HAWTHORN 2.4.16 7.7.49 13.8.86 17.10.112
COLLINGWOOD 4.2.26 9.6.60 11.8.74 17.9.111
GOALS - Collingwood: Crocker 3, De Goey 2, White 2, Greenwood 2, Blair 2, Treloar 2, Cloke 2, Goldsack, Grundy
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Treloar, Grundy, Crocker, Phillips, Howe
INJURIES - Collingwood: Aish (hamstring)
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 52,968 at the MCG
| 1. Hawthorn secures top-four spot After 23 rounds, the top four is finally set. By beating Collingwood by a single point, Hawthorn will launch its bid for a fourth-straight flag from third spot on the ladder and with the all-important double chance. Their first assignment will be a mouthwatering qualifying final against Geelong with the winner earning a week off and a home preliminary final. Adelaide's loss to West Coast has proven to be costly, with the Crows forced into a do-or-die elimination final against North Melbourne. It also means Greater Western Sydney's finals debut will be against their big brother in the Sydney Swans in the other qualifying final. West Coast and the Bulldogs will be the remaining elimination final. 2. A match for the ages The Pies were brave, but fell just short. The Hawks were classy when it counted and calm and collected in the final minutes. The usual suspects stood up – Cyril Rioli was a constant threat throughout the match, Shaun Burgoyne struck an imposing figure across the ground, and Luke Hodge directed his troops like the seasoned general he is. The Hawks were three goals up at the 17-minute mark of the fourth quarter, and looked assured of a top-four spot, but the Pies were determined to go out with a bang. Goals to Ben Crocker, Travis Cloke, Jarryd Blair and Adam Treloar (a ripping snap shot from a stoppage) gave Collingwood a six-point lead, before Jack Fitzpatrick, earlier denied a free kick for an unrealistic attempt at a mark, kicked a goal from just inside the centre square to level the scores. A hurried snap from Paul Puopolo with a minute left proved to be the winner. Collingwood fans should go home happy after this match, as the future of the club stepped up to take on the reigning premiers. |
3. Hawthorn's ruck dilemma There were questions coming into this match over the make-up of Hawthorn's ruck division, after Jonathon Ceglar tore his ACL against West Coast the week before. The news that Ben McEvoy was a late withdrawal with the unusual combination of back soreness and the birth of his first child meant the Hawks played the untested combination of Jack Fitzpatrick and Marc Pittonet. It was Fitzpatrick's first game for the Hawks after crossing from Melbourne in the off-season, and he started strongly, taking several marks in the forward 50 and kicking two goals. Pittonet was playing just his third match, and matched Brodie Grundy well in hit-outs, but struggled to compete with him in the air and around the ground. 4. One more time with feeling? If this is the last we've seen of Travis Cloke in Collingwood colours, it was a classic Cloke game. There was a bit of everything – excellent marking, poor set-shot kicking from directly in front, hard running and tackling, and a goal from 30 metres to get the Pies within six points at the end of the last quarter. He also had a shot from the boundary line that he set up to the square, where Blair marked and goaled to draw Collingwood level. Cloke has now played 246 games for the Magpies, and on the strength of this match, has not lost the appetite for the contest. 5. Young Pies leading the way Collingwood fans should go home happy after this match, as the future of the club stepped up to take on the reigning premiers. Jordan De Goey continued his impressive form up forward, kicking two goals in the first quarter, including a very nice set shot from outside 50. Ben Crocker showed good courage throughout, and also finished with three goals. Tom Phillips looked assured and ran hard, and while Brayden Maynard had a few hairy moments, his effort could not be questioned. It would be an understatement to say Adam Treloar (36 disposals) responded well after a statless first quarter, and Jack Crisp, Rupert Wills and Jonathon Marsh were also lively. |
| THE MEDIA | |
|
COLLINGWOOD cannot slip any lower than it has over the past three seasons and the club is confident it can springboard back up the ladder quickly, coach Nathan Buckley has declared. The Magpies missed the finals for the third straight season, finishing in 12th position, but the their second half of the season – where they won five of the final 10 games – provides a platform to launch next year's finals assault from. Collingwood's ability to play its brand of football in a narrow one-point loss to Hawthorn to close out of the season at the MCG on Sunday, underlines Buckley's optimism for the future. However, Buckley did concede recently that he would probably lose his job if the team failed to make finals in 2017. "The reality is that we've missed finals in '14, '15, '16 and we've bottomed out but we're on our way back up," Buckley said. "We're not going back any further and we've been able to regenerate and get some really high-end talent and stock picks in different places as well. "We've got some really good