Summary
Another thrilling night at the MCG with Collingwood through to the Grand Final with a one-point win over GWS.
Thanks again for being with us for the live blog for a game that attracted more than 97,000 fans – most of whom were wearing the black and white and will be celebrating long into the night.
Here is the match report:
Nick Daicos is speaking with Fox Footy and tells Garry Lyon that he got through the game well and his knee has held up well – certainly better than the 90,000-odd hearts at the MCG that are now only beginning to return to a healthy rate.
Daicos credits the Pies getting more courageous with their ball use as what helped turn back the Orange Tsunami and bring the Collingwood Army back into the game.
Collingwood will be wrapt he got through the game unscathed, but will hold some concerns over Dan McStay who left the ground with an injury.
But for now, it’s time to soak this one in, before turning their attention to either Brisbane or Carlton for the 2023 grand final.
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Full-time: Collingwood 8.10 (58) d. GWS 8.9 (57)
A final for the ages as Collingwood hang on by one-point against a gallant GWS and into a grand final.
The game was set up by the Pies in the third-quarter when they outscored the Giants by five-goals to two. Ultimately it was too much for the Giants, whose season has been nothing short of remarkable in their first year under Adam Kingsley.
All credit to Collingwood though, who celebrate in front of 90,000+ delirious Collingwood fans.
Beaten in stoppages early, Collingwood wrested control of that part of the game (eventually winning that stat 44-26), and denied the Giants the run that saw them open up the game with five consecutive goals starting in the second quarter.
The pressure and contest in the final 10 minutes was as tough as intense as we have seen all year.
Collingwood has now won six of their seven games decided by 10 points or less this season – none more important, or memorable, than that one.
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90 seconds to go
A one-point game!
Q4, 4 minutes remaining: Collingwood 8. 10 (58) v GWS 8.9 (57)
Toby Greene comes within inches of putting the Giants in front, only for Sidebottom to mark on the line.
Q4, 6 minutes remaining: Collingwood 8. 10 (58) v GWS 8.9 (57)
Jesse Hogan comes up big as we near time on to get the Giants within a point!
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Q4, 7 minutes remaining, Collingwood 8. 10 (58) v GWS 7.9 (51)
97, 665
Another extraordinary crowd at the MCG.
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GWS have activated their sub. Xavier O’Halloran coming on for Callum Ward
Q4, 12 minutes remaining: Collingwood 8. 10 (58) v GWS 7.9 (51)
Twelve minutes to go and momentum feels as though it’s with Collingwood, who seem to be running on top of the ground.
GWS seem to be losing structure going forward and are not moving the ball with the same dare as earlier in the match.
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Q4, 14 minutes remaining: Collingwood 8. 9 (57) v GWS 7.9 (51)
Mason Cox puts the Pies back in front and has the shirt ripped off his back for the pleasure. An important goal in front of his family who has made it over from the US.
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Q4, 16 minutes remaining: Collingwood 7. 9 (51) v GWS 7.9 (51)
A 50-metre penalty sets up Daniel Lloyd to kick the opening goal of the quarter for GWS and…
SCORES ARE LEVEL!
Q4, 18 minutes remaining: Collingwood 7. 9 (51) v GWS 6.9 (45)
Bobby Hill goes oh so close to getting one to turn at right angles for a goal, but is rushed through by the Giants for a point.
Q4, 19 minutes remaining: Collingwood 7. 9 (50) v GWS 6.9 (45)
Ginnivan has come on as the sub for Collingwood and almost has an instant impact, but sends his shot on goal wide.
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3QT: Collingwood 7. 7 (49) v GWS 6.9 (45)
An incredible last minute there from Collingwood to hold up in defence and take a 4-point lead into the last break.
A time for nearly 100,000 at the MCG and countless more watching at home to take a breath.
Collingwood only went inside 50 on eight occasions that quarter for five goals – that’s rarefied air in terms of conversion.
They also took ascendancy in the clearance game, and are now leading that stat 32-20.
