was a valuable 'ugly' win that could prove vital at the end of the season. 2. Magpies mauled by injury The Magpies were brave in defeat, having to cope with a raft of injuries that drastically reduced their interchange options from early in the second term when Alan Toovey went off the ground with concussion. The Magpies defender did not return to the game and worse was to come when Taylor Adams (hamstring), Alex Fasolo (shoulder) and Ben Crocker (ankle) went down in the third quarter, and Darcy Moore (shoulder) followed them off the ground in the final term. Only Crocker was able to return to the ground, with the Pies' rotations of 57 to the Dogs' 86 reflecting the huge workload that Collingwood's fit players had to take on. Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs' fresher legs proved vital in the end. 3. Suckling makes a handy return The Bulldogs have suffered their fair share of injuries in recent rounds, so they would have been buoyed to welcome defender Matt Suckling back after a month on the sidelines with injury. The former Hawk made a solid return against the Magpies and underlined on several occasions just how much the Bulldogs have missed his incisive foot skills across half-back. Suckling set up a Jack Redpath goal in the first term with a quick low pass down the wing, then hit Mitch Wallis lace-out on the lead early in the second quarter. And he put the icing on his comeback cake with a goal at the 20-minute mark of the final term that helped to seal the Dogs' win. |
4. Levi on Bontempelli A week after holding Geelong skipper Joel Selwood to 18 possessions, Levi Greenwood was handed the big assignment of curtailing emerging Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli. In the first half, the Magpies tagger again underlined his status of one of the stingiest run-with players in the game, holding Bontempelli to just one possession in the first term and six by half-time. Remarkably, for a player renowned for his work at stoppages, none of those touches were clearances. Bontempelli worked his way into the game in the second half to finish with 20 possessions and a goal, but Greenwood, who had 14 touches and 11 tackles himself, still had a solid day at the office. 5. Fasolo maintains set shot streak Alex Fasolo entered Sunday's game having kicked 11.0 from set shots in 2016. The Pies small forward extended his perfect record when he converted from 45m in the opening minutes of the game. Fasolo's goalkicking has been sharp in general play too. Before Sunday's game he had kicked 10.4 on the run this year, but he missed a golden opportunity in the second quarter when he narrowly missed a checkside snap from 25m. It was a relatively straightforward chance that Fasolo normally would have swallowed, and part of a run of four consecutive Pies' behinds that closed their inaccurate 1.6 term. The Magpies were brave in defeat, having to cope with a raft of injuries that drastically reduced their interchange options from early in the second term...with the Pies' rotations of 57 to the Dogs' 86 reflecting the huge workload that Collingwood's fit players had to take on. Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs' fresher legs proved vital in the end. |
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Nathan Buckley refused to blame Collingwood's injury toll for the Magpies' loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, but conceded his hands were tied in a disastrous final term for the club. The Pies led by 15 points in the third quarter, but a run of injuries to key players halted their push to a third successive victory and saw them overrun at the MCG, with the Dogs claiming a 21-point win. The Magpies lost Alan Toovey (concussion) in the first half before Taylor Adams (hamstring), Alex Fasolo (shoulder) and Darcy Moore (collarbone) succumbed to injury after the main break. Moore's injury early in the last term left the Pies with no fit players on the interchange bench, but Buckley said there were other factors that cost the Pies from continuing their winning run. "(We had) 44 inside-50s for six goals in the first three quarters and (couldn't) take advantage of our domination of the play for the most part of that. We couldn't put a gap in them and that cost us the game ultimately," he said post-game. Buckley said the club would find out the severity of the quartet's injuries "when the dust settles", with Toovey heading to hospital after the game for concussion tests and Adams on crutches with his hamstring problem. Fasolo attempted to return in the last quarter and tested his shoulder on the boundary line, but didn't pass the requirements to head onto the field and help the stricken Pies. Buckley said the club is not yet sure if the exciting goalkicker has "a crack" in his shoulder. "We needed the legs (to get him back), but we just weren't able to get him up. We want to win a game of footy, but we've got a duty of care at the same time," he said. Before Moore's injury, the Pies were already down to just one fit player on the bench by the three-quarter-time break. Buckley said the focus then was not placed on who was unavailable but how the Pies should continue to take on the Dogs. "We didn't talk about who