COLLINGWOOD 4.1.25 1.6.5.50 1.6.10.55 1.7.13.64
CARLTON 1.5.1.40 1.7.3.54 1.8.6.63 1.9.8.71
SUPERGOALS - Collingwood: A Oxley Carlton: A Everitt
GOALS - Collingwood: Blair 2, Gault, De Goey, Fasolo, Cloke, Broomhead
BEST - Collingwood: Greenwood, Crisp, Blair, Pendlebury, Sinclair, Fasolo
INJURIES - Collingwood: Grundy (hip)
SUBSTITUTES - Collingwood: Travis Varcoe replaced Brodie Grundy (hip) in the third quarter
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 9,542 at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo
STATISTICS
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A revved-up Chris Yarran has fired Carlton to a seven-point NAB Challenge victory over Collingwood in front of a sell-out crowd in Bendigo. Yarran's dash and dare from the back half was pivotal throughout the game, but especially as the Blues skipped out to an early 33-point advantage midway through the first term. The Magpies reeled their arch-rivals back in after some tinkering defensively and a clear lift in effort, but it was Yarran and defensive partner Kade Simpson who continued to cause headaches as the Blues closed out the 1.9.8 (71) to 1.7.13 (64) victory. Sporting flashy red boots, Yarran collected 21 disposals and five rebound 50s to dictate terms and kick-start Carlton's improved offensive efficiency. Coach Mick Malthouse, who returned to the coaching box after missing the Blues' first NAB Challenge hit-out against West Coast to support wife Nanette through surgery, revealed he is prepared to change his philosophy from an offensive point of view. Skipper Chris Judd was the difference maker around the contests, winning 23 disposals and helping himself to a game-high 10 clearances. But it was Andrejs Everitt who kick-started Carlton with two goals and a booming Supergoal in the first term. The Blues fed off Everitt's energy as they opened with six of the game's first seven goals. The way Carlton transferred the ball from side to side created gashes in Collingwood's defensive zone, as time and again the Blues manufactured fast breaks. Yarran and Simpson were crucial in creating the Blues' rapid-fire ball movement and their teammates followed their lead. But the Magpies worked their way back into the contest after quarter time on the back of a clear lift in effort. Recruits Levi Greenwood (17 disposals) and Jack Crisp (14) cracked in and made the most of the contest, while skipper Scott Pendlebury was at his consistent best with 16 disposals. Young ruckman Brodie Grundy suffered a possible hip injury after being cannoned into in a marking contest. Blues ruckman Robert Warnock left the game worse for wear in the third term after sustaining a shoulder injury, while stand-in captain Bryce Gibbs also appeared to be favouring his shoulder. The Blues play Geelong in their final pre-season hit-out at Etihad Stadium next Sunday, while Collingwood faces the Western Bulldogs at the same venue on Saturday night. WHAT WE LEARNED Collingwood's thin big-man stocks could cause problems if injury decides to strike this season. The Pies went into the game with Brodie Grundy and former US College basketballer Mason Cox in the ruck, but when Grundy went off in the third quarter, after copping a knee in a marking contest, the Pies began to look shaky in the middle of the ground. Granted, Jarrod Witts, who had shoulder surgery in the off-season, played in the VFL on Saturday and is likely to come in for round one. However, the Pies are placing a lot of faith in their young ruckmen to deliver in 2015. NEW FACES Levi Greenwood led the club's disposal count with 17, while former Lion Jack Crisp (14) also made a strong contribution, his toughness around the contest standing out. Travis Varcoe shed the green vest to get involved in the second half and the way he breaks the lines is going to be important for the Pies this season. Youngster Jordan De Goey was much quieter than he was against the Hawks. It is perhaps a sign of how dramatically the football landscape has changed in the past couple of decades that early this week Collingwood will be conducting a community camp right in the heart of what used to be prized recruiting territory for its arch rival Carlton. The Bendigo area produced a catalogue of champions for the Blues, the likes of Greg Williams, Geoff Southby, Rod Ashman and Trevor Keogh just a sample. But with the country zones long abolished, these are any club's lands these days. The former Carlton champions would have enjoyed then the point their contemporary counterparts seemed intent on making an early statement in Sunday's NAB Challenge game at the historic