COLLINGWOOD 4.3.27 7.5.47 10.10.70 16.14.110
RICHMOND 1.4.10 2.7.19 3.10.28 10.12.72
SCORERS - Collingwood: White (3.2), Beams (3.1), Pendlebury (3.1), Swan (2.1), Elliott (2.0), Ball (1.0), Blair (1.0), Sidebottom (1.0), Cloke (0.2), Fasolo (0.1), Goldsack (0.1), Grundy (0.1), Lumumba (0.1), Young (0.1)
BEST - Collingwood: Pendlebury, Beams, Macaffer, Sidebottom, White, Fasolo, Witts
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Brodie Grundy replaced by Josh Thomas in the third quarter
REPORTS: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 62,100 at the MCG
| - Brent Macaffer was the talk of the town in the hours after the match. The 26-year-old put the clamps on Richmond playmaker Trent Cotchin, restricting him to just 13 disposals. It is Cotchin’s lowest match tally since round 16, 2010, and he has returned less than 13 touches on just five occasions in his 111 games. Macaffer himself had only nine disposals, but his game-high 11 tackles illustrate how committed he was to his role. - The win is Collingwood’s seventh in a row against the Tigers. You have to go back to round 19, 2007, to locate Richmond’s most recent home and away victory against the Black and White. It’s a long time ago, as evidenced by the fact that just six players in the Collingwood line-up on Friday night were a member of the outfit that fell short by 20 points on 10 August 2007. For the record, those players are Nick Maxwell, Heritier Lumumba, Travis Cloke, Alan Toovey, Dane Swan and Tyson Goldsack. - Big Jesse White is starting to develop a strong recent record against Richmond. His three goals and seven marks on a night not suited to key forwards came on top of his four goals and three Brownlow votes while playing for Sydney last season. | - Richmond’s 3.10 at three quarter time was its lowest score against the Magpies at that stage of a game since 1989. The Tiges, with Kevin Bartlett at the helm, had just 2.12 on the board at three quarter time and went down by 46 points in a low scoring scrap at Victoria Park at the tail end of the season. For the record, Gavin Brown was named best afield for his 36 disposals in one of his Copeland Trophy winning years. - The first quarter was easily Collingwood’s best for the season so far. In kicking 4.3, the Magpies very nearly topped their cumulative total across the first three opening terms of 2014 (3.10). You don’t have to look back too far for better efforts, though. Collingwood started last season’s round 23 stoush with North Melbourne with five goals and four behinds and kicked eight goals three just nine days earlier against the Eagles. "Brent Macaffer was the talk of the town in the hours after the match. The 26-year-old put the clamps on Richmond playmaker Trent Cotchin, restricting him to just 13 disposals." |
| 1. Four to the fore Scott Pendlebury was the dominant force in the first half, producing 17 disposals and a goal as the Magpies scooted out to a handy 28-point lead at the main break. The Collingwood skipper handed the baton to Dayne Beams and Steele Sidebottom, who both ran riot in the third quarter. Dane Swan brought the relay home with nine disposals and a goal in the final term. Beams (30 disposals), Swan (27), Pendlebury (24) and Sidebottom (22) were all key contributors for the Magpies. And when those four fire, Collingwood don't often lose. 2. Macaffer gets his man A lot of teams have the theory that if you stop Trent Cotchin, you stop Richmond. The Tigers skipper received constant attention from tagger Brent Macaffer on Friday night, who held Cotchin to just 13 disposals for the game, his lowest tally since round 16, 2010. Macaffer constantly bodied Cotchin off the line of the ball, rendering him ineffective in stoppage situations – a place he usually thrives. Of Cotchin's 13 touches, eight were contested and his disposal efficiency was at just 46.2 per cent. Macaffer was excellent on Geelong's Steve Johnson last week, and added another scalp to his growing collection on Friday night. 3. Tigers misfire Richmond coach Damian Hardwick showed some positive intent when he had Jack Riewoldt playing out of the goal square at the start of the game. From there, it was all down hill for the Tigers. Richmond's conversion in front of goal in the first three quarters was woeful, finishing with 3.10 up until the final change. Hardwick has been persistent in his view that Richmond needs to find some alternative options to Riewoldt. The Tigers kicked seven goals in the final term to patch up some of the holes, but the fact of the matter is they need to unearth some consistent scoring options. And fast. | 4. Great Dane lifts Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has been clear in his assertion that Dane Swan would turn things around. Three quiet weeks in a row led to considerable criticism. Questions were raised about whether Swan has been hampered by a groin injury, a claim Buckley denies. But against the Tigers, Swan went some way to quieting his doubters. It was not a typical best on ground 45-disposal plus display. But it was a start. The Pies champion had 27 disposals, showing a much more dedicated effort to work into space and run defensively as well. 5. Lloyd lights up the MCG No, not that Lloyd. Sam Lloyd's excellent debut came in trying circumstances at the MCG on Friday night. At stages, the first-gamer looked like Richmond's only dangerous option in attack. The 24-year-old kicked three goals and gathered 22 possessions in an impressive display. His marking prowess belied someone of his 180cm stature and his finishing was spot on, the Deniliquin/Frankston Bombers product nailing all three of his opportunities in front of goal. The Tigers have found one in Lloyd, who they secured with pick No. 66 in last year's NAB AFL Draft.
