Post Match. Pies sink Suns. All comments, please

[RudeBoy]

I was rapt in the win. Make no mistake, Cold Toast gave everything in that game. In the end it was a good win. Sure we've got room for improvement, but we are coming good at the right time.

Without doubt JDG is our most important player, because he is a match winner. After missing about 2 months, his return demonstrated his class, kicking 4 goals and giving us 3 others.

Treloar was magnificent in the midfield. Sure, some of his disposals are rushed and tend to spray a bit, but last night he was instrumental in straightening us up, with his runs and kick's going forward. Let's hope his hammies hold up as he is our only reliable pack breaker.

Cox put in a stellar performance. When he is on, he is one of our most important players. His job now is to become a consistently good player for us. He doesn't even have to take lots of marks or kick bags of goals, but hitting the packs hard and contesting, opens up scoring opportunities for our smaller forwards.

Despite being beaten early, I thought IQ fought his way back into the game and his marking, run and excellent kicking, were important reasons we won.

It was also one of Daicos' best games. He is looking more and more like his old man, with his low centre of gravity and ability to spin and weave through traffic with ease. After 3 years with us, I was unsure last season whether he'd make it as an AFL player. He is now destined to be a 10 yr player for us.

We ended up winning by 4 goals and remember that they got 2 goals from absolute howlers from the usually reliable Maynard. To my mind, it was like a 6 goal win.

We still have significant room for improvement. Last night Adams and Pendles had relatively quiet games, and we surely need them in top form in the finals. Grundy has definitely been labouring a bit, but still is playing well each week. The week off before the finals should help freshen him up.

Hopefully Sier will return, as his strength and quick hands in close will help us a lot. Sidey, Phillips and Mayne are also certain starters, should they be available for selection. It seems that Howe is very unlikely to make it back in time, but at least we have found a real warrior in Madgen as his replacement.

I'm tipping us to beat Port next week and scare the living daylight out of the other finalists. Make no mistake, in this strange and weird season, despite us finishing outside the top 4, the flag is ours for the taking.

[Magpietothemax]

^^ I agree Rudey, thanks for this great post, both optimistic but still very realistic. This is a very strange and weird season. To use a cliche, the only predictable thing is the unpredictable. Anything can happen, and in a very short timespan as well. I think that Mason Cox surging into form has an enormous significance in itself. If this is a turning point, then it casts our finals campaign in a totally different light. Cox and JDG together, both in form, create an ominous threat for any opposition. We just need Stepho to come back in and hit form next week and we need Sier to come back in. Even without Sidey and Howe, I think Stepho back, and told to use his speed above all else, and Sier to help Tay in the midfield, and anything is possible this year.

[David]

[mattdally]

Really liked last night's game.
Our backline - the best in the comp by far - continues to do a job.
A lot of people on here worried about us making up the numbers. If we can continue to restrict teams from scoring we will be extremely hard to beat in any finals game.

Port have conceded 4 points more than us this season so they are the real benchmark. They have been able to score freely but not at the Gabba. Big game Monday

[ThePieMind]

[K]

[K]

[K]

[mattdally]

[BazBoy]

This GF will be played in unpredictable conditions and while good play will matter the slippery ball and turf will create the element of luck—

Talking about this and the side’s we share final,s with as yet only one side has taken us to the cleaners (Weagles) & we lost by 8 to Bears and Port are yet to beat us. So currently 6 of the 8 ain’t beat us

That gives me a small bit of self belief in us.

As a commentator said last night “In this season any thing can happen “

[K]

[JC Hartley]

For the third consecutive year, Collingwood have qualified for finals in 2020 by overcoming Gold Coast by 22 points. The Magpies had to overcome a slow and haphazard start in the opening term where they lost field position, disposals and clearances, to ultimately grind the Suns over the next three quarters by playing a quicker and cleaner brand of direct footy that enabled Collingwood's forwards to take more marks and convert most of their opportunities. Gold Coast threatened numerous times to pull away or tighten the screws on the scoreboard, but failed to punish the Woods with several goals missed, while they also gave away free kicks in their attacking arc, which allowed the Magpies off the hook and were able to counter-attack with goals that made the Suns pay dearly for their poor conversion as the game went longer and deeper. Greater cohesion and conversion from Collingwood's forwards proved to be the difference in a dour and scrappy encounter for most of the night.

