GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 7.2.44 9.4.58 11.7.73 14.9.93
GOALS - Collingwood: Cloke 4, White 3, Blair 2, Fasolo 2, Varcoe, Aish, Adams, Smith, Macaffer, Sinclair, Sidebottom, Grundy
BEST - Collingwood: Grundy, Adams, Cloke, Sidebottom, Treloar, Howe, Pendlebury
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 13,483 at Sydney Showground
| 1. Treloar vs the Giants It wasn't a pleasant start for the former GWS midfielder, with Stephen Coniglio and Shane Mumford certainly making sure that Treloar knew he wasn't welcome at Spotless Stadium during the opening term. Treloar had just four touches in the first quarter as the Giants piled on seven goals to three, but he certainly had the last laugh. The man who was runner-up in last year's best and fairest at GWS finished the day with 27 possessions, six clearances and five tackles, as the Magpies pulled off a massive upset. Another former Giant Taylor Adams also torched the home side and was one of the best players on the ground with 31 disposals, 10 clearances and a goal. 2. Macaffer puts the shackles on Shaw Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley didn't need to be reminded how damaging his old teammate and GWS defender Heath Shaw can be, so he sent his recalled stopper Brent Macaffer forward to mind the star Giant. The pair of 2010 premiership Pies had a great battle for most of the match, and while Macaffer didn't find much of the footy with just six possessions, he managed a second-quarter goal when the Pies turned the game in their favour, and limited Shaw's offensive output to 20 touches. With Nathan Wilson out injured and Shaw's influence limited, the Giants struggled to get any run from defence, usually one of their biggest weapons. Buckley's move was a masterstroke. 3. Cloke watch The much-maligned Magpie has had a nightmare year to date, but showed he still has something to offer at senior level against GWS. Cloke took 12 marks including five contested, had 20 possessions and booted four goals for the winners matched against Adam Tomlinson for most of the day. There was a slight 'Clokey' moment in the form of a shocking miss from point-blank range in the third quarter, but overall it was an encouraging sign for his future at the highest level. The Pies might have already stamped his papers, but the display could attract some interest from other clubs around the competition. |
4. What happened to the Giants? It's hard to work out how a side that kicked seven goals in the first quarter and dominated all the major statistics, can lose a game by 32 points. The Giants won the clearances (14-5) and the contested possessions (46-38) in the first term, but lost both counts heavily after that point, with the Pies up 42-33 in clearances and 159-146 in contested ball at the final siren. Collingwood kicked the last six goals in the second quarter and nine in total for the term, and added two more after the main break for eight in a row, while GWS failed to fire a shot. It was a damning performance by Leon Cameron's men, who blew the chance to go to second on the ladder and consolidate their extremely valuable top four spot. 5. Grundy eclipses Mummy Not many ruckmen take on Shane Mumford and walk away with the points, but Brodie Grundy not only beat the star Giant, he was best on ground in his side's best win of the year. The big man gave away size and strength to Mumford but after finding the going tough early on, Grundy was a major reason behind Collingwood's stunning turnaround. The 22-year-old had 26 possessions, 28 hitouts, six clearances, and added a goal in the third term. Mumford was still one of the Giants' best and battled hard all day, but Grundy's performance was outstanding against one of the game's best ruckman. Not many ruckmen take on Shane Mumford and walk away with the points, but Brodie Grundy not only beat the star Giant, he was best on ground in his side's best win of the year. The big man gave away size and strength to Mumford but after finding the going tough early on, Grundy was a major reason behind Collingwood's stunning turnaround. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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COLLINGWOOD has put the top eight on notice that the finals race is not over with an outstanding 32-point win over a disappointing Greater Western Sydney. The Magpies recovered from a slow opening term to overrun their opponents at Spotless Stadium on Saturday to post a comfortable 19.11 (125) to 14.9 (93) victory in front of 13,483 fans, displaying some of the irresistible form their supporters were hoping to see from the start of the 2016 campaign. Travis Cloke finished with 12 marks and four goals for Collingwood, while Jesse White kicked three and provided good support in the ruck alongside Brodie Grundy, was best on ground with 28 hit-outs, six clearances and 26 possessions. It was the Magpies' third victory in as many matches and leaves them at seven wins and eight losses with seven games to go. Of their seven remaining games, five are against teams currently inside the eight. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said his players tightened up after quarter-time and put more pressure on the Giants forwards and midfielders. "It was a really positive performance," Buckley said. "It was the type of footy, for the most part, that we like to play. The first quarter was a little bit shy of it and we were sloppy in the last, but the second and third quarters were dominant. "In many ways we've exposed the football that we are capable of." The result is a huge blow for the Giants, who fall to 10-5 after suffering their biggest loss of the year. The AFL's newest club could be outside the top four by the end of the round. The Giants began the brighter of the two sides as Shane Mumford, with help from Rory Lobb, dominated the ruck in the opening term to give his team first use of the footy. With a 14-5 advantage in clearances, GWS piled on seven goals to three to hold a 24-point advantage at quarter-time. Asked whether his players got ahead of themselves when up by four goals at the first break, Giants coach Leon