After Collingwood's first loss to Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in nine years, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley admits several of his players are skating on thin ice.
Buckley said his side was "beaten in most areas" on Saturday and were simply out-worked by the Power around the contest.
Port last beat Collingwood in Adelaide in round six of its 2004 premiership year.
A number of players were shown up in the loss, he said, and with a handful of stars nearing match fitness, selection changes are on the cards.
"Obviously there were some players tonight that had their colours lowered and if that happens too consistently then clearly selection needs to come into play," Buckley said.
"We expect to get (Dayne) Beams and (Tyson) Goldsack back into match play next week.
"Our VFL had a win earlier this afternoon, Andrew Krakouer, Clinton Young and Lachie Keeffe were a few boys who performed pretty well.
"There's four or five there that are up and about and ready to come in."
Buckley described the pressure asserted on his side as "finals-like" in the 37-point defeat.
He insisted his team appreciated the threat of the Power, who he predicted would enjoy a bright future playing the style of football they executed on Saturday night.
"They were definitely harder than us, they were able to work harder to outnumber (us) at the contest," he said.
"A minus 15 contested possession tells you that – we don't accept that and we're not happy with it.
"That young side will win a lot of games, the way the game was played tonight, that's modern footy.
"We were beaten by a side that was cleaner than us, that used the ball better, that made better decisions.
"We saw modern footy played pretty well [by] a side that knocked over the reigning premiers last week and they've shown they've got the capacity and the belief in their style of play to be able to do it consistently."
1. The power of pressure
Port Adelaide's attack on the football and the man was simply relentless for the whole match. After Collingwood kicked the first two goals of the game, the Power strangled them with pressure and tackling around the ball. The Magpies simply couldn't break through and always seemed to have no time to dispose of the ball. It was Port's midfield defence that won them the game. They created the turnovers at halfback and through the midfield, allowing Justin Westhoff and Jay Schulz to do the rest up forward with three goals apiece. The Power also dominated the contested possessions, winning the count by 14. They finished strongly for a resounding win and have now won the first two games of their so-called month from hell.
2. Miserable Magpies
Collingwood has been hurt by injuries all year but tonight they went in as favourites and were beaten by a team that wanted it more. Tireless games from Paul Seedsman, Scott Pendlebury and Luke Ball aside, the Pies were completely outplayed by the Power. Dayne Beams and Darren Jolly will be big inclusions when they're back but Nathan Buckley will have to rejuvenate his team if they want to be more than just making up the numbers in September.
3. Wingard is worth a tag
Power young gun Chad Wingard has been one of Port's standouts in just his second season and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley took notice. He sent his main tagger Brent Macaffer to Wingard in a huge sign of respect. Macaffer was on top early but Wingard still proved a handful in the first half, getting forward to kick two goals. He finished with 21 touches while Macaffer had 16. Wingard won the battle, which is a great sign for the 19-year-old because he'll be the target of plenty of tags for years to come.
4. Swan was nothing like a Dane
Collingwood champion Dane Swan wasn't his usual self at AAMI Stadium. Despite not being tagged, he only had 11 possessions in the first half and just couldn't get himself into the game. Buckley then sent Swan up forward after half-time and he did manage a score involvement but his impact was limited. He finished the game with 23 possessions - well down on his average of 31.
5. Port's finals hopes are alive again
After Port won the first five games of the season, an unlikely trip to the finals became a real possibility. Then they lost the next five and it all seemed a pipe-dream. But after the bye the Power are playing like a September side again. They were desperate to make sure last week's big win over the Swans wasn't a once-off and they did that in stunning style against Collingwood. Essendon (away) and Hawthorn (at AAMI Stadium) round out their tough month but if they play like the past two weeks they're a real chance against the Bombers, at least. At 8-5 and seventh on the ladder, they just need to beat one more side above them and take care of the teams below them and they'll end a five-year finals drought.
- The loss was Collingwood's first against Port Adelaide since round four, 2007. The Pies' average winning margin in the previous six games between the two clubs was 55.33 points. To put that into perspective, only six players played in both the 2007 loss and the one on Saturday evening. For the record, those players are Scott Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Nick Maxwell, Harry O'Brien, Travis Cloke and Dane Swan.
- One bright spot in the loss was the performance of Paul Seedsman. The 21-year-old has quietly gone about carving out a niche in Collingwood's best 22 and he was at it again at AAMI Stadium, gathering a career-high 34 possessions and 15 marks. He belongs at the highest level.
- After such a wonderful performance against the Western Bulldogs, Heath Shaw came back to earth with a thud. He could manage only 12 disposals and lacked his usual drive from the back flank. It was his lowest disposal count since the Queen's Birthday draw against Melbourne in 2010.
- Josh Thomas continues to hold up his end in the midfield. In winning 25 possessions he notched more than 20 touches for the fourth week running.
- The loss is a bitter pill to swallow for players, coaches and fans alike. But on a night that both clubs paid tribute to John McCarthy, it was fitting that Port Adelaide's winning margin was 35 points – McCarthy wore No. 35 in his only season at Alberton Oval.
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Last week was supposed to be just a glitch in Sydney's armour. Last night Port Adelaide proved it really is the real deal, holding Collingwood to a record-low score against it to win by 35 points.
And despite so many quality players missing, and fielding seven players with fewer than 30 AFL games experience, don't for one moment make any excuses for the Pies. The desire was there, but the ability to withstand the amazing pressure Port applied was not.
This match was earmarked pre-season as a tribute to John McCarthy, who died in Las Vegas last October, and was loved by teammates from both clubs.
Incredibly, the margin was McCarthy's guernsey number during his one and only season at Port - 35.
