COLLINGWOOD 2.2.14 4.4.28 10.7.67 12.12.84
GOALS - Collingwood: Blair 2, Moore 2, Greenwood 2, White 2, Sidebottom 2, Pendlebury, Fasolo
BEST - Collingwood: Sidebottom, Adams, Grundy, Pendlebury, Treloar
INJURIES - Collingwood: Sinclair (concussion)
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 36,041 at Etihad Stadium
| 1. Have the Kangaroos slammed the finals door shut? Maybe not yet, but North Melbourne fans will be breathing easier with their side guaranteed to end the round at least two games clear in eighth spot ahead of Port Adelaide and St Kilda, who will start underdogs in their games this weekend. The Roos were much improved in the first half as they arrested a five-game losing streak, although the Pies at times resembled witches' hats before springing to life after half-time and surging back into the contest. The Maggies are now no chance of playing finals footy, despite what 'mathematics' might say, while the Roos have just about booked their third-straight trip to September. 2. Don't poke the Roos, Bucks Nathan Buckley ratcheted up the anticipation for Friday night's clash by declaring fans could expect "a finals-type game with high pressure" – but his team dismally failed to deliver when the game was there to be won early. Despite Buckley claiming his players were ready to put reputations on the line, it was the Roos who made a statement, unleashing a first-quarter blitzkrieg on the shellshocked Magpies. North dominated centre clearances 6-0 in the opening stages, putting Collingwood's defence under siege, and ran rampant in attack with five of the first six goals to seemingly kill the contest. Collingwood's fightback after the long break was typical of the Pies' frustrating stop-start year. 3. Wells' fright becomes North's delight A curveball was thrown at North Melbourne before the match even started with Daniel Wells hurting himself in the warm-up and undergoing a fitness test just 15 minutes before the bounce. Wells walked off Etihad Stadium with club doctors as his teammates went through their pre-game routines, reappearing minutes later for several 30m sprints along the boundary line. The classy veteran, who came back from a calf issue just last round, only stretched out to about 75 per cent speed, but he was cleared to play – and it was a crucial decision. Wells dominated the first quarter as the Roos went on a scoring blitz, with their star midfielder racking up 11 touches, three centre clearances and two goal assists. |
4. Petrie bounces back Brad Scott has stuck by out-of-form forward Drew Petrie and his faith was repaid on Friday night, with Petrie's defensive pressure helping inspire the Kangaroos' blistering start. Throughout Petrie's form slump, Scott always maintained the big Roo's tackling and chasing was still invaluable, and the 33-year-old was clamping down on anything that moved in the opening half. The spillage from one tackle gifted Lindsay Thomas his first goal, before Petrie drilled Jeremy Howe in a clear signal of intent and then caught Marley Williams holding the ball in midfield as the Pies were sweeping forward in numbers. Petrie ended the game with seven tackles and two goals, and if he can exhibit this intensity every week, it will significantly boost his chances of a new contract. 5. 'Boomer' good to go for record-breaking celebration After powering through his 426th match unscathed, tying him with Hawthorn champ Michael Tuck for the all-time games record, Brent Harvey will be the centre of attention this week ahead of his momentous occasion against St Kilda next Saturday night. 'Boomer' was in vintage touch against the Pies, using the ball craftily with his 25 touches and screwing two clever goals over his shoulder. Although the 38-year-old marvel missed a couple of gilt-edged chances in the final term, he's bagged 29 majors this year and is averaging a tick above 20 disposals, suggesting a new one-year contract extension is a certainty and that 450 games isn't out of the question – a record that could stand for decades. Nathan Buckley ratcheted up the anticipation for Friday night's clash by declaring fans could expect "a finals-type game with high pressure" – but his team dismally failed to deliver when the game was there to be won early. Despite Buckley claiming his players were ready to put reputations on the line, it was the Roos who made a statement, unleashing a first-quarter blitzkrieg on the shellshocked Magpies. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Collingwood's forwards have been put on notice by coach Nathan Buckley after a flat performance against North Melbourne that effectively eliminated the Magpies from the pack chasing September action. Finals are now a pipe dream after the form of the past month was undone with a six-goal-to-one start that left the Magpies on the back foot on Friday night. Coach Nathan Buckley described his forward line as "impotent" in the first half and said the entire group was on notice after failing to win the ground ball and kicking 12.12 from 49 inside 50s. "We keep shuffling it around and looking for who's going to be our next best side … but individuals had a chance to reinforce it and some did and some didn't," the coach said. "We were impotent forward of the ball for most of the first half, and we thought we went in with one of our better forward lines on paper for the year. "Our forwards just didn't work hard enough to provide clear and legitimate options for the ball carrier. "We just didn't have enough energy in the front half in that first half." The Magpies sent defender Jeremy Howe forward in the second half and benefited, but it was too little too late, Buckley said. Asked for his thoughts on Travis Cloke's scoreless game, the coach simply said he was "part of a forward line that really struggled". "I think all of the forwards are probably on notice at the moment," Buckley said. Friday night's game was billed a 'mini final', and the coach said that was how his team had approached the past month, resulting in a 4-1 run going into round 18. He was in no doubt the Kangaroos