Round 7: Collingwood 121 Brisbane 114

THE FACTS

2018 AFL Round 8 COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG Time & Place: Sunday May 13, 3:20pm EST MCG TV: 7mate / Fox Footy 3:00pm EST Weather: Min 9 Max 17 Chance of rain 0% Wind: SSE 11kph Betting: Collingwood $2.30 Geelong $1.63

COLLINGWOOD    4.2.26   10.3.63   15.4.94   19.7.121
BRISBANE             3.0.18   10.0.60   14.2.86   18.6.114

GOALS - Collingwood: De Goey 5, Thomas 3, Stephenson 2, Pendlebury, Mayne, Howe, Treloar, Moore, Phillips, Cox, Varcoe, Hoskin-Elliott

BEST - Collingwood: De Goey, Thomas, Sidebottom, Phillips, Howe

INJURIES - Collingwood: Pendlebury (ankle)

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 21,850 at the Gabba

TALKING POINTS

1. Lions brave but De Goey class the difference It was an old-fashioned shootout at the Gabba but in the end Collingwood continued its recent run of dominance over the Lions with a hard fought seven-point win. Scores were level with two minutes to go but the class of Jordan De Goey was the ultimate difference, with five goals and a smart handball to set up Jaidyn Stephenson for the match-sealing goal. Collingwood fans will be happy with the strong team effort, while Lions fans will again leave the Gabba broken-hearted after another close home loss, having come back strong but ultimately failing against Melbourne and Gold Coast. 2. Goals galore at the Gabba Maybe other teams should look at what boots both sides were wearing. Goalkicking inaccuracy has been a massive talking point across the competition this season, but it wasn’t evident at the Gabba on Sunday night. On the back of a massive 13-goal second quarter, the half-time scoreboard showed 20 goals were scored between both teams with only three behinds, with both teams on 10 goals each. The Lions' first point was a rushed behind early in the third quarter. Their first kicked behind came 17 minutes in. In the end 37 goals were kicked with only 13 behinds. 3. Collingwood’s big guns step up The Collingwood engine-room has been in impressive form of late and its stars stood up again. Steele Sidebottom (34), Tom Phillips (28) and Adam Treloar (26) found plenty of the football and made their possessions count. Collingwood’s midfield potency was highlighted in the first minute of the second quarter, when a string of handballs from Sidebottom to Pendlebury to a running Treloar resulted in a goal. While Pendlebury’s ankle injury in the third quarter was a sour note, Sidebottom in particular picked up the slack for his skipper.

4. The two Dayne’s back in good form Dayne Zorko’s struggle with the hard tag this year has been well-documented, but the All Australian was paid less attention by Collingwood and the Brisbane star took full advantage. He finished with four goals – the third after a great mark close to the goalsquare – and 34 disposals in his best performance for the year. Skipper Dayne Beams led from the front for the Lions against his old team, racking up 31 touches and kicking two goals in a strong game. 5. 'The Recruit' makes his debut It’s been an unusual path to the big stage for Matt Eagles but the 28-year-old Lion realised every footballer’s dream with an AFL debut at the Gabba. From amateur footy to the Lions via Foxtel’s reality program ‘The Recruit’ in 2016 as a rookie, Eagles impressed coach Chris Fagan enough with his recent NEAFL form to earn a game in the seniors. It was a tough start for Eagles, who gave away two free kicks early in the first quarter and missed a spoil which led to Collingwood’s second goal of the game. However, he steadied his way into the game, including a nice baulk and a good defensive mark in the third quarter to finish with 11 possessions and four marks. Scores were level with two minutes to go but the class of Jordan De Goey was the ultimate difference, with five goals and a smart handball to set up Jaidyn Stephenson for the match-sealing goal.

