Collingwood started as they do most weeks, hard and bringing the defensive pressure on the opposition. Stephenson had the first shot at goal on a hard angle but only managed a point. Bucks took the same angled kick during the week and converted it. Maybe he needs to pass on a few pointers. Sam Reid was dangerous for the Swans and gave them their first goal. Thomas and Mihocek combined for yet another point. Buddy eluded the struggling defenders to give the Swans their second goal. Aish, who was fantastic all night had a snap, but it was wide. Treloar added another point but no goal. Roughead was sensational on Buddy and kept his involvement in the game to a minimum. With Buddy contained, Sam Reid was the target and produced the 3rd goal for the Swans. Greenwood was having an amazing game and brought the ball down from the defence end. Wells was given a 50-metre penalty and gave the Pies their first goal with three and a half minutes left in the quarter. Thomas was larey with his beautiful hands and great footwork and the combination of Pendlebury and Stephenson produced yet another point. The Pies trailed by 9 points at the first break.
The second quarter saw the Swans pull out the hard tackles and doing some damage to the already depleted Collingwood side. Phillips was his usual hard-working self  and Thomas snapped and added another point to the black and white tally. Roughead continued to spoil Buddy’s game. And after a bit of teamwork Pendlebury dribbled another goal through for the Pies. The Magpies started winning the clearances and the one on one contests giving them a lot more time in their 50 this quarter. Wells booted another goal for the Pies and the Swans began to struggle with the previous 8 scores from Collingwood. The Swans added another 2 goals and Collingwood led by a point. Stephenson made some great leads and Aish used his outstanding kick placement skills to put the ball into the perfect space for Stephenson who goaled. Thomas had a shot at goal but hit the post. Sidebottom stepped up and had plenty of touches and Brown handed out some good tackles. Wells copped a hard hit and was winded seeing him need a little recovery time on the bench. At the main break the Pies led by 9 points. The major ball winners were Pendlebury and Treloar.
The third term saw both teams come out eager to score. The Swans added another point and Sam Reid scored his 4th goal. The combination of Sidebottom, Mihocek and Reid added a much-needed point to the black and white total. Wells limped off the field after a tackle giving him a problem with his knee. Brown crumbed beautifully and snapped a goal. Beams had a snap, but no result and Howe took his trademark leap and took a terrific mark. Greenwood was very effective all game and after much scrambling Mihocek had a quick snap and goaled for the Pies. Sam Reid managed a 5th goal and was probably mismatched given the ease for him to mark the ball in the Swans’ 50. Buddy goaled again and Aler was not called for his constant pushing in the back which should have been a free for Reid. The Swans led by 8 points at the final break.
The Swans scored a behind quickly and Mayne responded from the ground with a goal early in the final term. Brown got the ball straight from the centre bounce and had a shot from 45 metres out and scored. Grundy added a point and Reid finally got a call for the push in the back from Aler and was rewarded with a goal. The Pies defence was relentless, and the Swans struggled but still managed a goal. The Pies led by 3 points at the 3-minute mark and Mayne kicked another goal for Collingwood giving them the lead by 8 points. Buddy had another shot at goal which was touched by Aish. Collingwood won the game by 7 points.
 
 
Final Score  Pies  11 14  80           Swans  11 7  73 Pies by 7 points
My Take
This week was the Indigenous round and Wells gave great representation and was unfortunately injured which may signal the end of a sterling career. I was saddened to hear that the MRP gave Varcoe a one-week suspension denying him the chance to participate in this round, but he is tenacious and will live to fight another day.