had taken a similar approach into the clash after a 0-5 run that saw them drop from first to eighth on the ladder. "This was the line in the sand … whatever you want to call it, this was it," the coach said. "Whether they communicate that or not, I'm pretty sure internally they needed to get their season back on track. "We knew all of that and it was going to be a tough ask. If we were able to get the job done tonight it would have been the performance of our season. "We were up against a motivated and experienced team that just needed to get the job done, and in the end that's what they did." Buckley welcomed looming matches against West Coast, the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn as a chance to identify players who welcomed the big stage. "We've had that opportunity the past two or three weeks and we've got it in the last part of the season as well," he said. "We want to find out who can stand up and we want to give exposure to players who have actually put some pretty good form together and see how they handle this sort of pressure against really good footy sides. "We're getting some pretty good feedback at the moment." NORTH Melbourne has snapped a five-game losing streak and stabilised its sinking season, kicking away in a dramatic 'mini-final' on Friday night to beat Collingwood by 40 points at Etihad Stadium. In what was billed as a do-or-die clash for the Kangaroos, they built a 46-point lead in the third quarter but were made to fight to the end after a spirited Magpies' fightback. The margin was cut to just 17 points early in the fourth quarter after five straight Collingwood goals, but after a 20-minute deadlock that produced seven behinds, young Roo Trent Dumont roved cleanly and snapped the sealer. The final score was 18.16 (124) to 12.12 (84), with the Roos kicking the final four goals of the game to build a flattering margin. The win effectively eliminated the Magpies as a finals contender and ensured North would keep at least two games between it and challengers Port Adelaide and St Kilda for another week. It was a fitting result for Kangaroos champion Brent Harvey, who kicked a late goal in his record-equalling 426th game and finished with 25 possessions and eight inside 50s. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said in the build-up that his team was willing to put its reputation on the line on Friday night and would bring finals-like intensity, setting the stage for what turned into a feisty clash, full of spot-fires. The Kangaroos not only met that intensity, they raised the stakes again and built a 27-point lead at the first break, which it protected well for the next two quarters before the Pies' late rally. Midfielder Daniel Wells was the star, overcoming a pre-game back problem and working through a tight Levi Greenwood tag to emerge with 29 touches, six clearances and five inside 50s. Key forward Drew Petrie (seven tackles and 2.2) tackled his way back to form, while wingman Sam Gibson (33 possessions) and young Roos Ryan Clarke (27) and Trent Dumont (15 and two goals) played key roles. The Kangaroos' backline was superb, led by Michael Firrito and Robbie Tarrant, while Lindsay Thomas – who was again involved in a number of controversial moments – finished with a season-high five goals. The drama started early, with Wells walking from the ground with trainers 25 minutes before the bounce to seek treatment for what was revealed to be an upper back issue that was impacting his breathing. All signs pointed to the damaging midfielder being withdrawn, but the Kangaroos doctors worked on him frantically and allowed the game-breaker to flourish. Wells was the dominant player on the ground in the first quarter, racking up three of the first four centre clearances to get the game on his team's terms. By quarter-time the Kangaroos were 27 points clear and he had 11 possessions, two inside 50s and two goal assists to his name. "I thought the tone was set from pretty early on from our perspective," coach Brad Scott said. "Collingwood have been playing some really good footy, statistically their last month is just about as good as anyone's and they've beaten some pretty good teams. "So we knew it was going to be a tough battle and we certainly got that." The Magpies were one man down after defender Ben Sinclair suffered a head knock in the first quarter and eventually was taken for precautionary scans. They could have rolled over when the margin swelled to 46 points in the third quarter, but they fought back bravely on the back of ruckman Brodie Grundy (29 hit-outs and 19 possessions) and midfielder Steele Sidebottom (28 and two goals). Sidebottom's second goal five-minutes into the final term sparked the match to new life, cutting the margin to 16 points, but from there a series of missed opportunities will haunt the Magpies. Rather than wondering what could have been, Buckley was left reflecting on another flat start. "Effort was really poor early … again, that's our third week in a row when we've given proven finals sides and really good football sides a start," the coach said. "We've dug ourselves out of one of them and haven't been able to dig ourselves out of the last two. "We were gallant, but in the end you've got to give yourself a more of a chance by starting better." As well as Grundy and Sidebottom, captain Scott Pendlebury (30 possessions and seven clearances) and Taylor Adams (30 and four) pushed on for the Magpies. It was a horror night for forward Travis Cloke, who finished scoreless and with just three marks, while Alex Fasolo returned from a shoulder injury with four possessions and one goal. |