wasn't there. We weren't sure at the time, we had one rotation left, but in the end that (disappeared too)," he said. "But as I said, there were plenty of areas we were in control of early on where we needed to 'gap' the opposition in shape or form and we weren't able to do it. As much as we lost soldiers, we could've been more effective and efficient in those first three quarters on the scoreboard." The Magpies' coaching group tried different ways to counter their lack of rotations in the final quarter, including rotating players through a deep forward position, pushing forwards to wing roles and trying to possess the ball as much as possible. But he conceded doing that meant the Pies became "too slow" and gave up field position to the Dogs, who kicked five goals to one in the final term. "In the end, the last quarter went the way you'd expect it to. Having said that, we were right in it until we missed a couple of opportunities going inside-50 which had been happening for the most of the game. We just need to take those chances," Buckley said. Buckley praised the work of defenders Jeremy Howe (28 disposals, 11 marks) and Ben Reid (22 disposals, 13 marks) for their solid work in the backline, and said the Pies would need to monitor the workload of their players ahead of next Sunday's clash with Port Adelaide at the MCG. "You always adjust and tailor your training for what the evidence of the game is telling you, whether it's strategic or tactical or management or load," he said. "We'll tailor our training for our next opponent and for our own physical status." THE WESTERN Bulldogs were forced to scrap and scramble but overcame an injury-hit Collingwood to post a 21-point win on Sunday. The Dogs lacked their usual run, dare and potent skill, and looked set for successive defeats before overrunning the Magpies to claim the 11.8 (74) to 7.11 (53) win at the MCG. Collingwood will rightfully rue its bad luck in the defeat, with the Magpies suffering four injuries that left them with no available players for nearly the whole final quarter. And the damage came in all parts of the ground for the Pies. Half-back Alan Toovey (concussion) was out of the game in the second term, a hamstring injury cut short midfielder Taylor Adams' afternoon minutes into the second half, and exciting forward Alex Fasolo didn't return to the field after injuring his shoulder in the third quarter. The Pies had options on the interchange bench 10 minutes into the last term when emerging star Darcy Moore copped a knock to his shoulder that saw him head to the rooms and return with his arm in a sling. The disastrous injury run didn't dispirit the Magpies, who bravely continued to push the Bulldogs and compete well, but Luke Beveridge's men ground their way to their seventh win of the year. Luke Dahlhaus was terrific with 37 disposals, Tom Liberatore had six clearances from 31 touches, and Matt Suckling returned to the side from injury to show his class with 22 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency. Proving the Dogs' ability to grind out a victory, Tory Dickson, Jack Redpath and Josh Dunkley all booted two majors each as star forward Jake Stringer went goalless and Marcus Bontempelli (20) was well held by Levi Greenwood. Beveridge admitted his team had benefited from Collingwood's run of injuries across the day. "There's no doubt we dodged a bullet. To Collingwood's credit I think they ended up with just 18 left and they really ground it out. They showed great courage and we were fortunate enough from there to win," the Dogs coach said after the match. "I'm always grateful to our players for their efforts, but the way we use the ball there's no doubt some of it was due to Collingwood's pressure, but a lot of it wasn't. "To turn the ball over so often – I think we were 30 (turnovers) at half-time, we're normally 34 for the game – it was only our defensive side of it that really kept our head above water and then just allowed us to come over the top in the end. "Part of that was our players' persistence, but a significant part of it was probably because Collingwood only had 18 players left." Recruit Jeremy Howe was among Collingwood's best, with the former Demon registering a career-high 28 disposals across half-back and taking 11 marks. Midfield trio Adam Treloar (31), Scott Pendlebury (32) and Steele Sidebottom (26) were also important before tiring in the final quarter. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley conceded trying to steer a team to a win without anybody available on the bench "isn't fun", but said the Pies could have wrapped up the game earlier. "There were plenty of areas we were in control of early on where we needed to gap the opposition in shape or form and we weren't able to do it," he said. "As much as we lost soldiers, we could've been more effect and efficient in those first three quarters on the scoreboard." With Collingwood searching for its third straight win and the Dogs keen to bounce back from their loss to GWS last week, the high stakes nature of the game was obvious early. A Pendlebury sidestep and goal from the pocket was the highlight of a tightly fought opening term, which the Pies closed leading by a point. The Dogs had