Summary
On paper this was an innocuous midseason fixture, but there was plenty of context behind Gold Coast’s solitary visit to the MCG for 2021. And it ends with Collingwood and Nathan Buckley, already besieged by negative headlines, staring down the barrel of another week on the back pages.
The Suns were well worth their 24-point victory. After a conservative opening quarter they took the game on and dominated the corridor of Collingwood’s home track. Their key backs were towering, onballers industrious and brave, and forward line mobile and assertive. Coming into the game 2-4 and with question marks over their relevancy, this was a performance that showed, on their day, the Suns are a force to be reckoned with.
Aside from Brody Mihocek’s lone hand there was very little to enthuse about Collingwood’s performance. Most concerningly they look disjointed and poorly prepared. Darcy Moore is not a forward and his presence in attack robbed the Pies at both ends of the ground. There was no cohesion in midfield and no urgency to play on. Rarely did a leading forward find separation or clean delivery.
Collingwood enjoyed long spells of possession and pressure but Gold Coast absorbed them with the minimum of fuss and when the Suns lifted their game - usually towards the end of a quarter - the Pies had no further gears to stay with them. It reflects poorly on the list, and the coaching.
It has been a disastrous few months for one of the biggest sporting institutions in Australia, and it isn’t going to improve any time soon.
Collingwood 7.13 (55) v 12.7 (79) Gold Coast
The Gold Coast remain a going concern for season 2021 after an excellent fighting effort. Collingwood, and Nathan Buckley, can look forward to another week of misery. Their performance was very very poor.
Q4: 1 min remaining: Collingwood 7.13 (55) v 12.7 (79) Gold Coast - The Suns are home and hosed.
Q4: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 7.13 (55) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - The Suns are nursing their way home, keeping the ball locked near the boundary on right centre wing.
Q4: 3 mins remaining: Collingwood 7.13 (55) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - Grundy reduces the margin of defeat further, kicking a free-kick soundly from close range after his lead was crudely interrupted.
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Q4: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 6.13 (49) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - Mihocek has fought valiantly all afternoon, and he kicks his fourth, a consolation, after outmarking Bowes.
Q4: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.13 (43) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - A rare piece of urgent forward pressure forces a Suns spillage inside defensive 50. Brown hoovers up the ball, straightens up, and kicks wide. Incredible.
Q4: 7 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - One of the stories of the day has been the bodywork and overhead marking of Gold Coast’s key defenders against Collingwood’s tall forwards. It has been men against boys, Collins and Powell especially. Moore and Cameron look lost.
Q4: 9 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - Play continues to unfold on Gold Coast’s terms. There will be no miraculous comeback.
Q4: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 12.5 (77) Gold Coast - The MCG is eerily quiet for a Collingwood home fixture. The seagulls are circling in search of errant chips. It has the stench of something ugly.
Q4: 13 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 12.3 (75) Gold Coast - The Suns have much more run in their legs. Greenwood executes a superb take-down from behind, the ball spills out and Corbett is unguarded on the lead. He marks, turns, and kicks his fourth.
This fixture always loomed as a possible season-definer for both teams, and is proving exactly that. If Collingwood are not careful it could blow out into the kind of result that defines careers.
Q4: 13 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 11.3 (69) Gold Coast - Collingwood’s forward set-up has been shambolic. Moore has looked lost, and once again the Pies duff a certain goal when Mihocek and his forward partner can’t figure out how to share the load. By contrast, the Suns are taking on the game at every opportunity, they are not quietly seeing this off.
Q4: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 11.3 (69) Gold Coast - That’s it. Gold Coast take the game on through the corridor and the ground opens up in front of them. Weller has acres and he gallops forward before hitting Greenwood on the lead. The goal is begging, but instead he handballs over the top for Corbett. Sunday’s papers will make for ugly reading for Nathan Buckley.
Q4: 16 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.12 (42) v 10.3 (63) Gold Coast - The Suns are happy until one of those stoppages ends with Quaynor taking possession in acres of space, feeding Noble, who kicks towards De Goey 20m from goal. The Collingwood forward is bumped out of the contest and has a gimme free-kick to keep the Pies alive. And he misses it. Wow. That sums up Collingwood right now.
Q4: 17 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.11 (41) v 10.3 (63) Gold Coast - Again Collingwood take possession, but again they can’t pick a target and from under their posts Gold Coast transition superbly along the left wing, showing bravery and skill execution in tight quarters. The Suns are happy now with repeat stoppages near halfway.
