Summary
A truly memorable game of finals football that went Collingwood’s way. But in truth neither side deserved to lose. The match ebbed and flowed, with lead changes galore and both teams enjoying periods of dominance. There is no tomorrow in season 2020 for West Coast, but lying in wait for Collingwood is Geelong at the semi-final stage.
The first quarter belonged to one man: Mason Cox. The American kicked three goals in as many minutes to help set up an early buffer for the Magpies, but West Coast soon started to assert at stoppages and looked to be getting on top with both Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling hitting the scoreboard.
But Collingwood would not be denied, and there was barely a kick or two in it from half-time onwards. Adam Treloar (25 possessions) and Taylor Adams (24) were instrumental in wresting back the initiative in the middle of the park, while Brody Mihocek’s two last-quarter goals and some individual brilliance from Jordan de Goey helped sway a 50-50 game in Collingwood’s favour.
The Eagles will rue some poor goalkicking and one or two squandered opportunities. They also picked the wrong game to lose at Optus Stadium for the first time this season. Collingwood, however, live to fight another day. This was a wonderful game of footy and a rousing victory for the Magpies. But celebrations will be short-lived with focus quickly turning to Geelong.
FT: West Coast 11-9 (75) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76)
Collingwood hang on to record a famous win in what was a pulsating game of finals footy. Could have gone either way but the Pies did enough to end West Coast’s season and set up a semi-final against Geelong.
Q4: 1 min remaining: West Coast 11-9 (75) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76) Cameron in ruck against Naitanui. No clearance for West Coast. Treloar has a shot from range but misses. Time running out for the Eagles.
Q4: 1 min remaining: West Coast 11-9 (75) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76) Goal! Darling gets a free kick for high contact, drills his set shot and we have a one-point ball game on our hands.
Q4: 2 mins remaining: West Coast 10-9 (69) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76) Grundy comes on, De Goey limps off. The Eagles prime themselves for one last effort. Free kick for McGovern. West Coast surge forward but Mihocek takes a strong mark in defence. He’s everywhere.
Q4: 4 mins remaining: West Coast 10-9 (69) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76) Goal! Great smother from Gaff and then great work from Ryan to set up Kennedy, who kicks straight and true from directly in front. This game is not over yet.
Q4: 5 mins remaining: West Coast 9-9 (63) vs Collingwood 12-4 (76) Goal! Mihocek outmarks McGovern in the forward pocket and bends his set shot through for a goal that makes West Coast’s job all that harder.
Q4: 7 mins remaining: West Coast 9-9 (63) vs Collingwood 11-4 (70) Goal! Collingwood go forward again but Ryan takes a timely mark deep in defence. But the ball goes straight back in and De Goey unfurls a piece of individual brilliance, crumbing from a stoppage and snapping from a tight angle to make it a seven-point lead for the Magpies. Huge goal.
Updated
Q4: 9 mins remaining: West Coast 9-9 (63) vs Collingwood 10-4 (64) Goal! And another lead change! Collingwood finally get an inside-50 and Mihocek makes something from nothing, piercing the big sticks with a left-foot snap on the run.
Q4: 10 mins remaining: West Coast 9-9 (63) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Kennedy plucks a strong mark on the boundary but his set-shot snap on his left foot fades across the face of goal. It’s all West Coast so far.
Q4: 12 mins remaining: West Coast 9-7 (61) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Goal! Nice intercept mark from Barrass turns defence into attack and Allen does the rest, receiving a handpass on the run and snapping truly. Yet another lead change - and now the Eagles are back in front.
Q4: 14 mins remaining: West Coast 8-7 (55) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Another entry inside-50 for West Coast and Cripps has the chance to put his side back in front but his snap misses to the left.
Q4: 15 mins remaining: West Coast 8-6 (54) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Goal! A quarter of an hour left, the last quarter of an hour this season for one of these teams. Another centre clearance for the Eagles and Ryan takes a strong contested mark 45m out on a slight angle. He caresses it through and that’s just the start West Coast wanted. Grundy again starts the quarter off the ground.