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Collingwood has extended its run of dominance over Richmond, beating the Tigers for the seventh straight time with a comprehensive 38-point victory at the MCG on Friday night. The Magpies kicked the first four goals of the game in greasy conditions and were rarely troubled thereafter, running out 16.14 (110) to 10.12 (72) winners to even their record at 2-2. Captain Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams, Jesse White and Brent Macaffer were instrumental for the victors, while there were few positives for a Tigers outfit that continually butchered the ball. The Tigers managed just a solitary goal in each of the first three quarters as they dropped to 1-3 for the season, continuing an unwanted run of outs against the Magpies. Richmond last beat Collingwood in round 19, 2007. "Overall, it was another step forward," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said after the match. "They're a good football team. They haven't had a great start to the year – they're capable of being very damaging offensively. "To keep them to three goals in those first three quarters was the strongest aspect of our performance." Richmond captain Trent Cotchin could only manage 13 disposals, his lowest tally since round 16, 2010, after being well held by Pies tagger Macaffer. Macaffer was criticised by former Carlton coach David Parkin during the ABC's coverage for using "illegal" tactics to negate Cotchin. After the match, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said there were "some people out there that do give the protection" to Cotchin, but refused to be drawn on whether he was referring to his captain's teammates or the umpires. "Don’t get me in trouble,” Hardwick said. “I'll leave that one to your imagination." The Tigers have just one victory from their first four games, and already their finals aspirations are on shaky ground; just two teams in the past five years have recovered from a 1-3 start to the season to finish in the top eight. In 2010, Hawthorn scraped into the finals after registering just one win in the first seven rounds, while last season Carlton made the top eight after a 1-3 start, although they were gifted their spot with Essendon excluded as a result of the supplements saga. Former Sydney Swan Jesse White was impressive up forward for the Pies, taking seven marks and kicking three goals, but star teammate Travis Cloke continued to struggle, held goalless in his 200th game. Cloke's quiet start to the season has generated plenty of discussion this week, and he did little to quieten his critics, Richmond defender David Astbury doing well to limit his impact. The Pies spearhead has kicked only two goals this season, both coming in Collingwood’s round two win over the Sydney Swans, and he finished with just three marks and two behinds against the Tigers. The Pies flew out of the blocks in the opening quarter, and despite the Tigers leading the inside 50s 14 to 10 in the first term, they could only manage just the one goal for the quarter through debutant Sam Lloyd. Mature-aged recruit Lloyd was the shining light for the Tigers, kicking their only two goals for the first half and finishing the game with 22 disposals and three goals. The Pies led by 28 points at half time, and extended that margin to 42 points at the final change as the Tigers recorded their lowest three-quarter time score (3.10) against Collingwood since 1989. With the heat out of the contest, the Tigers booted seven goals in the final term to add some belated respectability to the scoreboard, spearhead Jack Riewoldt finally impacting the scoreboard with two goals. Nathan Brown is a chance to return to Collingwood's defence for next Saturday's clash against North Melbourne at the MCG. The Tigers now have a six-day break before heading to Brisbane on Wednesday to face the Lions on Thursday night at the Gabba. COLLINGWOOD star Dane Swan's sizeable contribution in the club's 38-point triumph over Richmond is a sign he is getting closer to his best, according to coach Nathan Buckley. Swan was part of a dominant Magpies midfield that ran rings around the lumbering Tigers at the MCG on Friday night. The Magpies champion had a season-high 27 touches, while Dayne Beams chimed in with 30 of his own. Scott Pendlebury chalked up 27 possessions, while Steele Sidebottom and Luke Ball each had 22. The five also kicked 10 goals between them, showing an ability to run forward hard into space, something Buckley said was missing from his midfield group in the first three rounds. "We scored from them (midfielders)," Buckley said after the match. "We haven't been running through the front half of the field as much, through the first three rounds." Swan's start to the year was uncharacteristically quiet, leading some to question whether he was battling what appeared to be a groin complaint. The Magpies coach has emphatically denied those claims, and insisted Swan would lift his output during the week. "Swanny's effort, compared to his first three weeks was better," Buckley said. "We spoke during the week about some KPIs when the ball's not in his hands, and he met them tonight. That was the most impressive thing about his performance." While Collingwood's midfield flourished, key forward Travis Cloke struggled to impose himself in his 200-game milestone. The spearhead was goalless, took just three marks, and was blanketed by Tigers backman David Astbury. But Buckley believes Cloke has been