COLLINGWOOD 0.4.4 6.7.43 8.9.57 11.10.76
GEELONG 3.5.23 6.7.43 9.12.66 12.15.87
SCORERS - Collingwood: Elliott (5.0), White (2.0), Goldsack (1.1), Sidebottom (1.1), Blair (1.0), Toovey (1.0), Beams (0.1), Fasolo (0.1), Macaffer (0.1), Swan (0.1)
BEST - Collingwood: Elliott, Beams, Sidebottom, Macaffer, Maxwell, Lumumba
INJURIES - Collingwood: Dwyer (lower leg)
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Taylor Adams replaced Sam Dwyer in the third quarter
REPORTS: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 63,152 at the MCG
| - Geelong’s 11-point win snapped a three game losing streak against the Magpies. Of course, most Cats fans will be able to remind you when that last win was. It was the 2011 Grand Final. - The match was Clinton Young’s sixth consecutive loss to Geelong. After playing a key role in Hawthorn’s triumph against the Blue and White in the 2008 Grand Final, the wingman has been denied victory by the Cats on five occasions with the Hawks and now for the first time as a Magpie. - Collingwood has been slow out of the blocks in each of its three first quarters this season. Its 0.4 falls short of what it recorded in rounds one (2.4) and two (1.2). All three matches, as we know, were played against top four teams from 2013, and rarely does a top four team achieve what it does without a watertight defence. | - The news is better in the second quarters, in which Collingwood has kicked a total of 10.6 (66) in its past two outings. The Magpies’ 6.3 in the second term was their best quarter since booting 8.3 in the opening stanza against West Coast in round 21 last season, and their best second quarter since dobbing 7.3 against Adelaide in round 16, 2013. - Jamie Elliott’s 5.0 is his equal highest goals tally in a single game. In 38 senior appearances, Elliott has kicked five goals on two occasions and three on six occasions. He has now kicked eight goals in his last two outings and has gone goalless only once in his last nine games. His previous haul of five was against Carlton in round two last season. Jamie Elliott’s 5.0 is his equal highest goals tally in a single game. |
| 1. Cold Pies Slow starts are fast becoming a trend this season for Collingwood. In their opening round loss to Fremantle the Pies kicked 2.4 in the first quarter. In the next round against the Sydney Swans they could only manage one goal. On Saturday night at the MCG that trend reached its mathematical conclusion, with the Pies goalless at the first break. Dane Swan was particularly slow to fire. It took the Brownlow medalist 12 minutes to register his first touch for the game. He finished the quarter with five disposals: low by his standards. 2. Collingwood's dancing Dream Team The Pies' 12-member hip-hop dancing crew, the Dream Team, have attracted critics who accuse the club of trying to Americanise the game. Unveiled as part of the pre-match entertainment, the crew (posse?) were charged with pumping up the crowd ahead of the opening bounce. 3. Elliott in orbit Collingwood small forward Jamie Elliott's spectacular pack mark against Port Adelaide in round 14 last season earned him the 2013 mark of the year. He is firmly in contention to claim the honours again in 2014 after taking yet another magnificent grab five minutes into the second quarter. With eyes only for the ball, Elliott ran in from the side, riding Geelong star Jimmy Bartel to complete a towering grab in the goal square. His resulting goal, the Pies' first for the game, sparked a comeback which saw them draw level with Geelong at half-time. And his influence didn't stop there. The 21-year-old booted five goals, equalling his career-best haul set last season in round 17 against Carlton. | 4. All quiet on the Cloke front It wasn't a memorable night for Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke, who has suffered a poor record against Geelong in recent times. Cloke has kicked just the four goals against the Cats in their past three encounters. The Magpie forward failed to trouble the scoreboard on Saturday night and finished the match with just eight disposals and four marks. His Geelong counterpart Tom Hawkins was well held by young Pies defender Jack Frost in the first half. However he stood tall when the Cats needed him most, kicking three final-term goals including the sealer. 5. Tough tags do their job Cat Cam Guthrie was handed the challenge by coach Chris Scott to run with Collingwood star Scott Pendlebury. The Pies' 2013 best and fairest winner had 26 disposals but wasn't able to impart his usual influence on the game. Guthrie himself finished with 18 possessions and a goal. Meanwhile Brent Macaffer was given the job of negating Geelong's Steve Johnson. The Cat veteran was unable to break free for most of the match, finishing with 20 touches and a goal. "His (Elliott's) resulting goal, the Pies' first for the game, sparked a comeback which saw them draw level with Geelong at half-time. And his influence didn't stop there. The 21-year-old booted five goals, equalling his career-best haul set last season in round 17 against Carlton." |