Cameron said: "We're a young group, whether or not they got ahead of themselves it's hard to say." "We've got to make sure we review the game really well. Was it effort? Was it structure? We've got to assess it and come back next Sunday against the (Brisbane) Lions," Cameron said. "We've had 15 games and we've been pretty good in most of those games, but today I thought that 60 minutes was our worst 60 minutes of the year." Whatever words of inspiration Magpies coach Nathan Buckley delivered at the break had the desired effect, as the visitors stormed back into the contest thanks to an improved effort at the stoppages, more run through the midfield and more pressure on their opponents when they had the footy. Collingwood booted nine goals to two in the second quarter, with Grundy missing the chance to make it an even 10 when his after the siren set-shot missed. The visitors' lift in intensity caused the Giants to look more like the easy-beats of 2012, rather than the finals contenders they have shown themselves to be this year. Grundy, alongside White, were able to nullify the influence of Mumford and Lobb from quarter-time onwards. The Magpies offered no respite in the second half, extending their margin to 42 points at the final change when Cloke outmarked Heath Shaw and made no mistake from 15 metres out. Scott Pendlebury (26 posessions and six clearances) and Taylor Adams (31 touches and 10 clearances) feasted on the work of Grundy and White, while former Giant Adam Treloar also had a good day against his old club. While GWS' tall forwards Jeremy Cameron (five goals) and Jonathon Patton (three goals) started brightly, the pair had little influence on the match after quarter-time as Collingwood's midfielders were able to restrict their supply. FOUR goals from Travis Cloke and three from Jesse White has lifted Collingwood to an upset 32 point win over GWS and put a massive dent in their top four hopes. The much maligned pair worked their backsides off and monstered the GWS backline taking more than 10 marks each to go with their impressive work in front of goal. It was a fitting reward for the key forwards who have been in and out of the senior team all season. "It's a nice reward for a lot of hard work over the last three months," Cloke said after the game. It was the form Nathan Buckley would have preferred to seen in the first half of the year rather than the back end. But with seven games to go Collingwood could still make something of their season if they can reproduce this form consistently. The win was the third in a row for the Magpies who maintained their unbeaten run over the Giants who tasted their first defeat at home this season. The forward pairing were well supported by Alex Fasolo and Jarryd Blair who both picked up two goals but the drive came from big man Brodie Grundy who was outstanding in the ruck against one of the best in the business in Shane Mumford. The pair halved the hit outs but Grundy gave his team the edge in clearances 42-33 and out of the centre 17-13. Steele Sidebottom (28), Scott Pendlebury (26) and Adam Treloar (27) were also well on top in the midfield battle. It was a sweet return to Spotless Stadium for Treloar and fellow former Giant Taylor Adams who was outstanding with 31 disposals and a goal. The tackling and pressure on the ball carrier was also a highlight for Buckley's men who dominated the tackle count 80-60 and ultimately forced the Giants into skill errors. The 15-9 tackle count inside forward 50 also generated plenty of scoring for the visitors. Jeremy Cameron was the best for the home team with five goals and Jonathon Patton produced his best performance this year with three goals and took some strong contested marks. But small forwards Steve Johnson and Toby Greene were both well held with Johnson kicking just one goal and Greene remaining goal less. The heavy loss took seven percentage points off the Giants who could fall as far as seventh spot on the ladder by the end of the round with the Adelaide Crows, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne all able to overtake them.
NOTES
MEDICAL ROOM Alex Fasolo, back in the side after overcoming an arm injury, was on the bench for most of the final term and had trainers looking at his left shoulder. NEXT UP The Magpies travel to South Australia to take on the Crows on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval - they are winless from their two matches at the venue. NEXT FIVE Adelaide Crows, North Melbourne, West Coast Eagles, Richmond, Western Bulldogs "It was a really positive performance. It was the type of footy, for the most part, that we like to play. The first quarter was a little bit shy of it and we were sloppy in the last, but the second and third quarters were dominant. In many ways we've exposed the football that we are capable of." |
COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley says forward Travis Cloke is benefitting from the hard work undertaken since he was dropped to the VFL earlier in the year. Cloke was one of the Magpies' best in the 32-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday afternoon, booting four goals and pulling down 12 marks (five contested) to finish as the dominant forward on the ground. The 29-year-old with one of the more famous names in the history of the Collingwood Football Club lost his place in the senior side in April and then spent six weeks in the VFL. After returning in round 11, Cloke was again sent back to the lower league before getting a call up in round 14. Buckley said the two-time All Australian and 2010 premiership player has worked hard to regain his place in the side. "As big as it was blown up externally, all it is is [that] we think we can do better at senior level now and you need to do a bit more work, so he has approached that really well," Buckley said after the match. "I don't think that this game is going to be the pinnacle of that. He is still going to reap the rewards of the work that he is doing at the moment. "As we've said all along, we want to get him back to his best footy not just for the rest of this year, but for the rest of his career, which is going