their chances, however, with two costly misses from Redpath and Stringer, but the pair were causing trouble for the Magpies. On several occasions the dangerous Stringer found himself in open space, while Redpath's return from suspension gave the Dogs a reliable marking target near goal. Notwithstanding the close margin, it felt like a game Collingwood had control of in most places except the scoreboard. Sidebottom's relentless running was important in the second term as he racked up 11 disposals, but both sides managed just one major in another tough but inefficient quarter. Collingwood's five-point advantage at the main change, and the evenness in all of the key statistical measures, probably didn't truly reflect its edge in the contest that gave the Dogs a sniff. But the Pies' task to capitilise on their dominance became far harder early in the third term when the injuries started to mount, and although they hung on as best they could, the Bulldogs could smell a chance to break free. It took a little while to come, but without any rotations for the final 20 minutes of the game the Pies grew tired as the Dogs charged home. Six-and-a-half minutes remained in the last term when Bulldogs recruit Suckling kicked truly to extend the lead to 14 points, and while the Pies look set to lose a handful of players for some time, they shouldn't have lost any admirers for their effort. If not for the injuries, the day's story might well have had a much different ending. MEDICAL ROOM Collingwood: The Pies appear likely to feel the effects of Sunday's loss for a little while, with Taylor Adams (hamstring), Alex Fasolo (shoulder) and Darcy Moore (shoulder) all finishing the game on the bench with their injuries. Alan Toovey was also hurt in the second term with a head knock, and played no further part in the game due to concussion. Young Magpie Ben Crocker hurt his ankle in the third term as well, but played out the game after some attention from medical staff. |
COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley refused to use an unprecedented medical crisis for Sunday night's fading loss to the Western Bulldogs. With five injuries and no rotations left in the final quarter the Magpies predictably fell to a 21-point defeat and two wins plus a massive percentage gap outside the top eight. Taylor Adams (hamstring) looks set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after shredding his hamstring so badly he emerged on crutches after halftime. Alan Toovey suffered a sickening concussion, livewire Alex Fasolo nursed a sore shoulder and young forward Darcy Moore injured a collarbone, while Ben Crocker returned to the field following an ankle scare. Moore's blow left the Magpies with no interchanges early in the final quarter and Buckley said in all his time as a player and a coach he had not seen a team so depleted. The promising goalkicker's setback could open the door for Travis Cloke to return against Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday. The Magpies used just 57 of their allotted 90 rotations with the Bulldogs exhausting 86 and slotting seven of the last eight goals of the match. But Buckley said Collingwood's inability to capitalise on its early dominance cost it a third-straight victory. His wasteful forward line converted just six goals from 44 inside 50s in the first three quarters and could only ever push 15 points clear. "It's not fun," Buckley said of the injuries. "We needed the legs but we just weren't able to get (Fasolo) up. We want to win a game of footy (but) we've got a duty of care at the same time. "We couldn't put a gap in them and that cost us the game, ultimately. "As much as we lost soldiers, we could've been more effective and inefficient in the first three quarters on the scoreboard. "The effort was really good, but that's got to be a minimum standard and it's become our minimum standard." Star recruit Adam Treloar briefly restored the lead in the final term with a long goal and said the Magpies were out on their feet and aware of the bench wipeout. "We pretty much knew from the first minute of the last quarter that there was no one on the bench and we just had to tough it out," he said. Buckley rued "guilt-edged opportunities" gone begging in the last term and said he tried to rotate players deep into attack to conserve energy. "You can start trying to possess the ball, but in the end you sort of end up kicking it back," he said. "If you become too slow you just give up field position, so in the end the last quarter went the way you'd expect it to." The Magpies have been dealt a horror hand with injuries for three straight seasons now. They entered Sunday's match with Brownlow medallist Dane Swan, star forward Jamie Elliott and impressive kids Matthew Scharenberg, Jackson Ramsay and Tom Langdon unavailable. Buckley said the extra miles players were forced to run against the Bulldogs would impact training loads this week. A brave Collingwood more than matched the Western Bulldogs for long periods of this Round 10 clash before a series of injuries emptied their interchange bench, allowing the Dogs to run home over the top for a 21 point win at the MCG. Nathan Buckley's side suffered in-game injuries to Alan