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Geelong has broken its two-season victory drought against Collingwood by scoring an 11-point win over the Magpies in a high-pressure clash at the MCG on Saturday night. The Cats were 20 points up late in the first quarter, surrendered the lead by half-time, then survived a gripping battle of attrition in the second half, prevailing 12.15 (87) to 11.10 (76). It was Geelong's first win over Collingwood since the 2011 Grand Final, and it ensured the Cats remain unbeaten in 2014. Key forward Tom Hawkins was the hero of a tense last quarter. Having been well held by young Magpie Jack Frost, Hawkins came to life in the final term, booting three team-lifting goals, including the last of the match after Jamie Elliott had put Collingwood within five points. Hawkins finished with four majors and was the Cats' only multiple goalkicker. Elliott, who was Collingwood's outstanding contributor, produced the most spectacular feat of the match when he soared over Jimmy Bartel and hauled in a screamer during the second term. He also finished with five goals, including two in the last quarter. Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan were among the stars for Geelong in the middle of the park, while key defender Tom Lonergan used the new umpiring interpretations to his advantage in holding Travis Cloke goalless. In the absence of five-time All Australian Corey Enright, who was a late withdrawal after failing to recover from an ankle injury, James Kelly stepped up, providing cool and calm leadership across half-back. Of the Cats' emerging youngsters, Cameron Guthrie did an impressive tagging job on Scott Pendlebury. Although Pendlebury was able to amass 26 disposals, Guthrie made him accountable by gathering 18 touches of his own, kicking a goal and taking a great pack mark late in the game. Steele Sidebottom did all he could to haul the Magpies over the line. Sidebottom was electric during the second quarter, during which he gathered 10 of his 29 disposals. Dayne Beams and Heritier Lumumba also continued their good form, while Brent Macaffer held Steve Johnson to just 20 touches. Johnson had averaged 34 disposals in rounds one and two. In his first game since round five last year, Alex Fasolo made a solid contribution down back. Geelong had a comeback kid of its own, with promoted rookie George Burbury tallying 12 disposals in his first game since breaking his jaw against Collingwood in the opening match of the NAB Challenge. The Cats will be aiming to continue their unbeaten start when they host fellow unbeaten side West Coast at Simonds Stadium next Saturday night. Collingwood's next outing is a Friday night game against Richmond at the MCG. With the Magpies and Tigers slumping to 1-2, it shapes as a must-win clash for both sides. COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley denies Travis Cloke needs more assistance from his teammates, despite the key forward's slow start to the season. For the second time this year, Cloke was held goalless as Geelong defender Tom Lonergan once again negated the 27-year-old's impact on the scoreboard. Cloke has scored just two goals for season 2014, both of which came in the Pies' round-two win over Sydney at ANZ Stadium. As he did in the round-one loss to Fremantle, Cloke failed to register a score during Saturday night's 11-point loss to Geelong. Games against the Cats haven't been happy hunting grounds for Cloke, who has now kicked just four goals in the past four such encounters. But Buckley said the supply to Cloke was the issue and not necessarily Cloke's form, with Geelong winning Saturday night's midfield battle comprehensively. "Clokey was beaten," Buckley acknowledged post-match. "We don't rely on him to kick the winning score, we expect the rest of our forward line to tip in and get that done. We're not going to win many games with 11 goals but you're not going to kick many winning scores with just 42 entries. "I thought our defence held up really well, I thought we were nutted in the midfield and I thought our forwards lacked supply in some way. We scored at about 50 per cent which is OK. We just didn't get enough supply." One forward who did stand up for the Pies was the high-flying Jamie Elliott. The 21-year-old leaped over Geelong star Jimmy Bartel in the second term, almost certainly earning him a nomination for mark of the year – an honour he won last season. Elliott's five goals included three in the final term to put the Pies within five points of the Cats with three minutes remaining. "Jamie's work rate was excellent," Buckley said. "He kept putting himself in the spots, took his chances and won his one-on-ones when the time was there. The rest of our forward line could learn a little bit from that. He's a dangerous match-up. He's hard to stop." Several of Collingwood's star midfielders struggled with only Steele Sidebottom (29) and Dayne Beams (28) in the Pies' best players for the match. Scott Pendlebury was tagged heavily by Geelong youngster Cam Guthrie and despite gathering 26 disposals was far from influential. Collingwood's doctors were kept busy with Beams, Nick Maxwell, Sam Dwyer and Heritier Lumumba all hobbling off during the match and receiving treatment in the rooms. Beams, Maxwell and Lumumba all played out the game, while Dwyer was subbed off for Taylor Adams in the third term. The coach said he was confident all four would be available for selection for Friday night's crucial clash against Richmond at the MCG. "We've had casualties from the game. We probably had three or four blokes who were pretty sore throughout," Buckley said. "Sammy [Dwyer]'s no worse than a couple of others but [his substitution] was to inject some run through the midfield and get Taylor into the mix. "Richmond played today. A six-day break – it's going to be the same for both of us. We're pretty confident we'll field a really competitive, fit side ready to go."  |
