| 2017 AFL Round 9 COLLINGWOOD v HAWTHORN Time & Place: Saturday May 20, 7:25pm EST MCG TV: Fox Footy 7:20pm EST Weather: Min 11 Max 18 Betting: Collingwood $1.72 Hawthorn $2.13 |
COLLINGWOOD 6.4.40 8.6.54 12.7.79 15.9.99
GOALS - Collingwood: Elliott 3, Sidebottom 3, Maynard 2, Blair 2, Grundy, Hoskin-Elliott, Crisp, De Goey, Reid
BEST - Collingwood: Adams, Grundy, Sidebottom, Howe, Pendlebury, Wells
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 11,360 at Sydney Showground Stadium
| 1. Pendlebury gives Magpie fans a heart attack The impending arrival of the Collingwood captain's first child has had him on tenterhooks all week, but he lined up against the Giants and Pies officials said he wouldn't be leaving during the game, even if his wife Alex went into labour. The black and white army, however, would have fallen off their chairs when Pendlebury jogged around the boundary line and down the tunnel as play began in the second half. It turned out that the skipper just needed a quick toilet break and it wasn't long before he returned to the field, but there was a good couple of minutes where thoughts of the star Magpie jumping on a private jet to get back to Melbourne, or running for a chopper outside Spotless Stadium, would have been running wildly through the minds of the Collingwood faithful. 2. Daniel Lloyd fan club witness a dream debut The GWS first gamer had a truckload of supporters at Spotless Stadium after his Killarney Vale footy club where he was discovered all came down to the game for the match. They got one hell of a show from the 25-year-old Lloyd. He handled his debut with a cool head, and his first touch, a clean pick up and handball helped his side to their second goal. With chants of "Lloydy! Lloydy!" ringing out all night, the fan club stood as one when Lloyd booted his first goal in the third term from a clever snap to put GWS four points up, and they'll go away satisfied with a quality performance. Lloyd finished the night with 17 possessions and a valuable major, and is assured of another outing against Richmond at home next week. 3. GWS's Pies hoodoo overCollingwood was one of the only teams left for the Giants to conquer – the other being West Coast – since they entered the competition in 2012, but a win for the ages put that hoodoo to bed. The Pies blitzed the home side with six goals in the opening term, after they gave up the first two, but the Giants hit back in the second, until the teams went goal for goal in the third quarter. Down to one man on the bench midway through the last term, the Giants looked gone when Brayden Maynard put the Pies up by five points, but some vintage front and square work from Steve Johnson gave the Giants what must be one of the finest wins of their short history. |
4. Short day for unlucky Giants defender Aidan Corr didn't get long to enjoy the Giants' return to Spotless Stadium with the key defender knocked out just 20 seconds into the game. The Pies chopped a quick kick inside 50 where Corr courageously backed back to take a mark, but had his feet taken out from underneath him by Phil Davis, who lost his feet at the same time. With no way of stopping himself, Corr flipped backwards and fell heavily on the back of his head, and didn't move for more than a minute, even after GWS medical staff had rushed to his aid. It took almost three minutes for the Giant to groggily walk off the ground with the help of trainers, and he headed straight to the rooms, where his day was called to an end after he failed a concussion test. He was joined before half time by teammate Sam Reid, who was concussed while laying a tackle in the second term, meaning the Giants played two down for close to three quarters. 5. Footy is a simple game sometimes Modern footy is often complicated by structures, set plays and new terminology, but GWS showed it could be easy when you get it right. After the Magpies scored a behind in the opening minutes, Giant Nathan Wilson used his elite kick to launch a bomb inside the centre square where fellow West Australian Rory Lobb took a strong contested mark near the centre circle. The big man calmly got back from his mark and dropped a pass onto the chest of Jeremy Cameron, who was bolting back inside 50 on the break, and took an uncontested mark 40 metres out. Cameron went back and slotted the first goal of the game, and his 23rd of the season, with the Giants taking it the length of the ground with precision and efficiency. Down to one man on the bench midway through the last term, the Giants looked gone when Brayden Maynard put the Pies up by five points, but some vintage front and square work from Steve Johnson gave the Giants what must be one of the finest wins of their short history. |