Q4: 19 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.11 (41) v 10.3 (63) Gold Coast - Collingwood win the clearance but Gold Coast do superbly to smuggle the ball with force of will downfield - Rankine and Miller especially prominent. By the time they have the chance to deliver inside-50 Corbett is being manhandled and the free-kick goal is inevitable. The Suns enjoy the widest margin of the day.
The Pies only have a few minutes remaining to save their season.
3QT: Collingwood 5.11 (41) v 9.3 (57) Gold Coast
Collingwood had the bit between their teeth, all the pressure, all the ball, and all they can do is reduce the deficit from 19 points to 16. Massive final quarter for Nathan Buckley.
Q3: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.11 (41) v 9.3 (57) Gold Coast - Glorious mark by Greenwood. It had the feel of a training drill - he was over the back and the delivery was long enough for him to get up a head of speed and launch off the hapless Maynard. He finishes, just, with a mongrel.
Q3: 3 mins remaining: Collingwood 5.11 (41) v 8.3 (51) Gold Coast - The pendulum swings back Collingwood’s way. A couple of minutes of pressure ends with Grundy tapping a ball-in to space with the Sherring ending up with the dashing Noble streaking towards 50. He unloads truly and De Goey does well on the line to wrestle a path through for the six points.
Q3: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 4.11 (35) v 8.3 (51) Gold Coast - Couple of notable attempted marks going back with the flight. Murphy does magnificently in defence to take a Riewoldt-like speccy, then Burgess crumbles in a heap after failing to hold onto a similar effort. He gets back to his feet soon enough, and following the stoppage resulting from his attack on the ball Swallow snaps another steadying goal out the back.
Clearly the narrative around today’s match is about Buckley and Collingwood, but there are some promising signs for the Suns’ midfield and clearly there’s enough class for this group to progress if they can find some consistency.
Q3: 6 mins remaining: Collingwood 4.11 (35) v 7.3 (45) Gold Coast - And against the run of play the Suns find a goal. The ball was in dispute in midfield but Holman outmuscles his opponent and hoists to a one-on-one where King was too strong and too quick. All that effort and dominance from Collingwood, and they’re back to ten points in arrears.
Q3: 7 mins remaining: Collingwood 4.11 (35) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - Finally the Suns slow the game down and chip their way down the left wing. King unloads from range but the Pies defend their line well, then Burgess has a snap but it misses the lot. Collins marks the clearing kick, but returns it straight to a black and white jumper. After dominating for so long, the Magpies are still behind.
Q3: 8 mins remaining: Collingwood 4.11 (35) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - The Pies are leading contested possessions 24-11 for the quarter, and that force at the ball again results in forward momentum. Quaynor again takes the game on at speed but his decisive entry is to nobody.
Still the pressure comes, and soon another holding-the-ball call goes Collingwood’s way on right centre wing. Gold Coast are in quicksand.
Q3: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 4.11 (35) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - Still the pressure comes, the Suns are suffocated, and one of a series of holding-the-ball calls is finally paid in Daicos’ favour. the Son of a Gun sizes up the scene, runs off his mark and snaps a confident finish. The Suns haven’t fired a shot this half and their lead is down to four.
Q3: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 3.11 (29) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - Noble finds space in the corridor then hits Mihocek on the lead. But he doesn’t play on with any urgency and Moore, not a full-time forward, doesn’t lead to the hot zone. The outcome is obvious - a hopeful punt worked clear by the Gold Coast backline.
The pressure continues though, and the chances must surely tell eventually. The latest turnover sees Pendlebury feed Quaynor but he launches just off target.
Q3: 12 mins remaining: Collingwood 3.10 (28) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - the Suns have emerged fumbly since the interval and can’t exert any forward pressure. Fortunately their defensive structure and work-rate keeps them afloat. It helps that Collingwood continue to lack cohesion working the ball forward.
Q3: 14 mins remaining: Collingwood 3.10 (28) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - De Goey blasts into no-man’s land when he had momentum and space to run into. The Suns scrub the clearance though, continuing to invite pressure on them. And it almost tells! Another shocking exit, robbed by Daicos, but he misses a very gettable right-foot snap. This is a crucial passage.
Q3: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 3.9 (27) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - Keane does superbly to intercept overhead then hit a target on the right wing. There’s indecision over the next kick and once again it’s slow and floaty and ends with a ball-in deep in the pocket. The Suns win the stoppage and fly out of the blocks down the left wing and win a stoppage of their own downfield for the first time this quarter.