opportunities going forward if we make the most of what we've got." Adding to Buckley's buoyant outlook is the fact the Magpies will get Matt Scharenberg, Jamie Elliott, Alex Fasolo, Taylor Adams and Jackson Ramsay back into the side after they all missed significant chunks of the year through injury. Buckley revealed he would travel to the United States over the off-season to observe and gain knowledge from the practices of some of the best college football (gridiron) teams. "I've organised to get across to the States. We need to continually find points of difference in the way we do things," Buckley said. "Not all of them will be obvious but they come out in your win-loss and we'll go to the ends of the earth to make sure we're providing the best possible program for our players. "Part of that is looking at best practice around the world." There is bound to be plenty of change to the club's list management and coaching team, with reports Graeme 'Gubby' Allan is set be the club's new head of football replacing Neil Balme. That leaves the future of Balme, who may take on a director of coaching role, up in the air as rival clubs circle his services. It has also been mooted former Adelaide coach and AFL Academy mentor Brenton Sanderson will join forces with close friend Buckley and sign on as an assistant coach. Magpies assistants Ben Hart and Steve Grace are no certainties to retain their positions at the club. "I can't confirm it (the Allan appointment) but we believe we're doing a fair bit right and that will come to fruition in time," Buckley said. "There's strengths in our program now that aren't immediately evident externally, but we know they are important to us, so we won't be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. "But we need to keep looking for areas of improvement. Even if you had 100 per cent personnel, in coaches, players and administrators, role over into the next season there would still be change. "That's what those decisions are going to be based on." Hawthorn will launch its assault on a fourth-straight premiership with the all-important double chance after overcoming a gallant Collingwood by one point in a thrilling contest at the MCG on Sunday. The Hawks' nail-biting win locks up third spot on the ladder and sets up a mouthwatering qualifying final against Geelong. Playing his first game for the Hawks, and his first game of the season, back-up ruckman Jack Fitzpatrick turned match-winner with a sensational running goal from inside the centre square to tie up the game at 111-apiece with just two minutes remaining. Paul Puopolo then mustered up all his energy to force through the match-defining behind with just 33 seconds left in the contest, as the Hawks hung on to the 17.10 (112) to 17.9 (111) victory that secures their place in the top four. Hawthorn was made to dig desperately deep for its victory, with Collingwood leading at quarter-time and half-time as a frustrated Alastair Clarkson made his displeasure known in the coach's box. But the Hawks lifted immeasurably in the second half, with their third-term charge led by small forwards Cyril Rioli and Luke Breust, who combined to boot six goals between them. Although he had just 11 disposals, Rioli kicked three goals and set up three more to have a major influence on the contest. With Jack Gunston (one goal) well held by Jeremy Howe, who was outstanding in defence, Breust bobbed up to boot three majors of his own as the Hawks' small forwards helped to turn the game. The Magpies were stoic and fought desperately to override Hawthorn's advantage in a stunning final term, booting four straight goals to incredibly take the lead before Fitzpatrick intervened. Sam Mitchell was typically industrious through the midfield with a team-high 31 disposals, while Shaun Burgoyne (19 touches and seven tackles) again stood up when it mattered with a clutch goal in the final term. Statless in the first quarter, Adam Treloar finished with a rush to rack up a game-high 36 disposals for the Magpies. Steele Sidebottom (33 touches) ran himself into the ground and Scott Pendlebury's poise in traffic almost was enough to lift his side over the line. In what might be his final game for the Magpies, spearhead Travis Cloke finished with two goals and hauled in eight marks as he tried hard all day. But as they so often do, the Hawks found a way to win and it was the unlikeliest of heroes – a delisted free agent picked up from Melbourne in the off-season – who made it happen. "The reality is that we've missed finals in '14, '15, '16 and we've bottomed out but we're on our way back up." |
