NAB Round 2: Pies 96 Eagles 76

Collingwood News

Collingwood has kept its hopes of reaching the NAB Cup Grand Final alive with a 20-point win over the West Coast Eagles at Patersons Stadium on Sunday night.
The win means that the Magpies are one of only four undefeated teams heading into the penultimate round of the competition.
Vice-captain Scott Pendlebury was the midfield general, winning 27 possessions and using the ball superbly to help bring his teammates into the game.
Heath Shaw was at his dynamic best at half back, helping release Harry O'Brien up onto the wing where he helped repel several of West Coast's forward forays.
Small forward Jamie Elliott set the standard for forward pressure, ricoshaying off his opponents like a pinball as he hunted down the Eagles backmen. He was ably supported by Ben Sinclair, Sam Dwyer and Caolan Mooney, the latter pair combining to give Collingwood an even hungrier look at ground level in attack during the early going this season.
Young flanker Paul Seedsman also caught the eye with 18 disposals and former Eagle Quinten Lynch made a promising return to Perth with 13 possessions, six marks and nine hitouts in a well-rounded display.

Collingwood 1.2.1, 2.4.5, 2.7.8, 3.10.9 (96)
West Coast 0.4.3, 0.7.3, 0.8.6, 1.10.7 (76)

Supergoals - Collingwood: Swan, Seedsman, Cloke
Goals - Collingwood: Elliott 2, Sidebottom 2, Mooney 2, Sinclair, Cloke, Blair, Dwyer.
Disposals - Collingwood: Pendlebury 27, Shaw 25, Swan 23, Sidebottom 20, Seedsman 18, Blair 17, Clarke 17

Collingwood Team - NAB Cup Round Two
2. Jordan Russell 5. Nick Maxwell 8. Harry O'Brien 9. Marty Clarke 10. Scott Pendlebury 11. Jarryd Blair 15. Jarrod Witts 19. Jamie Elliott 20. Ben Reid 21. Quinten Lynch 22. Steele Sidebottom 24. Josh Thomas	25. Ben Hudson 28. Ben Sinclair 32. Travis Cloke 34. Alan Toovey 36. Dane Swan 37. Kyle Martin 39. Heath Shaw 40. Paul Seedsman 41. Sam Dwyer 43. Adam Oxley 45. Jack Frost 48. Caolan Mooney

Emergencies: 27. Ben Kennedy, 38. Peter Yagmoor, 46. Marley Williams
Substitutes: 15. Jarrod Witts, 24. Josh Thomas, 43. Adam Oxley
Starting Interchange: 11. Jarryd Blair, 40. Paul Seedsman, 48. Caolan Mooney

Did Not Play
1. Alex Fasolo 3. Brent Macaffer 4. Alan Didak 6. Tyson Goldsack 7. Andrew Krakouer 12. Luke Ball 13. Dale Thomas	14. Clinton Young 16. Nathan Brown 17. Dayne Beams 18. Darren Jolly 23. Lachlan Keeffe 26. Ben Johnson 33. Jackson Paine

Pressure the key, according to Buckley
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had a good look at his side's depth on Sunday night and would have liked what he saw.
Several players who were plying their trade elsewhere last year, such as Quinten Lynch, Jordan Russell, Sam Dywer, Kyle Martin and Jack Frost, or were previously bit-part contributors like Jamie Elliot, Paul Seedsman and Caolan Mooney, or had been hidden at VFL level such as Josh Thomas and Jarrod Witts, gave the Magpies coaching staff reason to smile as they united to dismantle West Coast on its home track.
A number of those players, including Elliott, Dwyer, Mooney and Thomas, played a crucial role in putting the clamps on the usually miserly Eagles defence.
Buckley lauded his team's tackling pressure inside 50, labelling the need to have all players on the ground prepared to defend at all times as  "absolutely critical" to his side's fortunes when the home and away season begins.
"We weren't perfect tonight, but up to three-quarter time I think the Eagles only had 22 inside 50s, which was a sign that we were controlling territory," Buckley said after Collingwood's 20-point win.
"We were also able to move the ball effectively into our forward line and get field position.
"We took a big step in NAB one with that pressure and it was good to see that tackling intensity there tonight."
Key defender Ben Reid jarred his right knee during the third quarter, but coach Nathan Buckley said he had escaped injury and was substituted as a precaution.
"We weren't going to take any (risks) tonight and we just put him on ice," Buckley said of Reid.
"All reports are that he's going to be right."
West Coast coach John Worsfold said he was disappointed with aspects of his team's performance, adding the Eagles had plenty to work on ahead of round one.
"On one hand we're rapt that Collingwood were able to do that (to us)," he said of the Magpies' pressure, which forced repeat turnovers bringing the ball out of defence.
"It just shows us where we need to get better and we know we can move the ball better than that. We were a bit slow and rusty."