Collingwood vs Adelaide: Match Review

[Johnson#26]

Collingwood vs Adelaide: Match Review
Match Report
10 Apr 2005


Collingwood began the match in the best possible fashion, with a goal to its stand-in skipper Anthony Rocca, who dribbled through a ripper from the boundary line, a goal which was described by 3AW’s Robert Walls as ‘Daicoslike’. The game then reverted to a scrappy one, with both sides testing each other out. A highlight for the Magpies was the dash from defence provided by Ben Johnson, who enjoyed a good quarter. The Crows broke through for their first seven minutes into the match, with a long kick from the dangerous Andrew McLeod marked by the skilful Scott Welsh in the goalsquare. McLeod was starting to break the shackles of his shadow Brodie Holland, and was proving a real menace for the Magpies. Rocca, who started like a house on fire, marked just inside the 50 from some good work from Tarkyn Lockyer, only to boot the ball out on the full. Minutes later, big Tristan Walker, recently signed by the club to a two year deal, flew high to mark and goal to give the Pies some breathing space. Collingwood were holding up well in defence, providing a stack of run with assistance from the midfield, driving the ball long into big Rocca. Riccuito and McLeod combined well to push the ball forward where Collingwood’s Cameron Cloke spilt a sitter, and turned around in horror to see Welsh run onto the ball and goal. Minutes later, the Crows got the break on the Pies, via the rampant McLeod, who goaled from 55 meters out gave the Crows a handy lead of seven points. It was becoming clearly obvious that McLeod’s minder, Holland, was struggling to keep up with the Crows’ champion, who had come under fire this week from former team-mate Andrew Jarman, who claimed the duel Norm Smith Medallist was a ‘soft’ footballer McLeod went on to prove him wrong, playing a huge hand in the Crows victory. It was now Collingwood’s turn to attack, through some excellent defensive work from messes Johnson, Clement, Shaw and Wakelin – who were in top form. The Pies were peppering the goals, with big Rocca playing a huge role – charging up the field on countless occasions, marking strongly, but was unable to convert often enough. Shaw had been moved onto the dangerous McLeod, who was starting to get back to his best ever form. In what was viewed as a strange move, Collingwood’s reliable midfielder Shane Woewodin was seen stretching on the bench – something he had done for the full duration of the term. In a crucial piece of play, a miss kick from Welsh was fortunate to find Hentschell, who from 55 meters out, goaled – handing Adelaide a more then handy 11 point lead at quarter time. It was a disappointing quarter for the Pies, who, despite winning plenty of the football, struggled to have any impact on the scoreboard – scoring two goals as well as four behind and one out on the full for the quarter. The players of the quarter were all defenders – Clement, Johnson, Wakelin and Shaw. Without them, it would have put Collingwood under enormous scoreboard pressure. Also impressive for the Pies was Cameron Cloke, who came into the side replacing third choice ruckman David Fanning, who was dropped after his first match the previous week. Cloke performed admirably in the ruck, getting to plenty of contests around they ground and providing a good target up forward.

