Hope for the future
Pies fans should be ecstatic with the way in which Collingwood’s next generation of players have hit the ground running. The standout on Friday night was Oliver Henry, who has returned to the AFL after a stint in the VFL to regain his confidence.
Henry was outstanding against Port Adelaide, finishing the game with two goals and three behinds from 15 disposals. A natural forward, Henry has proven he’s more than capable at the level. It’s going to be exciting to see what he can do to finish off the 2021 season.
Debutants Jack Ginnivan and Anton Tohill also put in strong performances. Ginnivan’s best play, a inch perfect assist to Jordan De Goey late in the first quarter. Tohill had a tough start lining up on the dangerous Peter Ladhams, however he did a great job as the game wore on. His athleticism and great kicking skills lay him in great stead for the future.
Bianco, Macrae, Poulter, Murphy all played their roles on the night. Macrae’s 21 disposals showed he’s capable of finding the football. Bianco slotted a nice goal and continues to be dangerous across that half forward flank.
Crisp’s Copeland?
Another best on ground performance for Jack Crisp on Friday night, and it seems as though the Copeland Trophy might just be sewn up for the 27 year old.
Crisp was outstanding against Port Adelaide, amassing 30 disposals, 13 marks and six tackles. His ability to work defensively and get the Pies moving forward, combined with his line-breaking kicking skills makes him an extremely damaging player.
Crisp is averaging a career high 26.72 disposals, a career high 6.72 marks per game and a career high 15.94 kicks per game. Notably, he’s ranked 28th in the competition according to AFL Player Ratings.
Sidebottom in the guts
Steele Sidebottom returned to his best against Port Adelaide on Friday night. It has been a down last month for Sidebottom, statistically not providing the same output as what Pies fans have become accustomed to over the past 13 years.
Injected back into the midfield, the 30-year-old looked really dangerous. Agile, quick and found a lot of the footy. His clearance work was brilliant, finishing the game with six.
Looking for that inside kick
A real positive to take from the game against Port Adelaide was the way in which the Pies looked to hit that inside kick to open up the ground. Despite it not coming off sometimes, and Port really taking advantage of some of Collingwood’s turnovers, the intent of the players to play an exciting brand of football should excite Pies fans.
Trey Ruscoe and John Noble were particularly aggressive by foot, looking to link the backline with the forward line with quick ball movement.
Continued competitive footy
The Pies are yet to lose a match in 2021 by more than 30 points, with continued competitive performances against some of the best teams in the competition. It’s a real testament to the effort the team have shown throughout the season, despite injuries to key players and lots of members of the team being largely inexperienced at the level. Young players have stood up in big moments, filling the big holes left by stars such as Jeremy Howe, Darcy Moore and Taylor Adams who have all spend significant parts of the season on the sidelines.
It’s also a nod to how well this team defends, keeping oppositions to low scores in a season where the forward line has struggled to fire as much as past years.