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Luck can make or break a game of footy, but Nathan Buckley refused to attribute Collingwood's last-ditch loss to Greater Western Sydney on Saturday night to that most unpredictable intruder. Evergreen Steve Johnson's crumbed goal was a shattering blow for a Magpies side that was not great, but certainly good enough to topple a Giants side two rotations down for most of the match after they lost Aidan Corr and Sam Reid to concussion early in each of the first two terms. But it was the crucial moments leading up to that instant that the Magpies can reflect on and see they should have done that tiny bit better. "We did a lot of hard work across the four quarters, and in particular in that last quarter, to be able to put ourselves in that position," Buckley said. "We had chances and we should have iced it in the last five minutes, but we weren't able to. Then there's just little things, little blues that we made, that gave the opposition the opportunity to steal it basically in the end. "That's the way it goes. It was a flip of a coin in the last two or three minutes, whether we were going to be able to hold on, whether we would have the composure to possess the ball and shift it out of our back half and chew the clock up. But we just weren't able to get a clear enough opportunity to do so. "In the end, it's not (GWS being) lucky - they forced it inside 50 four or five times in that last three minutes and eventually they scored." Collingwood won the first term six goals to two and lost the second term by the same margin to hold a one-point advantage at half-time, 54-53. The rest of the match was tight and fluctuating and Collingwood seemed on track as the minutes counted down, only to be overrun with 30 seconds remaining. "The game itself, we executed most of our plans," Buckley said. "In any win you never get it perfect and in any loss you never get it all wrong. It's somewhere in between. As it stands, GWS got a little bit more right than we did for the best part. That's why they were able to get the result. "The criticism can come. But I'm pretty the Collingwood supporters, when they see that sort of effort from their team, they'd be pretty proud." Buckley revealed that the players discussed the legacy of Lou Richards before the game. "The main message was the fact that some 50 years ago or more he sat in a room as a Collingwood footballer trying to make his name as a player before we knew him as anything else," he said. "These young players have got that opportunity to do exactly the same for each other, themselves and for their club." VETERAN Steve Johnson broke Collingwood hearts with a last-minute goal to steal a three-point victory for an injury-depleted but relentless Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night. In one of the final contests of the match, Johnson crumbed to perfection and ran in to goal, putting GWS ahead 15.12 (102) to 15.9 (99), inflicting a bitter loss on the Magpies, who had led for the majority of the match. Jeremy Cameron kicked six goals for GWS and Josh Kelly was exceptional in midfield with 36 possessions, 11 tackles and a goal. Making the Giants' win more impressive, they were down two rotations for the bulk of the contest after losing Aidan Corr in the opening minute of the game and midfielder Sam Reid early in the second quarter. Collingwood began with a flurry to grab six goals to two in the opening quarter, but GWS returned the same tally in the second to leave the half-time ledger at 54-53 to the Magpies. The third term ended with four goals apiece before GWS found a way to prevail in the dying stages. Taylor Adams was huge against his old club with 30 touches and eight tackles, while Steele Sidebottom and Jamie Elliott scored three goals each. There was so little that decided the points. "It's a really, really good fightback from where we were," GWS coach Leon Cameron said. "To lose Corr in the first 15 seconds - that's footy, things happen and you've got to adjust. Then 'Reidy', and 'Cogs' (Stephen Coniglio) in the early part of the last. That was a really good character-building win." The Giants were under pressure from the moment Corr's head slammed into the ground after falling over teammate Phil Davis in the opening aerial contest of the game. After a break of about five minutes while the defender received assistance, Collingwood sprung into action. They moved the ball cleanly, won loads of possession through Brodie Grundy - who dominated Shane Mumford in the ruck - and shot relatively straight to conjure a lead of 40-14. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley lamented his side's inability to drive home their advantage. "We were good enough, but not for long enough," he said. "We got the gap on the scoreboard early in the game, but we had a really poor second quarter, which gave the ascendancy back and let an opponent that clearly play in surges, play in waves - we gave them incentive and kept them interested and paid the price, ultimately." However, the Giants pushed back hard in the second quarter, significantly out-tackling the Magpies and comfortably winning contested possession to open up opportunities for sharp-shooter Jeremy Cameron who obliged with three second-term majors, and Rory Lobb who scored two. Jonathon Patton's mark and goal in the fifth minute of the third quarter gave the Giants their first lead of the match. Jack Crisp responded for Collingwood before 25-year-old debutant, former carpenter Daniel Lloyd, scored his first AFL goal to put GWS back on top. The lead swapped another three times before the final break - which saw the Giants one point up - but the home side's growing advantage around the coalface indicated the onus was on Collingwood to find another gear. Brayden Maynard's long bomb goal and a flying mark by Jeremy Howe suggested the Magpies were keen to rev up. Cameron scored his sixth, but the Magpies took the lead again with a successful 52-metre shot by Ben Reid midway through the term. Tired legs pushed both sides to the limit, but Patton held his nerve to score a crucial goal from the pocket to put GWS up by two. Maynard snapped from 35 metres to restore Collingwood's lead, before Johnson pulled off the great escape. MEDICAL ROOM The Magpies escaped without injury. NEXT UP The unpredictable Magpies have a date with the unpredictable Hawks at the MCG next Saturday night. "In any win you never get it perfect and in any loss you never get it all wrong. It's somewhere in between. As it stands, GWS got a little bit more right than we did for the best part and that's why they were able to get the result. The effort is great but it's no consolation for us at the moment. We're still out there to win games of footy, we're still out there to play our best and improve as a unit (and) as individuals within that unit. We believe we can play winning footy but we just fell short tonight." |
Veteran Steve Johnson showed he still has plenty to offer the Giants after his wily game-winning goal handed GWS their first win over Collingwood. The Giants produced the bravest win in their short history on Saturday at Spotless Stadium, downing Collingwood by three points for the first time and finishing the game with just one healthy player left on the bench. But the bruising three-point triumph against the Magpies came at a price with Stephen Coniglio re-injuring the ankle that cost him the opening six weeks of this season, and Aidan Corr and Sam Reid both suffering heavy concussions. There were just 30 seconds left on the clock and one fit Giant on the bench when Johnson snuck out the back of a huge pack in front of the Giants goal to rove the football and send the 11,360 fans into raptures. In a game of 15 lead changes, Collingwood looked to have honoured club great Lou Richards with a win just five days after he passed away aged 94 before Johnson chimed in. "He's really working on his front-and-square and to get that with a minute to go was pleasing. I thought his last few games have been better and better, and he knows as well as I do and our footy club knows that he's building bit by bit," Giants coach Leon Cameron said of Johnson. "He had an interrupted pre-season in terms of his constant touch and footy. We had to manage him with his knee, we had to manage him with his hand. "I thought he found a way to produce some stuff that we know he can produce. To hit the scoreboard a couple of times and then to hit the one that put us in front is just testament that he just stays in the game, he's always thinking. "He's probably done that a dozen times in his career in terms of real crunch moments and he played his role to perfection. It's pleasing that he's progressing in the right manner but he knows that he's got a lot of work to do." Spearhead Jeremy Cameron booted six goals in the win while Josh Kelly produced a best-on-groud performance showing everyone once again why North Melbourne want to make him their $9 million man. But it was the Giants' tackling pressure, and their undying will to win with the odds stacked against them, that built the foundation of their sixth victory of the season. Corr lasted barely 20 seconds before he crashed sickeningly to the turf, and was helped from the field and never returned. Rookie Reid joined him in the concussion ward midway through the second term while Coniglio limped from the ground at the start of the last quarter and could well be facing more frustration on the sideline. The Magpies had their chances to win the game with Jordan De Goey missing everything when he had a flying shot at goal late on