hard done by in the way umpires are interpreting marking contests he is involved in. "I do believe there are a couple of sets of rules out there at the moment," Buckley said. "He's getting umpired to one set and everyone else to another. "But he has to fight through that – I thought he stuck to his task." Asked whether Cloke deserved more free kicks, Buckley replied: "There were a few. (But) I'm sure if you asked ‘Dimma’ (Damien Hardwick), there would be a few he would say should go the other way." With Cloke well held, fellow Magpies forward Jesse White picked up the slack. White kicked three goals and took seven marks in his best performance in the black and white to date. "We identified through the (pre-season) that with Ben (Reid) and Travis (Cloke), that Jesse was a very good third-tall foil for our forward line," Buckley said. "He's very mobile, he crumbs well, he leads up well, he can take a mark on the lead, clearly can take a contested mark. "Having that structure suited him better ... it worked for us this evening." The Magpies allowed seven Tiger goals in the final term, leading Buckley to keep his players behind closed doors for 15 minutes following the post-game celebrations. "It's important to have those conversations when the iron is hot, so to speak," Buckley said. "We discussed where we want to go, what we want to be as a football team, what we're trying to build and the fact that takes four-quarter efforts week after week after week." "We dropped off in that last quarter and we can't accept that." Buckley also said Nathan Brown, who avoided shoulder surgery at the start of the month, was a chance to return for the club's game against North Melbourne next Saturday.
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This match was viewed as consequential, not so much for the winner, but for the loser. At 2-2 after four rounds, a team is respectable. At 1-3, you're in the bunker. And when that loser is the Richmond Football Club - with the largest band of success-deprived supporters in the competition - that bunker should be underground and made of reinforced concrete, rather than sand. The talkback lines will be deluged with talk of Tiger failure, and the past greats who lambasted the paper Tigers this week will feel vindicated. Collingwood's advantage over Richmond remains as it has been for several years. Contrary to what you will hear over the next few days, the difference between the sides wasn't about effort - though Collingwood retains warrior qualities that the Tigers haven't found for three decades. No, the major cause of the defeat was class. It mattered not that Travis Cloke didn't kick a goal in his 200th game. It mattered not that the Tigers won the clearances. It mattered not that the Tigers made a junk-time charge and drew within five goals - having trailed by eight goals at one point. The game, really, was done by early in the third quarter and probably much earlier. Collingwood's major supremacy was in the capacity of its players - and particularly gun midfielders Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams and Steele Sidebottom - to use the ball effectively, and to score themselves. Pendlebury and Beams booted three goals each, while a partially revived Dane Swan - who improved, without fully regaining his powers of possession - added two. The Pies were comfortable victors, despite Cloke's ongoing lack of scoring, because their midfielders were so potent. Jesse White slotted three as Cloke's foil, showcasing his excellent mobility. The most fateful contest was between Tiger skipper Trent Cotchin and his relentless tagger Brent Macaffer, who wore Cotchin like a wetsuit throughout the evening. Having entered the match without Brett Deledio, Richmond simply couldn't hope to win unless Cotchin maintained his high output. Macaffer's smothering, thus, was paramount. Macaffer, increasingly, is developing into a more muted version of Ryan Crowley. Collingwood booted the opening four goals of the game and its quarter-time lead was - unusually for the 2014 Pies - built on efficiency. This pattern would continue for the next hour and a half. Often, Richmond sent the ball forward, only to allow the Pies to rebound in to space. Collingwood was far superior ''on the spread'' when running the ball from defence. Collingwood's no-name defence - given the luxury of a loose man behind the ball - was utterly dominant and it perhaps is an emerging story. The Tigers did not mark the ball within cooee of goal. Tyrone Vickery, subbed out just after half-time to the cheers of the Tiger fans, barely touched it. Jack Frost did well to restrict Jack Riewoldt overall, with Riewoldt scoring only in the final quarter. Collingwood's first four goals were created by cleaner use of the ball. Dynamic midfielders Pendlebury, Beams and Swan booted one goal each from skilful snaps. Swan, who started on the bench and went forward, appeared to be running more freely than he had hitherto this season. Pendlebury, matched to Matt Thomas, was highly productive in those early minutes and indeed for the entire first half. Damien Hardwick, perhaps surprisingly, opted to deploy Thomas on Pendlebury, rather than his more seasoned tagger, Daniel Jackson; perhaps the Richmond coach felt that with Deledio missing and Cotchin subjected to the inevitable very hard tag, Jackson would be needed as a ball-winner. But the major surprise was the impact made on the game by Collingwood's leviathan ruckman forward Jarrod Witts, who