COLLINGWOOD 1.4.10 5.8.38 13.12.90 16.17.113
RICHMOND 3.3.21 6.5.41 8.6.54 11.13.79
SCORERS
Collingwood: Cloke (7.2), Sidebottom (4.3), Elliott (1.3), Swan (1.2), Dwyer (1.1), Clarke (1.0), O'Brien (1.0), Fasolo (0.2), Seedsman (0.1)
BEST
Collingwood: THE BEST Cloke, THE REST Shaw, Fasolo, O'Brien, Reid, Sidebottom, Swan
INJURIES
Collingwood: Brown (groin)
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Josh Thomas replaced by Dale Thomas in the third quarter
REPORTS
Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 81,950 at the MCG
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Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke has booted a career-high seven goals to guide the Magpies to a 34 point win over Richmond at the MCG on Saturday. The Magpies haven't lost a game to the Tigers since round 19, 2007, and they kept that record intact, winning 16.17(113) to 11.13 (79). The Magpies trailed by three points at half-time, but Cloke turned it on after the main change. Two 50 metre penalties saw Cloke boot the first two goals of the third quarter, and the game's tempo skyrocketed. A monster grab against Alex Rance had Cloke fired up, and he delivered his third straight goal of the quarter to put the Pies up by 16 points. The Tigers reacted by making their substitution, removing Shane Tuck and injecting Brandon Ellis. But the Magpies kept the pressure up, bringing their own fresh legs on, with Dale Thomas replacing Josh Thomas within minutes of the Tigers change. With the crowd involved, Cloke continued his rampage inside 50 metres, sinking an impressive goal from the boundary to take his game tally to six. Richmond midfielder Steven Morris lost his cool, with a high bump on Dane Swan in the middle. A push and shove in the centre square ensued. It was the second time Morris collected a Magpie high, after delivering a high shepherd on Jamie Elliott in the second quarter. The forward was left dazed, but recovered to play out the game. Both incidents are likely to be looked at by the Match Review Panel. Capping off a brilliant third term, Jamie Elliott launched for a magnificent pack mark, which resulted in a goal to extend the Pies lead to 49. At this stage, the Tigers were still yet to register at statistic inside their own 50 metres for the quarter. Adding to the distress for the Tigers, Troy Chaplin was forced out of the game thanks to friendly fire, having received a knock to the head by teammate Chris Knights. Magpie Jordan Russell also copped a hit to the head, after Trent Cotchin attempted to spoil a mark in the last term. The Tigers made a late charge, and the momentum swung their way early in the last thanks to a 50 metre penalty against Heath Shaw. Ivan Maric took advantage, kicking the goal to reduce the margin to 22 points. But Dane Swan provided the steadying goal in his 200th game, while Cloke notched his seventh to put the result beyond doubt. For the Tigers, Cotchin was the most damaging player to three quarter time, with 24 touches and three tackles. Jack Riewoldt languished inside the forward 50 in the second half, but still registered 3 goals. Despite a strong start to the game, the Tigers lacked composure going forward, allowing the Magpies to stay within striking distance. Steele Sidebottom emerged as a vital cog in the Magpies charge with four goals to his name. The Magpies made one late change to the selected side, with Brent Macaffer coming in for Tyson Goldsack. Nathan Brown hobbled off the field in the last term, with early reports suggesting he has an adductor issue which could put him in doubt for the club's Anzac Day clash with Essendon. Notable
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Richmond didn't rise to the occasion but a Magpie with yellow and black in his bloodlines did. Travis Cloke used the biggest game in 30 years between the two clubs his father represented to produce the biggest game of his career, and Richmond's reality check was all the more brutal for it. Cloke kicked seven goals, a personal best, but he did more than that. He grabbed 14 marks, six of them contested. He kicked four of his goals when the game was tight, early in the third quarter. In Dane Swan's 200th game, he was the most influential player on the field in Collingwood's 34-point win. And he let his opponent, Alex Rance, know about it. It was nothing personal, the laconic Cloke was anxious to point out later. He enjoys Rance's company when they bump into each other outside footy. He certainly enjoyed it on Saturday, defeating Rance in the air and giving him a mouthful after kicking his third goal of the second half. ''It's an emotional game. We both give a bit of lip back and forth but that's it, once the siren goes you have a bit of a laugh and a giggle and shake each other's hands,'' Cloke said. ''He never gives up. It showed in the last quarter he was all over us again. It was a great battle and I really enjoy playing against him. He's a great person off the field as well. It was nice to take a few clunks on him and hopefully get one up on him this time.'' Cloke broke the game open just when it needed breaking. Seconds before half-time, Richmond captain Trent Cotchin had crumbed and snapped the ball forward to Ty Vickery, who gave the Tigers a three-point lead. By three-quarter-time Collingwood had surged to a 36-point lead. Cloke is in a ''good space at the moment'', not just because the contract talks that overshadowed his 2012 season are behind him. The Magpies' forward structure has evolved since then. With mid-sized forwards such as Jamie Elliott capable of taking a strong mark and attracting a decent defender, Cloke is more often able to go up against one opponent, rather than crashing into two or three. On Saturday, it helped that Collingwood's proven midfield out-gunned the Tigers' rising one. Swan led the way with 35 touches, 19 of them contested, and got better as the game motored on. Many of the Tigers behind the club's three-zip start to the season were subdued. Even Cotchin, who led the way with 27 disposals, went quiet in the last quarter. And a few Tigers fluffed their lines; Ricky Petterd dropped a sitter in defence in the second quarter and was mugged