The second quarter was a dismal one for many a football viewer. The skill level was atrocious from both sides, with constant turnovers marring the quarter. When the two teams got within scoring range, it would too often be turned straight over, causing all supporters plenty of grief. Collingwood began the term on fire, with the dominate Rhyce Shaw, in a rich vain of form, spearing the ball to Rocca. The big man marked within scoring range, went back to take his shot as all Collingwood supporters wanted – but sprayed the shot – badly. From 40 meters out, it sailed through for a behind. The Pies came again, through Davis, who won a free in the centre of the ground and passed off to the hard leading Tarrant – who marked well in front of his afternoon shadow cast by Crow stopper Nathan Bassett. From 30 meters, he converted, slicing the lead to a mere five points – giving all supporters a ray of hope. A further six points were added by Adelaide back pocket Brent Reilly, who had floated up the ground to mark courageously within range. He made no mistake, drilling his first from 50 meters out. Malthouse soon swung the changes, moving Richard Cole onto the dangerous Simon Goodwin, and the hard-running Ben Johnson into the middle of the ground. Tarrant was struggling with Bassett as his minder, not moving as freely as usual, and spilling some marks which are the standard for a player who was a 2003 All-Australian. It was well documented that he had been carrying a back/groin injury through the latter stages of the pre-season, and it is strongly possible that the injury is still lingering, hampering his impact on a match. The reliable, if not highly skilled Simon Prestigiacomo had kept his man Mark Stevens silent for most of the match, won the ball at halfback, and passed the ball off – looking for team-mate Brodie Holland. What was a regulation short pass became a nightmare for the Magpies, with ‘Presti’s kick a shocker, intercepted by Crows tagger Robert Shirley. Fortunately for Prestigiacomo and Collingwood, the Crows hard nut’s kick was astray. The quarter petered out, fizzling into one of the worst displays of modern football seen for many a season. Channel 9’s resident football experts Gary Lyon, Brian Taylor and James Brayshaw described the contest as one of the worst they had seen in their time covering football – and that the senior players were the one’s who were to drag their junior team-mates up to their level. Players to hold their heads up high for the battling Magpies were the speedy Shaw, Davis and Johnson – who was on his way to a career high 34 possessions. Also impressive was Rocca, who lead and marked well – leading his side with aplomb. However, his kicking was astray – causing Pies supporters to hang their heads in shame.

Collingwood fought back in the third quarter – peppering the big sticks only to miss on countless occasions. A shining light for the Magpies was experienced recruit Blake Caracella. A player like Caracella requires only a minimal amount of possessions for an afternoon to have an impact – and that ability was again on show against Adelaide. He scored two goals for the term, missing two others from gettable rangers, heaving his new team back into the contest. The crowd was on edge, as the action became tense – the skill level improving by the possession. Desperation from both sides was evident – and with good reason. Both sides were still yet to get a win on the board, and early confidence boosters were to be taken with both hands. The out-of-form Andrew Williams, dispirit for a good beginning to his third year at Collingwood, managed snag one for his side, keeping them within close range. But the Crows were not finished with yet. The brilliant McLeod bagged his second, while Hentschell, growing in stature by the match, scored another two, keeping his squad in the lead. Near the completion of the quarter, Cameron Cloke – pushing forward from his rucking duties, scored full points – narrowing the lead to a mere five points at the final change. Collingwood were satisfied by the commitment shown by their men, with the very steady Clement, Wakelin and Johnson leading the side brilliantly from defence – never letting Adelaide through for an easy run. Their good work inspired others around them to lift, with Shaw, Licuria and Lockyer showing the way. Caracella was creative around the forward line, adding that missing crumbing ingredient to an already imposing forward structure – but also one which was showing some cracks in its walls. Main man Tarrant looked horribly out of form – appearing to be hampered by a leg complaint. Although to be fair, the delivery from the midfield was often substandard. The crowd lifted when Caracella began impose himself on the contest, providing a highlight for a man whose dream as a child was to represent the Black and White.

The last quarter was one of the most fascinating we’ve seen for a few seasons now. What was a dull and uninspiring first half exploded into a tense and fiery second half battle, as both side’s put on an intriguing show. Collingwood drew first blood with Caracella adding his third for the day, putting the Pies in the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Just when it appeared that Adelaide may have been out of their depth, along came Ian Perrie. The oft inconsistent Perrie, quiet for much of the day, suddenly sprung to life, marking strongly then booting truly. But the lead was recaptured by Caracella, the Collingwood hero. He found a way for goal number four – his sixth in the Collingwood jumper. But the Crows again found a route to goal via that man Perrie once more. The crowd went into a frenzy – just as the match appeared a walkover – the Crows had landed forceful punch yet again. But the Pies were not done with. At the nine minute mark, the talented Julian Rowe – who had shown so much promise throughout 2004 – coolly marked overhead against Michael Doughty, went back and slotted through his first for the day – regaining the Magpies lead. The two teams then locked into a tense battle – both going man on man around the ground. Both sides had their opportunities to win the match, instead leaving those opportunities to go begging. Williams dived courageously to disallow Riccuito from leaving the defensive zone – although his following kick did not match expectations. A brilliant lunge from Lockyer brought down McLeod, just as the Crows champion appeared to have reached scoring distance. The match then turned into one massive stoppage – both sides refusing to let the opposition loose. Then, with only three minutes left on the clock, McLeod broke free of Lockyer and Prestigiacomo, hemmed in on the boundary line, screwed tightly on his left boot. Amazingly – freakishly – the duel Norm Smith Medallist of 1997 and 1998, and runner up in the 2001 Brownlow Medal managed to slot through one of the most unbelievable goals seen in many a year. It was well and truly the sinker for Collingwood – it was now beyond the point of no return. Adelaide spent the following three minutes running down the clock, receiving the boos and jeers from the devoted Magpies fans – angry that an epic second half was to end in such a way. The match, which had begun in such an unspectacular fashion, ended in such high drama. For Collingwood, the season is now in a perilous state – with another loss this week to a revamped Carlton possibly spelling the end of their 2005 campaign. The Crows, however, are able to relax, with the burden of a winless start lifted from their shoulders. The next three weeks could make or break Collingwood’s 2005 – with battles between Carlton, North Melbourne and Essendon shaping as three of the most crucial it has played in recent times.