Queen Elizabeth Oval, packed with 9542 fans. The Blues led by as much as 33 points, indeed after only 18 minutes of play, with Collingwood loose at the centre bounces and looser still when the ball went inside the defensive 50. Andrejs Everitt was a standout, booting the first of three goals for the term after a strong mark inside 50, the second a long bomb from outside 50 earning him nine points, and the third in the trifecta a "gimme". Then it was the turn of this year's influx of senior players from other AFL clubs to chip in, Liam Jones marking and converting and his former Bulldogs teammate Jason Tutt booting another off the ground. By then, another lopsided pre-season game loomed. But it was then the Blues' turn to lapse defensively. A turnover from Troy Menzel let Jarryd Blair in for Collingwood's first goal since youngster Corey Gault had opened their account. But that would be the signal for the Pies to slam on five unanswered goals of their own. He'd boot the next, too, before Jordan De Goey gratefully accepted a centre from Alex Fasolo in acres of space. Adam Oxley started the second term with a nine-pointer and when Fasolo also marked relatively unattended, Collingwood was level. Things stayed even on the scoreboard for a while after that, while the considerable level of class on display out on the field began to assert itself even more than it had previously. Far from jog around in second gear, Chris Judd was on fire, setting his teammates up out of the square countless times early. And the real buzz around the Queen Elizabeth Oval was reserved for the frequent occasions on which Chris Yarran got his hands on the pill. It wasn't just the metres gained for Carlton by Yarran off half-back, it was the way he sliced through the flailing Collingwood pursuers. Yarran set up Carlton's first goal of the game with a crisp pass, another in the second term for Jones, and right on the half-time siren launched a jinking, dashing solo run which had taken on and beaten four Pies and counting when it was only the sound of the siren which stopped him in his tracks. Both Carlton and Collingwood had their anxious moments in terms of personnel immediately after the long break, though. For the Pies, young ruckman Brodie Grundy had come from the ground holding his left side late in the second term, and was eventually subbed out at the break for Travis Varcoe. And not long after the resumptiom, his opposite number Robbie Warnock, who had impressed early, left the field clutching his shoulder and was taken to the rooms for treatment. That was about as dramatic as the second half got, the scoring chances drying up in a third term which produced just one goal, and both the Pies and Blues wasting too many chances which came their way in the last. While the senior men were the standouts in this game, Carlton full-back Michael Jamison's blanketing of Travis Cloke another goods example, the fresher or newer faces certainly had their moments, too. Collingwood would have been happy with the form of Levi Greenwood while Brisbane pick-up Jack Crisp was busy enough. For the Blues, Kristian Jaksch was effective on Magpie forwards Corey Gault and Patrick Karnezis, and Patrick Cripps made his presence felt. But this was a day for experience to exert its authority, perhaps as good a sign as any when you see the likes of Judd turning it on that the official start of the 2015 season surely now can't be too far away at all. |
CARLTON prevailed over Collingwood in a lively NAB Challenge clash in Bendigo, but both clubs will be awaiting medical reports over respective ruckmen Robbie Warnock and Brodie Grundy. Grundy hurt his hip/side just before half-time and was subbed out of the match at the break, as he gingerly watched the rest of the game from the sidelines. And early in the third term Warnock was forced from the field nursing a sore shoulder. He went down into the rooms and did not return to the contest. Speaking after a lively clash before more than 9500 fans at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley played down Grundy’s injury saying it had always been the club’s intention to substitute Grundy out of the second half. While conceding the young ruckman was sore after being withdrawn at half-time, the coach was confident the knock would not affect his rundown to the home-and-away season. “We can make bigger things of it than what they actually are,” Buckley said. “He copped a knock, but he was coming off at half-time (regardless).” Carlton coach Mick Malthouse said Warnock’s shoulder knock was not a concern. “He’s ok ... all the blokes are ok. You don’t take