| 2017 AFL Round 10 COLLINGWOOD v BRISBANE Time & Place: Sunday May 28, 1:10pm EST MCG TV: Fox Footy 1:00pm EST Weather: Min 8 Max 15 Betting: Collingwood $1.07 Brisbane $8.60 |
HAWTHORN 6.1.37 10.4.64 10.5.65 11.6.72
GOALS - Collingwood: Elliott 3, Moore 2, Maynard, Greenwood, Treloar, Howe, Crisp, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Smith
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Howe, Adams, Treloar, Moore, Smith
INJURIES - Collingwood: James Aish (fractured cheekbone)
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 54,252 at the MCG
| 1. Injuries ravage Hawks in defence Hawthorn was already reaching deep into its list to field a backline before Tim O'Brien (hip soreness) – a potential defensive option – and Kaiden Brand (illness) were late withdrawals. James Frawley (turf toe) and Ben Stratton and Grant Birchall (both knee issues) were already ruled out for a month or more in recent times. In came New Zealander Kurt Heatherley for just his second game and precocious but inconsistent talent James Sicily also got another go. Heatherley started down back, alongside Josh Gibson, Ryan Burton, Blake Hardwick, Shaun Burgoyne and Luke Hodge. The Hawks generally held up OK – all things considered – with the tidal wave of ball coming down in the third quarter almost impossible to deny. Burton, the round two Rising Star nominee, delivered another composed display. As for Heatherley, who shared Darcy Moore minding duties with Gibson – he showed enough to suggest he could be a long-term option. 2. Any danger of showing Mitchell some respect? Either Tom Mitchell stinks, the Collingwood coaching staff doesn't rate him (as much as others) or he is going that well that no one can stop him. It is probably a bit from options two and three. The former Swan entered the round averaging a League-best 34.1 disposals and already had 14 by quarter-time as the Hawks piled on six goals to none. Mitchell worked equally well inside and outside the contest and managed double-digit touches in every quarter on his way to an all-time club record of 50. The 23-year-old had 22 contested possessions, eight tackles and five clearances. Mitchell broke his previous best haul of 41 barely six minutes into the fourth term and was one of the few four-quarter performers on either side. By final siren it was a remarkable 61-point turnaround and the Pies' season had a pulse again. |
3. Pies erase 43-point deficit It looked how far Hawthorn when James Sicily slotted his second goal inside the first 10 minutes of the second quarter to shoot his patchwork but proud side 43 points up. A Hawks victory would have revived talk of still challenging for an unlikely finals berth. Collingwood was truly insipid to that stage, but classy captain Scott Pendlebury put his team on his back in one of his best performances in some time. Jeremy Howe, Taylor Adams and, in the second half, Adam Treloar came along for the ride. They levelled the scores by three-quarter time, fell a goal behind, then achieved their first advantage of the night from Jamie Elliott. By final siren it was a remarkable 61-point turnaround and the Pies' season had a pulse again. 4. Coach-killing start? This could have been it. Those were the words being spoken in hushed tones as Hawthorn piled on eight of the first nine goals to charge 43 points up in the second term. Nathan Buckley's sixth year as Collingwood coach started under pressure and the heat has never subsided as the Magpies lost six of their first eight games. The suspicion is Eddie McGuire and co. would wait until season's end to make the call on the club legend, but the horror opening against a Hawks side besieged by injury and well down on its glory years was not a good look. The players repeatedly back Bucks and they finally provided him some support with an inspired second half. 5. Schade out-bodied twice for goalsquare majors Six weeks is a long time in footy. Gold Coast discard Henry Schade was universally praised for a strong effort against Lance Franklin in round three, but fast-forward to Saturday night and he was part of the Pies' disastrous start down back. Firstly, Hawk Luke Breust (184cm, 84kg) outmarked the 197cm, 89kg key defender in a one-on-one contest at the top of the goalsquare. Then James Sicily made it eight of the first nine goals for Hawthorn when he timed his bodywork to perfection to shove Schade aside, mark and run into an open square. |
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Collingwood staged an enormous comeback from 43 points down, to win its first game against Hawthorn under coach Nathan Buckley. After conceding the first six goals of the game and kicking just the solitary point in the first quarter, Collingwood eventually triumphed by 18 points, winning 13.12 (90) to 11.6 (72). The Magpies hit back after half time kicking 5.5 (35) to 0.1 (1) to draw level at three-quarter time continuing the Hawks' shocking performances in third quarters in 2017. They then kicked three goals to one in the final quarter to notch up its third win for the season. The comeback, which was built on the back of the skipper Scott Pendlebury, who was outstanding with 36 touches and a last quarter goal, will bring great relief to Collingwood. Despite having to make six changes through injury and illness, Hawthorn steamrolled the Magpies early kicking the first six goals of the game. Tom Mitchell was outstanding with 14 first quarter possessions, finishing the game with a club record 50 touches and Paul Puopolo and Luke Breust were causing trouble inside 50. The Magpies were uncertain, turning the ball over and conceding free kicks and appeared rattled. It was the first time the Magpies had conceded the first six goals of a game since round six, 2015 and the lowest first quarter score under Buckley. It was also the biggest margin the Magpies had faced at the first break in his six seasons at the helm. That it came just after Collingwood had stood to honour club legend Lou Richards, who was buried during the week, made it even more