3QT: West Coast 7-6 (48) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58)
Much better from Collingwood, whose mids worked their way into the stoppage battle in that quarter. They also worked harder than the Eagles and are good value for their lead. That said, it’s a lead that can be erased with two straight kicks. We’ve been treated to three quarters of absorbing, entertaining football and no doubt there is a sting in the tail. Expect this one to go to the wire.
10 point lead as we head into the final term.
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) October 3, 2020
Let's get it, boys! 💪🏼 #AFLEaglesPies #gopies pic.twitter.com/5xFnnsatQO
Q3: 1 min remaining: West Coast 7-6 (48) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Massive tackle from Grundy on Darling is rewarded. If this is indeed the premiership quarter, the Pies look like they want the premiership more right now.
Q3: 2 mins remaining: West Coast 7-6 (48) vs Collingwood 9-4 (58) Ah Chee almost pulls down a massive hanger - the year’s best if he’d held it, for sure - but all he gets for his troubles is winded. At the other end, Treloar’s left-foot snap misses to the left. You would have backed him from there.
Q3: 4 mins remaining: West Coast 7-6 (48) vs Collingwood 9-3 (57) Kennedy hits the post! JK is awarded a free kick for an arm chop but his set shot from range cannons into the left upright.
Q3: 6 mins remaining: West Coast 7-4 (46) vs Collingwood 9-3 (57) Goal! The Pies keep coming and record another insifde-50 from sheer force of will. Mihocek times his leap to a nicety, marks on his chest and kicks truly. Now it’s the Eagles with questions to answer.
Q3: 8 mins remaining: West Coast 7-4 (46) vs Collingwood 8-3 (51) Goal! West Coast fans not happy with this one. Elliott looks to be caught holding the ball but somehow play is allowed to go on, with De Goey finding Hoskin-Elliott from the wreckage. The latter plays on and converts to effect yet another lead change.
Q3: 10 mins remaining: West Coast 7-4 (46) vs Collingwood 7-2 (44) Treloar is warming to the task and he is instrumental as Collingwood work the ball deep to Hoskin-Elliott, who has plenty of time but also a case of the fumbles. He manages to get boot to ball but it was harder going than it should have been and what should have been a goal was only a sixth as good.
Q3: 12 mins remaining: West Coast 7-4 (46) vs Collingwood 7-1 (43) Goal! Grundy is back in ruck but the Eagles win another centre clearance, Ryan is involved again upfield and Cripps kicks truly on the run to put West Coast back in front. Breathlesss footy. These boys will sleep well.
Q3: 13 mins remaining: West Coast 6-4 (40) vs Collingwood 7-1 (43) Goal! End to end. Again. Cox provides a key target up front and he finds De Goey, who dodges his nearest pursuer and splits the big sticks.
Q3: 15 mins remaining: West Coast 6-4 (40) vs Collingwood 6-1 (37) Goal! Back to more pressing matters out in the middle and another West Coast clearance leads to another West Coast goal, barely seconds into the third term. The Pies haven’t started Grundy in the middle - Cameron is lining up on Naitanui - and from the middle Allen wins a contested mark that was barely a contest against a tepid Madgen. The Eagle doesn’t miss and West Coast are now back in front.
Some welcome words here from one of our favourites at Guardian Towers:
Hi Scott
20CharactersNoSpaces here - what a shame we can’t comment btl here tonight. It means you’ll miss all of our company for most of the evening :(
I hope you go well and enjoy your stint. And thanks for the articles you’ve been writing - great to have some analysis on our great game in the grauniad!
Cheers
20CNS
Hey 20CNS. I know, a shame. Let’s just say the decision was taken by some heavy-hitting editorial staff waaaaaaaaaaay further up the food chain than I.
I did protest. Rather vociferously. But the threat of table tennis blogs if I didn’t pipe down made me see the light of day. Just as well this game is a cracker. That was one hell of a second quarter, eh?