If they can contain the Giants run for another 30 minutes they might just find their way into a Grand Final.
It feels, however, that there’s a twist or two left in this game yet.
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Q3, 5 minutes remaining: Collinwood 7. 6 (48) v GWS 6. 7 (43)
Make that five of the last six! Forget the Orange Tsunami, the wall of sound coming from the Collingwood army is immense.
Q3, 7 minutes remaining: Collingwood 6. 6 (42) v GWS 6. 5 (41)
Collingwood in front!
McCreery kicks the Pies sixth and the decibel level is through the roof!
Four of the last five goals now for Collingwood.
Q3, 8 minutes remaining: Collingwood 5. 6 (36) v GWS 6. 5 (41)
Hoo boy! Jamie Elliott kicks his first with just his third disposal of the night.
This game is fast developing into another classic final between these two.
Q3, 9 minutes remaining: Collingwood 4. 6 (30) v GWS 6. 5 (41)
And this game has lifted (another) notch!
Callum Brown with the quick – and important – reply from GWS.
Q3, 10 minutes remaining: Collingwood 4. 6 (30) v GWS 5. 5 (35)
After an hour between their second and third goals, Collingwood kicks two in two minutes to tighten this one right up.
And here comes the 90,000-strong COLL-ING-WOOOOOOOOD chant.
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Q3, 12 minutes remaining: Collingwood 3. 6 (24) v GWS 5. 5 (35)
A turnover from GWS results in a much-needed Collingwood goal to Bobby Hill to bring the margin back within two goals.
Can this provide the spark the Pies need?
Q3, 15 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 6 (18) v GWS 5. 5 (35)
It has been said that Australian rules football is a game of time and space. Two things GWS seem to have more of at the moment. A crucial 5-10 minutes here for Collingwood.
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Q3, 18 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 6 (18) v GWS 5. 4 (34)
The critical goal goes to GWS through its inspirational captain, Toby Greene – his second for the night.
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Second-half is under way!
Clearances will be the key to this second half, with the Giants advantage of +15 in post-clearance possession opening the game up for the Giants in the second quarter. It has allowed GWS to spread, run, and ultimately hit the scoreboard.
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HT: Collingwood 2. 6 (18) v GWS 4. 4 (28)
A massive turnaround that quarter as GWS worked their way into the game as the sting came out of the game. All four Giants goals that quarter came from a Collingwood turnover.
For the quality of football that has been played, it is a low-scoring first half with the game’s six goals all kicked at the Punt Road end.
Collingwood’s half-time score of 18 points is its worst ever against GWS.
As much as Jordan De Goey was the player of the first quarter, so Tom Green was the second. He goes into half-time with 17 disposals and a goal.
While he showed flashes late that quarter, it will be interesting to see how Collingwood handles Nick Daicos from here. In just an hour of footy, he’s already spent 18 minutes of it on the bench.
Can the Giants keep rolling?
Can Collingwood settle and regain control?
It is going to be an intriguing second half.
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Q2, 2 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 6 (18) v GWS 4. 4 (28)
The roar goes up as Nick Daicos kicks for goal…. but misses.
Q2, 4 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 4 (16) v GWS 4. 4 (28)
Superb play by Stephen Coniglio sets up Jake Riccardi for four consecutive goals for GWS as the Orange Tsunami starts to roll through the middle of the MCG.
Collingwood needs a steadier before the half.
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Q2, 11 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 3 (15) v GWS 3. 4 (22)
Isaac Cumming gets the third for GWS, who have dominated this quarter. A feature of the Giants game in the lead up to the finals has been their ability to slam on goals in quick succession. They are looking dangerous here.
Q2, 13 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 3 (15) v GWS 2. 4 (16)
Tom Green kicks the Giants second and they hit the front.
It has been a strong start to the second quarter from GWS who lead the inside 50 count for the term 7-2.
Q2, 15 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 3 (15) v GWS 1. 4 (10)
… and it finally pays off!
