FREMANTLE 0.1.1 1.4.10 3.5.23 5.7.37
GOALS - Collingwood: Cox 2, White 2, Cloke 2, Greenwood, Phillips, De Goey, Treloar, Smith, Aish
BEST - Collingwood: Treloar, Pendlebury, Crisp, Reid, Smith, Howe
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 20,320 at the MCG
| 1. Pies back on the winners list After briefly resurrecting their season, the Magpies' last month has been woeful. But on Friday night, fresh from the bye, they worked their way back into form, snapping a three-game losing streak. The 48-point win was Collingwood's fifth for the season and its first victory over Fremantle since 2012. For the Dockers, there weren't many positives to take from the performance. They were terrible from the first bounce, and were never in the contest. Coach Ross Lyon would be disappointed with the performance given the improvement they had made over the past month. 2. Pav's last hurrah at the MCG? Matthew Pavlich is yet to officially announce that this will be his final year, but it appears the most likely scenario. The home of football hasn't exactly been a happy hunting ground for the Fremantle veteran over his career with a win-loss ratio of 14-19, including a Grand Final defeat to Hawthorn in 2013. His 33rd and most likely final outing at the MCG wasn't a night to remember either. The improvement the Dockers had made over the past month was completely forgotten as they reverted back to the football that had them flailing at 0-10. The former skipper, as always, tried his best. He kicked 2.2 and had a hand in a couple of other goals. 3. Cloke back with a bang It was the best possible start for the out-of-favour key forward with Travis Cloke flying out of the blocks to kick the opening goal of the match in the first 90 seconds. His teammates flocked from all over the ground to celebrate with him, giving him the boost he needed in his return game. Cloke's confidence has taken a battering this season, having being dropped to the VFL twice, but the Magpie forward looked a more positive player on Friday night. Often double and triple-teamed by the Fremantle defenders, Cloke worked hard in attack and was rewarded with two goals, including a terrific set shot conversion in the final term from a tight angle. He also presented well up the ground, giving his teammates a marking option up on the wing and finished the game with 13 disposals, seven marks and four inside 50s. Not a standout performance, but a strong enough showing for Cloke to hold his place in the side next week against Carlton. |
4. Dockers struggle to convert Fremantle has had its scoring woes this season, but it's not often a team is held to just one goal in a half of football. The Dockers were goalless in the opening term and it took Michael Walters in the third minute of the second term to slot through their first major of the game. But that was it for the opening half. Just four times under Lyon have Fremantle being restricted to just one goal in a half of football, two of those occasions have come in season 2016. In fairness the Dockers' forwards were starved of opportunity with just 37 inside 50s for the game to Collingwood's 65. Fremantle's night in front of goal was summed up in the third term when Michael Barlow handballed to an open Jack Hannath in the goal square, only for the youngster to fumble the ball. Barlow went in and got the ball again, this time, spotting up the more experienced Hayden Ballantyne who finally converted. 5. Too cold for fans? It was a chilly 6.5 degrees when the players began their warm up before the game, and by the end of the game the mercury had barely moved. The wintery conditions, a closed MCG car park and several Metro train line disruptions all contributed to a poor showing at the home of football on Friday night. The MCC had predicted a crowd of 32,000 for the clash between 14th and 15th on the ladder, but the figure fell way short of expectations. Just 20,320 fans braved the freezing conditions, the smallest crowd to watch Collingwood play at the MCG since round five, 1940. But the majority of the fans went home happy after seeing the improved Pies claim the four points. The MCC had predicted a crowd of 32,000 for the clash between 14th and 15th on the ladder, but the figure fell way short of expectations. Just 20,320 fans braved the freezing conditions, the smallest crowd to watch Collingwood play at the MCG since round five, 1940. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Collingwood forward Travis Cloke has taken a "step in the right direction" in his return to senior football, with an encouraging performance in the Pies' win over Fremantle. The out-of-favour Magpie returned to the senior side on Friday night after spending the round before last weekend's bye in the VFL. It was the second time Cloke had been dropped from the team after struggling to find form, sparking calls from some commentators that his career at Collingwood was nearing an end. But the 29-year-old repaid Nathan Buckley's faith in him, in what the coach described as a promising two-goal performance. "He played his role," Buckley said after the Pies' 48-point win at the MCG on Friday night. "I thought for the large part in the last quarter, Clokey and Jesse [White] were two that found a little bit extra…to stabilise the game. "It was encouraging for [Cloke] and a step in the right direction." Cloke flew out of the blocks, kicking the first goal of the match in the opening 90 seconds, and prompting his teammates to flock from everywhere to celebrate with him. "We didn't want to expose Clokey without that support, or Jesse, for that matter. It was a line-ball call. "Ultimately, when you get the result, it's the right decision, but when you look at it a bit deeper Mason played his role pretty well and set up a lot of ground ball for our small forwards." Young Collingwood forward Darcy Moore is expected to be available for selection for next week's game against Carlton after recovering from a broken collarbone, which could very well create a selection headache for Buckley. The Magpies are