2020 Round 3: Collingwood 81 St Kilda 37

THE FACTS

2020 AFL Round 4 COLLINGWOOD v GWS Time & Place: Friday June 26, 7:50pm AEST Sydney Showground Stadium TV: 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: Min 9 Max 18 Chance of rain: 70% 5-10mm Wind: SW 16kph Betting: Collingwood  $1.88 GWS $1.92

COLLINGWOOD    5.3.33   10.4.64   11.7.73   12.9.81
ST KILDA               2.1.13     4.2.26     5.6.36     5.7.37

GOALS - Collingwood: Stephenson 2, Elliott 2, Mihocek 2, T. Brown 2, Adams 2, Sidebottom, De Goey

BEST - Collingwood: Sidebottom, Grundy, Crisp, Pendlebury, Adams, Maynard

INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - 0 at the MCG

What The Pies Coach Said "All I know is he's (Brodie Grundy) playing great footy for us, and really consistent footy. To have won our ‘B and F’ (best and fairest) a couple of years in a row, in really good seasons for the football club, stands as testament on its own. But he's still a relatively young ruckman in ruckman terms, so he's been able to perform pretty well pretty early in his career as a ruckman and he's still got a lot of footy in front of him. That's why we signed him to such a long deal." – Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley

Media Clippings 7news | AAP Collingwood have brought St Kilda back down to earth, with Steele Sidebottom starring in a 44-point AFL win at the MCG. The Saints carried impressive form into Saturday's clash, having humbled the Western Bulldogs last week, but the Magpies led by 20 points at quarter-time and eased to a 12.9 (81) to 5.7 (37) win. Sidebottom led the way with 31 possessions and a goal in a powerful midfield performance, with Scott Pendlebury (26 disposals) and Taylor Adams (19) also important. Brodie Grundy took on Rowan Marshall and Paddy Ryder in the ruck and clearly took the honours with 20 touches and 31 hit-outs.   NEWS.com.au Jaidyn Stephenson returned to the Collingwood line-up on Saturday after missing the first two games of the season and showed just how important he is to the Magpies’ premiership hopes. Stephenson was thrust into the media spotlight last season due to a betting scandal that saw him handed a 10-week suspension, but it was a bout of glandular fever that put his return to the team in doubt as the AFL season returned. After the Magpies struggled during their round two clash against Richmond with only five goals on the scoreboard, the return of Stephenson ignited the powerhouse team who ran in five goals in the opening quarter. AFL COLLINGWOOD has avoided the fate of several other fancied teams in round three, crushing St Kilda by 44 points on Saturday to remain undefeated in season 2020. The Magpies fought out a low-scoring draw with reigning premier Richmond nine days ago but returned to the winner's circle in a 12.9 (81) to 5.7 (37) result at the MCG. On a day rocked by Irish Bomber Conor McKenna's positive COVID-19 test, leading premiership contender Collingwood restored some normality with a largely dominant performance. The Age Collingwood rediscovered their groove to reinforce why they are a premiership threat, delivering a brutal reality check to St Kilda with a 44-point win at the MCG on Saturday. ... Ruckman Brodie Grundy may have been double-teamed by Paddy Ryder and the emerging Rowan Marshall but the superstar Magpie was dominant, particularly in the second term. The Saints booted the opening two goals of the second quarter but the Magpies went on a tear from that moment to turn the contest and open up a 38-point lead that their opponents never recovered from.Grundy had a 22-17 advantage in the ruck by half-time and generated run around the ground. He finished with 20 touches and is a man almost impossible to stop. Typically, Scott Pendlebury (26 touches) and Steele Sidebottom (31) thrived in the midfield as a result of Grundy's brilliance and their own, while Taylor Adams, Jack Crisp and Brayden Maynard also found plenty of the ball.