that would have put Collingwood out of reach, but it wasn't to be after an emotional week. "We had chances that we should have iced in the last five minutes, but we weren't able to," Magpies coach Nathan Buckley said. "Then there's just little things, little blues that we made, that gave the opposition the opportunity to steal it basically in the end. That's the way it goes. It was a flip of a coin in the last two or three minutes, whether we were going to be able to hold on, whether we would have the composure to possess the ball and shift it out of our back half and chew the clock up. "In the end, it's not [GWS being] lucky - they forced it inside 50 four or five times in that last three minutes and eventually they scored. The message is, if you bring that effort you're going to win a lot of games of footy. Against a quality side, you've got to make sure you bring four quarters of footy." This was arguably the bravest win in Giants history. The three injuries suffered on Saturday compounded a growing toll that already includes Nick Haynes, Adam Kennedy, Ryan Griffen, Jacob Hopper and Brett Deledio. At quarter-time Cameron's side was down by 26 points and being dominated in the ruck, but they turned it around. "I'm not going to sit here and say it's not [satisfying], it's really pleasing," Cameron said. "Sam Reid's a rookie, he comes back into our team. Daniel Lloyd's a rookie, plays his first game. "It's not just on the basis of talent, this footy club. We know we've got some talent and a bit of that talent's sitting in the grandstands at the moment. "It was pleasing that the guys just found a different way to win the game and that shows an enormous amount of character and we've got to continue on that. "These sort of games are great to play in, as much as they're probably stressful for everyone to watch, they're an outstanding experience." COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley has lamented small errors late in the loss to GWS that allowed the Giants to steal a three-point win but says supporters should be proud of their team's performance. The Magpies led for the majority of Saturday's contest after making a fast start to lead by 26 points at quarter time. The Giants dominated the second quarter and eroded Collingwood's lead by half time, which set up a thrilling contest in the second half. It was in the clutch moments GWS showed their class, culminating in a Steve Johnson match-winner with 38 seconds remaining in the game, with the Magpies unable to hold onto the ball in the dying stages. Buckley's team is now 2-6 heading into next Saturday night's clash against Hawthorn and is counting the cost of the heartbreaking loss. "We did a lot of hard work across the four quarters, and in particular in that last quarter to be able to put ourselves in that position," Buckley said. "We had chances and we should have iced it in the last five minutes and we weren't able to. "Then there's just little things, little blues that we made that gave the opposition the opportunity to steal it basically in the end. "That's the way it goes. It was a flip of a coin in the last two or three minutes whether we were going to be able to hold on, whether we would be able to have the composure to possess the ball and shift it out of our back half and chew the clock up. "But we just weren't able to get a clear enough opportunity to do so. "In the end, it's not lucky (for GWS), they forced it inside 50 four or five times in that last three minutes and eventually they scored." Buckley revealed Collingwood discussed the impact of the late Lou Richards prior to the game and used that as inspiration heading into the contest. In the end it wasn't enough to secure the victory over one of the premiership favourites despite Buckley saying the players executed most of the team's plans to take down the Giants. He said the team's poor second quarter was costly. "It's the second quarter, we just let the foot of the throat," Buckley said. "The message is if you can bring that effort you're going to win a lot of games of footy. "The criticism can come but I'm pretty sure the Collingwood supporters, when they see that sort of effort from their team, that they'd be pretty proud. "In any win you never get it perfect and in any loss you never get it all wrong. It's somewhere in between. As it stands, GWS got a little bit more right than we did for the best part and that's why they were able to get the result. "The effort is great but it's no consolation for us at the moment. We're still out there to win games of footy, we're still out there to play our best and improve as a unit (and) as individuals within that unit. We believe we can play winning footy but we just fell short tonight." |
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