also hopeful midfielder Taylor Adams, forward Alex Fasolo and Tim Broomhead will return from injury over the next fortnight. He presented well up the ground and finished the game with seven marks, 13 disposals and four inside 50s. His most encouraging sign came in the final term when he slotted a set-shot goal from hard up against the boundary line. Cloke was well assisted up forward by fellow talls Mason Cox and Jesse White, both who kicked two goals each. Buckley praised the work of his tall forwards, but revealed after the match that the club had been close to making a late change with wet conditions forecast at the MCG. Fortunately, the rain stayed away until the final quarter, justifying Buckley's decision to keep Cox in the selected side. "It went right to the wire," Buckley admitted. "We were really keen to play Mason. We thought that even if it was a little slippery, against a really good defensive side in Fremantle, you were going to have to play down the line a little bit to talls. The question was not why only 20,320 people turned up to the MCG on Friday night, but why that many did. This was the first time Collingwood had drawn so few people to a home game at the MCG since World War II when in round 5 of 1940, 20,043 attended. The league's power club could even have lost money at the gate for the first time in decades. Even the rusted-on evidently feel the cold, so with the the temperature dipping to 2.6 degrees no parking at the ground, disruptions on Frankston train line, the fact this was 14th versus 15th, that a hail was forecast, and it was live on TV where red wine and warmth was on offer and, more importantly as it turns out, a remote control, attending was a challenging proposition. Within an hour, the Harry Potter movie probably looked tempting – at least there was some magic in that. Collingwood with most of their first-choice forwards out and their formerly first-choice forward back in the team as a last resort, it appeared unlikely that against a traditionally scungy Ross Lyon defence they would be able to kick a score. Those assumptions were rendered not just wrong but absolutely misplaced for it was Fremantle who could not score. The Dockers kicked 1.4 for the first half - the second lowest half-time score of Lyon's tenure. They were denied the ball in large part after Collingwood broke forward from the first bounce and, kindly for storytellers, Travis Cloke kicked the first goal with a fend-off and a snap. From the next bounce, Collingwood took the ball tumbling into the goal square where Mason Cox somehow stretched a giraffe's hoof at the ball to flick it through for a goal. Collingwood kept the ball forward but splattered it at the goal – two went out on the full, another wide and out of bounds and four more shots were behinds. Both sides used a loose player at times early behind the ball, then as Collingwood harried them through the midfield and pressured the ball to remain in their half of the ground, the Dockers pulled both Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters up to the stoppages so they were playing with an empty forward line. That said, Collingwood, with 20 inside-50s to seven in the first quarter, there was not a whole lot of supply. Tom Phillips scrounged a goal in the second term after Mason Cox had shown quick and clever hands to match his clever feet in the first quarter, to handpass the ball inside and open up play up. Cox then marked a dropping ball at his waist as Zac Dawson found him too big to move around. Fremantle were better able to keep the ball forward in the third quarter. The volume of numbers behind the ball had something to do with that but it created an opportunity for Matthew Pavlich - in what will be his last game at the ground - to snap a goal. But the lead had drifted out to 40 points at half-time, so after one goal for a half it was an unlikely comeback. The third quarter did though play out as expected at the start of the game - that the Magpies' forward line would find it difficult to kick a score. After being 40 points up at half-time, they did not kick a goal in the third quarter and the lead was trimmed to 22 points. Jesse White, channelling the look of Swedish soccer striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, followed soon after as Collingwood dumped on five goals in 12 minutes - with Cloke drifting one of those in beautifully from the boundary - to open up a solid 48-point final margin. MEDICAL ROOM Collingwood: The Pies got through the game unscathed, which is a bonus given the rugged conditions. NEXT UP Collingwood will be hoping it can continue its form against archrivals Carlton next Saturday night at the MCG. NEXT FIVE Carlton, GWS Giants, Adelaide Crows, North Melbourne, West Coast Eagles "When we worked harder we were better off. We tackled efficiently, our pressure on the opposition was good. It's our fifth win of the year but we didn't think it was off the back of effort as such, although that was good, it was the attention to detail to play a role." |
AT THE start of this season, Friday night's fixture between Collingwood and Fremantle – on paper at least – would have read as an important clash. The Magpies, armed with new recruits, entered the year as one of the teams tipped to be on the rise and the Dockers, last year's minor premiers, were primed for another premiership tilt. Or so we thought. But for the 20,320 fans who braved the chill at the MCG to watch the game, there would have been no expectations of September success upon leaving the venue. The Magpies won comfortably by 48 points but the only thing colder than Melbourne's weather was Fremantle's performance. The 12.13 (85) to 5.7 (37) score line represented the flat nature of the contest, which was all but over at quarter-time after Collingwood's early dominance, and very nearly sealed by the half-time break when the Pies led by 40 points with Fremantle stuck on just one goal. The Dockers were more competitive in the third term, but fell into their first-half habits in the last quarter to be blown