Player Review:

Leon Davis: 5.5/10 – It appears as if it is all coming together for Davis, who, in his sixth year in the system, seems to be finding his place in the Magpies midfield. Added plenty of spark and excitement, and seemed really committed to the cause. Good effort.

Shane Woewodin: 6/10 – A much better effort from the equal runner up in the 2004 Copeland Trophy, playing the sweeping role across halfback to great effect. Spent the whole of the first term on the pine, but made the most of his three quarters on the turf.

Ryan Lonie: 1/10 – Barely sighted all day. Spent the majority of it viewing the action from the pine.

Brodie Holland: 2.5/10 – Struggled to keep up with McLeod early, before spending the second half on the bench.

Chad Morrison: 5/10 – Solid performance from the 150 gamer, making every touch count. Perfect foil for Clement.

James Clement: 8/10 – Yet again another terrific match from the defensive general. Beat Welsh all ends up, and outmarked taller opponents time after time. Firming for his second Copeland.

Julian Rowe: 4.5/10 – Looked good once more when on the field. His added pace and touch of class adds an extra dimension to the team. Although his disposal by foot was questionable at times early, he made up for it with a silky skilled second half.

Blake Caracella: 7.5/10 – Brilliant effort from the veteran. Four goals and four behind was a very good return, haling his side back into the contest. If he can continue to do this for the next few seasons will be worth his weight in gold. Already a crowd favourite.

Shane O’Bree: 4/10 – Busy early, prior to fading out. Showed a bit of extra pace, after receiving a rocket via Trevor Grant in the Herald Sun the previous morning.

Tristan Walker: 3/10 – Big mark and goal early, then faded away. Needs to add consistency.

Richard Cole: 4/10 – Strange day. Won a bit of the ball, but fumbled too often.

Shane Wakelin: 7/10 – Brilliant effort in defence. Marshalled the troops well, marked well and added dash. Far from a spent force, as some may suggest.

Scott Burns: 3/10 – Quiet day from Burns, although his experience and toughness came to the fore late in the day.

Paul Licuria: 6.5/10 – Did a good job all day. Won plenty of the football and provided run. Good effort.

Andrew Williams: 2/10 – Barely sighted all day, save for a brilliant tackle on the rampaging Riccuito.

Chris Tarrant: 4/10 – Lacked bite in the forward line, and didn’t appear to have his usual zip. May be carrying an injury.

Rhyce Shaw: 6/10 - A good effort. Tried his heart out and gave good run from the backline.

Anthony Rocca: 4/10 - Started like a house on fire, but soon faded.

Tarkyn Lockyer: 6/10 - Good effort when put on McLeod late, until the Crows champ got free.

Ben Johnson: 7/10 - 34 possessions - his highest tally ever - also 1/3 of them were turnovers due to poor kicking.

Cameron Cloke: 5/10 - Good lionhearted effort in the ruck.

Simon Prestigiacomo: 4/10 - Although he held Stevens well, Presti had a horror day, with a couple of turnovers across goal.