Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley finally had his midfield band back together in his team's 27-point win over Adelaide on Friday night, and what a sweet sound it made.
With Dayne Beams making his comeback from a long-term quad injury, the Magpies had stars Scott Pendlebury, Beams, Dane Swan and Luke Ball on the field at the same time for the first time since round three, 2012, when Ball suffered a season-ending right anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The impact was immediate, with the quartet amassing a combined 128 disposals, helping their team dominate clearances (37-26), contested possession (152-132) and forward 50 entries (62-50).
Buckley saved his most glowing remarks for vice-captain Pendlebury, who booted two crucial goals in the final quarter to go with his career-best 42 disposals.
"He was pretty good," was Buckley's understatement after the match.
"You sit back in the box, and the eyebrows go up.
"There's no doubt that he would be satisfied with that performance, as we are.
"He's been able to withstand the tag basically week in and week out, and contribute really well.
"His contested ball numbers suggest that it's pretty hard to stop him, because he really dictates the contest.
"To be able to finish with a couple of goals, one on the left from 50 and one on the right from 50, it almost looks too easy."
Buckley was also pleased with the return of Beams, whose clean hands added an immediate injection of class.
The 2012 Copeland Trophy winner finished with 25 disposals and four tackles in an ideal first hitout of the season.
"He was good for us," Buckley said.
"He's the type of player that just grinds the game out.
"He covers the ground pretty well, and to see that in his first four quarters for the season … I think he looked stronger and got better as the game wore on.
"His touch is excellent; he comes to hand pretty quickly.
"The body work, and the aggression required in the one-on-one contests, he got a handle on those towards the end of the game, and he'll be better for it."
The Magpies will be aiming for a sixth win in seven matches when they face Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium next week and, with their formidable midfield finally back together, appear to be building for a strong run in September.
Slow starts continue to be a problem for the Pies, however, and Buckley pointed to Friday night's 25-point quarter-time deficit, as well as last week's similarly flat first quarter against Carlton, as evidence that improvement was still needed.
"The message to the players after the game was that we need to start better than we have the last couple of weeks," he said.
"If you give the opposition a sniff, it just makes it harder yards to get the game back on your terms and to control it from that point on.
"That's clearly going to be the focus going into next week."
1. Krakouer's purple patch
Despite an inconsistent season to date, Collingwood's Andrew Krakouer showed fans exactly why he is one of the game's best small forwards in the second quarter, kicking three opportunistic goals in a 10-minute burst. The ever-dangerous Krakouer and defender-turned-forward Ben Reid combined for five goals in the term to turn a 25-point quarter-time deficit to a four-point half-time lead.
2. Midfield maestros
The toughest decision for pundits post-match was to decide who was best on ground, Dane Swan or Scott Pendlebury? Both Collingwood midfielders kicked crucial final-quarter goals in a match where they combined for 73 possessions, Pendlebury racking up a career-best 42. It was the 36th time the pair had amassed 30-plus touches in the same game, with the Pies winning 32 of those matches.
3. Lyons inspired by Agar
Unbeknown to many, Adelaide youngster Jarryd Lyons played junior cricket with the man on every Australian's lips – Ashton Agar. According to Adelaide's Twitter account, Lyons and the boom Ashes debutant played together as kids, most likely in the suburb of Bentleigh in Melbourne's inner-east, where both grew up. Every sports-loving Australian knows what Agar did on Thursday, and Lyons had his own career-best moment in the big time less than 24 hours later, booting four goals after coming into the match with a solitary major to his name in his fledgling AFL career.
4. Dangerfield scare
The Crows' gun came off second-best from a Sam Dwyer bump midway through the first quarter, sending a huge scare through the Adelaide camp. Dangerfield, ranked second in the Official AFL Player Ratings, went low into the contest ala Jobe Watson last week, injuring his right shoulder. He returned late in the quarter and played on, not before some unwanted attention from Pies' skipper Nick Maxwell, which the umpires quickly snuffled out. He finished with 15 touches in what was a brave effort.
5. Beaming return
It took 12 minutes, but Dayne Beams' first touch signalled that he was back, setting up Scott Pendlebury by hand for an easy shot at goal – which Pendlebury uncharacteristically sprayed. From there, the 2012 Copeland Trophy winner settled back into the midfield with Pendlebury, Swan and Luke Ball (playing his 200th game), the first time the quartet had played together since round two last season. Last time Beams played against Adelaide, he received three Brownlow votes for a 36-disposal effort. While he didn't quite replicate that elite form on Friday night, he showed glimpses of why the Pies need him in full flight come September, finishing with 25 disposals.