Collingwood’s list of injured players continues to grow and somehow, the team manages to get over the line even if they have to limp. With a decimated backline and Roughead left to lead the charge, who by the way did an outstanding job on Franklin and managed, for the most part, to keep him out of the game. And the loss of some of our damaging forwards, the Pies could have been forgiven if they didn’t win. But they did. They showed that it’s not just big men and big names that win a game but also big hearts and determination. Sam Reid (Swans) was mismatched with Magden coming up from the VFL who was not as slick as needed. I don’t think he should be condemned as he had a very experienced opponent and like most Collingwood players, I feel he will improve with time. Think back to Callum Brown. There has been an army of naysayers against that young man and what an outstanding game he had, and he continues to be an integral part of the Magpie line up each week. Greenwood hit his straps and was valuable all night. Aish had a fantastic work rate and was involved in so much of the play. An intelligent man I know mused that he had a bit of Pendlebury about him; the whole time, space and vision thing. I think he’s right. Grundy gave his all and when he was off briefly for the blood rule the Swans took advantage. Stephenson worked hard but took time to adjust without Elliott and De Goey. Phillips also stepped up and was well and truly in the mix. Pendlebury demonstrated that a good Captain gets amongst it and scores and Sidebottom although quiet in the first quarter knew when to lift. Crisp and Mayne also worked hard and again you could throw a blanket over the number of players who really worked hard for the whole game. They are a cohesive unit and no one player is seen as better than the next. They adapt and step up and support each other. Those are the actions of a winning side. Looking forward to some of the injured returning next week against Fremantle, hopefully. Go Pies!
#Collingwood #Sidebyside #Collingwoodforever #BlackandWhiteFlag2019

The first quarter started with Langdon giving away a 50m penalty from a push after a mark. Mihocek got a free from a push in the back and scored Collingwood’s first goal. And whilst the Pies had plenty of options in the goal square, they were not playing their game. Stephenson showed his work rate with a give and go with Mihocek and a goal for the Pies. Grundy was his usual hard-working self in the ruck and around the field. Although the game was scrappy Maynard was handing hard tackles in defence making it hard for St Kilda to score. Sidebottom worked well with Stephenson, but the team had difficulty transitioning from defence to attack which limited their options and opportunity to get into their 50. Mihocek booted a deep kick to Reid who juggled the ball and took the mark. Reid was settled this week and kicked his first goal for the Pies since coming back. Varcoe was a work horse and tackled hard and gave plenty of second and third efforts around the field. Varcoe and Phillips combined for a goal after many Collingwood hands brought the ball in the Pies 50.  At the first break Collingwood led by 10 points and had 30 more disposals than St Kilda.
The start of the second term saw The Saints bust out and score quickly. Mihocek and Browne worked well to give Mihocek a goal. Varcoe ran down his opponent and was rewarded with a shot for goal and added 6 points to the black and white tally. Mihocek took a knock to the head an spent a short time on the bench. Meanwhile Treloar got a finger in the eye with a late hit to the head from a mark. St Kilda increased their tackling pressure and out did the Pies 21-17. The Pies were slow to man up and St Kilda took off and started scoring. Langdon hurt his knee and was strapped up at quarter time and was still propy during the quarter. Collingwood struggled to get the ball in their 50 and the Saints dominated the quarter 14 – 3 inside 50’s and used speed and space to improve their score line. The Pies started to settle, and Beams added a point to the total and for a short time the Saints led by a point. However, the star-studded line up that is Collingwood used teamwork and Sidebottom kicked a goal. The Pies were back in front at the main break by 5 points.
Collingwood came flying out of the box in the third quarter. Reid hit the post on what looked like a good shot and only managed a behind. Thomas, ever vigilant, ran down his player got the ball to Stephenson who passed it to Reid who dribbled it through for another goal. Beams looked on target for a goal, but it was touched. The Magpies settled into their own game and had much better pressure in their 50. St Kilda managed 2 goals in a row and with a point to each team the scores were level. Forward pressure by the Pies and some great teamwork from Mihocek to Treloar and then on to Thomas produced another black and white goal. The Saints were quick to respond with a goal of their own and took the lead by a point. Collingwood found their rhythm on the clearances with Beams collecting the tap from Grundy and kicked it to Reid who scored another goal for Collingwood. Pies led by 5 and the Saints came back with a goal of their own and led by a point for the third time this quarter. Roughead did a good job of stepping up without Moore and Langdon and this is where the game started to open up. Sidebottom ran through the play and turned the ball over at pace and passed it on to Hoskin-Elliott and then to Mihocek for a goal. Sidebottom got in on the clearances and Collingwood lifted the tempo. Stephenson was instrumental in the goal by Hoskin-Elliott. Wills worked hard showing that he was a good pick for the team this week. St Kilda scored another goal and Mayne was diligent in defence. The Pies led by 5 points at the final break.