THE MEDIA
AFL COLLINGWOOD has survived a huge scare, outlasting a gallant Brisbane by seven points at the Gabba on Sunday night. In a pulsating match, Lions skipper and former Magpie Dayne Beams levelled the scores with a clutch set shot from 50m with two minutes remaining. But Chris Mayne scrapped a behind to put the Magpies in front and Jaidyn Stephenson iced the win with a goal in the dying seconds when he ran into an empty goalsquare. Collingwood won 19.7 (121) to 18.6 (114) to move to a 4-3 record – narrowly outside the top eight on percentage - ahead of a huge match at the MCG next Sunday against Geelong. The Magpies' win was even more meritorious considering they played the final quarter-and-a-half without skipper Scott Pendlebury who was taken off with an ankle injury in the third term and did not return. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had mixed emotions after the victory. "I can't say it was pleasant viewing from our perspective," he said. "That was the worst we've defended all year, but we were able to show enough pluck to get the job done. "There's a lot we'll have a look at that we won't like on tape, but we get the four points and the lesson, which is a good problem to have." They led by 19 points early in the last quarter and the toll of three games in 12 days looked to be too much as the Lions stormed home, but the visitors steadied. Jordan De Goey was brilliant all night and proved the difference between the teams, kicking five goals – and giving the handpass for Stephenson's match-sealer – while Steele Sidebottom (34 touches) continued his fine season. For the Lions, it was yet another heartbreaking defeat. Dayne Zorko returned to form in stunning fashion, set free to play without the handbrake of a tagger, and kicked four goals in his 34 disposals to go with 10 tackles. Beams (31 touches and two goals) was also fantastic, Lewy Taylor (four goals) had his best game of the season and first-year players Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey made huge contributions. It was the fifth time in their seven losses the Lions have been within a kick during the last quarter. "At some point in time we’ll start winning those, but the good thing is we’re having them – we’re in games," Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said. "I really rate that performance by us tonight. In terms of our development, probably, in my short time at the club, that’s our best performance." At the end of a week where the state of the game was highly scrutinised, the two teams played a thrilling duel with fantastic goalkicking. In a scrappy first quarter where the Lions butchered the ball going into their forward 50, Collingwood made the most of its chances to lead by seven points. The second term was a complete reversal of ball use, a thrilling 13-goal exhibition of open, attacking footy. With neither team deciding to clamp down on opposition midfielders, Brisbane kicked seven goals to six as the momentum swung wildly. Adam Treloar goaled from 50m in the opening 15 seconds after a wonderful long handpass from Pendlebury into his path, and that opened the floodgates for the exciting term. The Lions kicked four straight, the Pies answered with four of their own – three to Queenslander Josh Thomas – before the home team went into the main change trailing by three points after kicking the final three of the half. While the big names of Zorko, Beams, Pendlebury and Sidebottom did their thing, fourth-gamer Bailey was super impressive for Brisbane, showing composure while many around him floundered. MEDICAL ROOM Collingwood: The major concern for the Magpies is Scott Pendlebury. Coach Nathan Buckley confirmed his skipper had a sprained ankle and said "we'll know more in the next day or two", but you'd think he'd have to be in some doubt for next week. NEXT UP Collingwood will try to move into the top eight when it plays Geelong at the MCG next Sunday afternoon.	REAL FOOTY Collingwood’s banner at the start of this game told us that the game was in trouble – at least, according to the media. Perhaps they wanted to show us what it could still be: few would have predicted that this game against the Brisbane Lions would turn into one of the fastest, most entertaining and open of the season to date. After an ugly opening, the game lifted several cogs and was played at breakneck pace thereafter. Both sides’ prime movers were prominent: Dayne Zorko returning to form with a brilliant game for the Lions, Sidebottom continuing his golden season for the Magpies, Brodie Grundy and Stefan Martin fighting a tremendous duel in the ruck. Zorko, tagged out of the last two games, dragged his side back from what looked like an irretrievable position, 20 points down midway through the last quarter. He took a classic hanger 15 metres out to bring the margin back to 14, then kicked a checkside out of traffic to bring the crowd back into the game. Daniel McStay made it three points with a big contested mark in front of goal. Then Jordan de Goey – who is more than repaying Collingwood after another pre-season indiscretion – kicked his fifth goal, a career-best effort, from a strong mark. Dayne Beams, also