Taylor Adams the workhorse
13 clearances…an unbelievably competitive and hard working performance from Taylor Adams on Friday night. After a particularly quiet round one, Adams set the tone early and brought the rest of the side with him.
Finishing the game with 29 disposals, 18 of those contested and 7 tackles, Adams allowed the Pies to move the ball forward cleanly from centre bounces.
It was a theme for the night, the ball movement was considerably slicker, and a lot of that came off the back of the work done in and under the contest from the likes of Adams and Pendlebury.
Darcy Moore, the premier defender in the league
18 intercept possessions (second most in Collingwood history) and an eye catching contest with Blues’ forward Harry McKay, it was another elite level performance for the key defender.
It was exciting to see how Darcy was able to do his job defensively, but then start the chain of disposals that often led to a Collingwood shot on goal. His booming right foot often launches the ball over the opposition defensive structure and allows the Pies forwards to get to work.
It’s hard not to feel confident when the ball goes towards Darcy, and despite McKay kicking 4 goals himself, the Collingwood backline was instrumental in preventing the Blues from hitting the scoreboard during a high pressure third quarter.
Brodie Grundy is back to his best
After a variety of criticism throughout the week, Brodie’s back.
Bucks called it in his press conference on Monday, “I’ll back my bloke in”, and Brodie delivered.
51 hit-outs, 16 disposals and 6 tackles, it was the Grundy of 2018 that Pies fans got to watch on Thursday night.
Despite Pittonet hitting the scoreboard early, Grundy’s ability to win the ball around the ground coupled with his dominance in the ruck laid the basis for a star performance.
What was more noticeable this week in comparison to last week’s match, was the way in which Brodie was able to have more control over where the ball ended up at stoppages. This undeniably helped the Collingwood midfielders control the clearances, particularly early on in the match.
Forward line functioning
With only 7 goals against the Bulldogs in round one, the onus was on the Pies forward line to hit the scoreboard on Thursday night. Unquestionably, considering the Pies had 26 scoring shots for the match, the forward line delivered.
It all started early with Jordan De Goey scoring 4 first half goals. In his 100th game for the Pies, the script was written perfectly for De Goey, who made the first half his own. The Blues weren’t able to find a suitable match-up for his dynamic speed and power through the forward line.
Mason Cox popped up for 2 goals in the second half, helping stem the momentum of the Blues who had a large portion of possession and owned the territory for the 3rd quarter. It was Mason’s ability to meet the ball at the highest point that meant the Carlton defenders had no answer for the big man.
The midfield mix
One of the more noticeable tactical changes in the 2021 season so far has been the emergence of Jack Crisp as a midfielder for the Pies. Moved into the guts last week as a means of trying to add some run and speed to the Pies midfield, Crispy backup it up this week with a match-high disposals of 36 disposals.
This change allows players such as Brayden Maynard, John Noble and Isaac Quaynor to step up across the half back-line. It also provides the opportunity for the classier ball-users in the side such as Steele Sidebottom and Jordan De Goey to maintain positions up the ground.
Carlton 13.7.85
Collingwood 16.10.106
Goals: De Goey 4, Mihocek 3, Cox 2, Elliott 2, Adams, Daicos, Hoskin-Elliott, Roscoe, Sidebottom
Best: Adams, Moore, De Goey, Pendlebury, Crisp, Noble