The final term saw Collingwood maintain the tempo that they found in the latter part of the third quarter. Thomas had an early shot for goal and added a point. Maynard had a crack at goal from about 50 metres out but only managed a behind. Sidebottom produced some fancy footwork and gave the Saints something to worry about with a goal. Collingwood brought out pressure all over the field and the onslaught began. Sidebottom and Beams added another point each and some great teamwork from Hoskin Elliott, Varcoe and Pendlebury saw Stephenson bag another goal. Crisp pulled out some great defence and a huge kick to Reid which was almost a mark and crumbed by Varcoe who scored again for Collingwood. Greenwood kept the selectors happy with some good marks and Varcoe continued to give his all. Sidebottom was on a roll with some hard running and a nice kick to Mihocek adding 6 points to the tally. Hoskin-Elliott took a nice mark in front of goal but only managed a behind. Pendlebury scored a 50-metre penalty from a hard at hearing opponent, although it was clear that the umpire said “hold” not “play on”. The kick landed with Stephenson who has pulled out a good old-fashioned torpedo right through the middle of the sticks and well into the crowd. Mihocek had a mark of his own about 50 metres from goal on the siren and added on one last point against the Saints. Collingwood took away a 41-point win against the St Kilda.
Final Score  Pies  17 10 112          Saints 10 11 71  Pies by 41 points
My Take
Collingwood struggled to find their rhythm early in the game and rightly so with some key players missing. It was fantastic to see so many players step up all over the field. Losing Langdon was unexpected and hurt the Pies temporarily until the gap was filled. You could throw a blanket over most of the team for Best on Ground. The teamwork and comradery between these players was so nice to see.
Reid was a lot more settled this week and it showed with a little more accuracy and less nerves at the shots at goal and the confidence in his marking. Grundy was his usual hard-working self and Roughead looked like he had been with the side forever. Varcoe paid a beautiful tribute to his sister, Maggie, and I’m sure she would be looking down on his game with love and admiration for his work rate and all his effort. Sidebottom was all class as was Stephenson, yes even with that torpedo. Which by the way I think Bucks secretly loved, and Mihocek was sensational and instrumental in some goal assists even with 3 hard knocks to the head. Watching the AFL highlights he was involved in so much of the play up and down the field. Treloar also copped a finger in the eye but didn’t let it slow him down and Thomas was hard at work using speed and fancy footwork. It was a good result for a team that is losing players each week to injury although they are only minor, and most will probably be back in the side within a couple of weeks. It demonstrated just what a cohesive unit the Collingwood team is. Can’t wait for next week against Sydney. Go Pies!
#Collingwood #Sidebyside #Collingwoodforever #BlackandWhiteFlag2019
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This game looked like Collingwood’s usual start, but it was not to be. Our first shot at goal fell short and the Blues responded with a point. It was good to see Mayne return after fracturing his spine. Elliott looked good early and had a run with 3 bounces and did a give and go. The Pies were not looking like their usual selves, but they found a way with a beautifully accurate kick from Pendlebury to Stephenson giving Collingwood their first goal. Langdon had some good spoils in defence and whilst there were many hands on the ball the Pies looked disorganised as the Blues applied great pressure in the Pies 50. Thomas was effective early and stole the ball out of the Blues 50 getting the ball to an easy target in Grundy. The Pies defence was intense and stopped the Blues from finishing giving them only a point. The ball made its way down to the Pies 50 and in all the mess Thomas had a quick grab and stab and scored Collingwood’s second goal. Curnow (Carlton) replied with a goal of his own. Elliott attempted a torpedo from about 55 metres out on the siren but didn’t add to the tally. The Pies led by 3 points at the first break.
