Three Collingwood teams have played against traditional rivals Essendon during ANZAC week in an important few days for the Club.
The AFL, VFL, and VFLW sides all took to either the MCG or Victoria Park to play the Bombers, with three thrilling contests staged.
Things started with a dramatic draw in the ANZAC Day AFL clash at the ‘G, before the Bombers were too good in the VFL/W games over the weekend.
AFL – Collingwood (85) drew with Essendon (85)
In a dramatic finish, the Pies’ ANZAC Day clash ended in a draw for the first time since its maiden staging against the Bombers in 1995.
A whopping 93,000 plus crowd came into the MCG to witness the Thursday afternoon clash, and they were treated to history early with Collingwood legend Scott Pendlebury becoming the first player in VFL/AFL history to record 10,000 disposals.
That was amongst a hot start by the Bombers who led by 19 points at the first break, with the Pies wasteful in front of goal – with six first-quarter behinds.
The Pies found their mojo in the second term with a four-goal to one quarter reducing the margin to just a solitary point at the main break, setting up a mouth-watering second half.
Jamie Elliott set the tone in the third quarter with one of the greatest marks in Collingwood history, while Patrick Lipinski and Lachie Schultz hit the scoreboard to give their side a narrow lead at three-quarter time.
With the two sides trading one-point leads at half and three-quarter time, it was almost fitting the final score ended level, with a mirrored score-line of 12 goals and 13 behinds where things ended.
Brody Mihocek was a standout for Collingwood with nine score involvements that included three goals, while Nick Daicos (27 disposals) and Darcy Moore (23 disposals and eight marks) were also important.
Harvey Harrison also impressed when coming on as the sub in the fourth term, kicking a goal early into his time of the ground and recording seven touches in barely a quarter of football.
Despite gaining two points from the draw, the Pies remain in tenth position – where they sat at the beginning of Round Seven – and will now face the sixth-placed Blues on Friday night.
VFLW – Collingwood (47) defeated by Essendon (64)
The Pies’ VFLW side kicked off a double-header at Victoria Park on Saturday against the Bombers and fought hard in an exciting match.
The Bombers started strong with three goals in the first term, however AFLW-listed forward Alan Porter got the home side on the board with a goal of her own.
That was one of her two goals for the day, while Katie Day also kicked two – one of which was a brilliant snap in the third term to keep the Pies within touching distance.
Nell Morris-Dalton – playing her first VFLW match for the year in her second season at the Club – also found the big sticks and looked dangerous inside fifty, while Carly Remmos continued her strong form with 16 touches and a goal.
Tarni White was a force through the centre of the ground and applied pressure all day to lead her side with nine tackles and four clearances, while ruck Lilly Pearce was dominant with 36 hitouts.
The result was put out of reach as the Bombers extended their lead to 26-points in the final term, however the Pies refused to give up and eventually went down by 17 points.
The team travels to Sydney this Saturday to take on the Swans for the first time in the VFLW competition, in what is expected to be a highly competitive game.
Both Clubs will field teams brimming with AFLW talent as they gear up for pre-season which begins in early June.
VFL – Collingwood (85) defeated by Essendon (97)
In the second game at Victoria Park on Saturday, the Pies narrowly fell to Essendon in another back-and-forth contest.
Collingwood took the ascendancy early with a five-point lead at the first break, largely on the back of a hot start from Josh Carmichael who kicked two goals in the opening term.
The second quarter wasn’t quite as fruitful for the home side as they conceded six majors to none, with the Pies trailing by 32 points at half time.
A strong response in the third term got proceedings right back on the Pies’ terms, with two goals to Jack Hutchinson and five for the team brining the margin back into single digits.
Led by Finlay Macrae and Lachie Sullivan in the midfield, the Pies were surging as the final term rolled around, with a series of shots on goal by the latter allowing the home side to assume the lead early in the fourth.
Essendon wrestled momentum back with consecutive goals, however when Co-captain Campbell Lane stepped up to kick his third goal of the year and Ash Johnson slotted his second of the day shortly after, the margin was just one point late in the final term.
It wasn’t to be however, as Essendon iced the game, running out 12-point winners in an exciting game of football.
Macrae was the standout with 31 touches, while Johnson’s two goals went in tandem with a career-high 20 disposals in a hybrid game the spanned both defence and attack.
Now sitting 13th with a two-win and three-loss record, the Pies travel to Southport this week in an important clash against the standalone Sharks.
Wheelchair – Bye week
The Victoria Wheelchair Football League kicked off on Sunday, with Collingwood given the bye first up.
They will play their first game of the season next Sunday when they take on the Bombers at the State Netball Hockey Centre from 2:00pm.