Geelong survived a dogged challenge from Collingwood to continue its unbeaten start to the season with a thrilling 11-point win at the MCG on Saturday night. The Pies trailed by five points with 90 seconds left to play, but Tom Hawkins took a strong mark and milked the clock before slotting the sealing goal in the 12.15 (87) to 11.10 (76) win. The Cats held a nine-point advantage at three-quarter time but Collingwood, spurred on by five-goal hero Jamie Elliott, came roaring back after Hawkins stepped up with three goals in the final term. It was a fitting end to a hard-fought slog. Geelong suffered a blow before the game with Corey Enright a late withdrawal after he failed to shake off an ankle injury but the Cats took the veteran's loss in their stride early. Their superior pressure made the Pies look hesitant and created several scoring opportunities. George Horlin-Smith booted his side's first goal after Steve Johnson found him with a deft pass and Travis Varcoe extended the margin when he expertly roved a contest that saw Nick Maxwell limp off favouring his left ankle. But the former skipper returned minutes later as he continued his strong form as the loose man across half-back from last week's win over Sydney. Tom Lonergan got the job on Travis Cloke and restricted him to just one kick in the opening term as Collingwood struggled to find an avenue to goal. Tyson Goldsack had a long shot after the siren but pushed it wide to leave the Pies with just four behinds and trailing by 19 points at the first break. Collingwood needed a spark and Elliott supplied it when he leapt onto the shoulders of Jimmy Bartel to bring down a contender for mark of the year. He converted the set shot to settle Magpie nerves and with Cloke still struggling to shake Lonergan, Jesse White slipped the chain to kick his first two goals for his new club. Steele Sidebottom led the way with 10 disposals for the second quarter as the Pies started to get the hands on the ball first and Elliott completed the Magpie resurgence when he sharked a loose ball in the goal square to snap his second with 15 seconds left in the first half to level the scores. Andrew Mackie burst through the middle to kick a trademark long bomb early in the second half. Hamish McIntosh goaled after Brodie Grundy was adjudged to have infringed in a ruck contest to push the Cats' lead back out to 14 points, but Sidebottom gathered and weaved through traffic to reply and set up a dramatic final term. Hawkins looked to have done enough for the Cats when he booted successive majors to silence the Pies' home crowd. But Elliott fired back with two to keep his side in the contest before Hawkins finished the Pies off. GEELONG last night channelled Joel Selwood’s blue-collar mentality to end a two-year drought against Collingwood. After two relatively soft kills to start the season, the Cats were forced to call on all their reserves — and their inspirational captain — to score their first win over the Magpies since the 2011 Grand Final. There wasn’t a premiership on the line tonight, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell at stages as both teams threw themselves into the contest without fear or favour, regardless of what that might mean. Selwood almost personified that mentality. He threw himself into every contest; half of his 30 possessions were contested ones, he wrested eight clearances out of the middle and laid 11 tackles. And he proved himself as tough as teak when he withstood a strong bump from Taylor Adams at the start of the last term to not only remain in the contest, but continue to push his stamp on the match. As has been the trend between these two clubs for a long time now, this match remained in the balance almost throughout as the Cats managed to hold on when it mattered most. Collingwood failed to kick a goal in the first term, but lifted immeasurably after a spectacular mark from Jamie Elliott seemed to lift his team. While key forward Travis Cloke was well-held once again, this time by an impressive Tom Lonergan, it was Elliott who almost pinched the match with five goals in an extraordinary display in attack for the Magpies. Elliott kicked two goals in the second term and nailed three in the final quarter to keep Collingwood in the contest. But, at the other end, Tom Hawkins managed to get off the chain, to score three critical goals in the final term, making it four majors for the match. Hawkins had well held early in the first half, but made a strong contribution in the last hour of the game to give the Cats a solid avenue to goal, as he nailed the last goal of the game to effectively shut out the Magpie challenge. Selwood was ably assisted by Mitch Duncan through the middle of the ground, while Cam Guthrie managed to keep Scott Pendlebury in check for most of the night, even though the Magpie skipper still managed 26 touches. Mathew Stokes, Jimmy Bartel and James Kelly had plenty of the ball, but Brent Macaffer did a reasonable job in restricting Steve Johnson as much as he possibly could. The Magpies had good players in Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams, while Nick Maxwell was solid in defence and Heritier Lumumba gave his team plenty of drive, especially early in the game. The match started with a few hard tags, but it was a man who didn’t have an opponent who did most of the damage in the opening term. Kelly positioned himself as the loose man in defence and had the dual effect of assisting Lonergan double-team Cloke as well as gaining nine touches in the first half-hour. The Cats kicked three goals to the Magpies’ nil in the opening term, and the difference could well have been more than 19 points. Elliott’s stepladder grab deep in attack in the second term not only provided the Magpies with their first goal, but it seemed to lift his team out of its malaise. The Magpies added six goals for the term and it was Elliott again who nailed a goal just before half-time to level the scores. Geelong, however, dug deep in the third term, and managed to eke out a narrow lead off the back of some Selwood grunt and some restrictive work from the Cats defenders, especially Lonergan on Cloke. And that paved the way for the two contrasting forwards — Hawkins and Elliott — to each secure three goals in the final term as the two teams slugged it out. In the end, it was the Cats who held out to maintain their unbeaten run into this season, setting up a mouth-watering clash with West Coast at Simonds Stadium on Saturday night. "There wasn’t a premiership on the line tonight, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell at stages as both teams threw themselves into the contest without fear or favour, regardless of what that might mean." |
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