| 2017 AFL Round 18 COLLINGWOOD v WEST COAST Time & Place: Sunday July 23, 3:20pm EST Etihad Stadium TV: Fox Sports 3:00pm EST Weather: Min 9 Max 15 Betting: Collingwood $2.38 West Coast $1.59 |
COLLINGWOOD 5.4.34 7.5.47 10.9.69 15.13.103
GOLD COAST 2.1.13 7.5.47 10.8.68 13.10.88
GOALS - Collingwood: Reid 3, Fasolo 2, Wells 2, Thomas 2, Moore 2, Blair, Elliott, Maynard, Sidebottom
BEST - Sidebottom, Treloar, Reid, Fasolo, Pendlebury, Thomas
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD - 17,275 at Metricon Stadium
| 1. Eade and the house of the setting Suns Pressure continues to mount on both Rodney Eade and Gold Coast, with the team's 10th loss consigning it to 15th position. With Eade out of contract at the end of the season, his future at the club looks more and more unlikely. And Eade is not the only one under the pump. The Suns announced a comprehensive review into the entire football department, including the senior coaching position, at the start of the week. The team battled hard against the Magpies, the Suns ironically playing better in the pouring rain than the clear conditions at the start of the match. They stopped overusing the ball and went long and direct down the ground. But with Steven May and Jarryd Lyons injured by half time, the Suns just ran out of legs. 2. Buckley lives to coach another day Nathan Buckley breathed a sigh of relief when the final siren sounded at Metricon Stadium. The 15-point win should provide a week's break from the constant questions surrounding his coaching future. But the trip north almost turned sour, when the Magpies coughed up a 27-point lead in the second quarter, struggling when the heavy rain soaked Metricon. The Pies were organised in defence, cutting off numerous Suns' forward 50 forays, and were dangerous when the ball hit the ground in their own forward line. 3. Turn-BAALLL! Prime Minister treated to an Ablett masterclass With Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull studiously avoiding using the name "Tony" in recent weeks, he may have come into some difficulties sitting next to Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane at the match. The Prime Minister was at Metricon Stadium to officially open the Suns' new training and administration facilities, and was witness to just another typical match from Gary Ablett. The former captain accumulated 41 disposals in the heavy rain (including 19 contested possessions) as well as finishing with 11 clearances and six tackles. |
4. All's well that ends Wells Daniel Wells made it through his first match – his 250th – since round 11 unscathed. The injury-prone recruit had played just six games for the Magpies this season since crossing from North Melbourne, battling calf injuries. He looked sharp in the first half, after skipping the VFL and coming straight into the senior line-up. He ran well, and showed off his silky skills setting up a goal in the first term. While he faded in the second half, especially in the pouring rain, Wells still finished with two goals and 18 touches. 5. Rischitelli's welcome return It's fair to say the Suns have had a horrendous injury list for several years. But they finally got one of their key leaders back on the field against Collingwood, when Michael Rischitelli returned from a knee reconstruction. The 31-year-old was more than solid in the midfield, his bigger body helping around the ball and feeding the Suns' speedsters. The former Lion even kicked a goal in his return, his first match since round 16 last year. Rischitelli just had the 13 touches, but also had seven clearances and seven tackles. Nathan Buckley breathed a sigh of relief when the final siren sounded at Metricon Stadium. The 15-point win should provide a week's break from the constant questions surrounding his coaching future. But the trip north almost turned sour, when the Magpies coughed up a 27-point lead in the second quarter, struggling when the heavy rain soaked Metricon. |
| THE MEDIA | |
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Two coaches, Nathan Buckley and Rodney Eade, under extreme pressure. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, similarly besieged, watching on from the stands, having opened a new Gold Coast Suns training facility earlier in the day. Collingwood 14th on the ladder versus the Suns' 15th. Good players were back, too, for both sides: Gary Ablett, Pearce Hanley and Aaron Hall for the Suns along with veteran Michael Rischitelli, returning after a year out with a knee injury; Jeremy Howe, Darcy Moore and Daniel Wells for the Magpies. Still, more was riding on the result for the coaches than anyone else. It's also possible, of course, that the fates of both are already sealed. Regardless, this was an entertaining, hard-fought game with many momentum shifts and five lead changes. Collingwood took the points, with Moore kicking his second in the dying seconds to give the visitors a 15-point win. The Suns took the early advantage, Jarryd Lyons soccering a ball on the half-volley from the edge of the goal square, then Jack Martin kicking truly after being found by Ablett from the middle of the ground. Then something for Collingwood