Q3: 17 mins remaining: Collingwood 3.9 (27) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast -More Magpie pressure, another floaty entry, but this time it finds a target! And it’s Mihocek, the only Pie seemingly capable of scoring today, and he marks in traffic then slots the simple set shot.
Can Collingwood maintain their momentum?
Q3: 18 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.9 (21) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - It’s all Collingwood at the start of this half, but the repeat entries are floaty and slow and this Gold Coast defence is designed to eat them up. Eventually the ball breaks for Sidebottom but the 30m snap on his left foot drifts wide.
Q3: 19 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast - Collingwood have to start positively, and Grundy and Thomas combine to do just that, then second efforts from them both open the door for De Goey - but he drops a chest mark on the lead and a golden opportunity goes begging.
The teams are back out for the second half. The next hour could well determine the footy agenda for the week ahead, and the coaching future of Nathan Buckley.
Stats-wise there’s not a huge amount to report, although the 67-41 uncontested mark stat in favour of the Suns tells a story.
Individually, five of the seven highest-ranked players line up in Gold Coast’s midfield. As that second quarter played out the Suns looked increasingly dominant in that part of the ground, particularly with Ellis, Miller, Bowes and co breaking through the corridor after ditching the opening quarter plan of siphoning everything down the right wing.
Caleb Poulter has eight disposals, including two score involvements, but three clangers and was caught holding the ball just before half-time for Ellis’ unlikely goal. Like many Pies there’s plenty of endeavour but the pieces don’t all look as though they know how they fit together, especially moving the ball forward.
Half-time: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast
The Suns continue to apply pressure but pull the wrong rein with their final kick. Brown then streaks away down the left wing, running and bouncing at will. Eventually the Suns smuggle enough men behind the ball and smother the danger.
The half-time siren blows, and a soft chorus of boos murmurs around the MCG. Massive half-time for Nathan Buckley.
Q2: 1 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 6.3 (39) Gold Coast -Huge moment in the contest. The debutant Poulter is caught holding the ball just outside 50 on the left wing. Ellis takes the free-kick, roosting a punt to the top of the square - and it beats everyone! Crisp and Grundy both tried to spoil, both missed, and the ball dropped, bobbled, and dribbled through. The on-field call was a goal, and there was no definitive evidence to overturn it.
Q2: 2 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 5.3 (33) Gold Coast - The Suns are just hinting at clicking in midfield with Miller, Ellis, and Bowes starting to find some run. The latter is instrumental to another drive but after finding Corbett on the lead the forward can’t hit the target from a tight angle.
Q2: 3 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 5.2 (32) Gold Coast - Maynard does brilliantly to get his fist to the ball with two Suns for company after Markov streaked through the corridor.
Q2: 5 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.8 (20) v 5.2 (32) Gold Coast - Now it’s Collingwood’s turn to butcher a goal. Mihocek has time and space in the right forward pocket, but he can’t hit the leading De Goey infield. Anything you can do I can do worser, says Rankine, who can’t execute a simple kick to a 2-1 in his side’s favour near the goalsquare. Fatigue may be setting in, confidence may be playing its part, but this is low quality football.
Q2: 8 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 5.2 (32) Gold Coast - The Suns should score again but the kick to the leading King is abysmal and Collingwood survive. This is not a demonstration of well-oiled attacking footy.
Q2: 10 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 5.2 (32) Gold Coast - Make that three quick ones - and four in a row in total - for the Suns. Miller finally produces some midfield excellence and after he turns out of trouble and accelerates forward his kick is to the advantage of Burgess who marks then drills the set shot.
Warning signs for Collingwood.
Q2: 11 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 4.2 (26) Gold Coast - Two in quicktime from the Suns. This one was finished by Swallow, but it was all about King. The big lad competed strongly in the air, brought the ball to ground, then he was like a honey badger keeping the ball alive until it was shifted to Swallow in space to kick home on the run.
Neither midfield is clicking. It’s a bit of a slog between the arcs and a royal rumble inside them.
Q2: 13 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 3.2 (20) Gold Coast - And of course, Gold Coast hit the front with their first attack of the quarter. A hopeful punt bounces in the centre square and lands in the Suns’ favour. Lukosius does magnificently, caressing a huge pass fully 60m to King, who can’t miss from near the goalsquare.
Q2: 13 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast - Guess what? Gold Coast get one kick out of their backline and then cough it up in midfield... and Collingwood can’t capitalise. At quarter time the Pies must have reorganised to close that switch the Suns executed so well in the opening 20 minutes.