Collingwood won their statistical categories from disposals by +24 (325 - 301), handballs were won by +24 (136 - 112), contested possessions had a differential of +1 (117 - 116), while uncontested possessions were +38 (211 - 173), and +2 for intercept possessions (64 - 62). Marks had an advantage of +14 ( 82 - 68 ), with uncontested marks won by +8 (72 - 64), and Contested Marks were won by +6 (10 - 4), while tackles had a margin of +8 (55 - 47), and +4 for Inside 50s (45 - 41). Gold Coast won the hit-outs by +4 (35 - 31), clearances by +3 (30 - 27), centre clearances were won by +3 (10 - 7), while Marks Inside 50 had a differential of +3 (8 - 5). Kicks (189 each), stoppage clearances (20 apiece), and Tackles Inside 50 (7 all) were the only neutral categories from the match.

Adam Treloar (26 disposals @ 58%, 296 metres gained, 12 contested possessions, 14 uncontested possessions, 10 kicks, 16 handballs, 5 tackles, 5 score involvements, 3 clearances, 2 centre clearances & 4 Inside 50s) stood up under pressure, and straightened Collingwood's ball movement when he decided to be aggressive with his decision making.

Josh Daicos (21 disposals @ 76%, 301 metres gained, 6 contested possessions, 15 uncontested possessions, 3 intercept possessions, 10 kicks, 11 handballs, 5 marks, 2 clearances, 2 stoppage clearances, 2 Inside 50s & 2 Rebound 50s) displayed composure with his ball use, which has been a hallmark of his game for the entire season. Kept his width on the wing, and used it well.

Scott Pendlebury (19 disposals @ 84%, 186 metres gained, 12 contested possessions, 7 uncontested possessions, 4 intercept possessions, 7 kicks, 12 handballs, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 2 goal assists, 8 score involvements, 7 clearances, 3 centre clearances, 4 stoppage clearances & 4 Inside 50's) recovered from a barren opening term (no disposals) to generate ball movement in the clinches, before finding time and space to kick the ball a bit more in the second half. Pendlebury knows how to find time and space every time.

Taylor Adams (18 disposals @ 72%, 299 metres gained, 5 contested possessions, 13 uncontested possessions, 11 kicks, 7 handballs, 5 tackles, 6 score involvements, 2 clearances & 4 Inside 50s) found it tough early, but got better as the game progressed by finding time and space to escape pressure with neat ball use.

Jamie Elliott (16 disposals @ 75%, 272 metres gained, 4 contested possessions, 12 uncontested possessions, 9 kicks, 7 handballs, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 3 score involvements & 6 Inside 50s) flourished again as a midfielder by providing territory and field position to allow his team more time to defend behind the ball. Elliott looms as a point of difference for the remainder of the season.

Tyler Brown (14 disposals @ 86%, 219 metres gained, 6 contested possessions, 8 uncontested possessions, 3 intercept possessions, 9 kicks, 5 handballs, 5 marks, 2 score involvements, 2 clearances, 2 stoppage clearances, 2 Inside 50s & 1 goal) played his most assured game for the club. Brown was able to gather the ball cleanly, took some marks, and capped it off with a goal.

Levi Greenwood (14 disposals @ 50%, 161 metres gained, 6 contested posssessions, 8 uncontested possessions, 4 intercept possessions, 8 kicks, 6 handballs, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 3 score involvements & 4 Inside 50s) played with an uncompromising edge of hardness and toughness. Ball use needs work, but he has got the ingredients that will be required in finals.

Brodie Grundy (12 disposals @ 100%, 5 contested possessions, 7 uncontested possessions, 2 intercept possessions, 27 kit-outs, 3 kicks, 9 handballs, 2 marks, 8 tackles & 4 score involvements) got outplayed by Jarrod Witts for most of the night, but he was able to bounce back by winning his fair share of hit-outs, and locked the ball in with ferocious tackles.

Jack Crisp (23 disposals @ 78%, 356 metres gained, 6 contested possessions, 17 uncontested possessions, 5 intercept possessions, 13 kicks, 10 handballs, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 3 score involvements, 5 Inside 50s, 2 Rebound 50s & 1 goal) generated significant transition from defence in his 150th game, and pushed up the ground to be an ultra-aggressive option for his teammates.

John Noble (21 disposals @ 76%, 262 metres gained, 6 contested possessions, 15 uncontested possessions, 6 intercept possessions, 13 kicks, 8 handballs, 5 marks, 2 score involvements & 4 Rebound 50s) has become a revelation as a small defender. Maintained possession effectively and took marks to slow the game down, especially when the Suns were running rampant.

Isaac Quaynor (17 disposals @ 88%, 372 metres gained, 4 contested possessions, 13 uncontested possessions, 7 intercept possessions, 12 kicks, 5 handballs, 7 marks, 2 tackles, 2 score involvements & 5 Rebound 50s) provided damage off half-back with his desire to kick long to a contest or biting off a risky kick to open the play up for the team, and he worked extremely hard to take several marks behind the ball. Quaynor & Noble are complimenting each other brilliantly, like Crisp does with Maynard.

