Pretty Black and White Wrap UP Sydney V Collingwood AFL – SCG Friday 24 May 2019

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!
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