COLLINGWOOD 2.3.15 5.5.35 7.7.49 11.9.75
GWS 3.4.22 6.6.42 8.11.59 9.13.67
SCORERS - Collingwood: Thomas (3.1), Broomhead (2.1), White (2.0), Williams (1.1), Blair (1.0), Sidebottom (1.0), Sinclair (1.0), Fasolo (0.2)
BEST - Collingwood: Thomas, Pendlebury, Broomhead, Williams, Armstrong, White
INJURIES - Collingwood: Young (hamstring), Swan (hamstring), Macaffer (knee)
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Clinton Young replaced by Luke Ball in the second quarter
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 10,851 at Spotless Stadium
| 1. Collingwood keeps September flame burning The Magpies' courageous come-from-behind win over the GWS Giants – the club did not hit the front until the 23-minute mark of the final term - puts the team inside the top eight with an 11-10 win-loss record, and keeps their finals hopes alive heading into next week's round 23 do-or-die clash with Hawthorn. Whether they stay there at the end of the weekend will depend on the outcome of Sunday's game at the MCG where Richmond goes for its eighth straight victory when it takes on St Kilda. 2. Injury toll keeps mounting for Magpies Builders may need to be called in for extensions to the Collingwood medical room after another horror weekend. Fresh from losing five players - Dayne Beams (knee), Travis Cloke (ankle), Heritier Lumumba (leg), Ben Reid (hamstring) and Alan Toovey (groin) - last Saturday night at the MCG, Sydney's Spotless Stadium offered little respite. Dane Swan and Clinton Young both suffered hamstring injuries in the second term, before the the club was down to just one interchange player when Brent Macaffer suffered a knee injury early in the second half. 3. Despite gallant effort Giants fail to add seventh name to list of vanquished The Magpies had thrashed the Giants in their only two prior meetings, winning by 40 points at the MCG in 2013 and 120 points at this venue in 2012. It was a far different story this afternoon though. The Giants were in front for all but the last eight or so minutes and looked very likely to add Collingwood to the list of teams they have beaten so far in their short history. Alas it was not to be. Entering Saturday afternoon's contest, GWS had beaten Melbourne (three times), the Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and cross-town rivals the Sydney Swans. |
4. Heath Shaw has come a long way Following in the footsteps of his father Ray, uncle Tony and brother Rhyce, Heath Shaw spent nine years at Collingwood, playing 179 games and helping the Pies to the 2010 flag. But it wasn't all smooth sailing, with the dashing defender ultimately shipped to GWS last year in a trade for Taylor Adams. But he has embraced a leadership role at the Giants with some gusto and capped his impressive career renaissance by captaining the side against Collingwood on Saturday. It must still be a strange feeling for the rest of the Shaw family, but Heath is now entrenched in GWS orange, white and charcoal. 5. Ross Oakley praises Sheedy in birth of Giants Former VFL/AFL chief executive Ross Oakley has likened the appointment of Kevin Sheedy as inaugural coach of the Giants to the time the Sydney Swans lured legend Ron Barassi up north. Oakley was a guest of the Giants at the pre-match president's function and told those present making Barassi coach was a key turning point for the Swans during what were very dark early years in the Harbour City. Oakley said Barassi gave the Swans "some credibility, as you have done with Kevin Sheedy". Oakley said Sydney had to have two teams, particularly given the importance of the Sydney market for the game's media rights. Builders may need to be called in for extensions to the Collingwood medical room after another horror weekend. Dane Swan and Clinton Young both suffered hamstring injuries in the second term, before the the club was down to just one interchange player when Brent Macaffer suffered a knee injury early in the second half. Builders may need to be called in for extensions to the Collingwood medical room after another horror weekend. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Bloodied, bruised and staggering on the ropes, an injury-ravaged Collingwood has somehow overcome Greater Western Sydney by eight points to keep its faint finals hopes alive. In an enthralling contest that belied the dreadful conditions, the Magpies overcome the loss of Brent Macaffer (knee), Dane Swan and Clinton Young (both hamstring) to seal a 11.9 (75) to 9.13 (67) triumph. The result lifts the Pies into eighth place ahead of next week's clash with Hawthorn, although Richmond will replace them if it gets past St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday. In front of 10,851 fans, the Giants' second biggest Spotless Stadium crowd this year, Josh Thomas' goal with less than six minutes remaining in the match remarkably gave the Pies the lead for the first time all game. Steele Sidebottom then added a late sealer as Collingwood kicked the final three goals of the match to steal the critical four points. With only one rotation on the bench from early in the third term, the victory would have to rate among the Pies' best in recent memory. Defeat was still cruel on the Giants, however, who led by as much as 21 points in the second term and were desperately unlucky to end up on the losing end of such a quality contest. GWS also had injury troubles of its own, with Phil Davis (calf) a late withdrawal, adding