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A certain high-ranking official at Collingwood used to say a week is a long time in football. It's true most times. Other times, seven days can pass and nothing changes.
This match was eerily similar to the Pies' win over Carlton last Friday night.
Collingwood got jumped early. Before they knew it, Nathan Buckley's men were down 25 points (it was 28 points last week against Carlton) and looking helpless, with the ball zinging around their heads.
Then, Adelaide lost one of its most valuable contributors midway through the first quarter, just as the Blues had last week.
For Carlton it was Jarrad Waite. For Adelaide, Patrick Dangerfield.
Then … the move. Last week it was a surprise. This week, expected. Buckley sent Ben Reid forward to start the second quarter.
And on the combination of those two factors the momentum of the game shifted. Or at least the foundations. The ascendancy still had to be taken away from the Crows.
And again, just like last week, it was the Pies' midfield that took responsibility - knowing the defence behind them had been significantly weakened by the removal of Reid.
And again it was Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan.
When the Pies took control and the lead in the first half, Swan had 22 disposals. He would finish with 33 touches and and six clearances, slowed somewhat by Nathan Van Berlo in the second quarter.
The stats say that when Swan and Scott Pendlebury have more than 30 disposals, the Pies win. It happened again here, but this was Pendlebury's night.
His silky hands in tight were breathtaking for the football purist. And then when the game needed to be won he answered the call.
With the Crows pressing and within two kicks, Pendlebury snuck forward and kicked the clincher.
Then a few minutes later, he kicked another. A second later, he gathered his 40th disposal for the first time in his career. He had 14 score involvements, eight clearance and eights inside 50s.
He is all class. This might have gone close to the best game he has played. Maybe.
And then there was Reid.
He kicked the first two goals of the second quarter to spark the resurgence, and finished with seven inside 50s.
He makes an impotent forward line look potent.
His very presence freed up Travis Cloke.
Unfortunately, Cloke's goal-kicking demons had him in a choke hold. Amazingly, the Pies key forward had nearly a dozen shots at goal for just 2.5.
It must be said that Dangerfield's shoulder injury sustained in a collision with Sam Dwyer did not take him out of the game completely.
He went off, strapped up, came back on, then went back off.
They sent him forward when it was clear the injury was going to prevent him from having an impact in the middle. He was basically playing one-handed, and at times did it with effect.
Like Carlton last week, Adelaide was playing to keep finals in sight.
It never gave up, getting numbers behind the ball, caused turnovers with pressure and had Tom Lynch (four goals), Jason Porplyzia (three) and Jarryd Lyons (four) and Richard Douglas (24 disposals) dangerous forward.
They threw everything at the Pies.
But they just lacked the class when it mattered.
SLOW-STARTING PIES
A week after Carlton got off to a flyer against Collingwood, Adelaide put a huge scare into the Pies with a barnstorming opening to the game. The Crows led by 25 points at the first change. But with its top-four aspirations at stake, Collingwood put the forward squeeze on Adelaide, with the Crows committing several costly turnovers that saw them relinquish the lead by half-time.
NOT PADDY TOO!
Adelaide fans, still mourning the season-ending injury to star forward Taylor Walker on the same ground, had their hearts in their mouths as superstar midfielder Patrick Dangerfield came off cradling his right arm after a fearsome collision with Sam Dwyer in the first quarter. Dangerfield returned to the field with his right shoulder strapped, but he was clearly hampered by the injury for the rest of the evening.
NO FUNNY BUSINESS, PLEASE
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire couldn't resist the temptation to have a light-hearted dig at Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg before the Crows boss arrived late to the Pies' pre-match president's function. Trigg only recently resumed his post after a six-month ban for irregularities with the Kurt Tippett contract in 2009. ''I hope he's not in our rooms handing out brown paper bags or anything,'' McGuire noted of Trigg's absence.
THERE was a saying in 1970s cricket, that if Lillee didn't get you, Thommo would.
At Collingwood, it's a case of if Swan doesn't get you, Pendlebury will.