chances in these games,” Malthouse said. But the Carlton coach, back at the match-day helm after missing the club’s previous NAB Challenge game against West Coast, was excited by the shape of veteran Chris Judd, who was outstanding in his first game for 2015. Asked if this was the best shape Judd had been in to start a season for some time, Malthouse said: “Physically he is (in great shape). He’s always seemed to have something that’s held him back ...” Judd combined brilliantly with half-back Chris Yarran, and ball-movers Andrew Carrazzo and Kade Simpson as the Blues started brilliantly, and then held on gamely as the Magpies threatened to pinch the game. Malthouse said the playing list was in better shape physically compared to this time last year. “Eight of the boys (Judd, Carrazzo, Warnock, Andrejs Everitt, Bryce Gibbs, Lachie Henderson, Michael Jamison and Troy Menzel) played their first games (on Sunday),” Malthouse said. “We’ll bring in (Marc) Murphy, (Dale) Thomas, (David) Ellard and maybe (Matthew) Watson next week which means a few of these will drop out. “We want to have 28 to 29 players that we can pick from, not just against Richmond (in Round 1) but the first two or three games. “We’re in a better position (than last year).” Buckley said the return of Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Travis Cloke and Jarryd Blair was part of a progression to Round 1, but believed his team lacked four-quarter performers. “Pendles, Swanny, Trav and Blairy all had their moments, (but) it looked like a first hit-out,” he said. “The way we play is not about names. It is not about who is (out) there; it is about how, and we didn’t do the how anywhere as well as we did against Hawthorn.” The two old rivals fought out a spirited contest, with Yarran turning in a masterclass performance, creating countless opportunities for his team. The Blues were pleased with the efforts of Everitt, who dominated the opening term, kicking two goals as well as a nine-pointer as Carlton opened up a 33-point lead. But the Magpies, helped by solid performances from former Kangaroo Levi Greenwood and ex-Lion Jack Crisp, fought their way back into the match. The third term turned into a stalement with neither side able to use the ball as well as they would have liked. As a result, only one goal came in almost 23 minutes of play, and that came when Carrazzo seized the moment, allowing the Blues to hold it to an eight-point margin at the last change. And then they managed to hold out the Magpies in the final term. CARLTON saw off a late challenge from Collingwood to win by seven points in Bendigo yesterday. In front of a sellout crowd of 9542 fans, the Blues looked set for a blowout victory when they led by 33 points halfway through the first term, but a resurgent Collingwood made them work hard for their 1.9.8 (71) to 1.7.13 (64) win. However, both teams left the match with injury concerns over their ruckmen. The Pies’ Brodie Grundy was subbed out with a hip problem at halftime and the Blues’ Robbie Warnock copped a shoulder knock early in the third quarter. He was briefly attended to by club doctors and took no further part in the match. The clash was the first hit-out of the NAB Challenge for some star players from both sides. For the Blues, Chris Judd had an immediate impact and worked hard all day for his 23 disposals, with 10 clearances. Andrew Carrazzo was also impressive with 25 touches. Bryce Gibbs skippered the side in Marc Murphy’s absence, but he played only one half before being subbed out. For Collingwood, Scott Pendlebury (16 possessions) showed flashes of his trademark class, Dane Swan (12) was quiet early but got better as the game went on, and Travis Cloke largely struggled to get into the game, finishing with one goal. The Blues’ Andrejs Everitt started with a bang with three goals, two regulation and one nine-pointer, in the first quarter. He roamed further afield after that, but he and Liam Jones combined well in a first half, when tall target Levi Casboult had little influence. The Pies fought back well late in the first term, with Jarryd Blair bagging two goals in his first game of the pre-season series, but the Blues were able to keep them at arm’s length despite their best efforts. Collingwood got to within two points late in the third quarter, but could never get their noses in front as the Blues hung on for the win. Carlton’s Chris Yarran was at his eye-catching best off half-back with 21 disposals, while Levi Greenwood was the Pies’ leading possession winner with 17.
WHAT WE LEARNED
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