by Cloke, who set up one of four goals for Steele Sidebottom. Richmond outscored Collingwood in the final term, but Cloke still had his moment. As he lined up for his seventh goal from 45 metres out on a tight angle, the Tiger army in the northern stand unleashed a fearful spray. Though not renowned for his accuracy, Cloke threaded this one, and thrust a fist in the direction of his abusers. Had he not dislocated a finger during the week, which supposedly placed him in doubt for the blockbuster, it might have been a more inflammatory gesture. ''You would have spent some time in the crowd watching your old man from there, wouldn't you?'' coach Nathan Buckley said to Cloke afterwards. In fact, Travis didn't barrack either for Richmond, the club with which David won premierships in 1974 and 1980, or Collingwood when he was young. ''I didn't actually barrack for anyone. I just went most Friday nights and loved footy, that was about it,'' he said. ''I got told before they [the Richmond fans] were giving us a bit over the fence. I actually didn't notice at the time but I was obviously pretty excited to kick seven. I don't think I've done it before.'' It was a nice moment, too, for the Magpies, who held up the Tiger juggernaut and put their own season back on track after a sobering loss to Hawthorn. Swan had to be convinced to savour his moment, refusing to be carried off the field by his teammates. Instead, they held back and let him lead them down to the rooms. The big clash between old rivals was even bigger for Kevin Morris and David Cloke, who represented both teams and had sons running around for opposing teams on the MCG. Morris played 111 games for Richmond and 71 for Collingwood, and his son Steven wasn't the most popular bloke on the ground after cleaning up Jamie Elliott with a head-high bump that will attract the interest of the match review panel, and later clipping Dane Swan high. There was much more love for Travis Cloke, whose dad played in two premierships for the Tigers and 114 games for the Magpies. Travis tore the game apart in the third quarter and finished with a career-best seven goals. |
TRAVIS Cloke has always haunted Richmond by dint of the fact that his father David spent more time in yellow and black than in black and white. But never before has that pain been as up close and personal as it was at the MCG yesterday. Cloke monstered the club that he rebuffed as a father-son option at the end of the 2004 season, kicking a career-high seven goals to lead Collingwood to a 34-point victory. Before a crowd of 81,950 - the first over the 80,000-mark between these two sides for 30 years - the 26-year-old power forward took the game by the scruff of the neck with a dominant third term made up of four goals, six disposals and six marks. By the end of the game, Cloke had 20 disposals and had taken 14 marks (six contested). Richmond had only 70 marks to Collingwood's 127. After trailing narrowly at halftime - courtesy of a goal to Ty Vickery just before the main break - the Magpies went on a game-changing rampage, scoring 8.4 to the Tigers' 2.1 in the next 30 minutes. It was Collingwood's third best third quarter against Richmond in their 200 meetings - and it effectively killed the contest. Thereafter, the Tigers tempted and teased, and at one stage cut back what was a 49-point margin to 22 early in the last term. But the damage had already been done. That difference was that third quarter lapse and the sheer brute strength of the man in the No.32 jumper. Richmond coach Damien Hardwick had forecast on Friday that he was tempted to try and use two or three opponents on Cloke, with the possibility of rotating them on him. It was Alex Rance who was the unlucky first candidate. But Cloke proved too strong for him in almost every one-on-one contest and Hardwick made the call midway through the third quarter to finally give Troy Chaplin a chance. He didn't last long. Chris Knights inadvertently cannoned into Chaplin when the Magpie forward dragged down another mark and the Richmond recruit departed with concussion. That meant Rance was back to trying to quell the unstoppable Cloke. It was fitting that Cloke's massive left-foot goal - his seventh - quelled what had started to look like a Tiger revival in the final term. But it wasn't just Cloke who did all of the damage. Dane Swan had polled nine Brownlow Medal votes in his past three games against the Tigers and his name would almost certainly have been in the umpires' vote sheet from yesterday, though he will have to settle for either of the two or one votes. Swan started his 200th AFL game slowly, but his gut-running and sheer will to find the footy saw him streak to 35 disposals - 31 after quarter time. Steele Sidebottom was outstanding for most of the afternoon. Once more he seized a big game and influenced it with four goals, including two in the second term when the Magpies were trying to stay in the game after a solid Tiger start. Harry O'Brien is relishing the chance to cut his way through the corridor - as he did consistently yesterday - and Heath Shaw was back to his best form, providing plenty of run. In a match that promised so much for Richmond - and delivered for a fair slice of the first hour - the Tigers were overwhelmed when the game was there to be won. Leading by 11 points at quarter-time after a strong start, the difference was back to three points at the half. Part of the reason for Richmond's strong start was a good opening quarter by Dustin Martin. He had 10 disposals in the first term, but only seven more for the rest of the game. Jack Riewoldt kicked the first goal of the game, but a lack of opportunities and some good defence from Ben Reid meant he could finish with only three goals. This match was always going to tell us more about the Tigers than the Magpies - and it showed that while improvements have been made, they still have plenty of work to do. But Collingwood - with arguably the most dominant forward in the game at the moment and a host of stars out injured - gave us a not-so-gentle reminder that it will once more run very deep into the business end of the season. |
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