worrisome. However, Collingwood was a different team after half time putting the depleted Hawks under enormous pressure, closing down space and running to support each other. Darcy Moore began to take marks, finishing the game with four contested marks and two goals in his best game for the season, as the much-vaunted Collingwood midfield worked over their Hawthorn opposition. Taylor Adams had 11 touches in the third quarter to support Pendlebury and the backline lifted, conceding just one goal in the second half. Brayden Maynard, who had an horrendous first quarter hit back hard and laid one vital smother and stopped a certain goal in the last quarter as the Hawks threatened to steady. It keeps Collingwood in with a slim finals chance as it has a reasonable percentage and three wins to its name, while Hawthorn remains on three wins but is fighting hard. MEDICAL ROOM Collingwood: James Aish has a suspected fractured cheekbone after showing enormous courage to contest a loose ball and clashing heads with Hawthorn youngster Daniel Howe. NEXT UP Collingwood plays the Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Sunday and will look to build on its win. IT was the Jaws of Life and a defibrillator in one coach-saving hit. It was Collingwood's high-risk, high-octane comeback when everything was lost that pulled its coach from footy's death bed. It was Eddie McGuire going from shaking his head in the first half to pumping his fist and unable to sit down in the second. It was survival — at least for now — for Nathan Buckley. The most besieged coach in the caper has bought himself some breathing space. Only a little, mind you, but when you're staring down the barrel of 2-7 anything will do. If this game saw a doctor it would be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Collingwood trailed Hawthorn by 43 points 11 minutes into the second quarter and Buckley's men looked as lost in possession as any side you've seen. Even in an industry that falls over itself to pronounce the end, this was the stake in the heart of a coaching career that's gone south since it started six seasons ago. The Pies' first 40 minutes were horrific against an injury-ravaged brown and gold unit more Box Hill than Hawthorn. Words don't do it justice, but the numbers do. The Pies' 0.1 at quarter time was their lowest ever first quarter score under Buckley and Hawthorn's 6.1 made it his side's worst opening term. So bad was it, Brendan Fevola said on Triple M: "If this gets out to 100 points, Buckley is gawn. Gawn!" But just when the Pies' favourite son had become the unequivocal black sheep of the black and white family, half-time came and a flicked-switch with it. Collingwood went from insipid to irrepressible. They slammed on 5.5 to 0.1 in the third quarter to draw level at the last change and 4.1 to 1.1 in the fourth to complete the most unlikely of comebacks. Come from behind wins always need a spark and Collingwood's came from James Aish. The lightly-framed fringe player summed up the Pies' second half mindset when he bravely put his head over the ball in a car crash-like hit with Daniel Howe. He broke his cheekbone, Aish. But while his pain was temporary, his contribution won't be forgotten. Without him, the Pies' stagnant, groan-inducing ball movement was replaced by what Adam Treloar later said was a "play on at all-costs" mindset. It was daring, direct and it worked. Adam Treloar went from bitching at teammates in the first half to running riot in the second. Scott Pendlebury went from uncharacteristically coughing the ball up in the first term to cutting Hawthorn apart thereafter. With Taylor Adams and Steele Sidebotton, they overwhelmed Tom Mitchell, who was carrying Hawthorn's midfield on his own. Allowed to roam free without Levi Greenwood for company, Mitchell had 26 touches at half time, 50 by the final siren and for a long time threatened to belt the Pies on his own. The same supporters who had their heads in their hands early in the second quarter were chanting "Coooollingwoood" by the end of the fourth. So, what does it all mean? In truth, Buckley wasn't going to be sacked tonight. But he certainly wasn't going to be reappointed either. For now, he resides in the postcode of insecurity — coaching for his life. After the final siren he walked into a Collingwood change room dripping with relief. He kissed wife Tania and football manager Geoff Walsh threw an arm around him. "I don't think we ever stopped believing. There's always belief there," Treloar said. "It shows when we play the way we want to play we can match it with everyone." Which must be exactly what keeps Bucks awake at night. They can do it, but why can't they do it more often? "I don't think we can ignore the fact that there is a pall over the club at the moment and there is a pall over me. That is a reality because it is a talking point, but if we perform better we'll be OK so we'll focus on trying to performing better…not trying to perform better, we will perform better." |
The end looked nigh for Nathan Buckley. Out of contract at year's end, his with his second-last placed side 43 points down early in the second quarter at the MCG against a Hawthorn side missing Cyril Rioli, Jaeger O'Meara, Grant Birchall, Ben Stratton and James Frawley, it would have been natural for the Collingwood great to wonder whether his time at Magpies coach was about to draw to a close. But this year of football twists and turns provided another jaw-dropping episode, as the Magpies breathed life into their season, capitalising on another third-quarter fadeout from the Hawks to claim an 18-point win, a fitting tribute for late club great Lou Richards, who was honoured in a pre-game ceremony. It was Collingwood's first win over Hawthorn in Buckley's coaching tenure, and came despite a Hawthorn-record 50 disposals from midfielder Tom Mitchell. Suddenly there is hope for the Pies, who meet bottom of the ladder Brisbane next Sunday at the MCG, with their finals dreams not extinguished given the evenness of the ladder. Collingwood