There were plenty of learnings to take from Thursday nights heart breaking defeat to the Lions, here are some of the key ones:
Moments count
Despite a very respectable overall performance, the result of the match unquestionably came down to the moments. Unfortunately for Collingwood, the Lions were able to make the most of their opportunities, particularly late in the game.
There were several disappointing moments for the Pies that eventually were made to count when Zac Bailey went back and slotted his goal after the siren. Callum Brown’s miss with just minutes left will resonate with Pies fans, but there was a multitude of dropped marks, poor kicks inside 50 and unfortunate skill errors that ultimately played a role in determining the result.
Grundy class on show
28 disposals, 54 hit outs (20 to advantage), 5 marks and 6 tackles. Grundy can hold his head high after clearly being the most dominant player on the ground.
Setting the tempo early, Brodie was massive in the 1st half as he provided the midfield with the silver service Pies fans have come so accustomed to. His constant success in and around the contest gave the Pies great access to the ball and quite often first crack at a chance going forward.
It was more than just the hit-outs that stood out in Brodie’s game, his 18 contested possessions were crucial in ensuring the Pies were able to win the footy and nullify Brisbane’s dangerous midfield.
The defence is better when Isaac Quaynor is there
As soon as the ball went towards Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron early in the 1st quarter, Pies fans were relieved when Quaynor was able to take him straight to ground. Despite kicking 2 goals for the night, Charlie’s impact around the ground was noticeably limited.
Quaynor had 9 intercept possessions for the night (an equal match high), alongside 24 disposals and 9 marks. What was most prevalent in his game on Thursday night was his contested work, particularly when left in a 1 on 1 situation. Quite often Quaynor was able to beat his direct opponent and use his speed and decision making to rebound the ball back in the other direction.
Pies need the ball in John Noble’s hands
With so many high percentage ball users on the half-backline, sometimes John Noble slips under the radar. But Pies fans should be buoyed by the way Noble has risen into the role off half-back left absent by Jack Crisp’s move into the midfield.
Noble had 20 disposals on Thursday night, 16 of which were by foot, at an astounding 90% disposal efficiency. His ability to distribute from deep in defence helped the Pies get out of trouble on multiple occasions. Quite often Noble would use his skills by foot to hit short kicks to a target, allowing the team to control the pace of the game and set up an attack.
Jordan Roughead’s sticky fingers
17 marks and several goal saving efforts from Roughead on Thursday night. A player that largely goes unrecognised, and someone who’s impact on the game doesn’t normally show on the stats sheet, it was a very impressive performance from the defender.
Roughead found himself against Lions’ forward Eric Hipwood for most of the night and was able to keep the dynamic youngster to just 1 goal. His ability to read the play and intercept the ball was at it’s best against the Lions, a vital cog in the well-oiled machine that is the Collingwood back 6.
Collingwood 11.6.72
Brisbane 11.7.73
Goals: Cox 2, Daicos 2, Mihocek 2, De Goey, Howe, Sidebottom, Sier, Thomas
Best: Grundy, Roughead, Howe, Quaynor, Noble, Pendlebury