HT: West Coast 5-4 (34) vs Collingwood 6-1 (37)
A brilliant second quarter. West Coast started to gain more control from stoppages and their big men did the rest to get the Eagles back in the game. Two goals each to Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy will give Nathan Buckley and his coaching staff plenty to ponder at half-time, not that the Pies haven’t also been very good. Mason Cox’s three goals in the opening term will be talked about for some time to come, and likely he isn’t done with yet. Though Collingwood have the lead, they will want to arrest the trend of West Coast getting on top in clearances all over the ground. But right now, there’s just three points in it. It’s anyone’s game. Don’t go anywhere.
#AFLEaglesPies pic.twitter.com/0l7ug64TYk
— Brad (@Brad101971) October 3, 2020
Q2: 1 mins remaining: West Coast 5-3 (33) vs Collingwood 6-1 (37) Goal! Huge, huge, huge contested mark by Darling. Did I mention it was huge? The Eagles forward doesn’t want for attention but he shrugs aside his opponents before going back and drilling his set shot.
Q2: 2 mins remaining: West Coast 4-3 (27) vs Collingwood 6-1 (37) Wow, Collingwood can miss. Stephenson marches towards goal and his shot looks to be bending the right way, but not enough and the Pies have their first behind.
Q2: 3 mins remaining: West Coast 4-3 (27) vs Collingwood 6-0 (36) Oooh, that was a bit stiff. West Coast turn the ball over in the middle of the ground and Thomas looks set to take a mark inside-50 before getting knocked to the ground. Could, perhaps should, have been a free. But the whistle stays out of mouth. I’ve seen them given.
Q2: 5 mins remaining: West Coast 4-3 (27) vs Collingwood 6-0 (36) Ryan flies high and has a fair bit of it but the umpire plays party pooper and calls play on. Nevermind, the Eagles still have the ball as Kennedy finds Cripps on the lead. Not the result West Coast want, however, as Cripps’ kick drifts across the face for a behind.
Q2: 7 mins remaining: West Coast 4-2 (26) vs Collingwood 6-0 (36) Goal! Hard to know where to look in this pulsating second quarter. The Eagles are up and about, tackling hard and attacking hard. Crisp is gang tackled and pinged. But the Pies are giving as good as they get. Shuey tries to break one too many tackles deep in defence and pays the price as Elliott goes back and converts to make it six goals and not a single miss for Collingwood. Some game.
Q2: 10 mins remaining: West Coast 4-2 (26) vs Collingwood 5-0 (30) Goal! Ryan takes a nice mark just wide of centre and goes long again, this time to Darling. The key forward can’t clutch the mark but the crumbers are there and Ainsworth snaps truly. It’s an old-fashioned shootout!
Q2: 11 mins remaining: West Coast 3-2 (20) vs Collingwood 5-0 (30) Goal! Kennedy again. The big Eagle is presenting much better this quarter and the rewards are coming. End-to-end stuff.
Q2: 12 mins remaining: West Coast 2-2 (14) vs Collingwood 5-0 (30) Goal! That’s five straight for the Pies, who work the ball forward with panache and precision. Noble is the man with the set shot from an acute angle but he drills it. Quite beautiful footy.
Q2: 13 mins remaining: West Coast 2-2 (14) vs Collingwood 4-0 (24) Adams gets set upon by two Eagles, gets pinged for holding the ball ... and then gets angry. Which is fair enough when you consider he didn’t actually have the ball. West Coast can’t do anything with their next inside-50 but they’ve started this term strongly.
Q2: 15 mins remaining: West Coast 2-2 (14) vs Collingwood 4-0 (24) Goal! Naitanui wins the first centre bounce of the term, Kelly clears away and hits Kennedy on the chest. The key forward kicks truly and the Eagles are away. Where was that in the first quarter?
QT: West Coast 1-2 (8) vs Collingwood 4-0 (24)
The Mason Cox show. The big Pie has starred before on the big stage and he owned this first quarter, kicking three goals in as many minutes - all from marks, all set shots - to turn an early deficit into a 16-point lead for his team. After impressing in the opening minutes, West Coast finished the quarter shellshocked ands in need of some calm. Plenty of key men not doing much at the moment for the home team - Dom Sheed (zero possessions), Tim Kelly (one) and Luke Shuey (one) need to lift.
