Round 17: West Coast 102 Collingwood 67

THE FACTS

2018 AFL Round 18 COLLINGWOOD v NORTH MELBOURNE Time & Place: Saturday July 21, 1:45pm EST MCG Fox Footy 1:30pm EST Weather: Min 7 Max 14 Chance of rain 30%: < 1mm Wind: N 12kph Betting: Collingwood $1.57 North Melbourne $2.42

WEST COAST       3.0.18    8.1.49    12.8.80  15.12.102
COLLINGWOOD   4.4.28    6.9.47    8.10.58      9.13.67

GOALS - Collingwood: De Goey 4, Thomas 3, Mihocek 2

BEST - Collingwood: Adams, De Goey, Pendlebury, Howe, Phillips

INJURIES - Collingwood: Mason Cox (soreness) replaced in selected side by Ben Crocker, Sidebottom (eye), Moore (dislocated finger), Sier (corked quad), Langdon (right knee)

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 53,439 at the MCG

TALKING POINTS

1. Naitanui knee injury a huge blow to Eagles' premiership hopes West Coast holds grave fears over a serious-looking knee injury suffered by star big man Nic Naitanui. The Eagles ruckman landed awkwardly on his right knee following an aerial contest with Pie Brodie Grundy, with coach Adam Simpson showing great concern. "It doesn't look great for his other knee," Simpson told Fox Footy at half-time. Naitanui missed the entire 2017 season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Should he be sidelined long-term with this injury, the Eagles' premiership hopes will have been dealt a huge blow. Emerging big man Scott Lycett would be the Eagles' No.1 ruckman, with Nathan Vardy a possibility to provide a chop out if recalled. Until then, the Eagles will wait with bated breath for the results of scans on Naitanui's knee. 2. Eagles clip Magpie wings to surge to second spot on the ladder West Coast has jumped into second position on the ladder after winning the battle with fellow top-four aspirant Collingwood. Port Adelaide could leap them before the weekend is over should they smash Fremantle in Perth, however the Eagles are in the box seat. They broke the Magpies' seven-game winning streak and won their first game against Collingwood at the MCG since 1995. In the process, West Coast also answered its critics and broke through for a much-needed win in Melbourne and on the road. With three of their last six games at Optus Stadium, the Eagles appear in good shape to finish in the top four, although the Naitanui injury may be a factor. 3. West Coast spearheads return at right time West Coast brought its big guns back the clash and after a shaky start it was no surprise to see the spearheads dig the side out of a hole. Josh Kennedy, returning from a hairline fracture in his leg in round 13, and Jack Darling (ankle in round 11) kicked the Eagles' first three goals of the contest. Kennedy gave the forward line the bite it had been lacking in previous weeks, with the star forward finishing with three goals. Darling's work rate to hit up at the ball carrier was noticeable, while Mark LeCras' craftiness around goals was equally significant. The trio have now kicked 86 goals between them for the season and they all shape as crucial to West Coast's finals hopes. 4. Moore's positive return Collingwood has made do with a makeshift back six since Lynden Dunn went down with a season-ending knee injury against Gold Coast in round 15. But after one-game back in the VFL, the Magpies decided to recall Darcy Moore for his first AFL match since injuring his hamstring against Geelong in round 11. Charged with containing Josh Kennedy, Moore was particularly influential in the first half where his ability to charge out at the football and impact aerial contests was crucial. The athletic defender finished with 14 disposals and six marks in a strong return. Yet to be re-signed and reportedly of interest to Sydney, Moore demonstrated his versatility and showed why he will be an important factor in Collingwood's finals campaign. 5. De Goey again delivers in front of goal, but Magpies fail to take advantage Collingwood had just three individual goal kickers, but again Jordan De Goey underlined his class in front of the big sticks. De Goey kicked four of the Magpies' nine majors for the afternoon, bobbing up at crucial times to keep his side in the game. The powerful forward was thrown into the midfield in the final quarter to see if he could spark a Collingwood comeback, but looks most dangerous as the deepest target in attack. With Jeremy McGovern and Shannon Hurn patrolling down back, the Magpies could not get the ball to him enough. De Goey has now kicked 26 goals in 13 games this season.