The second quarter saw the Pies start hard and Mihocek taken high. He sent a long kick to Grundy. Grundy marked the ball and was assisted by De Goey screening his player. Grundy kicked his first goal for the year and the 3rd goal for the Pies. The Pies had impressive looking moments moving the ball up the field with some great kicks and marks but no points. Moore was run down with the ball and the Blues caught the Pies off guard and quickly moved the ball to their 50 but couldn’t convert. Roughead scored a free for a push in the back and Elliott put in second and third efforts on the ball in the Pies 50 but the ball made it back to the Blues 50. Carlton found space and another goal. Not to be outdone Brown pulled out some great footwork and delivered the ball to De Goey but only managed a point. Carlton responded with yet another goal. The Pies smothered 3 in a row but didn’t follow up and Carlton kicked another goal. Collingwood won the clearance and Reid marks the ball and quickly passes it on to a waiting Phillips who goals. And it was Collingwood again with a neat kick from Brown to Grundy for his second goal. The Blues add another point just before the siren. The scores were level going into the main break.
The third term saw Mihocek lead the way by playing in front, marking and kicking a quick goal for the Pies. Carlton capitalised on Collingwood’s errors and added another goal to their tally giving them a one-point lead over the Pies. Phillips threaded the eye of the needle with a clever kick to Stephenson who passed it to Brown and added another welcome goal to the black and white tally. Brown also added another point to the total from a set shot. Curnow (Carlton) goaled and levelled the scores again. The Blues scored another 2 goals making it three in a row for them. Grundy added another point and then De Goey took a one-handed mark and scored his first goal for the game. The Blues added another point. Grundy and Reid delivered the ball to Hoskin-Elliott who gave Collingwood another goal. Carlton responded with a goal and Treloar added another point. Carlton led by 5 points going into the final break.
The final quarter saw the Blues run out of steam and the Pies put their foot down. Treloar goaled after the combined efforts of Reid and Hoskin-Elliott. Mihocek and Stephenson worked well to give Stephenson another goal. Mihocek still in the thick of it earned a free and took a shot at goal. Carlton scored another two goals in quick succession and added a point. Crisp marked the ball and kick from around 70 metres out and scored a much-needed goal for Collingwood with about 5 minutes left of the game. It opened the Collingwood flood gates and Brown soccered the next goal off the ground as did De Goey. Phillips added another goal to the black and white tally which really was the nail in the coffin for Carlton and saw many Carlton supporters leave the G. Collingwood’s kick placement was on and Hoskin-Elliott took a great mark and scored the final goal for the game. Giving Collingwood 5 goals in a row and the win by 19 points.
 
Final Score  Pies  10  13 73           Blues 10  9  69   Pies by 19 points
My Take
Wow! What a game. Collingwood struggled with behinds yet again but it’s nice to know that we are not the only team in the league that have this problem. The Pies started the chipping backwards again. I understand why it is done but it should not be a go to. If it is not done well it can be expensive. And as much as it was a messy game and Collingwood applied plenty of pressure when it was our turn with the ball, the decision making was just not there. We didn’t dominate the clearances and we had a lot less disposals than the opposition. We also lacked second and third efforts especially after a smother. I think the team started to gel in third quarter even though we finished the third quarter down by 5 points. For the bulk of the game we struggled in our 50 and had trouble breaking through opposition defence and converting. But what was great was the last 5 minutes of the game when the Magpies attack was relentless. Every player gave their all and it appears that Carlton lacked the stamina to sustain the savage Magpie attack. Thankfully we got over the line by 19 points. A good contest but not for the first 90 percent of the game for the Collingwood faithful. I think we can learn from this game and put it behind us. Bring on next week against St Kilda. Go Pies!
#Collingwood #Sidebyside #Collingwoodforever #BlackandWhiteFlag2019

Collingwood opened the match with fast play. Their quick hands made Ports look, at times, as though they were standing still. Ports swarmed the Pies 50 early in an effort to stop a quick score. Ben Reid was a welcome inclusion in the side and had an early shot at goal. His accuracy was on, but it was touched on the line. Stephenson’s had his quarter of the season and was effective in defence, mid field and snapping for goal. One of those snaps was the pies first goal. Grundy sent a beautiful kick Stephenson’s way to give him his second goal. At this stage Ports had only managed 2 behinds. Hoskin-Elliott , De Goey and Stephenson combined but only managed a point for their impressive work. Thomas had a good work rate and kicked to Mihocek who added 6 points to the Pies growing tally. Thomas continued at his productive best with a tidy kick to Elliott which gave Collingwood their 5th goal. Meanwhile Stephenson had yet another snap at goal but only managed a point. Crisp took a strong mark and passed it to Thomas but only added a point to the total. Reid used his strong marking skills and passed to Elliott for his second goal. Thomas snapped and added another point and Pendlebury gave a beautiful feed to De Goey, but he only managed a point from a set shot. Langdon was handing out strong tackles and Moore was valuable in defence and in the middle of the ground. Great team work between Treloar and Elliott saw a hand ball to Beams and another black and white goal. Pies led by 45 points at the first break and had more than 120 disposals in the first quarter.