Toovey, Alex Fasolo, Taylor Adams and Darcy Moore, leaving them woefully undermanned in the final quarter as the Bulldogs charged into a lead they had not held since Tory Dickson kicked the opening goal of the game. In the end Collingwood, who had led at every change, simply ran out of gas in the face of the Dogs final assault. They will take plenty of credit from such a plucky performance, but in the end it will count for little as they slip further out of a spot in the top eight, their record now standing at four wins and six defeats while the Dogs climb above the Hawks to maintain their position in the top six. Its one of sport's eternal verities: if you don't take your chances when you are in control of the game, the other team will almost always get an opportunity to make you pay. Nowhere is that truer than in a competition like the AFL, where salary caps, list size restrictions and draft rules are set in place to ensure a close competition and even contests. When sides are as well matched as the in-form Collingwood, victors in their last two games, and the progressive Western Bulldogs, whose frantic run and move the ball at all costs game has won them plenty of neutral fans, then any team's failure to make the most of its period of domination can prove costly. Collingwood supporters would have been happy enough that their side had gone to the long break in front, less so that the margin in their favour was only five points. Contrary to most forecasts, it was a low scoring game, the Pies having kicked 4.7 in the first half to the Dogs 4.2. Nathan Buckley's team were hard at the ball, tough in their tackling and pressure and quick enough in transition when they broke down a Bulldogs attack to have made much more of their second term domination. Too often they failed to take scoring chances, either from set shots or opportunities within sight of the goal: their tally of 1.6 from the second period illustrated their problems after a first quarter in which the Pies went goal for goal with the Dogs, both teams notching three apiece with only one behind between them. That the Dogs were able to stay in touch was a testament to their ability to hang in and scrap in the face of the Collingwood pressure, a quality that should never be underestimated. That they didn't do better themselves could be sheeted back to their own inaccuracy by foot, their errant kicking too often lacking penetration and accuracy. Their uncharacteristic hesitancy and waywardness denied them scoring chances from a realistic range in a first half that was short of the standards they have set in previous matches this season. The third term saw this Collingwood theme continue in what was, nonetheless, an entertaining contest, as tight arm wrestles so often are. They may not please the aficionados, who would prefer a more traditional series of one-on-one contests, but they do ensure that interest levels are maintained and that no side is truly out of contention until late in the game. The Pies, however, still looked the most likely and their hard running physicality seemed to be paying dividends midway through the third term when goals to Ben Crocker and Adam Oxley, without reply, had allowed them to stretch their lead to a game high 15 points. The Bulldogs have enjoyed great success in the first half of the season with their attacking thrusts from half back, but Collingwood were able to smother that threat and prevent Luke Beveridge's side from rebounding as often as they would like. Still, when Luke Dalhaus took a diving mark right on the boundary line with barely 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter and goaled from an acute angle the Dogs had closed to within three points, and the Collingwood army was wondering if its failure to put its opponents away when it had the chance was going to prove costly. As minds and bodies tired after an intense contest, Buckley's interchange options were non-existent, and Collingwood could only look on as Josh Dunkley ran into an unguarded goal to boot the Bulldogs in front for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. But the Pies are nothing if not game and Adam Treloar gave them hope with a slashing long range goal to regain the advantage before Tory Dickson - and then Easton Wood with an inspirational effort from distance - put the Bulldogs in the driving seat. Matthew Suckling's shot from outside 50 in the 19th minute put the Dogs 14 points up, and that broke the game open, with only one winner likely from that point on. NEXT UP Collingwood takes on Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday afternoon. NEXT FIVE Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Fremantle, Carlton, GWS Giants "It's not fun. We needed the legs but we just weren't able to get (Fasolo) up. We want to win a game of footy (but) we've got a duty of care at the same time. We couldn't put a gap in them and that cost us the game, ultimately. As much as we lost soldiers, we could've been more effective and inefficient in the first three quarters on the scoreboard. The effort was really good, but that's got to be a minimum standard and it's become our minimum standard."Nathan Buckley |
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