clicked. Their ball movement had been awful, but suddenly they were slick. Alex Fasolo outpointed Trent McKenzie for the Pies' first, then Jarryd Blair added second after the Suns failed to clear their defensive 50. Fasolo had the better of McKenzie again for his second after a spearing Ben Reid kick. Wells got in on the action, then Jamie Elliott, and the Magpies were suddenly 21 points to the good; in worse news for the Suns, Steven May finished the quarter with ice on his right hamstring, a savage blow. In the third minute of the second quarter, McKenzie gave away a free kick against Reid, and a blowout loomed. But the Suns hit back, unexpectedly and hard. Peter Wright was the first to break the drought from a mark on the edge of the goal square; seven minutes later Martin kicked his second off the ground. The Suns were regaining their composure and slowly wresting control, especially in the middle of the ground. Ablett won the next clearance, hit Wright on the chest from 50 and the big man hoofed it home with ease. Wells briefly stopped the Suns' run, but then Tom Lynch beat everyone at ground level to snap his first, then Ben Ainsworth briefly put the Suns back in front. Scores were level at half-time. During this period, it wasn't so much Collingwood's ball use as ball-handling skills that deserted them. Rain was tumbling down during the quarter, and possibly the Suns are more accustomed to the slippery twilight conditions here. Either way, the Suns had the ascendency, even as Lyons joined May on the bench with an ankle injury. Still the pendulum kept swinging the Suns' way, Lynch snapping a second goal on his right, Hall extending the home side's lead to 11 points. Then it swung back. Scott Pendlebury, as cool and sharp as a blade, found a hitherto unsighted Moore in space; Taylor Adams, Collingwood's best, did the same for Josh Thomas. Rischitelli held the line for the Suns, every teammate running to him as he drove home a set shot from close to 50. It was a wrestle from there until the last minute of the third quarter, when Brayden Maynard flicked through a checkside kick. It was the fifth lead change of the match, and rain was falling again, more heavily. With the Suns two players down, even with the Pies just a point ahead, the smart money had to be on the visitors from that point. McKenzie gave away his third free kick to gift Reid a second goal, and the career defender drove the final stake through the Suns with his third. It may also prove fatal to Eade. COLLINGWOOD has put a torrid week behind it, grinding out a 15-point win over Gold Coast at a wet Metricon Stadium on Saturday night. While the 15.13 (103) to 13.10 (88) victory eases the pressure on Nathan Buckley – at least for a week – it only piles more on out-of-contract Suns coach Rodney Eade. Gold Coast had to play the second half with just 20 fit players after losing co-captain Steven May (hamstring) in the first quarter and midfielder Jarryd Lyons (ankle) in the second. But it shouldn't take any shine off the Magpies, who snapped a four-game losing streak. With the ground deluged by rain on two occasions the skills weren't always the best, but both teams cranked the pressure up in an entertaining contest. In a see-sawing match, Ben Ainsworth's goal midway through the final term reduced the margin to three points, but back-to-back goals to Josh Thomas and Ben Reid gave the Magpies the breathing space they needed. The Pies midfield worked tirelessly, and while Adam Treloar and Steele Sidebottom (32 disposals apiece) got the most ball, Taylor Adams (31 and two goals assists) was perhaps the most influential. Daniel Wells had 18 disposals and two goals in his 250th game and was all class in the wet weather, while Reid (three goals) provided a good target in the forward 50 alongside Darcy Moore, Thomas and Alex Fasolo, who all kicked two apiece. It took the Pies until the final 10 minutes to get on top, but it was well earned as they dominated most key statistical areas. They won disposals (408-332), contested possessions (160-136) and inside 50s (63-44). For Gold Coast, Gary Ablett (41 and 11 clearances) was immense in his first game back from a hamstring injury, while Jack Martin (18 and two goals) was clever and David Swallow (25 disposals) his usual aggressive self. The loss leaves the Suns 6-10 and Eade under even more scrutiny after the club confirmed earlier in the week CEO Mark Evans was undergoing a review of the football department. His players' intensity cannot be questioned, although some of the decision-making and execution could be. May's injury not only robbed them of a backline general, but forced a struggling Trent McKenzie off Fasolo – who kicked his two goals on him in the first term – over to Ben Reid. |