Ports received an absolute roasting from their coach at quarter time with Lycett on the receiving end of a very public spray. It seemed to work as Ports opened the second quarter with a goal. Pies attempted a reply, but it was touched on the line. Mihocek fed Reid who was well positioned a beautiful kick in front of goals and Reid ran through and scored his first goal since coming back into the AFL. Thomas added another point. Ports managed to clock up 4 goals against the Pies in what can only be described as lack lustre and Collingwood in need of some set shot practice.
Ports came out swinging after the main break and the Pies were slow to adjust but adjust, they did. Hoskin-Elliott goaled from a feed by De Gooey who was fabulous as a deep forward. Stephenson fired up again with a kick to beams which went out on the full. Moore and Roughead started to lift in defence and Sidebottom applied pressure midfield and read the play with a nice intercept. This effort from Sidebottom spurred the Pies on for a sensational comeback. Langdon took an intercept and had a shot at goal and why not, but only managed to add another point. Mihocek was great in the clearance and sent a huge kick to De Goey which gave the Pies another goal. Lots of hands got the ball to Reid but he only managed a point. The kick in saw the Magpies swarm and Treloar had an awesome snap and produced probably the goal of the season. Reid and Mihocek both added another point to the Pies growing tally.
The Pies scored 3 goals to 1 from Ports in the 3rd quarter and led by 40 points going into the last break.
The final term saw Collingwood absolutely fired up with an early goal from Stephenson after some great team work from Elliott. Crisp handballs to Moore who kicks to Stephenson then a pass to Mihocek produces another goal for Collingwood. Pendlebury pulled out a hard tackle from his bag of tricks against Powell-Pepper and got the call. Phillips was fantastic all game with second and third efforts. Ports managed a goal. Brown and Sidebottom did a bit of give and go up the field and Phillips kept applying the pressure, but Ports managed to another 2 goals, giving Lycett his second goal. Howe handed out some hard tackles while Maynard and Moore used team work to clear the Ports 50. Howe gave us a great mark which we have come to expect each game which lead to Sidebottom goaling. Elliott took a classy one-handed mark and Brown with the footwork of a salsa dancer, worked his way around the opposition and got the ball off to Treloar who went for a run, had 2 bounces and gave Elliott the opportunity to goal but only managed a point. An outstanding quarter of football by Collingwood and a good win.
Final Score Pies 1  18  108    Ports  10  9  69  Pies by 39 points
My Take
It was an emotional week for all down at the Holden Centre with little Kyron McGuire visiting to fulfil a dream of meeting his favourite team and his idol, Adam Treloar. A win was important for the team and for this little boy. The Club has rallied around this family and given them some comfort and joy at a very difficult time. My heart goes out to his family and I’m so glad and impressed at the lengths that the Collingwood football club went to. I’m sure it created some very fond memories and a lot of happiness.
What a cracking first quarter by Collingwood. If the Pies could produce 4 quarters of footy like that then they really would be unstoppable. However, it was pointed out to me that every game that Collingwood play is a big game for one reason or another so player fatigue and injures need to be managed. I know the second quarter wasn’t great but so far Collingwood are winning their games in the first quarter so not all bad. Channel 7 never give us the full view but from what I could see our woeful second quarter was due to some midfield players being rested. And it goes without saying that the team really need set shot practice. If we can get those ones in, we would have an enormous lead and could probably try some of the other combinations of players that people are talking about i.e. Mihocek, Reid and Cox all in the same game.
Looking forward to Collingwood against the Blues next week. Could be the week to test the waters for the above combo. Either way it will be another good game. So many outstanding players I don’t  think anyone went unnoticed. What a team! Go Pies!
#Collingwood #Sidebyside #Collingwoodforever #BlackandWhiteFlag2019
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