NATHAN Buckley has drawn the curtain on Collingwood's season by declaring the only way is up. The Pies' campaign ended on the wrong end of one of the game's of the season in a thrilling one-point loss to Hawthorn - settling them in 12th spot with a 9-13 record. "When it comes to Collingwood the expectations always exceed the capabilities. There's never a time when it's the other way around; we're aware of that and we understand that and sometimes it blows back when you don't perform," Buckley said. "The reality is we've missed finals in '14, '15 '16, but we've bottomed out and we're on our way back up. I don't know where we'll finish, 12th or 13th, and we've bottomed out here. We're not going back any further. "We've been able to re-generate and get some really high-end talent and stock pick in different places and we've got some really good opportunities going forward if we make the most of what we've got." The Pies answered every challenge against the finals-bound Hawks and even fought back from 18 points down late in the game to snatch the lead with two minutes left. "The only thing we didn't do today was sing the song at the end," Buckley said. "The effort was really strong, the resilience to fight back late in that last quarter to get a goal up and then the overriding disappointment not to close it out ... they're the little things that make all the difference. "We didn't get to sing the song, but if we bring effort like that we'll be doing that plenty in the next four or five years with a very similar group. "We played against a side with 18 premiership players so that shows what we're capable of when we bring that type of effort, which we've seen for a large part of the last half of the year. We're growing and developing and improving." Buckley wouldn't comment on when list changes would be announced or on reports Graeme Allan was poised to take over as head of football. Buckley will travel overseas in the off-season for a fact-finding mission focusing on US college teams. This was a microcosm of Hawthorn's season. Rarely convincing, inconsistent, not without challenges and done with a support cast of kids and journeymen. But as has been the case so often recently, they made Harry Houdini look like an amateur. Only just though. Trailing Collingwood at the MCG by a goal at the 27-minute mark of the final term on Sunday, the Hawks looked destined for an elimination final date with the Western Bulldogs. But playing his first game for the club, lumbering former Melbourne fringe-dweller Jack Fitzpatrick took advantage of an unguarded goalsquare to spectacularly level the scores from 70m. Paul Puopolo snuck through a behind, and after probably the most entertaining game of the season, Hawthorn had secured the double chance and a qualifying final date with arch-rivals Geelong, winning by the barest of margins. It was their sixth single-digit win of the year. The Hawks did themselves no favours early. Adam Treloar - perhaps the Pies' best player this year - somehow went without a disposal in the first quarter. Yet such was the breadth of contributors in black and white, Collingwood still led at the first break, and were still 16 points to the good of the Hawks at the 11-minute mark of the second term. Treloar had 14 possessions in the second term, as he and Scott Pendlebury led a multi-pronged Magpies midfield which could yet make Nathan Buckley look like a genius. Youngsters Jordan de Goey and Ben Crocker both showed their class - sinking two first half majors apiece. In contrast inexperienced Hawks James Sicily and Marc Pittonet - brought in late for Ben McEvoy - had been quiet. While Hawks Cyril Rioli, Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo and a steely-eyed Luke Hodge worked to bridge the gap, the Pies repeatedly had all the answers, and led by 11 points at half-time. Poor kicking in defence once again proved a disappointment for the Pies. Both Nathan Brown and Marley Williams turned the ball over from their back 50, and watched as it sailed straight back for Hawthorn goals. For the umpeenth time Hawthorn's old guard stood up when needed. Sam Mitchell used his superhuman vision to find Rioli in space, setting up the Norm Smith medallist's third. Shaun Burgoyne and Jordan Lewis added their name to the goalkickers list, and by the last change Hawthorn were 12 points ahead and surging. Collingwood resisted strongly in the face of continued Hawthorn pressure. Despite being down to 21 men after a hamstring injury to James Aish - the Magpies managed to start the final term stronger than the Hawks. Levi Greenwood dribbled through an early goal, before Jesse White defied a heavily bandaged right knee to goal and level the scores. But Sicily drifted across a pack to claim a breathtaking mark, regaining the lead for his side. The Pies went forward again, but a desperate Brendan Whitecross dive prevented a leveller. Hawthorn charged away on counter-attack. Billy Hartung was waiting, taking off through the middle of the ground before bringing the Hawks fans to their feet with a clinical finish. Burgoyne added another and finally it looked like enough. But in a year full of momentum shifts there were twists still to come. Crocker took advantage of an ugly Travis Cloke thump to mark and goal, before Cloke himself closed the margin to six. The veteran forward then marked the ball 55m out on the boundary line, sending it to the goalsquare where the umpire missed a blatant unrealistic marking attempt from Greenwood. Amid the confusion Jarryd Blair marked, goaling to once more bring the Pies level. At the 26-minute mark, Treloar capped off a dazzling final three quarters to snap straight and put Collingwood ahead. The Hawks' attempt at history looked to have been delivered a fatal blow. But once again, they managed to prove they're a team like no other. |
No comments :
Post a Comment