NATHAN Buckley can breathe easier for a week at least. Rodney Eade can't. Collingwood snapped a four-game losing streak with a 15 point win in slippery conditions at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night which means the spotlight may shine elsewhere than on their embattled coach for a few days. However the 15.13 (103) to 13.10 (88) win provided four points for the Pies but no real certainty to either the winning or losing coaches. Basically, the side that made the least amount of mistakes won the game. Gold Coast had their chances to win the game but can point to being two men down for a half. The 17,275 crowd, the biggest at Metricon Stadium this year, were treated to another Gary Ablett masterclass. After a week out with a hamstring injury the little master collected 41 possessions and dominated the clearances. Collingwood had a more even spread, Taylor Adams was superb in the clinches, Steele Sidebottom got plenty of the footy and Daniel Wells and Alex Fasolo were dangerous. Collingwood had their chances to seal the win when they controlled the footy and dominated field position in the first half of the final quarter but just couldn't put the Suns away. Will Hoskin-Elliott, Jarryd Blair, Josh Thomas and Brayden Maynard all missed shots. When the Suns finally got some field position Ben Ainsworth rose to the occasion. The youngest player on the ground earned a free kick for a hard attack on the footy and calmly drilled a goal from just inside 50m. At that stage, it looked like the Suns would finish the stronger. But then the Pies lifted. Thomas and Ben Reid kicked two goals in two minutes and the game was over. Gold Coast started the game well, booting the first two goals and appearing to be all over the shell shocked Pies. Collingwood's only opportunities were coming from turnovers. And eventually they were gifted enough footy to work their way into the game. At the same time, just like last week, the Suns stopped cold. They barely touched the footy as Collingwood booted five goals in a row. Fasolo was terrorising Trent McKenzie while Wells didn't even appear to have an opponent to frighten. The rain came just before quarter time and the 21 point quarter time deficit suddenly looked insurmountable. However the Suns' effort improved in the second term. Their pressure was superb and they played more directly too. Goals to Jack Martin and Tom Lynch were because they went in long. And Peter Wright's came from a clean centre clearance. At half time the scores were level. The Suns went into sheds with the all the momentum. But Jarrod Lyons, who has been a consistent accumulator all season, was done for the night with an ankle injury. Captain Steven May had already been sidelined since the first quarter with a hamstring injury. The question was going to be if the Pies ran over the top of them. It took them till late in the final quarter, but that's what happened. AFTER the Magpies conceded a 27-point lead in the pouring rain it looked like the end narrative would again centre on Nathan Buckley. But the Collingwood players had other ideas and fought out a gritty win that showed their unwavering support for their beleaguered coach. "It was a chance to get away as a group and grind away a win in pretty tough conditions," Ben Reid said on Fox Footy after the 15-point win. "I think we deserved this. We'd had a hard month." That was understating things. With four losses on the trot, discussion around Buckley's tenure at the club hit such a crescendo that Collingwood publicly declared he'd remain in the role until the end of the season. The win on Saturday evening against an undermanned Suns, who lost Steven May (hamstring) and Jarryd Lyons (ankle) before half time, has ensured the narrative will be more positive for Buckley come Monday. But as Reid put it, this win was not just for the coach. "It's big for the whole footy club, not just one individual," he said. "We're a whole football club. We came here together to get a win for each other." Reid was instrumental in the win, playing as a permanent forward and kicking a game-high three goals. The presence of the second tall allowed youngster Darcy Moore to explode in the second half, after only registering two possessions to half time. But Reid said it was Moore who helped to free him up, as well as provide a crumbing option for the crafty smalls of Josh Thomas and Jarryd Blair. "Getting Darc back gives us another element of athleticism in the forward line," Reid said. "Our small forwards were also really dangerous. The pressure that Blairy and Thomas bring also added to the win." Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury heaped praise on the club's forward line, saying it looked as polished as it had all season. "I thought forward of centre we were ourselves tonight," Pendlebury said on Fox Footy. "We centred the ball really well and got some easy shots on goal." With Buckley backing Lyden Dunn and Tyson Goldsack to contain the Suns' twin towers of Tom Lynch and Peter Wright, Reid was pivotal in the Magpies' organisation up forward. "It's a great luxury to have and you can see how damaging Reidy is," Pendlebury said. "He's a great one-on-one player." The win coincided with milestones for Daniel Wells and Blair. "It was great, especially for Blairy and Daniel Wells in their 150th game and 250th game," Pendlebury said. "I just wanted to embody their spirit tonight. I thought the boys did that by fighting it out. "It wasn't perfect conditions, but we slogged it out." |
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