Q2: 14 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.7 (19) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast - Another Gold Coast turnover has the potential to spell trouble but Collingwood continue to fail to take advantage. The Pies reinforce their inefficiency with ball in hand, sending an entry inside 50 with time and space straight to a red guernsey. It is all black and white this quarter, but Collingwood are yet to make it count on the scoreboard.
Q2: 17 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.6 (18) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast - Greenwood takes a towering pack mark on the right wing to allow the Suns to escape from defence, but yet again the chain of handballs in midfield are not crisp and the Pies are gifted a turnover. A couple of quick rushed behinds in succession hint at future scoring opportunities.
Q2: 19 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.4 (16) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast - Sometimes footy looks so easy. De Goey is awarded a free-kick for holding at the bounce. He thumps the ball inside-50, and Moore clunks the contested mark with ease. Hmmm, then he misses a shot he really should have kicked.
Neither side really got their attacking games going in that opening quarter. Both defences were very much on top. The Suns look to have a clear gameplan, and if they can get their outside midfielders in sync you can see how they’ll prosper. Collingwood just need to get the ball forward faster. When they do, they look potent, but they didn’t do so often.
QT: Collingwood 2.3 (15) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast
Just the one point separating the sides at quarter time.
Q1: 1 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.3 (15) v 2.2 (14) Gold Coast -Lukosius marks a clearing kick but instead of heading back for goal himself he sets it up to the top of the square and Collingwood intercept. The Suns continue to exert pressure, penning the Pies on the edge of their own 50. Eventually they force another turnover and the ball finds Burgess 48m out on a an angle, but he also opts for the conservative kick and the ball is smuggled behind for a point.
Q1: 3 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.3 (15) v 2.1 (13) Gold Coast - Once more the Suns execute plan A, chipping the ball across their back line until they’re out on the right and away down the right wing. They can’t find a clean entry, but it doesn’t matter on this occasion. Pendlebury wins the ball-in but he coughs it up immediately to Rankine who snaps, without finding perfect contact, but enough to lob the ball over Collingwood’s sweepers and bobbling through for his first goal at the MCG.
Q1: 4 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.3 (15) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - The Suns have been poor in midfield, especially in transition - both defensively and offensively. They’ve butchered three or four golden opportunities to punish a retreating Collingwood defence, Miller the latest culprit.
Q1: 6 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.3 (15) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - Classic 6-6-6 clearance for the Pies. Daicos mops up the clearance, thumps the ball deep early and Cameron is too strong in the 1-1 marking contest. His set shot misses on the narrow side.
Q1: 7 mins remaining: Collingwood 2.2 (14) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - We could rename them the Gold Coast Switches such has been their tendency to move the ball from one wing to the other. They look to be out on the right but then cut back to exit on the left, but before they have a chance to deliver to a leading target they turn the ball over and Collingwood break. A handy free-kick in midfield helps them power on before the Suns can flood back and it results in Mihocek’s lead being honoured 40m out straight in front. He kicks his, and his team’s second of the day.
Q1: 9 mins remaining: Collingwood 1.2 (8) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - Moore does superbly to take a strong contested mark on right centre wing but by the time he’s handballed infield to Brown, Gold Coast have flooded back. A promising attack is again stymied before it’s had chance to develop. However, on this occasion it still bears fruit when Mihocek is tackled high when he’s scrambling at ground level, but he misses the resulting left-footed snap.
Q1: 11 mins remaining: Collingwood 1.1 (7) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - More through luck than judgement Collingwood work the ball downfield, Daicos to the fore, but again they can’t fashion space for a marking forward. The Suns have looked solid deep in defence, which they’ll need to be, because they’re being cut open in midfield in transition.
Q1: 13 mins remaining: Collingwood 1.1 (7) v 1.1 (7) Gold Coast - Massive switch from left to right across the defensive 50 is fraught with danger but the Suns get out, and the ball is quickly in King’s hands near the apex of the 50m arc and the boundary line. The set shot is beautifully struck but just clips the far post.
Q1: 15 mins remaining: Collingwood 1.1 (7) v 1.0 (6) Gold Coast - The Pies are growing into this nicely, transitioning the ball with ease from defensive to attacking 50 - largely via Sidebottom - but they’re lacking penetration into the arc, for now.
Q1: 17 mins remaining: Collingwood 1.1 (7) v 1.0 (6) Gold Coast - Collingwood get on the board with a behind, without ever threatening a major, then the Suns piece together a methodical attack down the right flank until it’s fisted over the boundary deep inside Collingwood’s defensive 50. The Pies rebound nicely but Collins takes front position to intercept the vital kick. The next clearance is less effective and after a turnover on right centre wing Sidebottom drills a dangerous entry that results in a free to Mihocek 40m out bang in front. He kicks truly to steady Magpie nerves.