And if they're ripping a game apart together, as did they against Adelaide, then heaven help the opposition.
Pendlebury had 42, eight clearances, five tackles and two goals.
Swan had 31, three tackles and six clearances and two goals.
They are Lillee and Thompson.
The Len Pascoe equivalent - who was first change behind Lillee and Thommo - would have to be Luke Ball. He mostly always plays third fiddle behind his superstar teammates, but his stats don't. He had 30, five tackles, seven clearances and a game-high 18 contested possessions.
The three-pronged midfield attack, plus an array of scoring avenues - the Pies had 10 goalscorers to Adelaide's four - proved too overwhelming for Adelaide last night.
The finals score was 17.9 (111) to 12.12 (84).
It's two weeks in a row Swan and Pendlebury have combined to rally the Magpies after a lethargic first quarter.'
They didn't do it alone.
Andrew Krakouer kicked three goals in the second quarter, Travis Cloke took 11 marks and kicked 2.5, Sidebottom off a back flank is proving to be productive move, and Dayne Beams acquitted himself well with 25 touches.
In many ways, the first half was replay of last week when Collingwood played Carlton
The Crows led at quarter-time, the Pies cranked up in the second quarter to lead at half-time.
But unlike the Blues who raised the white flag in the second half, the Crows scrapped to about midway through the final quarter before Swan, Pendlebury, Travis Cloke and Pendlebury again condemned the Crows to missing the finals this year.
Swan had 22, including 15 handball receives.
As such, he appeared to be cared for by rotation rather than shut down, but Crows coach Brenton Sanderson swapped Nathan Van Berlo from Pendlebury to Swan for the second half, with mixed results.
While Swan was subdued by Van Berlo, Pendlebury took control.
He had 19 in the first half, although not all on Van Berlo, and then 22 in the second half.
It was vintage Pendlebury, if that can be said of a 25-year-old.
The Crows had three multiple goalkickers in the first quarter, which was promising yet undermining.
Jarryd Lyons kicked two goals, one coming after unchecked running through centre half-forward, the other from a free kick paid against Heath Shaw for high contact when Shaw was shepherding.
Another was Tom Lynch who had Ben Reid as an opponent, and the third was Jason Porplyzia who gave headaches to Ben Sinclair and Heath Shaw.
The Crows were efficient early. They kicked 6.3 form 14 entries to Collingwood's 2.2 from 13 entries.
Swan had 13 and Pendlebury nine, but their numbers did not translate to scores.
It was the difference. The Pies led contested ball (39-28) and the Crows led tackles (19-11), so the effort was reasonably even.
As we will come to expect as the season progresses, Buckley moved Reid forward after quarter-time.
It worked for the Pies. Reid kicked the first two goals from two marks, underlying his ability to be a game-changer.
It was the quarter the Pies surged.
But to surge, you must kick goals.
Krakouer kicked his three goals in 11 minutes from the 15th minute, bascially doing what he does best: Skirting and grafting and finding space in a phone box.
McCaffer got another one the same way, and then Cloke marked on his chest against three opponents - Talia, Douglas and Henderson - to kick his first of the night. Before then, he had two behinds, while another gettable goal dropped short.
Who knows when or where Buckley will employ the Cloke-Reid combo, but when it happens it's as frightening as dealing with Franklin-Roughead.
The Pies applied considerable heat in the second quarter.
They kicked 7.2 from 17 entries to Adelaide's 2.4 from just eight.
The Pies lifted their work rate and led tackles at the half (31-27, meaning the Crows laid just eight tackles for the quarter).
It took nine minutes to record the first goal in the third quarter, when Macaffer again found himself in the right place at right time, and Ball followed soon after with an intercept and goal from 50m.
The goals came from two handball mistakes from Scott Thompson and Matthew Wright, and in an unrelenting third quarter, they would prove crucial.
Macaffer's influence across half-forward is decidedly improving. He was used earlier in the year as a stopper, but has become accustomed to playing as a type of third tall beside Cloke and Witts/Reid. Macaffer can mark, is good low, and his agility post knee-op is dangerous enough.
The Crows, to their credit, didn't relent to late in the final quarter.
Already hamstrung by a shoulder injury to Patrick Dangerfield - why was he out there? - the Crows lacked forward options and midfield clout.
In the end, Collingwood's superstars got them over the line, which is a statement we've become accustomed to. |
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