to be as long as he wishes it to be at this stage." Cloke received great support from fellow big man Jesse White, who kicked three goals and had 10 marks in addition to his efforts in the ruck. Buckley said Cloke and White gave team mates further up the ground plenty of options when going forward, with the Magpies finishing with 67 inside 50s to the Giants' 49. "That's the best performance they have put together for quite a while," Buckley said. "In many ways we've exposed the football that we are capable of. "It was the type of footy, for the most part, that we like to play. The first quarter was a little bit shy of it and we were sloppy in the last, but the second and third quarters were dominant." Buckley also praised the efforts of ruckman Brodie Grundy, who bounced back from a poor opening term to have the better of Shane Mumford and Rory Lobb. "I thought Brodie's last three quarters against his direct opponent were as good as he has played. He is in a sweet vein of form at the moment so it is good to see him get reward for effort," Buckley said. The result lifts Collingwood to a 7-8 win-loss record with seven rounds to go, a position Buckley said was "probably two wins shy of really being in contention to be honest". "We've really got to keep this form up when we go to Adelaide next week and we are looking forward to that," Buckley said. "Our players are improving and performing of recent times and we're just wanting to enjoy getting reward for the work put in." The Magpies face the Crows at Adelaide Oval next Saturday night. Collingwood enjoyed one of their finest wins in the Nathan Buckley era and raised questions about the fortitude of flag fancy Greater Western Sydney with a stunning 32-point win at Spotless Stadium on Saturday. The bookies had the Pies as $8 outsiders heading into the clash against a side that had lost only four matches this season, but their dash through the middle, defensive pressure and a break-out game from power forward Travis Cloke – who had a season-high four goals in his eighth game of the year – led to one of their best victories in recent seasons. It also maintained their unbeaten record against the expansion franchise. They had beaten Geelong in round nine but this was better, if for no other reason it was achieved in enemy territory and the Giants had not lost at home since round 21 last year. "There has been a lot of work put in in the last three months," Cloke said. "We have been clicking in the last three weeks as a group. "We had a few injuries earlier in the year, we still do. It's nice to have a win together." Buckley said pre-match the Pies were "confident in our 22", and it was little wonder, for ruckman Brodie Grundy had arguably his finest day, humbling the Giants' giant, Shane Mumford, a man he had admired as a junior. His ability to split the hit-outs (28 apiece) and give first use to an appreciative midfield ensured the Pies quickly rebounded after an indifferent start, and remained, mathematically at least, in the finals hunt. The Giants remain firmly in contention for the top four but this loss could ultimately cost them a home final. Their character when under immense pressure and when the game was not played on their terms was questionable. Giants coach Leon Cameron could only lament that the Pies were "harder than us". Clearly, they were not ready having enjoyed last week's bye. There has been much speculation about whether Cloke would fulfil his contract next year but this performance, including 12 marks, of which five were contested, was a reminder of why he was once one of the league's premier marking forwards. He was immovable at times, and the Pies were quick to look for him when he had a mismatch, as was the case in the third term when he outbodied Heath Shaw. His workload, and willingness to lead up the ground, was also impressive. Rival forward Jeremy Cameron finished with five goals but was unable to have an influence when it counted. Skipper Callan Ward, Tom Scully and Dylan Shiel were unable to generate their customary run but Stephen Coniglio did find plenty of the ball. While the Magpies booted the opening goal of the game, it wouldn't have taken long for the code red signal to start flashing in Buckley's coach's box. The Giants had responded with the next four goals, and began to dominate the clearances and marks, and had almost doubled the Pies in kicking efficiency. Goals to James Aish and Cloke, the latter after an encouraging contested grab, eased the pressure on the Pies, but the Giants would still enjoy a four-goal buffer at quarter-time. From there, it was quite extraordinary; the Pies produced a nine-goals-to-two second term. Grundy, who later said he had been mistiming his leap in the first quarter, was pivotal. He had 12 disposals in the second term and helped the Pies have a 17-8 advantage in clearances. Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and former Giants Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar were dominant in the midfield, while Ben Sinclair rebounded well across half-back. The Pies were tough in the contest, and a 19-9 advantage in inside 50s was crucial. Small forwards Jarryd Blair and Alex Fasolo were lively, each booting two goals. Blair contributed a goal-of-the-round nomination when he guided the ball through from the right boundary, while Fasolo contributed a one-handed mark when he outmuscled Nick Haynes. Brent Macaffer had the less glamorous role of negating the rebound run of Shaw, his former teammate, and had held him to eight touches by the break (and 20 for the match). He also pounced on a loose ball to snap truly, adding to the Pies' stunning resurgence and a three-goal lead at half-time. The question then was whether the Giants were prepared to respond with vigour. It wasn't to be, with Cloke and Grundy continuing their fine afternoon, and Jesse White, another maligned figure, also in strong form. The Pies have won three straight since their bye, and rival clubs are now likely to incorporate their game plan as part of their own when confronting the Giants, who face a searching week. |
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