2020 Round 6: Collingwood 59 Hawthorn 27

THE FACTS

2020 AFL Round 7 COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG Time & Place: Thursday July 16, 8:10pm AEST Perth Stadium TV: 7mate / Fox Footy Weather: 10°-19° Chance of rain: 90% 10-20mm Wind: NNW 27kph Betting: Collingwood $1.75 Geelong $2.10

COLLINGWOOD    5.1.31   6.5.41   7.8.50     8.11.59
HAWTHORN            1.0.6   2.1.13   2.2.14       3.9.27

GOALS - Collingwood: Mihocek 4, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Kelly, Cox

BEST - Collingwood: Treloar, Moore, Mihocek, Elliott, Wills, Pendlebury

INJURIES - Collingwood: Kelly (left elbow), Elliott (shin), Scharenberg (ribs)

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD - Sydney Showground Stadium TBC

What The Pies Coach Said "Coming to Sydney and being away from families is not easy for all our people, players and staff, but it came at a pretty good time for us. We were really literally in a bubble and a lot of the focus and speculation and opinion that has taken place back in Melbourne didn't really get to us. And with Steele and Jordy over in Perth, those guys are already there and preparing to contribute as best they possibly can It was a good solid week for us just to knuckle down on what's important for us on he field. The fact that the boys were able to spend more time together. We were around each other's space a little more than the last couple of weeks since coming back to training: it felt more normal." – Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley

Media Clippings 7news | AAP Brody Mihocek has produced a career-best equalling goalkicking effort as Collingwood returned to the AFL winners list against an inept Hawthorn side, with the luckless Jon Patton making a miserable return to his old home ground. Coming off consecutive losses, and dealing with off-field distractions, the Pies kicked the first three goals and dominated a horribly out-of-sorts Hawthorn to win 8.11 (59) to 3.9 (27) at Giants Stadium in Sydney on Friday. The Hawks scored just 2.1 in the first half and had only 14 points by three-quarter time. It was the lowest score Hawthorn have kicked in coach Alastair Clarkson's lengthy tenure as coach, which stretches back to 2005. The win lifted Collingwood six places to fourth while Hawthorn remain outside the top eight. Mihocek bagged a four-goal haul for the eighth time in his career as Collingwood moved the ball better than they have managed in recent weeks, especially in the first half. NEWS.com.au Hawthorn has sent AFL historians reaching for their record books after the club crashed to a 94-year low in a nightmare loss to Collingwood. Hawthorn has crashed to its lowest score since 1964 after they were belted on and off the field against Collingwood on Friday night. The Hawks failed to turn up and registered their lowest three-quarter time score since the 1926 season, 94 years ago. The Pies ran rings around the sluggish Hawks and appeared to put the cue in the rack in the fourth quarter before the siren sounded on an 8.11 (59) to 3.9 (27) thumping. The Hawks were just 2.2 (14) after three quarters — the second lowest total shots on goal after three quarters in the history of the club. AFL Now that's how you put a difficult fortnight behind you. Off-field controversies have besieged Collingwood, which couldn't even fall back on the team's form, given a pair of losses dampened what was a bright start to this strangest of seasons.  Throw in Jeremy Howe's potentially season-ending injury and it's been a rough period for Nathan Buckley's team, which has designs on the premiership.  None of it mattered in Sydney on Friday night as the new-look Magpies roared out of the blocks with five of the first six goals to put an impotent Hawthorn line-up to the sword.  The Hawks' response never came and the match was effectively over by half-time, with Collingwood posting an 8.11 (59) to 3.9 (27) victory that temporarily propels them inside the top four. The Age If Collingwood are supposedly experts at attracting scandal off the field then it checks out they are good at responding to them on the field. With Jordan De Goey facing indecent assault charges, Steele Sidebottom breaching COVID-19 restrictions and the Heritier Lumumba investigation ongoing (not to mention president Eddie McGuire's penchant for speaking out), fans of the black and white were desperate for positive headlines. Luckily for them the 22 players that ran out in those colours on Friday night released the pressure. Nathan Buckley's Magpies got a vital win over Hawthorn and displayed firstly a marked improvement from the pitfalls that cost them the week before and secondly, notched a rare win over the Hawks, who before Friday had defeated the Pies 12 of 13 times since the 2011 preliminary final. Collingwood did well at pushing the game into the contest and refusing Hawthorn enough opportunity to meaningfully control the ball on the outside with their kick and mark style. Then, when Collingwood had the ball, they were far more direct with it as opposed to the patchy and handball-heavy game that got them into trouble against Essendon last week.