Brayden Maynard (16 disposals @ 88%, 452 metres gained, 4 contested possessions, 12 uncontested possessions, 7 interercept possessions, 15 kicks, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 3 score involvements & 6 Rebound 50s) was exceptional with his booming kicks out of defence working a treat. However, he did screw up two kick-ins that resulted in goals to the Suns. Aside from those two blunders, Maynard intercepted and linked up brilliantly.

Jordan Roughead (14 disposals @ 64%, 240 metres gained, 4 contested possessions, 10 uncontested possessions, 4 intercept possessions, 10 kicks, 4 handballs, 6 marks & 4 Rebound 50s) played with a bit more dare behind the ball by taking crucial marks before finding a loose target to maintain possession.

Darcy Moore (14 disposals @ 86%, 250 metres gained, 3 contested possessions, 11 uncontested possessions, 4 intercept possessions, 10 kicks, 4 handballs, 4 marks, 2 Contested Marks, 2 tackles & 5 Rebound 50s) pushed higher up the ground to imapct contests in the air, before using the ball effectively from defence to commence each attack on transition.

Will Hoskin-Elliott (16 disposals @ 81%, 199 metres gained, 4 contested possessions, 12 uncontested possessions, 2 intercept possessions, 9 kicks, 7 handballs, 9 marks, 5 score involvements, 2 Inside 50s & 1 goal) was the conduit option for the Magpies as a high half-forward that would lead up at the ball carrier and take several marks without failing. Hoskin-Elliott was also able to kick a crucial goal against the run of play in the opening term. Found form against the Suns, and will need to replicate that against Port Adelaide before the finals.

Jordan De Goey (10 disposals @ 60%, 218 metres gained, 6 contested possessions, 4 uncontested possessions, 8 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 marks, 2 Marks Inside 50, 7 score involvements & 4 goals) made an immediate impact upon return by scoring three goals in the first half when Collingwood were under the pump, before booting his 4th goal in the third term to keep the Woods in touch with the Suns. De Goey was the ultimate difference in a night where goals were at a premium.

Mason Cox (8 disposals @ 88%, 138 metres gained, 7 contested possessions, 4 hit-outs, 5 kicks, 3 handballs, 7 marks, 4 Contested Marks, 5 score involvements, 2 Inside 50s & 2 goals) finally strung a game together for the first time in 2020, by providing a contest at all times, took some great marks, and kicked two telling goals. His second goal in the last quarter was amazing, and the Woods never looked back once he kicked that goal. Replicate that standard for the remainder of 2020, Mason.

Collingwood's next game will be against Port Adelaide on September 21 at the Gabba. The plan against the Power is to dominate field position, clearances & Inside 50s over four quarters. That is how the Power play their best footy, and the Magpies will need to beat them at their own game to collect the points in Scott Pendlebury's 314th game. Pendlebury will pass Tony Shaw (313) for the most club games, and will ultimately pass the captaincy record previously set by current coach Nathan Buckley who captained the club 161 times. Scott Pendlebury will lead the Woods out for the 162nd time as the club's skipper, meaning he will break two records in the same game. The team result will be more prevalent than the individual accolades that Pendlebury will have. Get it done against a powerful (excuse the pun) team before the finals.

[matrix10]

Great write up JC

A pleasing result- game not that pretty - but considering lack of continuity in team this year, along with slippery ball- if you havent spent a night at the gabba with humidity you cannot truly understand how tricky the conditions were- some very pleasing signs.

Take away Maynards two brain farts and they kick 4 goals. Add a freakish 15 min burst from Sexton for 3 goals and we dominated play for the majority.

Forward line looked potent again- midfield was Ok- really missed Sidey's running up and down the wings -and dare I say it- Phillips.

GC are a decent side who gave it their all- they have serious talent and would be wanting to finish the season strong since dropping off after promising opening.

Bring on next week and finals- if we are to do any damage the extra games will benefit us

[neil]

Happy to win
Noticed that Varcoe is failing fast and Greenwood is very slow now hopefully it related to his knee injury rather than time

Noble does some great stuff but also cannot turn when he has the ball. if facing goals he kicke forward if running into defence and gets the ball kicks straight to FB This does my head in

We need Sidey back

Magden gets better every week

[think better]

Two ideas for some weirdness

1. I wonder if Pendles is having some sort of painkiller just prior to the game which means it takes some time to come good (could explain no possessions in the first quarter)

2. I also wonder if the corky that Maynard got last week has effected his kicking (could explain his two terrible disposals for someone who is an elite kick)

and just BTW I love it when Cox is up and about and feeling cocky (no pun intended). His strutting and mouthing off to the opposition is pretty funny.