The man for the moment, Toby Greene gets the Giants first goal with a dish from Jesse Hogan following a strong mark.
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Q2, 16 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 3 (15) v GWS 0. 4 (4)
Callum Brown misses another chance to get GWS on the board, but the Giants are starting to generate some repeat entries into their forward 50.
The roar after the anthem is one of the great moments of finals football!
Captured beautifully here by the Guardian’s Antoun Issa.
The Magpie Army fills the G! #AFLPiesGiants pic.twitter.com/nfwvPVpemc
— Antoun Issa (@antissa) September 22, 2023
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QT: Collingwood 2. 2 (14) v GWS 0. 3 (3)
Collingwood takes an 11-point lead into the first break, largely on the back of the extreme pressure they applied throughout the term. As the quarter wore on, GWS played their way back into the game, largely on the back of 15 tackles, but wasted opportunities saw them fail to kick a goal.
Jordan De Goey is off to a hot start and leads the possession count with 10. Steele Sidebottom has wound back the clock, and is close to an early best-on-ground with eight disposals, three marks and a couple of tackles.
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Q1, 2 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2. 2 (14) v GWS 0. 3 (3)
That’s two opportunities missed by GWS to pull back Collingwood’s early lead. With only a couple minutes to go, they have at least been able to absorb everything from Pies without the scoreboard blowing out.
Q1, 5 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2.2 (14) v GWS 0.2 (2)
Collingwood’s tackling pressure early is immense, exemplified with a four-on-one tackle on Lachie Whitfield.
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Q1, 7 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2.2 (14) v GWS 0.1 (1)
GWS working their way back into the game, but continue to breakdown when entering their forward line. A 50-metre penalty to Lipinski sets up McStay, who fails to convert a shot he should have made.
Q1, 13 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2.0 (12) v GWS 0.1 (1)
Callum Brown fails to capitalise on a great piece of play by the Giants, but at last they are on the board and starting to settle.
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Q1, 15 minutes remaining: Collingwood 2.0 (12) v GWS 0.0 (0)
Jack Crisp kicks Collingwood’s second as Nick Daicos enters the game. Collingwood appear to have found the early rhythm and have put an early stamp on this game.
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Q1, 18 minutes remaining: Collingwood 1.0 (6) v GWS 0.0 (0)
Dan McStay marks and kicks the first goal for Collingwood … and the COLL-ING-WOOOOOOD! chant is up and running.
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The preliminary final is under way!
And here we go. The early pace and pressure will be manic. Who will be the first team to settle.
Maynard v Greene is on!
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Five minutes to go
It is said fans endure Preliminary Finals rather than enjoy them and that certainly reflects the mood five minutes out.
And now it’s Collingwood’s turn to run out as the lights go down and the roar from 90,000 Magpie fans can almost be heard from Windy Hill, if not Rooty Hill.
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The MCG is filling up and one Giants’ fan has a poignant question.
The Giants enter the MCG to plenty of jeers, a few cheers and one of the best theme songs in the AFL.
A sentiment all their own
And here’s Geoff Lemon on how the AFL’s youngest club is building a culture all its own.
Part of the family
As we wait for the first bounce, here is a piece from Susie Anderson on how Collingwood helped bring her family back together.
Nick Daicos to start on the bench
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has told Fox Footy that Nick Daicos will start the game on the bench, allowing for the early ‘heat’ to come out of the game.
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The Teams
An unchanged line-up for the Giants who will run with the same 22 that comfortably got the job done against Port Adelaide last week.
Just the one change for Collingwood, who have lost key on-baller Taylor Adams, which if you believe those at Pies, with a hamstring strain so minor as to barely be graded. He is replaced in the 22 by arguably this year’s best player, Nick Daicos, who has missed the past six weeks (five games) after injuring his knee in Collingwood’s shock loss to Hawthorn in Round 21.
Jack Ginnivan has been confirmed as the sub for Collingwood. Xavier O’Halloran is the GWS Giants sub.