Q1: 1 min remaining: West Coast 1-2 (8) vs Collingwood 4-0 (24) Darling finds himself with another set shot from long distance. The Eagles desperately need a goal but Darling’s effort kick strays to the right for a behind.
Q1: 3 mins remaining: West Coast 1-1 (7) vs Collingwood 4-0 (24) Goal! The Eagles are losing their cool here. Adams takes a mark just outside 50 and cops a late clip around the ear from Allen, whose act of petulance attracts a 50m penalty and costs the Eagles another goal.
Q1: 5 mins remaining: West Coast 1-1 (7) vs Collingwood 3-0 (18) Goal! Cox yet again! West Coast fans used to love the name but tonight they’re dreading it. The Eagles are struggling to match up on the American and the quick, long ball is working a treat. Cox fairly well swats Barrass aside in a one-on-one that was really a one-on-none and he again kicks truly for three goals in three minutes. Remarkable. Utterly remarkable.
Andrew Bogut. Huh?
Big Cox loves some Big Cox! #AFLEaglesPies
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) October 3, 2020
Q1: 6 mins remaining: West Coast 1-1 (7) vs Collingwood 2-0 (12) Goal! Cox again! The man is made for finals footy and the big man has two goals in a minute. The Pies go long and high again and why not when you have tall timber deep in attack - and big Cox who is clearly in the mood. Collingwood in front. All of a sudden.
Q1: 7 mins remaining: West Coast 1-1 (7) vs Collingwood 1-0 (6) Goal! McGovern is pinged, perhaps unfairly, for deliberate out of bounds just inside the Collingwood forward 50. Cox then rises high to snaffle a big, centering ball and makes no mistake from his set shot. Should be a nice steadier for the Pies.
Q1: 9 mins remaining: West Coast 1-1 (7) vs Collingwood 0-0 (0) Goal! And Darling makes no mistake. That man sure knows how to find the gap between the big sticks. Which is more than can be said for many of his contemporaries. The game is being played on West Coast’s terms.
Q1: 11 mins remaining: West Coast 0-1 (1) vs Collingwood 0-0 (0) The Magpies go inside-50 again but it’s long and high. Just how McGovern likes it. The ball is worked to the other end of the ground and onto the chest of Darling, who has a set shot from just outside 50...
Q1: 12 mins remaining: West Coast 0-1 (1) vs Collingwood 0-0 (0) It’s a hot footy out there, hand errors everywhere you look. Ryan is everywhere in the early moments. But Maynard’s sure hands results in an entry inside-50 for the Pies. Nothing doing, however.
Q1: 13 mins remaining: West Coast 0-1 (1) vs Collingwood 0-0 (0) West Coast switch play nicely and find an outnumber but Ryan can’t capitalise on his time and space as his pass to Kennedy finds turf first. Moments later Naitanui has a snap at goal from close range but a behind is the result.
Q1: 15 mins remaining: West Coast 0-0 (0) vs Collingwood 0-0 (0) And we’re away. First free of the game to West Coast’s Liam Ryan. The Eagles try to work the ball inside-50 but the Pies force a couple of stoppages.
National anthem done. Barely a minute from action. Bring it on.
No late changes for either team. If that spot of news is more like a spot of no news to you, can I offer this snippet of Collingwood players running onto Optus Stadium by way of distraction? No? Tough crowd.
HERE WE GO!!!!
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) October 3, 2020
Up the Mags. pic.twitter.com/9jGy9OYrCZ
Nic Nat = Star. We know that. The Pies look to have gone quite tall tonight, partly to offer reinforcement should Naitanui get out of hand and off the leash. But also to deal with West Coast’s tall forwards. But so much will hinge on Grundy from a Collingwood perspective. The big man hasn’t had a great year. Tonight could be the night he returns to form. If Grundy gets the better of Naitanui, the odds of a shock result will shorten considerably.
If you’ve forgotten how good he is, check this out.
So where will this game be won and lost? Much will flow from the spoils of the ruck contest between Nic Naitanui and Brodie Grundy - both teams have midfields capable of dominance given first use of the ball - but I can’t help but think Josh Kennedy has a big part to play. Kennedy isn’t listed as an in, but after the worrying ankle injury he suffered in round 18 he might as well be. The Eagles forward booted a cheeky seven goals against Collingwood in round eight but it’s been lean pickings since then. If Kennedy returns to his menacing best tonight, the Eagles win.