his name to fellow co-captain Callan Ward, Tom Scully, Jeremy Cameron, Lachie Whitfield and Jon Patton among the Giants' casualty ward. In the end the Pies' cool heads prevailed in the dying moments, led by the exceptional Thomas (29 touches, three goals). He was backed up by Scott Pendlebury (28 touches, nine clearances), Marley Williams (20 touches, seven inside 50s) and Tim Broomhead (23 touches, two goals) for the visitors. Toby Greene was brilliant for the Giants, picking up 27 touches to half-time and finishing with a career-best 42, also adding one goal and six inside 50s to his day's work. Devon Smith (23 touches, two goals), Josh Kelly (28 touches, six tackles) and Shane Mumford (46 hitouts, nine tackles) were all brilliant for the home side, which fell agonisingly short of its sixth win of a vastly improved 2014. The Giants were up for the contest from the first bounce, quickly registering the game's first three goals to establish an early 20-point lead. Collingwood finally kicked into gear late in the term, with Broomhead and Jesse White kicking majors to make it just a seven-point GWS lead at quarter-time. The second term then followed a similar script, with the Giants again dominating possession and kicking three more goals before the Pies responded once more. Broomhead and White were again prominent in the comeback, with Jarryd Blair's clever late effort off the ground from the goalsquare dragging the Pies back within seven points at half-time. The match was an absolute arm-wrestle from that point on, with both sides kicking two goals apiece in the third term as GWS enjoyed a 10-point edge heading into the final quarter. But four goals to one in the final quarter allowed Collingwood to seal a famous victory that keeps its season alive. Leon Cameron said during the week Collingwood were at their best with their backs to the wall, and he was proven right on Saturday night. With one of their most undermanned sides of recent years, the Magpies produced one of the most remarkable victories of the season to keep their faint finals hopes alive for one more week. Believe it or not, the Magpies are in the eight and still have a pulse, on a night where their injury problems reached crisis point. Already without 10 of their best 22, the Magpies lost Clinton Young, Dane Swan and Brent Macaffer, most probably all to season-ending injuries, but won a match they had no right to win. In a battle between two sides depleted by injury, it seemed the club with nothing to play for would prevail over the side playing for a September berth. It may all yet prove to be for naught for the Pies but at the very least their unheralded youngsters showed their supporters the future is still bright despite the doom which had descended upon the club in recent weeks. The Magpies did not find the lead until 22 minutes into the final term but once they hit the front they were determined to stay there. While they were ably led by Scott Pendlebury and Luke Ball, it was Josh Thomas, with three goals, Tim Broomhead and Marley Williams who answered their club's call. For the Giants, this was a lost opportunity - a game they should have won but found a way to lose. They controlled the game for much of the night and led by as much as 21 points in the second term. At one stage, the inexperienced Magpies defence, through a lack of know how more than any lack of effort, could not find a way out of their back half. Inevitably, the Giants conjured a goal, through Tom Boyd, who marked strongly on the lead. They were gifted another minutes later when Jarrod Witts and Tyson Goldsack spoilt each other deep in defence, allowing Josh Hunt an uncontested crumb. The Magpies now had every reason to roll over. They lost Clint Young to a hamstring strain and Dane Swan later in the quarter but, against the flow, jagged two goals in the last two minutes before half time to bridge the gap to seven points. The Pies were down to just one fit man on the bench a minute into the third quarter when Brent Macaffer's right knee buckled but, defying logic, then enjoyed their best period of the match. For about 15 minutes, the Magpies asked some tough questions of the Giants defence but, with Travis Cloke and Ben Reid missing, produced just one goal for their dominance. But the Giants' ability to hang tough for longer has been one of the reasons why they are no longer considered the easybeats of the competition. Their perseverance was rewarded with back-to-back goals entering time on to the impressive Toby Greene, the game's best on-baller, and Rhys Palmer. Logic said the Giants would now kick away but the whiff of September, however faint, proved intoxicating for the Magpies, who kicked the last goal of the third and the first one of the last term to pull within three points. After hitting the wood work twice, the Giants appeared to have the game iced when Will Hoskin-Elliott scored a goal from 50 but it was not the case. |
