The Result
Collingwood 14.13 (97)
Port Adelaide 10.13 (73)
Goals - Cloke 4, Sidebottom 2, Wellingham 2, Sinclair, Dawes, Beams, Paine, Fasolo, Seedsman
Disposals - Swan 36, O’Brien 29, Pendlebury 29, Beams 27, Sidebottom 26
A seven goal opening term propelled Collingwood to a 24 point win over Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium. In the absence of Luke Ball, several midfielders rolled up their tattoo sleeves, namely Dane Swan and Dayne Beams, and got their hands dirty around the packs. Swan played his most complete match for the season in gathering 36 disposals and seven tackles while Beams picked up where Ball left off with 27 disposals and a goal.
Click here to watch the CTV highlights.
Port Adelaide have made obvious improvements already this season but they were no match for an intense Magpie outfit that laid 72 tackles. Scott Pendlebury (eight tackles), Tom Young (seven) and Swan (seven) led the way around the packs while they gained the ascendancy in the ruck through Darren Jolly who won 36 hitouts against Brent Renouf and Daniel Stewart.
Bucks’ take
“I think we're at about 60 per cent of what we're capable of in that regard. Some of that's fitness, some of that's structure, some of that's personnel. We're still building and we believe we've got a lot of upside in us. (I'm) really encouraged by the intent of the players today. It wasn't going to be about personnel or structure or fitness. It was going to be about intent, our application and our want to be involved in the contest, and to be committed to pressuring the opposition was excellent today.” - Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
Hear more from Bucks in his post match press conference.
Over the fence
“Collingwood's intensity, as we spoke all week to our playing group, was through the roof and I thought (the Pies) tackled with real intent in the first quarter and made us cough the ball up," he said. It's an issue for us, because we need more tackles than what we're getting to help us keep the ball in tight. Tackling is effort level, to the nth degree it's technique, but majority of the time it's effort.” - Port Adelaide coach Matthew Primus.
Read the match report here.
The gun from Gympie
Who saw Lachlan Keeffe coming? The recently turned 22-year-old has quietly snuck up on many football observers with his composure and skill in the key defensive posts in the first four rounds. After winning 16 disposals in the loss to Carlton, the 204cm Queenslander backed it up with another fine performance down back. His growing confidence was underlined by two strong contested marks on the last line of defence, while his disposal and decision-making can’t be questioned. In a team lacking three senior key defenders in Chris Tarrant, Ben Reid and Nathan Brown, Keeffe’s consistency has been terrific.
It’s great to have you back
“We’re so much better with Johnno in the side”.
How many times have you heard that uttered around the stands over the years? Ben Johnson’s run, toughness, trademark left foot and leadership have been noticeable absentees in the opening three rounds as he returned from a hamstring strain. But when he returned against the Power, it was as if he hadn’t missed a beat. Johnson gathered 13 disposals before being subbed out of the match for Paul Seedsman but left his mark on the game with a strong first half.
View the best photos from Collingwood's 24-point win.
His leadership stood out when 17-gamer Alex Fasolo looked caught in two minds as he lined up for goal in the second quarter. Johnson ran up and grabbed his younger teammate and gave him the belief that he could sink the goal from the 50 metre line. After Fasolo goaled, the first man he turned to was Johnson, underlining the respect in which the 31-year-old is held.
Docklands - a home away from home
Collingwood only play there four times a year, but Etihad Stadium has been kind to Collingwood in recent years. Since 2009, the Pies have won nine of their 12 matches at the venue and have not lost there in over two years. The last loss was to St Kilda in round three, 2010, while the club has never lost to Port Adelaide from four meetings at the ground.
The medical room
A clean bill of health was reported from the medical rooms after both AFL and VFL matches on Saturday. Heath Shaw and Dale Thomas are both expected to miss the ANZAC Day blockbuster due to hamstring injuries, while Chris Tarrant (calf) and Ben Reid (quad) have a little longer to wait before being reconsidered for selection.
Super sub
Twenty-year-old Paul Seedsman has begun as the substitute in all three of his matches at senior level but it has not inhibited him from making his mark when his opportunity has arisen. Replacing Ben Johnson during the third quarter, Seedsman quickly accumulated 12 disposals and three marks and added the first goal of his career minutes before the three quarter time siren. His deft kick off the instep to spot up Travis Cloke in the last quarter showed supporters a glimpse of his vision and poise under pressure and illustrated his rapid improvement.
Watch the CTV highlights, including Seedsman's first goal, here.
Consider this
Defender Harry O’Brien roared back to his best form across half back. He won 29 disposals and six marks while providing plenty of spring off the back flank. Although he lowered his colours against Cyril Rioli and Eddie Betts earlier in the year, the 2010 All-Australian quickly returned to top gear, proving why he is such a valuable player.
What does it mean?
- The youngsters are starting to settle into the senior side. Ben Sinclair helped get the side going in the first quarter with his tackling and chasing and managed to kick the opening goal with a snap on the left foot.
- Scott Pendlebury rebounded from a quiet night against Carlton with 29 touches and eight tackles against the Power. In the absence of Ball and Thomas, it was important that he and Swan marshaled the troops around the packs, and both did so superbly.
- Irishman Marty Clarke quietly notched his 50th game against Port Adelaide and capped it off with a clean display at half back. He had 20 disposals, his equal highest total for the season. Importantly, he also laid six tackles - an equal career high.
VFL
Premiership star Alan Didak showed off all his tricks on his way to 29 disposals and two goals in the VFL team’s loss to the Box Hill Hawks on Saturday. Didak had 13 disposals in the first quarter alone and was the side’s clear standout on the day. Young forward Jamie Elliott played his first VFL match for the season and proved he belonged with four goals in the side’s 55-point loss.
Looking ahead…
The Magpies are back to square at 2-2 and face Essendon coming off a four-day break on ANZAC Day (Wednesday). The last time the two sides were in the same position ahead of ANZAC Day was in 2007. Interestingly, Collingwood also played Port Adelaide in round four, but lost in the wet at the MCG. Despite the bruising loss in the wet, the Pies were able to turn the tables on ANZAC Day four days later to record a 16-point win. Can history repeat? We’ll find out in two days. We can hardly wait.
