Collingwoodfc.com.au analyses the must-knows from the season opener against Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.

The Result
Collingwood 16.19 (115)
Hawthorn 20.17 (137)

Goals - Blair 3, Fasolo 2, Cloke 2, Pendlebury 2, Jolly 2, Thomas 2, Shaw, Swan, Paine
Disposals - Pendlebury 33, Swan 31, Sidebottom 23, Ball 21, Blair 20.

By the standards of previous round one matches, this game was a beauty, especially if you are a neutral. For Collingwood supporters, the ebbs and flows of the match meant that it was edge-of-your-seat stuff from go to whoa. It was a game that saw both sides surge when the momentum swung their way. Hawthorn threatened to take the game away late in the second quarter and at the beginning of the third, but Collingwood continued to peg them back and by the 10 minute mark of the final term had edged in front by five points.

Click here to watch the CTV highlights.

Unfortunately, from there the Hawks stole the momentum largely due to the presence of Lance Franklin in attack. Although Ben Reid and Lachlan Keeffe performed well, holding ‘Buddy’ for the full 120 minutes is a task beyond most players. His five goals (and the dynamic Cyril Rioli) were the difference on the night.

Bucks’ take
“You can absolutely put that down to the youth in the side and the fact that we had seven players who have played 27 games of AFL in their legs. The guys that do have the experience end up working doubly hard potentially for that. It's the work rate of 22 players that's required over the course of four quarters. Whilst we lost the game in the end, and the last 15 minutes was fairly convincing to Hawthorn, there was some positive signs in the first three-and-a-half quarters.” - Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

Over the fence
“There was daylight between Geelong and Collingwood and the rest of the competition last year, and what we were trying to do over the summer was try to bridge that gap a little bit. Now, beating them in the first round of the season doesn't suggest that we're there. We've still got a lot of work to do. It's round one. We're pleased that we were able to beat a very, very good opponent tonight, but we don't get much respite.” - Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson.

The captains know their stuff
The wisdom of the AFL captains can’t be denied. Eight skippers nominated Scott Pendlebury as the man most likely to take out the Brownlow Medal in season 2012. While there are still 21 matches to come, the newly re-signed vice-captain began on the perfect note. Against Hawthorn, he gathered 33 disposals, six tackles and two goals and was a force no matter whether the ball was up for grabs in a contest or in open space. Captaining the side in the absence of Nick Maxwell, Pendlebury did the position justice.

The big white sticks
Collingwood’s effort and endeavour couldn’t be questioned. The Magpies chased and harassed and fought hard to keep the ball locked inside 50, but unfortunately just couldn’t take a trick in front of goal. The side managed 16.19 for the night and was 2.7 at quarter time. At the end of the night, the Pies had managed 35 scoring shots to Hawthorn’s 37, suggesting that the game was in fact even closer than the end result suggests.

The fountain of youth
A total of eight changes were made to the side that fell short against Geelong in last year’s Grand Final. Only one of these (Tyson Goldsack) has over 50 games of experience, with the remaining seven still learning the ropes in one way or another. Marty Clarke returned for his first match in over two years, and three (Jackson Paine, Paul Seedsman and Peter Yagmoor) appeared for the first time. In fact, the Magpies fielded a team that included seven players with 13 games or less to their names. Although the Hawks were without several key players of their own, namely Luke Hodge and Max Bailey, the efforts of the young Magpies can’t go unnoticed.

The medical room
No new injuries were reported after the match, and the news only got better the following day when Ben Johnson (hamstring) and Chris Tarrant (foot) returned for the first time this year, and others such as Dayne Beams (shin) and Cameron Wood (shoulder) worked some further run into their legs.

Welcome back
The Collingwood crowd was pleased to see Marty Clarke step back out onto the field for the first time since round 12, 2009. Although he played in three NAB Cup matches, it was his first outing in the MCG cauldron and, what’s more, against a red hot Hawthorn. He acquitted himself well at half back and with his run through the midfield, gathering 10 kicks and three handballs.

Consider this
Want a weird, irrelevant stat?

Late in the third quarter, Collingwood sat on 11.15 (81). The relevance? That was the Pies’ score when the siren sounded the last time the two sides met in round one. That was back in 2001 when the Magpies lost by four points.

What does it mean?
-    Seven players with less than 15 games experience and the Magpies still led half way through the final quarter.
-    Jarryd Blair looks set to improve again. He had 20 disposals, made smart decisions with the ball in hand and pushed forward for three goals. A big pre-season is clearly paying dividends.
-    The three debutants will all be better for the experience. Paul Seedsman (five disposals) and Peter Yagmoor (no disposals, two tackles) were substituted for each other and enjoyed a taste of the big time. Jackson Paine gave a great showing in attack, kicking 1.1 from six disposals. His presence took the heat off Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes, and allowed the latter the chance to help Darren Jolly at the stoppages.

VFL
The VFL Magpies made a slow start against Geelong at Simonds Stadium but came home with a strong second half and nearly pinched a win against a much-improved Geelong outfit. Chris Tarrant (nine disposals) and Ben Johnson (16) returned from injury while premiership players Sharrod Wellingham (30 disposals) and Dayne Beams (28) began to hit top form.

Looking ahead…
A big crowd will roll through the gates again on Saturday night as Collingwood will take on a developing Richmond outfit that will be keen to prove a point after its loss to Carlton in round one. The Magpies have not lost to Richmond since round 19, 2007, and will be hell-bent keep that record in tact.