Much will be made of Port's relentless courage and win-to-win, and while McCarthy would have been proud, this win wasn't really about him, but the players themselves.
This was terrific football, and for most part it was Port's relatively unknown kids who stood up to be counted and punished Collingwood for its indecisiveness and poor options amid a flurry of tackles.
Collingwood had not lost to Port since 2007, and had won nine of their past 10 and their past six clashes, but this is a new Port, one that just plays with the basics - courage, discipline and an incredible belief.
There is obviously something seriously wrong with the Magpies. They started well, but under relentless pressure they were like a rudderless ship. Again, they missed the class of players such as Dayne Beams, Dale Thomas, Darren Jolly, Ben Reid, etc, etc, but it was not as though Port had a host of Brownlow medallists who created yet another unlikely win, more like 2013 rising star nominees Oliver Wines and Jake Neade, plus a host of discards who, 12 months ago, virtually cost Matthew Primus his job.
Jack Hombsch - dumped by Sydney; brilliant, Tom Jonas, Andrew Moore, Neade and Wines - all with fewer than 30 games experience and big contributors.
When Wines kicked a brilliant goal early in the last quarter, after being subbed-on early in the second quarter with Dom Cassisi forced off with a left hamstring injury, he raised his arms in jubilation giving Port a 25-point lead. You could sense that Port was on the cusp of something special, at 8-5 and leapfrogging Collingwood into seventh spot, this club that many last year claimed should be kicked out of the competition because of its ineptness on and off the field, engineered what many thought was beyond it - beating Sydney and Collingwood in successive weeks, sides that had set such impressive standards in finals for some time.
There were some stunning moments, such as Moore smothering a Steele Sidebottom kick to save a goal in the first quarter, Jackson Trengove's tackle on Jamie Elliott that saved another goal in the second, and a long list of spoils, tackles and acts of desperation that said this result was far from Collingwood simply having a "off" night. When the ball rebounded from backline-to-backline for 10 minutes in the third quarter until Angus Monfries broke the shackles with a goal, it was desperate, classic footy at its finest.
There were times when Collingwood played as if it lacked respect for Port, like trying to force through two or three players thinking the tackle wouldn't stick; they didn't last year. And when the Pies overshot Port's defensive mechanism, charging past centre, they seemed sure they would win the one-on-one contests; they lost most.
The statistics were relatively even, although Port won eight more clearances. The big difference was Port's far superior efficiency rate. Collingwood did a lot of kick-and-hope stuff, and didn't always make it easy for Travis Cloke, who kicked two goals, which imposed so much pressure on itself. The goal-assists were scarce.
Paul Seedsman produced his best performance in his 22 games for Collingwood and captain Nick Maxwell was resilient in defence. But overall, a poorly directed kick here and there, and moving into trouble spots where Port showed no compassion, was damaging.
A NICE TOUCH
The cheer squads of Port and Collingwood have copped criticism over the years, but they showed their true colours when they produced a joint banner to remember their mate John McCarthy, who died last October. It read: ''In memory of our friend J-Mac'' and showed his guernsey numbers for the clubs - three and 35. Both the Port and Collingwood players then walked through the banner together. Also, Collingwood had Brent Macaffer, Jarryd Blair and Nathan Brown all in the centre for the toss of the coin, while Port was represented by Brad Ebert, Hamish Hartlett and Travis Boak.
MAXWELL
Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell kicked his first goal in his nine games this season, and his 29th in his 188 games. His drop punt from 35 metres out 10 minutes into the game never looked liked missing. However, his teammates must have been in shock - the Pies didn't kick another goal until three minutes into the third term.
PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has earned the greatest praise possible as his Collingwood rival Nathan Buckley acknowledged the Power has been built from a no-hoper to an AFL finals contender in just half a season.
And Buckley notes first-year coach Hinkley has remodelled the Power specifically for September when football reputations are made in AFL finals.
"That's finals-like, top-eight pressure," said Buckley of how the Power backed up its defeat of AFL premier Sydney by beating Collingwood by 35 points at AAMI Stadium with a repeat of the most-intense football Port has ever played in the AFL.
"You've seen a group with a strong belief in their style of play - and they do it consistently.
"That's modern footy . . . and it is going to win a lot of games," added Buckley to highlight the Power is rebuilding its credibility.
Port, with an 8-5 win-loss record, now has to win at least four of its remaining nine home-and-away games to make its first AFL finals appearance since 2007.
As September now looms as a reality for Port, Hinkley last night maintained his line: "We will get what we deserve."
"We have put ourselves in a position where we have to keep turning up," said Hinkley. "But we are still on a journey. To all those Port fans, be proud of the boys but understand it is still a journey.
"I'm not trying to hose that down in any way other than to say this is a young team with still lots to learn.
"I'm proud of the way they play tough, hard footy. I love their effort. I love the way they turn up to work.
"But the challenges keep coming. I've been in the game a long time - and it has taken me a long time to get here (as a senior coach) - but there is that valuable lesson I learned not that long ago: If you are prepared to look at next week and only stay in that moment, you will be okay."
On Buckley's word, the Power has clearly learned how to set up wins with defensive football. Port strangled Collingwood with its midfield, that was lampooned as "downhill skiers", finally accepting the team responsibility to protect the back half of the field.
"I've told the midfielders if they don't defend, they don't play," said Hinkley of a rule that has changed Port's reputation and set up the Power's first win against Collingwood at West Lakes since 2004.
Former Power captain Dom Cassisi was subbed out of the game in the fourth minute of the second quarter with his third hamstring injury this season. This setback is expected to sideline him for as long as a month.
Defender Tom Logan battled a corked calf through the game and is still considered available for Sunday's twilight clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium. |
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