Q1: 19 mins remaining: Collingwood 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Gold Coast - 16 seconds, that’s all it takes for Gold Coast to win the tap, Miller to burst clear, Keane to misread the ball in flight and Burgess to finish smartly with a snap across his body about 25m out.
Opening bounce!
Here we go...
Conditions are glorious, by the way. A bright blue sky, the temperature is around 20C, and there’s just the occasional whisper of a breeze across a lush-looking track.
Both sides are out on the MCG, Collingwood in their traditional black and white, Gold Coast in red. No danger of that shambolic ANZAC Day kit clash this afternoon.
And if you want some more Collingwood reading material in the ten minutes or so before the opening bounce, you can chew on the choice of the new president, or enjoy the latest chapter in the row with Port Adelaide over the right to wear a replica of Notts County’s black and white stripes.
Some stats that make pretty ugly reading for Pies supporters:
- Collingwood haven’t used the ball well, ranking last for disposal efficiency differential.
- That starts from the middle, where they rank second-last for score differential from centre clearances.
- And it tells up forward. In the past four rounds the Pies rank last for average marks inside-50.
Scott Heinrich has cast his eye over both these sides this season. It’s safe to say he hasn’t been impressed.
Absolutely Harry. For a half it felt like the unbeaten Doggies were laying down a premiership marker, and then the Tigers turned up the pressure to 11 and did what champion sides do.
In case you’ve missed it, we’re running an in-depth series on the impact of concussion in sport. There’s groundbreaking analysis, exclusive reporting, and leading comment on one of the biggest challenges facing modern sport.
Gold Coast XXIII
Stuart Dew has named an unchanged 23, backing in the group that did the job against the Swans last time out. Alex Sexton remains the medical sub.
B: H.Greenwood, S.Collins, W.Powell
HB: O.Markov, C.Ballard, J.Farrar
C: B.Ellis, D.Swallow, S.Lemmens
HF: N.Holman, C.Graham, J.Corbett
F: I.Rankine, B.King, S.Flanders
FOLL: C.Burgess, J.Lukosius, T.Miller
I/C: B.Ainsworth, N.Anderson, J.Bowes, L.Weller
Sub: A.Sexton
Collingwood XXIII
Nathan Buckley has cut four members of his ANZAC Day squad in a bid to keep Collingwood’s season alive. Out go youngsters Trey Ruscoe, Will Kelly, and Tyler Brown, as well as defender Jack Madgen.
The list of ins is headlined by Jordan De Goey, who returns following a concussion, while Mark Keane is back after suspension, and veteran Chris Mayne comes in to add his graft and experience. There’s also a debut for Caleb Poulter, the club’s third first-gamer in as many weeks.
B: B.Maynard, J.Roughead, I.Quaynor
HB: J.Crisp, M.Keane, J.Noble
C: N.Murphy, S.Pendlebury, C.Poulter
HF: D.Cameron, D.Moore, B.McCreery
F: C.Brown, J.De Goey, J.Thomas
FOLL: B.Grundy, J.Daicos, S.Sidebottom
I/C: W.Hoskin-Elliott, F.Macrae, B.Mihocek, C.Mayne
Sub: J. Rantall
IN: M.Keane, C.Poulter, J.De Goey, C.Mayne
OUT: T.Ruscoe, J.Madgen, T.Brown, W.Kelly
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Collingwood v Gold Coast from the MCG. This round 7 clash gets underway at 1.45pm.
It’s been another bruising week for the Magpies (aren’t they all?) following a disappointing defeat to Essendon in last Sunday’s ANZAC Day clash. The future of the out-of-contract Nathan Buckley has once again dominated the footy agenda, a subject magnified by confusion of the state of Collingwood’s list and whether the club remains final contenders or in a state of rebuild. If that wasn’t enough, the club was once again embroiled in the PR disaster that is Eddie v Kochie in the battle of the bars.
The Suns appear to be where they have been for years, namely no-man’s land. Another talented list continues to underwhelm and after promising early signs pressure is mounting on a well-credentialed coach. Injuries continue to dog them, but it is an excuse that only carries so far. Arriving into today’s game with a 2-4 record, against an opponent second-last on the ladder, four points could galvanise their season and prove they have the mettle to grind out important results. Another defeat and it’ll be a long run home in the wilderness for the Queenslanders.
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