Notable:
- Collingwood’s eight goals and three behinds marked its highest ever first quarter score in 43 games against the Eagles since 1987. It narrowly surpassed the Magpies’ 8.1 in the Qualifying Final at VFL Park in 1990.
- Not only was it Collingwood’s greatest ever first quarter against the Eagles, it was its best for the season (ahead of its 5.7 against Geelong in round eight). In fact, it was Collingwood’s best first quarter since it kicked 8.2 against the Cats in round 16 last year. The last time the Magpies managed more than 8.3 in an opening quarter was back in round four, 2011, when they beat Richmond by 71 points.
- The win continues the Pies’ winning run against the Coasters at the MCG. It was Collingwood’s eighth successive win against the Eagles at the home of football, with the run beginning with Brodie Holland’s eight goal performance in round two, 2002. The only time the Eagles have ever beaten the Magpies at the MCG was in round two, 1995, when they were fresh off their 1994 premiership triumph. The match was Nathan Buckley’s 25th for Collingwood and John Worsfold’s 158th for the Eagles. Other notable names to feature for the Magpies included Brett James, Brad Rowe, Shane Kerrison and Nick Hider, while the West Coast line-up comprised Fraser Gehrig, Chris Mainwaring and Guy McKenna.
- A fact that has quietly slipped beneath the cracks is that West Coast’s 5.9 (39) was Collingwood’s equal lowest score against all season (level with Melbourne in round 11). In fact, four of the Magpies’ seven lowest scores against for the season have been registered in the past five weeks – a sure sign that the Collingwood machine is beginning to fire on all cylinders.
- It’s high time that Josh Thomas received his dues. The 21-year-old banana bender had to wait patiently for his injured feet to heel during his first three years at the club but it has proven to be worth the wait for both player and club. In his 17th match, Thomas feasted on 35 possessions (19 kicks, 16 handballs), of which seven took the ball inside 50. He also won a career-high 27 uncontested possessions and notched four clearances (one behind Scott Pendlebury who led the way with five). Thomas’ 35 possessions easily outstripped his previous career-best of 28 against Fremantle in round seven. Importantly, he hit the scoreboard for the third week running after a four-week dry spell. Having featured in every match since round 10 and with a new two-year deal in his back pocket, it now appears that Thomas is a fixture in Collingwood’s best 22.
Cast your vote in this week’s Magpie Army Player of the Year Award now.
| Player | K | H | D | M | HO | FF | FA | T | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. Scott Pendlebury | 18 | 19 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 24. Josh Thomas | 19 | 16 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 36. Dane Swan | 16 | 18 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 8. Harry O'Brien | 13 | 17 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 40. Paul Seedsman | 16 | 14 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 46. Marley Williams | 19 | 8 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 39. Heath Shaw | 13 | 13 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 22. Steele Sidebottom | 16 | 9 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 27. Ben Kennedy | 12 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14. Luke Ball | 10 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 11. Jarryd Blair | 2 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. Tyson Goldsack | 9 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23. Lachlan Keeffe | 7 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 32. Travis Cloke | 13 | 3 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 4. Alan Didak | 8 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20. Ben Reid | 9 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 21. Quinten Lynch | 7 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. Brent Macaffer | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. Nick Maxwell | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 41. Sam Dwyer | 6 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 16. Nathan Brown | 5 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 35. Brodie Grundy | 5 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Key
K: Kicks, H: Handballs, D: Disposals, M: Marks, HO: Hitouts, FF: Free Kicks For, FA: Free Kicks Against, T: Tackles, G: Goals, B: Behinds.