have played some poor football this year, but the opening term of this match was clearly the worst quarter of their season. Hawthorn - a side that has so often this year struggled to build the chains of possession on which their hat-trick of recent premierships were built - had found their groove, moving the ball with precision around the MCG en route to a six-goal quarter-time lead. But to attribute that buffer to Hawthorn's ball use would be to undersell their work in the contest. Liam Shiels at long last found the extra gear the Hawks have needed from him, racking up 13 disposals by the first change including a sublime snap for goal. Yet even Shiels played second fiddle to Mitchell, who continued his brilliant season with 14 first term disposals. The most uplifting moment though came when Luke Breust drilled a pass to Ty Vickery, who marked his first senior appearance since a dramatic haircut with a major, celebrating with two clenched fists and an intense look to the sky. In contrast the Pies were badly bereft of confidence, squandering a rare opportunity when Levi Greenwood was called to play on at half-forward after being caught in two minds about whether to advance the ball. They mustered just one behind to quarter-time, statistically their worst first term under Buckley. Not surprisingly they were met by an irate coach at the huddle. The Pies lifted after the break. But even despite a vastly improved quarter from Adam Treloar, and moments of excitement from Jamie Elliott and Jeremy Howe, their inroads were limited, with too many opportunities missed. With the mercurial James Sicily having one of his good nights up forward after being a late inclusion for Tim O'Brien, Hawthorn still led by 34 points at half-time. The glimmer of hope was that Hawthorn's third quarters this year had been terrible. They tried to buck the trend with a quick training drill moments before the resumption, but it didn't work. With Taylor Adams leading from the middle Collingwood took control of the quarter. Mitchell missed a set shot, and Howe quickly responded down the other end, before Darcy Moore kicked his first of the night at the 10-minute mark. Suddenly they had a sniff. James Aish martyred himself in a heavy collision with Hawk Daniel Howe. The former Lion left the ground with a suspected fractured cheekbone, but it appeared to inspire his teammates. Elliott and Moore both goaled, before Jack Crisp sunk a difficult set shot, and remarkably scores were level with a quarter to play. The final term was gripping. Breust ended Hawthorn's drought to snap his third, and had plenty of time inside 50 to kick another. But the Pies' backline was gritty, and down the other end a clever tap from Moore allowed Elliott to kick his third, giving Collingwood a one-point lead at the 13-minute mark. Then, the moment of the night. Days after becoming a father, Magpies captain Scott Pendlebury coolly drilled home a major from 45m out. That was followed by a textbook snap from Steele Sidebottom, by which point the Pies' momentum looked irrepressible. Josh Smith added a sealer, and the black and white army were again singing. COLLINGWOOD'S comeback against Hawthorn proves that no-one at the club is ready to throw in the towel and give up on the season, according to Magpies coach Nathan Buckley. Joking that he felt like jumping in his car and heading home 20 minutes into the first quarter as the Hawks piled on the goals, Buckley engineered his biggest comeback in 119 games as Collingwood coach. Even as the margin became 43 points and questions about his future as coach were growing in everyone's mind as the season slipped away, Buckley kept his focus and under skipper Scott Pendlebury's leadership the Magpies worked their way back into the game. In the end, the Magpies kicked nine goals to Hawthorn's one in the second half to win the rollercoaster race by 18 points and record their third win for the season. "The players are clearly still invested…the players are clearly not ready to throw the towel in. No-one at the club is and you might have questioned that 15 minutes into the first quarter, but clearly when the question was asked they responded in the affirmative," Buckley said. During that 15 minutes, Buckley was questioning himself, wondering how he could unlock what he knew the players could deliver. He praised Pendlebury's efforts for leading the comeback after watching the skipper drive himself to contest after contest in the remaining three quarters. "He was critical. His class continued to shine through as the game wore on." Buckley said he was thankful the players kept their mind on the task at hand, particularly given the potential pall any loss could cast over the club and his coaching future. "I don't find it hard to focus but clearly the players were able to maintain their focus on the task at hand as well," Buckley said. "I don't think we can ignore the fact that there is a pall over the club at the moment and there is a pall over me. "That is a reality because it is a talking point, but if we perform better we'll be OK so we'll focus on trying to performing better…not trying to perform better, we will perform better." Buckley said he wanted the players to enjoy the win and to continue to coach positively, despite his natural inclination to try to find out why the first quarter panned out as it did. "I find it very hard personally not to look back and ask that question why," Buckley said. "The overwhelming feeling you want the players to have is what we were able to produce, [and] to coach positively to look at what we were able to do and how we were able to do it and why basically we were able to get the result." With the Brisbane Lions ahead, Collingwood faces a challenge in backing up the performance with another win. Buckley understands the challenge. "We have to work hard at actually blocking out what is potentially a result of our performance and come back down to the process and the things we can impact on." |
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