COLLINGWOOD 1.1.7 4.3.27 8.5.53 9.8.62
GOALS - Collingwood: Cox 2, Moore 2, Broomhead 2, Greenwood, Crisp, Blair
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Grundy, Cox, Smith, Treloar
INJURIES - Collingwood: Langdon (right ankle), Sinclair (concussion)
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
Official crowd: 37,931 at Subiaco
1. Coast-to-coast in 17 seconds
The Eagles put in a nomination for the quickest coast-to-coast goal of the season in the opening term. Skipper Shannon Hurn produced a bold bullet from a kick-in to find Jeremy McGovern. He in turn opened the Magpies up with a scything kick up the middle to find Jack Darling and the Eagles were out. Darling found Mark LeCras who lobbed it to Josh Kennedy to waltz into an open goal. Precise kicking was a feature of the Eagles' play in a six-goal first quarter. 2. Naitanui owned the skies but Grundy won the ground war It was a fascinating ruck battle between Nic Naitanui and Brodie Grundy. Naitanui was phenomenal at the stoppages with his tap work, with 30 hit-outs, 19 to advantage, and seven clearances. He also kicked a brilliant goal after plucking one clean from the ruck inside 50. But Brodie Grundy was very effective around the ground for three quarters. He finished with 21 disposals and five inside 50s, and was one of the Magpies' most industrious players. Naitanui had more influence but Grundy fought hard. 3. Handball-happy Pendlebury Scott Pendlebury came into the game under a cloud after failing to train on Saturday but he took his place in the line-up on Sunday and collected 29 touches for the Magpies – including just eight kicks. He has not had fewer than 12 kicks in any of his past 20 games, and looked to be moving with his usual fluidness. He barely spent any time in the centre square, spending most of the day on the wing or at half-forward. However, he was still one of the Magpies' best, using his hands and vision to create scoring opportunities. |
4. Josh Kennedy's goalkicking woes roll on The 2015 Coleman medallist has been one of sharpest set-shot shooters in the game in recent years. He started the season in scintillating touch with 8.2 against the Brisbane Lions, but has kicked just 9.14 since, including a staggering 3.6 against the Magpies on Sunday. He took eight marks inside 50 but could not convert with his usual accuracy. He missed predominantly to the left but he overcompensated with a kick in the third term and hit the right goalpost. 5. Mason Cox is not a one-hit wonder The 211cm American was the story of Anzac Day but his challenge was backing up off a six-day break in Perth. He proved he is not a one-hit wonder with an excellent performance. He gathered 10 disposals, laid four tackles and kicked two goals after causing headaches deep forward. He fought hard against Nic Naitanui in the ruck and created a critical goal in the third when he smothered a kick from Naitanui in middle of the ground to cause a turnover that led to a Jack Crisp goal. Travis Cloke will find it hard to win back his place in the Magpies side if Cox continues to improve. He (Mason Cox) proved he is not a one-hit wonder with an excellent performance. He gathered 10 disposals, laid four tackles and kicked two goals after causing headaches deep forward. |
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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says struggling key forward Travis Cloke and American import Mason Cox can play in the same side as the Magpies search for a winning formula following their fourth loss of the season. The Magpies lost to West Coast by 62 points at Domain Stadium on Sunday to slump to 2-4 in a season where so much was expected of them. They kicked just nine goals against the Eagles but that was as much about supply as anything else given they only managed 33 inside 50s. Cox backed up a promising debut on ANZAC Day with two goals against the Eagles. Cloke was solid without being banging the door down in his second VFL match in a row on Saturday. But Buckley said he had no problems with playing both men in the same side if they were needed in a must-win clash with Carlton next Saturday. "Yes we would," Buckley said. He said he would have to look at the vision of Cloke's performance before he could assess his chances of a recall. "It's work rate and contest," Buckley said. "But we'll have a look at that when we get back." Cox took three marks and kicked 2.1 up forward against the Eagles and Buckley said he had several other opportunities. "He's still getting his hands to another three of four that he's not clutching at the moment," Buckley said. "But a young bloke, young to the game and still learning and for the most part, his effort's been pretty good. Even playing on this size ground is a totally different experience from playing at the 'G. He'll learn from it." Buckley said Cox and Grundy would learn some valuable lessons from facing Nic Naitanui on Sunday. "Brodie Grundy is still a young ruckman, Mason Cox was playing his second game," Buckley said. "We thought they battled away. But we were never expecting to dominate around clearance, but we were hoping to square it up." Buckley said Travis Varcoe (hamstring) was a chance to return against the Blues and he said there were some other impressive performances in the VFL that