Collingwood
FB [28] Nathan Murphy [30] Darcy Moore [3] Isaac Quaynor
HB [4] Brayden Maynard [10] Scott Pendlebury [38] Jeremy Howe
C [22] Steele Sidebottom [2] Jordan De Goey [7] Josh Daicos
HF [23] Bobby Hill [41] Brody Mihocek [1] Patrick Lipinski
FF [5] Jamie Elliot [11] Daniel McStay [30] Will Hoskin-Elliott
Fol [46] Mason Cox [31] Beau McCreery [30] Jack Crisp
I/C [6] Tom Mitchell [14] Darcy Cameron [35] Nick Daicos [37] Oleg Markov
EMG [9] John Noble [18] Finlay Macrae [17] Billy Frampton [33] Jack Ginnivan
GWS Giants
FB [44] Jack Buckley [15] Sam Taylor [39] Connor Idun
HB [7] Lachie Ash [27] Harry Himmelberg [6] Lachie Whitfield
C [17] Finn Callaghan [12] Tom Green [22] Josh Kelly
HF [14] Toby Bedford [26] Jake Riccardi [16] Brent Daniels
FF [38] Daniel Lloyd [23] Jesse Hogan [4] Toby Greene
Fol [32] Kieren Briggs [8] Callan Ward [3] Stephen Coniglio
IC [13] Isaac Cumming [36] Harry Perryman [25] Lachlan Keeffe [46] Callum M. Brown
EMG [19] Nick Haynes [9] Ryan Angwin [33] Xavier O’Halloran [11] Braydon Preuss
Umpires
Brett Rosebury (8) Andrew Stephens (12) Hayden Gavine (14), Simon Meredith (21)
Here are some scenes from outside the MCG earlier this evening, masses of fans filing through Yarra Park in Melbourne waiting to get into the stadium. Obviously a lot of black and white, but some flashes of orange around too.
Preamble
Another near-capacity crowd is expected at the MCG tonight for the Preliminary Final between Collingwood and the GWS Giants aall save a few thousand likely to be in black and white. Despite the Giants’ insistence that they can win anywhere at any time, it will be the one of the more hostile environments a visiting team has ever faced.
Both teams will be looking to use their speed and overlap run, so expect this game to open at a ferocious pace. If it does, it will be in contrast to the last time these two teams met in a final. That was almost four years to the day, a game that started not with a bang, but a whimper, before a manic and memorable second half that saw the Giants get home in an upset and into a Grand Final.
For the Giants to repeat that performance they will need to counter the Magpies daring ball use through the corridor – something that is nightmare fuel for any opposition. But if any side over the past few months have demonstrated they can counter this with their own dare, it is GWS.
Since losing to Richmond by a goal on the first Sunday in June, the Giants have implemented a run-and-gun game style that has seen them go on an 11-2 run, including convincing wins against St Kilda and Port Adelaide to reach their fourth Grand Final qualifier since entering the competition in 2012.
Like Collingwood, they are very balanced across the ground, bringing into relief the importance of the midfield where it will all start.
For Collingwood, Jordan De Goey is the name that leaps out, alongside the dependable Jack Crisp and Scott Pendlebury. While the return of Nick Daicos will provide the run and polish to the inside grunt of Tom Mitchell.
Meanwhile, the headline on the Giants’ poster is All-Australian captain Toby Greene, one of the few in the league that can change the course of a match off his own boot. He is well supported by Tom Green, who continues his emergence as one of the game’s very best, while Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio have returned to the form that saw them both offered a Giant for life contracts.
Collingwood go into the game as favourites, finishing the regular season a game clear on top of the ladder. If they can get a jump on the Giants, similar to what Bobby Hill provided in the Qualifying Final against Melbourne, the roar from 90,000 Magpie fans might just hold back the Orange Tsunami.
The opening bounce is 50 minutes away, so settle in for what should be an enthralling contest.
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