MATCH REPORT
Collingwood vs Geelong: Match Review - Johnson#26
Collingwood's 2004 finals hopes ended with a last quarter fade out against a fast finishing Geelong. Collingwood can now prepare for September holidays, as they miss the eight for the first time since 2001. After leading by five points at three quarter time, Geelong ran out winners by 29 points. For Collingwood, Lockyer, Buckley and Clement were the only Magpies who won their positions, as the Cats had the Pies on the run all night.
In the first quarter, Geelong opened with the first through Paul Chapman before Tarkyn Lockyer put through the Magpies first. The game was going from end to end, in a fantastic display of AFL football. One blight on the match was the state of the surface, which was suspect to say the least. Just as Mooney was about to run into an open goal, he slipped on the lush surface and the ball was whisked away to the other end where Didak goal. Tarrant scored soon after before Bartel got one back for the Cats. The sides entered the break locked at twenty points apiece.
In the second quarter, Lockyer opened the term with his second major before Graham answered for the Cats. The game was tight and tense with tempers simmering. Paul Licuria broke free from the shackles of James Bartel to run into an open goal following some good work from Tarrant and Didak. Ablett soccered his first off the ground before Buckley goaled from 50. Despite Davis and Lockyer's good work, the Pies couldn't break free. Simon Prestigiacomo held Kent Kingsley to one goal all night and became an attacking defender more much of the quarter. The Pies went into the break with a four-point lead.
The third quarter was a replay of the first half, with tight and tense footy. While Collingwood couldn't find an avenue to goal all quarter, the Cats peppered the big sticks to no avail. During the quarter, many suspect umpiring decisions arose - ruffling a few Magpie feathers along the way. Even though Tarrant scored the impossible goal late in the term, the Cats went into the final change leading by five points. Ben Johnson and Richard Cole stood strong in defence in spite of the Geelong onslaught.
The last quarter was all Geelong, with Cats running over the Pies to the tune of 29 points. The Cats dominated the whole quarter, with ruckman Steven King the key in the ruck, where he dominated Josh Fraser to help see the Cats to victory. Gray Ablett Junior was also outstanding but his kicking was off line, scoring one goal seven for the night. Although Clement, Lockyer and Buckley tried hard for the Pies, they could not keep up with the pace of the Cats.
Player Review:
Leon Davis: 6/10 – Has added toughness to his game. Fast and exciting, he has worked his way back into the senior team.
Shane Woewodin: 4.5/10 – Very quiet match. Rarely looked threatening.
Ryan Lonie: 6/10 – Continues his recent promising form. Took a fantastic mark and held his own in contests.
Alan Didak: 7/10 – Good match. Was a live wire up forward from start to finish and always gave an option. Added spark to the midfield.
Nathan Buckley: 8/10 – Classy game from a classy player. Although held by Ling, he was able to break the shackles and went forward to score two goals in the last quarter.
Brodie Holland: 3.5/10 – Quiet night after getting a kicking the shin early.
James Clement: 8.5/10 – Excillent match. Won plaenty of the ball and used it as well as always. Heading for All-Australian status.
Shane O’Bree: 3.5/10 – Did a few good things but generally quiet.
Steven McKee: 2/10 – Gave his all in the ruck but didn’t do enough.
Richard Cole: 7.5/10 – Terrific running game out of defence all night but was lucky Ablett’s kicking was off. Never stops trying.
Shane Wakelin: 6.5/10 – Tried hard all night but Graham had the better of him in the last quarter.
Scott Burns: 5/10 – Quiet night for Burns who rotated between half forward and the midfield, where he lacked his usual impact.
Paul Licuria: 4.5/10 – Had a downer after a brilliant few weeks. Looked tired and out of sorts but scored a nice goal in the second.
Chris Tarrant: 6/10 – Gave his all and never sopped running despite having Harley minding him.
Anthony Rocca: 2/10 – Had an absolute shocker and was benched. Really out of sorts.
Tarkyn Lockyer: 7/10 – Kept running and creating all night. His skills are first rate and he is now finding his best form.
Josh Fraser: 4.5/10 – Although he tried hard, King was too much for him as he could not keep up with the All-Australian ruckman.
Ben Johnson: 6.5/10 – Best match for a while. When the side looked flat and lacked run. Johnson provided it with his dash from defence catching the Cats off guard.
Simon Prestigiacomo: 7/10 – Very good all evening on Kingsley, holding him to one goal. Showed very good foot skills all night.
Dane Swan: 1/10 – Had a shocker. Couldn’t find the ball and seemed to lose his composure.
Julian Rowe: 2/10 – Looked good at times and is still developing.
Nick Maxwell: 3/10 – Presented well and looked good. One for the future.