2020 Round 1: Collingwood 86 Footscray 34

THE FACTS

2020 AFL Round 2 COLLINGWOOD v RICHMOND Time & Place: Thursday March 26, 7:25pm EDT MCG TV: 7mate / Fox Footy 7:00pm EDT Weather: Min 11 Max 21 Chance of rain: 20% <1mm Wind: S 14kph Betting: Collingwood TBC Richmond TBC

COLLINGWOOD   5.2.32   8.6.54   10.7.67   13.8.86
FOOTSCRAY           1.0.6   4.0.24     5.2.32     5.4.34

GOALS - Collingwood: Mihocek 3, Cox 2, Daicos 2, Elliott, Hoskin-Elliott, Grundy, C. Brown, De Goey, Adams

BEST - Collingwood: Grundy, Mihocek, Adams, Mayne, Pendlebury, Howe

INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 0 at Docklands

What The Pies Coach Said "We love it (shortened 16-minute plus time on quarters), we love the way the game's been set up and we love getting a result like that. I think fundamentally when we get back down to it, the parameters of the contest are set and they're the same for both combatants and then you've got to find the opportunity in those parameters. The game looks like it's more focused on stoppage in that initial phase out of the contest and we think that suits us. We're only one game in so we'll see how we go.” – Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley

Media Clippings 7news | AAP Brodie Grundy's shadow loomed large over the Western Bulldogs again as the All-Australian big man led Collingwood to a 52-point win on Friday night with a dominant display in the ruck. Grundy earned a maximum six Brownlow votes from two matches against the Bulldogs last year and re-asserted his authority early at Marvel Stadium as the Magpies kicked the first four goals of their 2020 season opener. ... Grundy again got the measure of highly-rated Bulldogs youngster Tim English to provide a platform for the Pies clearance advantage (34-21), which included a 15-5 dominance in centre square clearances. The Pies' star was almost as effective at ground level as he was in the air, kicking an early goal and finishing with 19 disposals, four clearances and five inside-50s. He had 37 hit-outs to English's 11 and was awarded the Bob Rose-Charlie Sutton Medal as best afield, with Collingwood claiming the Robert Rose Cup. Fox Footy ... with All-Australian pair Brodie Grundy and Scott Pendlebury dictating terms in the middle, Collingwood dominated from the opening bounce. The Magpies kicked the first five goals and the Western Bulldogs didn’t register an inside 50 until the 16th minute of the opening quarter – they finished with only 22 for the game – and were rarely troubled in the 52-point win. “It was absolutely comprehensive, a domination across the board,” St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt told Fox Footy on Friday night. “Wherever you looked Collingwood was on top, particularly through the middle of the ground. The Collingwood mids absolutely obliterated the Bulldogs midfielders. Players like Marcus Bontempelli, they really struggled with the tempo of the game early.” AFL The Pies had winners everywhere; Brodie Grundy manhandled Tim English to be best on ground with 37 hitouts, one goal, three behinds and 19 disposals, while Taylor Adams dominated in the middle and Brody Mihocek booted three goals. Scott Pendlebury was typically influential in the first quarter as the Pies put on a 26-point lead by quarter-time, while the Dogs struggled to simply get the ball into their forward arc and managed one goal from just two entries. With Jackson Macrae and Bailey Smith getting involved in the second and Matt Suckling giving them some forward drive in the third, the Dogs offered a whimper to get within five goals after the margin blew out to 48 points. But, with Josh Daicos contributing two of the Pies' three final term goals, the Dogs finished the game as they started it; unable to get a foothold anywhere and scoring just two behinds for the quarter. The Age Funnily enough for a team that regularly plays in front of large crowds and never trains without onlookers the Magpies adjusted more quickly to the surreal conditions than their opponents. They were dominant in all but five minutes of the first half, jumping out to an eight-goal lead when they kicked eight of the first nine goals. They continued in the second half to keep the Bulldogs a comfortable distance away and ran out 52-point winners. Collingwood's game was old-fashioned and brutally effective as they won the clearances and kicked long to the top of the square, where forwards Jordan De Goey or Mason Cox either created a contest or marked.