Collingwood did not try hard enough in the first quarter of their loss to North Melbourne, an irate Nathan Buckley has said. The coach put his entire forward line on notice, including an underperforming Travis Cloke. Buckley said Ben Sinclair was likely to miss at least a week of football after suffering his third concussion this year. A fired-up North Melbourne ran away from the Pies in the first quarter, booting six goals to the home team's two. Speaking after the match, Buckley kept his answers brief, but he did not hold back in criticising his team. He said Collingwood did not push hard enough in the first term. "Effort was really poor early ... it's the third week in a row where we've given proven finals sides and really good football sides a start," he said. "We just weren't clean with the footy, we weren't hard enough in close, North's pressure was really good and we weren't able to get out when we had the ball." Buckley said he had been expecting an intense performance from the Roos and those occasions helped him observe his players in a high pressure environment. Cloke has spent time in the VFL this year as he struggled with a poor run of form and Buckley signalled he should not get too comfortable. Asked about Cloke's form, Buckley said like the rest of the forward line, he really struggled. "All the forwards are probably on notice at the moment," Buckley said. Sinclair went to hospital after suffering a concussion early in the game, his third of the year. Buckley said he was unlikely to play next week. "He's an important player for us, but in the end his health is the most important thing," he said. THERE has been a question mark on Daniel Wells. Beautiful player. Scintillating skill. But would he deliver when things got tough? When the gun midfielder limped to the boundary line with another calf flare-up 20 minutes before Friday night's cut throat clash against Collingwood, North Melbourne's whole premiership blueprint threatened to collapse. The anguish was all over his face. Yet, as easy as it may have been to pull out at that moment, Wells answered the challenge in emphatic fashion, producing one of the most inspired, and indeed important performances of his career to keep North's flag hopes alive on a dramatic night at Etihad Stadium. "For a bloke who hasn't always carried injury that well, he's been outstanding," Jason Dunstall said on Triple M. The silken midfielder won the hard ball in traffic, and used it brilliantly, to put North up by 37 points at half time. His first 18 possessions were at 91 per cent efficiency. But the scare was real after the main break. The Pies had all the momentum early in the last term to get within 16 points, as Alex Fasolo and Steele Sidebottom kicked clutch goals to get within arm's reach of a miracle comeback. Sidebottom, Adam Treloar, Scott Pendlebury and Taylor Adams drove the Collingwood comeback but Lindsay Thomas finished with five goals to fend off the Pies. And even though Brent Harvey fluffed a chance to ice the contest running in the kind of open goal he could kick with eyes closed, when they were 22 points down, North emerged with a 40-point win.. Youngster Trent Dumont was the hero of the last quarter, scrapping the sealer from about 15m out as he was slung to the ground in a tackle. Harvey also joined the party with the snap from the boundary line to help make up for his incredible miss. Now, he can enjoy this week as he prepares to break Michael Tuck's (426) all-time games record. But for a minute there, Harvey's doomsday scenario could have eventuated had the Pies capitalised on his error. Collingwood treated this one like it was a final, but it was the Roos who delivered the September intensity early. And there were statements everywhere across the field. Drew Petrie was another whose career was seemingly cooked after an average month, but the veteran key forward played with the ferocity and intensity that had been missing from North's whole campaign since they won nine-straight. By half time, he had had a hand in three goals, kicked two majors himself, and had laid out Ben Reid and Marley Williams with pounding tackles. No one will give North much of a chance to win the whole thing just yet, but at least there is a pulse, now. Ben Cunnington discovered some onball venom and Harvey kicked a critical goal in the second term, swooping on Jeremy Howe's spilt mark and snapping cleverly over his shoulder. The veteran pumped his first before the ball had even sailed over the goal line. They were 38 points up. And Michael Firrito held sway in the back end, standing courageously under high balls to keep the ball out of reach of the Pies' three-pronged forward setup before their late comeback. The chairman James Brayshaw said pre-game all of the veterans were essentially on notice, and they answered the call. "They have all got to prove to us (match committee) that they should go on (next season) and if they aren't able to do that then we have got to move them on and regenerate," Brayshaw said on Triple M. This week, rightfully, can now be all about Harvey, and not the Roos' previously ailing season, as he prepares to break Tuck's mark against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. 'Boomer' kept playing in the past few years, he said, because he thought this group was close to a flag, and he could yet be proven right. And on Friday night his mates came good for him. The heat was on at Arden St this week, with coach Brad Scott directing their entire focus on reapplying some defensive heat on the opposition after a disgusting loss to Port Adelaide. He must feel justified, backing in the group, when the footy public wanted scalps. Magpie Ben Sinclair was taken to hospital with another concussion after a first quarter collision with Jed Anderson. NOTES MEDICAL ROOM Collingwood: Defender Ben Sinclair suffered his fourth head knock of the season when he collided with Jed Anderson and he was eventually taken to hospital for precautionary scans. Given his history, the Magpies will be in no rush to clear the 24-year-old to play. NEXT FIVE West Coast Eagles, Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast, Hawthorn "Effort was really poor early ... it's the third week in a row where we've given proven finals sides and really good football sides a start, We just weren't clean with the footy, we weren't hard enough in close, North's pressure was really good and we weren't able to get out when we had the ball." |
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