THE MEDIA

SUPERFOOTY WEST Coast can win at the MCG. But can the Eagles win the premiership without Nic Nat? Sunday was a classic case of winning the battle but potentially losing the war, with fears Naitanui sustained a serious injury to his “good” right knee. The Eagles commanded so much respect in the premiership race by emerging as the chief challenger to Richmond. But so much will hinge on ruck understudy Scott Lycett if the Naitanui fears are confirmed on Monday. Lycett, 25, is a restricted free agent and suddenly the importance of his signature might climb a list topped by marking machine Jeremy McGovern and ball magnet Andrew Gaff. But the key learning from Sunday’s 35-point upset of Collingwood was that the Eagles can bring their form along with their footy boots when they jump on an aeroplane. This was West Coast’s first win at the MCG against Collingwood since Round 2, 1995 — predating the birth of five Eagles. One of those five is Willie Rioli, who showed enough magic to suggest he and Daniel Rioli might be able to adequately cover the game’s sudden loss of Cyril. With Mason Cox a late withdrawal, this was a battle of the quick birds and the big birds. For the first 10 minutes it played out like an advertisement for the TAC. Speed kills, and the Pies had plenty of it. They led 20-0 on the back of a possession domination and probably should’ve scooted five goals clear. At one stage they led disposals 32-7, with three of West Coast’s six kicks turnovers. Jordan De Goey’s lateral movement troubled Will Schofield and the re-signed star booted two goals in the first 18 minutes. But with McGovern then floating in front of De Goey the one-on-one opportunities started to wane. In an era where hard match-ups are dwindling, Sunday produced some pivotal contests. Mark Hutchings kept Steele Sidebottom to seven kicks, his fewest in 112 matches, while Matthew Scharenberg took the points against Jack Darling. Lewis Roberts-Thomson enjoyed playing West Coast on the MCG and Darcy Moore impressed with the former Swan’s position and hairstyle. While Kennedy kicked 3.1, Moore’s positioning was spot on and he hardly could’ve done more stationed at full-back. After Collingwood’s early blitz, the Eagles piled on 15 of the final 21 goals. They got tougher. They took 58 uncontested marks to just 33 in the second half. It should’ve been all over by the final change. After kicking 9.0 from their first nine shots, Kennedy, Jack Darling and Jake Waterman all hit the post. It was aerial supremacy and days after Nathan Buckley shaved his beard, it might’ve made the hairs on Damien Hardwick’s neck stand up. Perhaps Buckley’s wife Tania should creep into the bathroom and bin the razors. Bucks’ beard is gone and so is Collingwood’s seven-game winning streak. AFL WEST Coast has overcome the loss of star ruckman Nic Naitanui to score an outstanding 35-point win over Collingwood. The 15.12 (102) to 9.13 (67) win on Sunday is the first time the Eagles have beaten the Magpies at the MCG since 1995. There has been plenty of talk about West Coast's poor form at the MCG and it is a massive boost for their confidence. They are now level on points with top side Richmond, took second spot on the ladder from the Magpies and also ended Collingwood's seven-game winning streak. Starting with the disastrous 2015 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn, the Eagles had only won two of eight games at the MCG, and those were against lowly Carlton. Eagles forwards Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Mark LeCras all made successful returns from injury and midfielder Andrew Gaff continued his hot form. But the fear is that Naitanui will need another season-ending knee reconstruction, this time on his "good" right knee. West Coast's MCG horrors looked set to continue when Collingwood kicked three goals in the first 10 minutes and raced to a 20-point lead. Defender Jeremy McGovern was outstanding for the Eagles early with a succession of intercept marks and spoils that restricted the damage. The Eagles kicked the next three goals to put the game on a level pegging and only trailed by 10 points at the first change. West Coast took the lead at the start of the second term, but then suffered a massive blow when Naitanui was forced out of the game. He hurt his right knee in a marking contest with Brodie Grundy at the 17-minute mark and went straight to the