in great form, responded to level the scores. Then de Goey sealed it, this time with a handball to a tearaway Jaidyn Stephenson to finish a tremendous contest, aided upfield by a crucial mark by the big American Mason Cox. For the Lions, it was another heartbreaking case of close, but no cigar. But Collingwood, perhaps, have a bigger problem. A shudder had gone through the Magpies in the third quarter as Scott Pendlebury went off, taking his boot off and going straight down the race. He was back quickly, then off again, clearly impeded by an ankle problem. The results of the inevitable scans will surely be a determining factor in Collingwood’s year. The first quarter was a rotten spectacle, with both sides turning the ball over, especially inside their own forward half. Heavy dew in Brisbane is often used as an excuse in these twilight games, but most of the clangers were being made by foot, and both sides wasted opportunities to score. Players who were clean stood out, none more so than Pendlebury, who looks back to his brilliant best after a thumb injury curtailed his season in 2017. He strolled in for the Magpies’ first after 11 minutes. He’s no quicker than he ever was, but who needs speed when you still play the game like you’re hypnotising chickens? Minutes later he was involved again in a chain that ended with Chris Mayne, and at the beginning of the second quarter he released Adam Treloar with a looping handball out of traffic. The Magpies looked to be bursting clear, Jordan de Goey opening up a 20-point lead from a Luke Hodge error. From there, the second quarter turned into a frenzied shootout. The Lions kicked the next four goals, Lewis Taylor briefly pinching the lead for the home side with his first. Zorko didn’t have a hard tag and was damaging; so too captain Dayne Beams, the pair accumulating 37 touches for the half. Clawed back: Brisbane's Darcy Gardiner tackles Jaidyn Stephenson of Collingwood. Collingwood steadied, though, and hit back with Josh Thomas continuing an excellent run of form with three goals in 10 minutes, Darcy Moore also getting involved in his return with a fast lead and excellent conversion from the boundary line. Then the Lions replied again, Charlie Cameron and Taylor making it a three-point game. It gave the Lions the points for the quarter with seven goals to six, and asked some questions of both coaches. Nathan Buckley, praised for his remodelled defence this year, has been bitten by his reluctance to lock down on players. But Chris Fagan had problems, too, with Pies playmakers Sidebottom and Pendlebury also off the chain. Neither blinked. Sidebottom continued to have a picnic for the Pies.Charlie Cameron’s influence grew for the Lions, threading the needle twice with passes to Taylor (for his third goal) and Zorko, who continued to find, and be given space. Travis Varcoe gave Collingwood space; Taylor’s speed netted him a fourth. By this point, Pendlebury was off, and Taylor was involved again in gifting a goal by hand to Bailey. Stephenson kept the Magpies eight points clear at the last change, and he was crucial in the final exchange to seal the deal.
AFL COLLINGWOOD won its fourth game in five weeks, but coach Nathan Buckley was filthy following Sunday night's victory over Brisbane. Conceding 18 goals to the winless Lions and sneaking home late to win by seven points, Buckley said it was the worst the Magpies had defended this season. He did however say it was nice to learn a lesson and take four premiership points in the process. Collingwood are 0.2 per cent outside the top eight with a 4-3 record, but Buckley said a lot would have to change for the Magpies to continue their winning ways. "I can't say it was pleasant viewing from our perspective," he said. "It was a high-scoring shootout, there was high scores from stoppages, high scores from turnovers. "That's the worst we've defended all year, but we were able to show enough pluck to get the job done. "There's a lot we'll have a look at that we won't like on tape, but we get the four points and the lesson, which is a good problem to have." Playing their third game in 12 days, the Magpies looked like being over-run in the final term, with a Dayne Beams' goal levelling the scores after Collingwood gave up a 19-point lead. But a Chris Mayne behind and Jaidyn Stephenson goal sealed victory. "Our expectations are growing and there's nothing wrong with that. you've got to earn every win," Buckley said. "Our back six and our team defence just didn't hold up as well as we have for the most part of this year. "It's not our brand on full display." Collingwood's task of making it five wins from six against in-form Geelong next Sunday could be made more difficult with Scott Pendlebury in doubt with an ankle injury. The captain hobbled off in the third quarter, went to the rooms and tried to return, but failed to play the final quarter-and-a-half. "It's a sprained ankle at this point," Buckley said. "He just couldn't get it going. We'll know more about that in the next day or two. "He was fairly bullish about it but felt like he was impeded enough to not play his role, but we'll see what happens when the dust settles."