AN injury depleted Collingwood have staged a courageous comeback to beat the Giants by eight points and keep their finals hopes alive. With injury forcing three of their players out of the match from just after half time the Magpies dug deep to overcome a 21 point deficit mid-way through the second quarter. They trailed for almost the entire match before Josh Thomas put them in front at the 22-minute mark of the last quarter and Steele Sidebottom found the sealer minutes later. The black cat that crossed Nathan Buckley’s path last week followed him to Spotless Stadium. Clinton Young and Dane Swan had second quarter hamstring injuries and then Brent Macaffer went down early in the third with a serious knee injury. But unlike last week when they lost to Brisbane by 67 points, his team was able to fight the game out and find a way to win. Toby Greene won a staggering 42 possessions and kicked a goal but his huge effort wasn’t enough for the Giants who struggled to find a target up forward with Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron on the sidelines. Last year’s number one draft pick Tom Boyd struggled all night touching the ball only three times. In just his second game, James Stewart, son of former Collingwood player Craig, had two second half shots at goal which hit the post and could potentially have won the match. Shane Mumford battled on manfully against two young opponents in Jarrod Witts and Brodie Grundy but the loss of Callan Ward to a calf injury proved costly. It wasn’t a showpiece of the games skills but the 10,851 in attendance saw a match as hard fought as any this season. The Magpies made six changes to the team which were beaten by the Lions by 67 points, five of those were forced by injury but importantly they had their captain Scott Pendlebury back in action. Phil Davis was a late withdrawal due to last week’s concussion and he was quickly joined on the injury list by Jono O’Rourke just 22 minutes into the first quarter when he pulled a hamstring as he ran through the interchange area. Goals to Mark Whiley,Tom Bugg and Devon Smith were pegged back by Tim Broomhead and Jesse White to close the gap to seven points at quarter time. The Giants jumped out again in the second term with Boyd and veteran Josh Hunt snaring the opening goals before White and Broomhead kicked their second goals and Jarryd Blair’s soccer off the deck brought the margin back to seven points. Thomas snared the important first goal of the last quarter for the Magpies before Will Hoskin-Elliott stretched the lead back to 10 points. In the end Scott Pendlebury’s class and experience through the midfield proved the difference as the Magpies kicked the last three goals of the game through Thomas, Ben Sinclair and Sidebottom. When the long injury lists of both clubs were tallied there wasn’t much difference between the teams. The Giants perhaps were without Davis, Callan Ward, Jon Patton, Lachie Whitfield, Tom Scully, Tim Mohr, Jeremy Cameron, Stephen Coniglio, Nick Haynes and Curtly Hampton. The Magpies were without Travis Cloke, Heritier Lumumba, Alan Toovey, Dayne Beams, Taylor Adams and Ben Reid. COLLINGWOOD players were reduced to tears at three-quarter time on Saturday after tagger Brent Macaffer suffered another serious knee injury. The club suspects Macaffer ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after twisting his knee during an innocuous moment in the third term of the eight-point win over GWS. He left the field immediately aided by trainers. Macaffer missed the 2012 season after rupturing an ACL in his left knee. "I really felt for Macaffer in particular,” Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said after the club's gutsy eight-point win over the Giants in Sydney. "When you go to the three-quarter time huddle and you can see some of his teammates in tears because they know what's happened and they know what he's been through ... that tells you something about the make-up of our playing group. "The supporters of the club should rest assured that you have got a young senior group and a young up-and-coming talented group that are absolutely committed to this footy club and doing whatever they can to make a success of it." Collingwood’s injury crisis deepened further with Dane Swan and Clinton Young both suffering hamstring injuries against the Giants. The pair is unlikely to face Hawthorn next Friday night at the MCG in a game the Magpies must win to play finals. The Pies are already reeling from injuries to Dayne Beams (knee), Travis Cloke (ankle), Heritier Lumumba (leg), Ben Reid (hamstring) and Alan Toovey (groin). Collingwood sits inside the eight with an 11-10 win-loss record. Despite the long list of players unavailable, Buckley rebuffed suggestions the team that would face Hawthorn might one of be the weakest to take the field in black-and-white in recent memory. "If the majority of these blokes that played tonight are playing I wouldn't call it the weakest because they just displayed some real grit and endeavour," Buckley said. "Regardless of what our injury profile looks like we will take the 22 fittest player onto the field and if we show the heart that we showed tonight we will give ourselves a chance. "If we win next week we play finals." Asked whether the interchange needed to be expanded Buckley said: "I think four interchange would be handy. I don't know if you'd need any more than that." "When you go to the three-quarter time huddle and you can see some of his (Macaffer's) teammates in tears because they know what's happened and they know what he's been through ... that tells you something about the make-up of our playing group. The supporters of the club should rest assured that you have got a young senior group and a young up-and-coming talented group that are absolutely committed to this footy club and doing whatever they can to make a success of it."
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