rooms. Afterwards back-up ruckman Scott Lycett was massive, squaring his contests with Grundy. Collingwood led by a point at the main break and it should have been more, given they had 15 scoring shots to nine, but the Eagles kicked 8.1 in the first half to keep pace with the Magpies. It was West Coast's turn to spray their shots in the third term, kicking a wasteful 4.7. Collingwood could only manage 2.1 and the Eagles had a game-high lead of 22 points at three-quarter time. Darling kicked two goals in the last quarter to help seal the win. Along with Kennedy and Willie Rioli, Darling finished with three goals, while Mark Hutchings shut down Steele Sidebottom. REAL FOOTY West Coast won a major battle on Sunday, but the cost could be very hard to overcome. To beat Collingwood, a side that had won seven in a row and were second on the ladder, is no mean feat in isolation. To do it at the MCG, a venue where the Eagles have been consistently shown up for years against opponents of quality, removes a sizeable monkey from their back. And to prevail when they were down to 21 men for well over a half, having conceded the first three goals of the game, makes this performance even more full of merit. But while Eagles could cope without Nic Naitanui for an inspired hour of footy on Sunday, whether they can hold their place in the top four, and then navigate September without their star ruckman, is a question they seem heartbreakingly likely to need to confront. It was Naitanui’s left knee that wiped out his entire 2017 campaign. This time it was his right knee, which led him to hobble off after a second-term marking contest. The Eagles can hope it is not too serious, but the early indications aren’t positive. Met with such a blow to a much-loved player, it would have been understandable had West Coast wilted against a quality side. Instead they played a stirring half of football, shutting down Collingwood’s forward line and causing no shortage of headaches down the other end. The Eagles took hold of the midfield, as Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuey played huge second halves to help Jack Redden, who had carried a heavy load in the first half. Mark Hutchings had done a stellar lockdown job on Steele Sidebottom and added a goal int he last quarter to further emphasise his individual victory. Both back from injury, forward pillars Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling had their moments without dominating. But Willie Rioli lived up to the family name with sublime dodging and finishing in tight confines and Mark LeCras bobbing up, and the Pies’ pressure faded, and the match was taken from their hands. Himself back from injury, Darcy Moore was steady on Kennedy, but it’s hard to imagine any side having the defensive capabilities to handle a firing Eagles forward line. In West Coast's defence Shannon Hurn and Jeremy McGovern were nigh on impenetrable, while in Naitanui’s absence, Scott Lycett held his own against Brodie Grundy. Collingwood got the jump. Their superior early energy was typified by a fierce early tackle from 100-gamer Jack Crisp that stopped Naitanui in his tracks. The Magpies dominated possession and territory early, racing to a 20-point lead in little over 10 minutes, with a goal to Jordan De Goey and two for Josh Thomas. The Eagles steadied though. Darling jagged a goal out the back while Kennedy took two contested marks, finishing off his work on both occasions. LeCras, the third of the returnees, missed everything but it was the only opportunity the Eagles would waste in the first half. Conversely the Pies kept shooting themselves in the foot. Brody Mihocek was particularly culpable as Collingwood kicked a wayward 6.9 to half-time. Similarly costly were turnovers that led to Eagles goals. Nathan Buckley was pictured fuming after Matt Scharenberg coughed the ball up in midfield, leading to a Redden major early in the second term. Later a Travis Varcoe pass to a flat-footed Brayden Sier was picked off, with LeCras duly capitalising. Rioli sold a textbook dummy to snap his first major, and despite having nine more inside 50s, leading the contested possession count by 25 and disposals by 32, the Pies found themselves trailing at the long change. De Goey kicked his fourth early in the third term, but didn't have enough help. Mason Cox had been a late withdrawal, and the Pies clearly missed the American.