COLLINGWOOD nailed the Mother’s Day brief. Lunch for the players’ mums at the club, a march from the AIA Centre to the MCG, flowers in the rooms before the bounce and, most importantly, four premiership points for the drive home on Sunday night.
While Beau McCreery’s mum Julie travelled from South Australia and provided Craig McRae’s men with a spirited pre-game rev-up inside the rooms, Jeanette Cox spent the first few hours of Mother’s Day in Texas watching her boy produce a vintage performance to lead the Magpies to a 65-point win over Greater Western Sydney.
Mason Cox saves his best for special days on the calendar, and this was one of the very best of the American’s 98 games in black and white in the 18.12 (120) to 7.13 (55) win.
With the Magpies’ No. 1 ruckman Darcy Cameron watching on from the stands, alongside Billy Frampton and Dan McStay, the two makeshift options Craig McRae has turned to since round three, Cox produced a timely reminder of his unique kitbag, just two weeks after his remarkable story was beamed into millions of households across the United States via 60 Minutes.
Cox did it all. The Oklahoma State product collected 25 hit-outs, 19 disposals, nine marks, four contested marks and two goals in a performance stacked full of highlights that might be picked up by ESPN, CNN or CBS.
Collingwood is now a game clear on top of the ladder after nine rounds, moving to 8-1 after winning a fifth straight game since the Easter Thursday loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.
Despite everything they achieved under McRae during a wild ride from second last in 2021 to the second-last weekend of September in 2022, the Magpies started 2023 with a question mark next to its name. That has been erased in the first two months of this season.
Greater Western Sydney registered the first behind of the game, but from the moment Bobby Hill produced a moment of magic five minutes in, Collingwood was rarely troubled.
In his first game against his old side, Hill dribbled a clever goal around Nick Haynes at the city end to kick the first of the game.
Ten minutes later he added a second goal as the Magpies moved through the gears and started to rev. When Jamie Elliott slotted his first 30 seconds later, Collingwood was in cruise control.
They led by five goals at the main break and overcame being reversed over during a brief push from the Giants after half-time, to coast towards another victory under McRae.
And after another week of widespread interest in the merits of tagging Nick Daicos, the second-year sensation thrived on greater freedom.
Without a tagger following him around like a caravan, the Rolls Royce amassed 41 disposals and 540 metres gained in a spellbinding effort at the MCG.
COLLINGWOOD 5.1 9.4 13.8 18.12 (120)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.4 3.8 6.9 7.13 (55)
GOALS
Collingwood: Elliott 3, Mihocek 2, McCreery 2, Hill 2, Ginnivan 2, Cox 2, Hoskin-Elliott 2, De Goey, Johnson, J.Daicos
Greater Western Sydney: Hogan 3, O'Halloran, Kelly, Callaghan, Ash
INJURIES
Collingwood: TBC
Greater Western Sydney: TBC
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Reef McInnes (replaced Scott Pendlebury in fourth quarter)
Greater Western Sydney: Callan Ward (replaced Callum Brown in third quarter)
Crowd: 37,631 at the MCG