2nd elimination final: St Kilda 10.7 (67) beat Western Bulldogs 9.10 (64)
Big win for the Saints in their first final since Moses was a boy. The Dogs kicked the last three goals of the game to set up a gripping finish, but St Kilda held on to book a semi-final date with Richmond. Paddy Ryder was huge for the Saints, but looks to have injured himself. Here’s what AAP has to say on the game.
St Kilda survived a stunning late fightback from Western Bulldogs to hang on for a three-point win in Saturday’s AFL elimination final. The Saints prevailed in a 10.7 (67) to 9.10 (64) victory at the Gabba that saw them advance to a semi-final meeting with reigning premiers Richmond.
But they face a nervous wait on Ben Long’s availability after his high bump on Jack Macrae, which is sure to be scrutinised by the match review officer. Teammate Paddy Ryder also went to the bench with a mystery injury in the last few minutes and finished the match in tears.
St Kilda led by four goals at three-quarter time but the Bulldogs charged home with four goals to one in the final term. Caleb Daniel’s goal brought them within a kick with more than two minutes left to play, but the comeback ultimately fell short.
Young key forward Max King kicked two goals in the Saints’ first finals win in more than 10 years. St Kilda got on top in the middle where Dan Hannebery (20 disposals), Zak Jones and Seb Ross (both 16) got to work, and dominated contested marks (21-13) around the ground.
Jarryn Geary took a career-best four of them and shone in attack, where he limited the influence of Dogs playmakers Daniel and Jason Johannisen. The no-nonsense skipper also finished with two goals, as did Tim Membrey and Ryder, who got on top of Tim English in the ruck.
The teams went goal for goal in the first half as King stood tall with two strong contested pack marks deep in attack that he followed up with goals. Geary, too, posed a threat in the front half as he twice outmuscled Daniel, and the Bulldogs lost Zaine Cordy to an ankle injury before the main break. The tall defender watched the second half from the grandstand.
The Dogs led by five points when Mitch Wallis converted a free kick from the boundary line at the 10-minute mark of the second term but conceded six of the next seven goals. Lachie Hunter was given the chance to get the deficit back under 20 points before three-quarter time but hit the post from point-blank range after a 50m penalty.
Bailey Smith (24 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (21) and Daniel (26) worked tirelessly for the Bulldogs, who are still searching for their first finals triumph since the 2016 premiership. Josh Bruce kicked the opening goal but he and fellow key forward Aaron Naughton had little influence.
Preamble
Good evening and welcome to the last game of the opening week of the 2020 AFL premiership finals series. It sure does shape as a contest to savour. Before the season, and during one or two stages of it, it might have been thought West Coast and Collingwood would be facing off in a qualifying final. But tonight’s stage is an elimination final, meaning the season is about to be over for one of these pre-season flag fancies.
Both teams have done it tough on the injury front this year and both will have welcomed the week off after round 18. But arguably no playing group in the top eight was in need of regeneration more than the Eagles. They welcome back four key players tonight - Jamie Cripps, Jeremy McGovern, Jack Redden and Luke Shuey - in a series of changes that rightly has them favourite to progress to a date with Geelong in week two.
West Coast will gain maximum confidence from their record at Optus Stadium this season - seven wins from as many games - and their 66-point win over the Magpies in round eight when they overcame an early deficit to dominate the last three quarters. Collingwood, however, will field a stronger 22 tonight and are not unaccustomed to an upset triumph on the road. The Cats, and the Lions for that matter, will be watching this game with a keen eye. If any team can defy the odds and advance to the grand final from outside the top four, it will be the winner of this match.
Looking forward to this one. If you’d like to get involved, you can drop me an email or tweet @scott_heinrich.
I don’t look nervous, but i am! Wearing my 2010 premiership jumper tonight. Love @CollingwoodFC always! #GoPies #AFLEaglesPies pic.twitter.com/fbecFWr8uj
— PennyK (@PKpies) October 3, 2020