would put pressure on the incumbents. Tom Langdon suffered an ankle injury against the Eagles and would need to be assessed this week, while Ben Sinclair copped a knock to the head but he passed a concussion test. Skipper Scott Pendlebury carried soreness into the game but still racked up 29 possessions. A second consecutive six-day break will test the star midfielder again this week. "He was a bit sore during the week and it was touch and go whether we were going to play him or not," Buckley said. "But he got through his final fitness test this morning and was cleared to play. "My philosophy and the philosophy at the club is as soon as you pull your boots on, you're 100 per cent fit and 'Pendles' didn't let us down." Buckley said the performance against West Coast gave a fair indication of where the Magpies are at and they need to deliver four quarters of consistent performance if they are to match it with the best sides.hit-outs. Collingwood came crashing back to earth after copping a final-quarter thumping in their 62-point loss to West Coast in Sunday's AFL clash at Domain Stadium. Just six days after thrashing Essendon by 69 points, Collingwood were given a brutal dose of reality in a 18.16 (124) to 9.8 (62) loss in Perth. The Magpies trailed by just 10 points late in the third quarter, but the Eagles booted the next nine goals to secure the big win. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was disappointed with his side's lapses. "(The) first quarter and last quarter were poor," Buckley said post-match. "Game goes for four quarters, so you can't play two and expect to get the result. The good was good and the bad was bad and there wasn't a lot in between." West Coast coach Adam Simpson was equally frustrated with the Eagles' lapses in the second and third term but he was pleased with the strong finish. "We were happy," Simpson said. "Not so happy at three-quarter-time. But the way they responded was pleasing. There were some concerning signs during the second and third quarter. But you have to give a fair bit of credit to Collingwood and their pressure and intensity - it really went up after quarter-time. "Maybe a bit of complacency came into our players' minds." Goalsneak Jamie Cripps kicked three goals in the onslaught, with the first of those sparking West Coast's run. With the game in the balance, a slip from Collingwood's Josh Smith just as he was about to receive a handball proved costly. Cripps swooped on the loose ball, sprinted 40m before nailing the 40m running goal. Collingwood folded from that point in, with their only goal for the quarter coming in the dying seconds. West Coast had plenty of winners against the Magpies. Spearhead Josh Kennedy was a colossus in attack with eight marks, but his waywardness in front of goal (3.6) let the Magpies off the hook early. Mark LeCras finished with three goals from 27 disposals, while Nic Naitanui played an influential role in the ruck. Collingwood's American recruit Mason Cox finished with two goals from 10 disposals in another encouraging performance. But with West Coast winning the inside 50 count 60-33, there was only going to be one winner. The Eagles suffered a blow before the match when star midfielder Elliot Yeo withdrew because of tonsillitis, but his absence was barely felt early. West Coast won the inside 50 count 20-4 in the first term to open up a 33-point lead, with Naitanui's dominance in the ruck proving crucial to the early onslaught. And even the footy gods were on West Coast's side, with a 60m snap from LeCras rolling through after the ball beat Collingwood defender Nathan Brown to the goal line. LeCras produced another piece of magic when he nailed a dribbling goal from the pocket - with Kennedy also deserving kudos after his brilliant harassing work forced a turnover. And when LeCras nailed his third goal early in the second quarter, the scoreline read 53-14 and a blowout loomed. Collingwood finally worked their way into the contest, but they were no match for West Coast in a one-sided final term. Medical Room The Magpies lost Tom Langdon to a right ankle injury in the third term after he was twisted in a bruising tackle from Mark Hutchings. He sat the rest of the game on the bench with ice on his ankle. Buckley said they would have to wait for scans to see how bad it is. Ben Sinclair underwent a concussion test after copping an elbow to the chin. But Buckley said he passed a concussion test. Scott Pendlebury was sore coming in but gathered 29 possessions. |
COLLINGWOOD arrived late and left early at Subiaco Oval, crashing to a 62-point loss to West Coast despite giving the Eagles a scare during the middle of the game. The underdog Magpies kicked seven goals to four between quarter and three-quarter time, but were buried by a late Eagles deluge as the home side piled on nine of the last 10 goals of the contest. West Coast had an average home winning margin of 58 points under Adam Simpson leading into yesterday's clash, and ended up covering that despite looking sluggish and vulnerable in the third quarter. The Eagles ultimately had far too much firepower, finishing with twice as many scoring shots and nearly twice as many forward entries, with Collingwood breaking even in the contested ball fight. Adam Treloar had 10 tackles and seven clearances