showed fine touch and mobility and was among the catalysts for Collingwood's ascendancy in the opening 10-15 minutes. From that point, though, the Tigers squared up and even held an edge in general play for much of the next hour. The problem lay in an inability to convert - shots on goal were either botched, as Cotchin missed one you would expect him to make from 40 metres, or - more typically - the ball was butchered when one Tiger was seeking another. The Tigers won the centre breaks decisively in the first half 8-3, were only marginally behind in forward entries (27-25 to the Pies) and contested ball (80-78), yet trailed by 28 points. Collingwood, in fact, often benefited from quick rebounds into a less congested forward. The first game of mature-age recruit Sam Lloyd, with his three goals, was one of very few high points for the Tigers. The worst moment for Richmond came just before half-time, when David Astbury out-manoeuvred Travis Cloke and marked, but his switch of play into the corridor was dropped by Dylan Grimes. Tyson Goldsack snatched the ball, gave it by hand to Jesse White, who made a regulation snap. In psychological terms, this was awful - the Tigers had been winning enough ball to be much closer. They just kept stuffing up. It's a familiar plotline for the Richmond Football Club. IT was supposed to be the summer of heartache that would be the making of the Richmond Football Club. But at some point in the six short months since last year’s elimination final loss, the wheels have fallen off the Tiger train. After three unconvincing weeks, the Tigers fell to a 1-3 record after last night’s 38-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG. While finals are not an impossibility, no team has made September from the same low-point in the past four years, save for Carlton’s free finals pass at Essendon’s expense last year. Did they believe their own hype, the Tigers? Ease off the accelerator over pre-season? Or simply fail to execute when the expectation, in Damien Hardwick’s fifth year as coach, was turned up to top-four levels? Hardwick must answer those questions, and look for a way to restore bereft confidence levels, under a kind of heat that he has not yet had to experience in his time as senior coach. Richmond captain, Trent Cotchin was held to 13 possessions last night, something that has not happened since 2010. Collingwood, on the other hand, gathered some much-needed momentum last night, led superbly once again by Scott Pendlebury. Thriving under the captaincy that seemed bestowed upon him in his second season, Pendlebury brushed off the Matt Thomas tag and then won a one-on-one shootout with Cotchin, running to the end. Pendlebury started the week in a moon boot and finished it with another three Brownlow votes. But most importantly for Nathan Buckley’s cause is that the unrelenting skipper had mates, this time. Dayne Beams and Dane Swan found the kind of form that together, makes them one of the most potent midfields in the game. Forward Jesse White also emerged as a dangerous foil for 200-gamer Travis Cloke, giving the forward line much-needed depth and helping validate the last season’s trade. The win means the Pies this morning wake up back on an even keel at 2-2, breathing a sigh of relief after a win over the Swans and a commendable effort against the Cats in recent weeks. But this match was never about the winner. A pre-season that almost universally stamped Richmond as a genuine top-four contender may have already gone down the gurgler amid major concerns in each third of the ground. They rallied in the last quarter, but that’s the frustrating part with the Tigers, they turn it on and off like no other team. Most worryingly, though, is the lack of pace, endeavour and accuracy in the back half. They are butchering the ball by foot, Richmond. Nick Vlastuin, Cotchin and Dustin Martin were all operating below 40 per cent kicking efficiency heading into the three-quarter time break. And when they turned the ball over, their defence was exposed without Alex Rance and Brett Deledio to run the other way. Richmond played pulsating footy last year, but they move the ball at snail’s pace this season. The flair is gone, and panic seems to have set in. There is no respite, either. Next weekend’s clash against Brisbane away is a danger game and then the Cats and Hawks follow, leading into the bye. It was an indictment on the Richmond side that at half time first-gamer Sam Lloyd was the Tigers’ most dangerous player. Taking the place of out-of-favour hard nut Jake King, the man from Deniliquin in New South Wales showed so much natural goal sense, snapping cleverly across his body then curling home a dribbler in the second. But he was the only bright note and they were the Tigers’ only two goals to half time. You could hardly believe that the ball had been in Richmond’s possession 53 per cent of the game to that point, but they were wasting it at every turn. The tall forward setup including Jack Riewoldt, Ben Griffiths and Tyrone Vickery was toothless again on a wet night. As hard as the stagnant play made it for the Tiger forwards, Vickery looked a lonely man on the MCG with only two handballs at the main change. He looked uninterested at times, unwilling at others. But he was also hurt, and subbed off at half time with ice on his leg. Some in the crowd clapped the crowd announcement that he had put on the red vest, early in the third. | ||
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