away as Collingwood secured its fifth win of the season. Fremantle recorded its lowest score of the season, the fifth-lowest score in its history, and narrowly avoided the lowest total in nearly five seasons under coach Ross Lyon (a disappointing Derby result of 5.6.36 against West Coast in 2012). Star Magpie Adam Treloar was Collingwood's best and most consistent player across the contest, gathering 33 disposals, seven tackles and a goal, while Jack Crisp collected 24 touches in a typically hard-at-it effort. In a further positive for the Pies, first-year pair Josh Smith (25 disposals and a goal) and Tom Phillips (19, one goal) impressed, while American convert Mason Cox (two goals) continues to show exciting signs despite the inclement weather not helping taller types. Conditions were also not ideal for returning premiership forward Travis Cloke, but the full-forward worked hard across the night and finished with 13 disposals and 2.2. Coach Nathan Buckley said the win was "mostly positive" apart from a 15-minute block in the third term when Fremantle took control. "It's a simple game. When we worked harder we were better off. We tackled efficiently, our pressure on the opposition was good," he said post-game. "It's our fifth win of the year but we didn't think it was off the back of effort as such, although that was good, it was the attention to detail to play a role. "We had some really simple focuses going in, and in the very quick review straight after the game we thought that we did most of those. They'll be the same focuses we'll take through the rest of the season." Michael Barlow's form resurgence continued with 31 disposals, Hayden Crozier was active with 23, and Connor Blakely continued his emergence as a long-term midfielder for the club with 24. Lyon said he was "flabbergasted" at Freo's poor start to the game and admitted it was disappointing after a string of recent victories. "It's obviously a step back. We're really disappointed. It's a Friday night [game at] the MCG and we'd spoken about that," Lyon said. "We've got plenty of members and fans and you're on the national stage, we'd like our young players and our leaders to really stand up but that didn't occur." The damp conditions (it was just six degrees in Melbourne at the opening bounce) didn't stop Collingwood's big forwards from having an early impact, with the recalled Cloke and then Cox booting the first two goals of the game. It set the tone for a first-quarter domination for the Pies, who recorded 20 inside-50 entries to seven, and restricted the Dockers from entering their forward-50 at any stage from the third minute of the game until the 19-minute mark. Collingwood kept Fremantle goalless for the first term, but also rendered Lyon's team impotent. After three straight wins, the Dockers started the contest looking like the side that limped to round 11 before securing a victory. Michael Walters' goal in the opening minutes of the second term provided only a short-term relief for Fremantle, as Collingwood powered to a 40-point advantage at the main break after a four-goal quarter. The Dockers' worst first half of the year again exposed their shortcomings as they embark on a serious rebuild: their forward line lacked bite, the midfield is stagnant without Nat Fyfe, and the absence of Aaron Sandilands in the ruck is as large as the man himself. Collingwood also hasn't had a good season – its run of form will see it miss the eight for the third straight year unless it can produce a miracle run of wins in the second half of the season – but it was made to look like top-four contenders against the Dockers, such was the lack of pressure forced upon the Pies. The Dockers lifted in their intensity in the third term, and had 13 inside 50s to 14 to cut the deficit to 29 points at three-quarter time. The Pies didn't kick a goal for the term, but Fremantle's struggling forward line meant Collingwood's lead appeared safe heading into the last term. And so it proved. Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich, in what will likely be his final game at the MCG, snapped a goal early in the last quarter to edge the Dockers to within 22 points. But back-to-back goals to Treloar and then Jesse White ended any chance of a Dockers revival, and they conceded another three goals to be on the end of a margin that befitted their lack of contest across the night. CONTROVERSIAL key forward Travis Cloke has taken a step in the right direction in a bid to return to his best form, Collingwood's coach Nathan Buckley said. Former All-Australian Cloke was recalled for just his sixth game of the year and had 13 possessions, kicking two goals in a 48-point win over Fremantle at the MCG in wet conditions. Buckley said Cloke had "played his role". "In the last part, Clokey and Jesse White in particular were two (forwards) who found a little bit extra for that first 15 minutes of the last (quarter) to stabilise the game," Buckley said. "It was encouraging for him. It was a step in the right direction." Cloke's last-quarter goal from a boundary set shot was one of five in the final term for the Magpies, who led by 29 points at the final change after failing to kick a goal in the third quarter. Buckley said he was pleased with his side's effort and praised key defender Ben Reid's performance. However while the Magpies won the contested ball 154-137, a third-quarter lapse could have been costly. Leading 7.8 (50) to 1.4 (10) at half time, the Magpies let the Dockers back into the game as the visitors outscored Collingwood two goals to none in the third term. "It's obviously one of those nights when getting your body in line with the ball and doing it again and again and again was going to be important," Buckley said. "I thought we brought the right intent and for the most part got the game on our terms. "It was probably just that 15 minutes in the third quarter there where we didn't work as hard as we were for the rest of the game. "But it was largely positive." |
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