to complement his hardworking 31-possession game, while Mason Cox kicked two goals in his second outing. Mark LeCras, Josh Kennedy and Jamie Cripps each kicked three goals for West Coast. Having been obliterated in the first term, the plucky Pies fought back well in the second quarter without making any major inroads on the scoreboard. In the third term they made it count. When Jarryd Blair kicked a goal entering time-on of the third term, the Magpies had kicked six of the past seven goals and closed the gap to just 10 points. It was as close as they would get. Cox was in the thick of things, getting his second goal when he slotted a set shot from the pocket after receiving a free kick, before making an important smother that led to a goal for the influential Jack Crisp. Kennedy got an important steadier for the Eagles to halt the black and white momentum and the Pies would never get it back. West Coast got two important majors in the opening five minutes of the final term to blow the margin back out beyond five goals. The Eagles slammed on the first five goals of the game, dominating field position and having 20 inside 50 entries to four with the aid of the breeze in the first quarter. West Coast led by 29 points at the major break on the back of LeCras' three first-half majors, with the home side failing to take the opportunities in the second term. Cox was taught an early lesson by Nic Naitanui at a boundary throw-in, with the West Coast big man pushing the American out of the contest before taking the ball out of the ruck and snapping a goal with his left foot. Naitanui was the dominant ruckman on the ground and he gave the Eagles huge impetus out of the middle, winning seven clearances to go with his 30 hit-outs. On a weekend when big questions were asked of some premiership favourites, West Coast did not escape scrutiny, despite recording a 10-goal win on Sunday. They bounced back from another away loss, to the Sydney Swans, with a 62-point victory over Collingwood at Domain Stadium. But for a side looking at coming back from a shocking grand final appearance, they wasted a chance to demolish a team struggling for consistency and to stamp some authority on their season. After kicking the first five goals, the Eagles scoring dropped to a crawl in the middle parts of the game and they led by just two goals late in the third term. The Magpies, who made scoring look as difficult as any side has this season, managed to kick six of seven goals and somehow get back into the contest. But the Eagles dominated the final quarter, kicking 8.6 to the Magpies 1.3 to finish the round in sixth spot on the ladder. West Coast will need to carry the momentum from the fourth quarter to Simonds Stadium next week when they play Geelong. That game against the second-placed Cats becomes a massive contest and the Eagles will need to win their first game away from home since round 16 of last season. The performance they put in during the second and third quarters against the Pies won't be good enough. The Magpies lost their fifth of six opening terms for the season, by 33 points. The Eagles had 5.4 on the board before Collingwood even scored. The Pies went inside their attacking 50 area only four times in the opening term for 1.1 (to the Eagles 20 for 6.4). Until that first Magpie goal came, with just three minutes to go before the siren, they didn't look like scoring. A performance like that against Carlton next week could give the Blues their third consecutive win of the season. The Eagles got out to a 39-points lead midway through the second term and their outstanding home record since the start of last season looked safe. But Collingwood got back to within 10 points. Scott Pendlebury, clearly still sore after Monday's Anzac Day win over Essendon, had just five touches in the first term, all handballs. Steele Sidebottom had the same number. By the main break, the Magpies captain had 20 (including 15 handballs). By three-quarter-time Sidebottom had 18. Jack Crisp's pace in the midfield caused the Eagles some issues and there will be several AFL recruiters heading to the US after Mason Cox became a focal point in attack and kicked a couple of goals. Again, goal-kicking accuracy hurt West Coast. Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy was the main culprit. He kicked 14.10 in five games in 2016 before this round, including 8.2 in the season opener against Brisbane. And he had 2.5 to three-quarter-time against the Magpies. He finished with 3.6, his third coming late in the game when the result was decided. Fortunately for the Eagles, Mark LeCras found some form early, kicking two goals in the opening term. He kicked another in the final term flurry to finish with 3.3. Jamie Cripps booted all three of his goals in the final term too. LeCras was outstanding early in the game though and was the reason the Eagles were able to break away so quickly. Next up The Magpies have a must-win clash with Carlton at the MCG on Saturday. Next Five Carlton, Brisbane, Geelong, Footscray, Port Adelaide. "(The) first quarter and last quarter were poor. Game goes for four quarters, so you can't play two and expect to get the result. The good was good and the bad was bad and there wasn't a lot in between." |
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