It was a tough pill to swallow on Saturday night, but there were definitely learnings to take away from the 30 points loss to the Giants.

Here are 5 of them:

Madge on the wing

25 disposals and a wonder goal from Jack Madgen on Saturday night, who played a majority of the game on the wing. In an experiment that worked wonders for the Pies, Madge’s athleticism, speed and awareness provided the Pies with a great option on the outside.

Madge’s running capabilities have largely gone un-utilised in his spot down back, the freedom to run allowed him to push forward for the first time in his career. On the impossible angle from about 45 meters out, Madge went back and put it straight over the goal umpire’s head. In what was a tough game for goals and an even tougher game at the cold-face, Madge on the wing will definitely be a more common theme going forward.

Beau is a battler

In his first proper appearance in the black and white, it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for Mccreery. A kick off the ground with his first touch in AFL got Pies fans out of their seats and even Roughy ran from full-back to give Mccreery a high five.

It was always going to be a tough game for the debutant, but the statistic that sticks out prominently from Mccreery was the fact that he led the team for tackles. Eventually amassing 8 tackles (1 more than the 7 disposals he had on the night), Mccreery’s desire to crash through the opposition and never give up on the ball will make him a valued asset of the Pies forward line very quickly.

It starts at the source

It didn’t help that two of the bigger bodies in the Collingwood midfield weren’t able to finish the game, but despite Sier and Adams being absent from the engine room it was unfortunate that nobody stood up in their place.

The Pies lost the clearances 32 to 36 on the night, but the more damning stat was the -25 in contested possessions. With a star-studded West Coast Eagles midfield awaiting the Pies next Friday night, the contested work will need to be better if Collingwood is going to be a chance.

Forward pressure increase

The pressure forwards can hold their heads high after a season high 24 inside 50 tackles on Saturday night. Leading into the game the Pies had only 23 inside 50 tackles for the season, which just reflects how big of an effort it was. Five in round one, five again in round two and 13 in round 3.

There was a clear shift in mindset from the smaller forwards alongside Mccreery, Josh Thomas had 6 tackles and Callum Brown had 4 tackles on the night. Will Hoskin-Elliott was also one of the better players for the Pies on the night, kicking 2 goals and taking 5 marks.

Offensive efficiency

It wasn’t a great night for the flashy ball users but after a week of talking about offensive efficiency being one of the key indicators of the successful teams in the competition, better was expected than what was seen against the Giants.

The Pies midfield wasn’t able to find the time and space through the middle of the ground to hit the targets going forward. Jack Crisp went at 40%, Sidebottom 46%, Pendlebury 60% and Grundy 50%. When these figures are compared to the Giants’ midfield who were significantly more effective and efficient, it really tells the tale of the night.

Collingwood 9.6.60
Giants 14.6.90

Goals: De Goey 2, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Daicos, Madgen, Mccreery, Mihocek, Thomas
Best: Sidebottom, Hoskin-Elliott, Madgen, Mayne, Crisp