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Collingwood has produced one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the club to defeat North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
COLLINGWOOD 17 10 112
NORTH MELBOURNE 14 11 95
Down by 39 points at half time, Collingwood would kick ten unanswered goals, and the last three of the game to beat the Kangaroos and move into the top 4.
It was the third largest comeback in the history of the club after half time, and the first time in 40 years they have comeback from this far down to beat an opponent.
It was a remarkable turn around after a poor first half described by Nathan Buckley as “the worst half of footy we’ve played this year.”
After both teams kicked a goal, in the opening six minutes, North would kick away to lead by 20 points at quarter time.
They dominated the contest, and had the ball in their forward line, but didn’t put it on the scoreboard.
Easy missed set shots, and a poor shot by Jarrad Waite with a snap on goal, only gave North a 9 point lead with a few minutes to go in the opening term.
Two late goals, including one on the siren to Shaun Higgins, gave them the lead they deserved.
They continued this in the second quarter as they kicked away.
Six goals to three, with all six going to different players, gave them a 39 point lead at half time.
Collingwood tried to get back into the contest, throughout the quarter, but couldn’t put two goals together.
North had all the answers.
They also used the ball far better with a disposal efficiency of 76% compared to 64% for the Pies.
It looked to be a tough task for Collingwood but they started the third term well.
They kicked the opening goal of the term, through Scott Pendlebury, and then added a second with Travis Cloke getting his first goal.
Jamie Elliott would then get into the game to kick his first, and third in a row for the Pies.
When Swan, and Crisp, kicked a goal each to make it 5 in a row, the Pies would be down by just 12 points.
Two goals in a minute to Elliott would tie the game up and Collingwood would kick 7 in a row.
They wouldn’t be done either as they kicked two more to open up a 14 point lead at 3/4 time.
The reason for their comeback was their disposal efficiency. It improved significantly from the first half, and they created more chances with it.
They also got the momentum and capitalised on it.
North just couldn’t stop the goals once the Pies grew in confidence.
When they kicked the first goal of the final quarter, the Pies had a 20 point lead, and 10 goals in a row.
North then responded with three straight goals in two minutes to reduce the margin to two points.
Now they had the momentum and looked like winning the contest.
Drew Petrie, with his 2nd goal of the afternoon, then put North back in front for the first time in a quarter.
That would be the end of the charge of the Kangaroos with Collingwood kicking three goals to end the game.
Swan and Blair would kick goals to put the Magpies 10 points up with 4 minutes to go.
North couldn’t respond, and when Jamie Elliott marked on the siren, the game was over.
He would seal the deal and cap off a remarkable match for Collingwood.
They now move into the top 4 and play Melbourne on Monday next week.
North now need to pick themselves off the canvass and respond against West Coast in Tasmania on Sunday.
Collingwood can move into the top four on the AFL ladder with a win against North Melbourne at the MCG this afternoon. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match from 3:20pm AEST.
A win by either team today will put their top eight aspirations firmly on track for season 2015. A loss however will start to raise questions about both teams.
That is the funny game of football sometimes, especially after last week.
In Round 8, North Melbourne got smashed by Fremantle in Perth, while the Pies comfortably defeated Gold Coast by 69 points.
For the Kangaroos they got outplayed for three of the four quarters and only kicked one goal after half time.
For Collingwood they found form with Jamie Elliott kicking five goals in the rout. Scott Pendlebury, in his 200th, kicked three goals and had 35 touches. How that form translates into today will be interesting.
You’d expect North to respond after being embarrassed last week. They have already done that twice this year, and five times last year.
In matches where the Kangaroos have lost by more than 30 points, they have won in the next round seven times out of a possible seven in the last 15 months.
That shows a great resilience by the team.
The big news for the Kangaroos, heading into the match, is that Andrew Swallow is back from a thumb injury. He is joined by Ben Brown with Ben Jacobs and Mason Wood out.
Collingwood has made just one change with Alan Toovey in at the expense of Tim Broomhead. They key to this match will be contested possession.
The Magpies are the number one team in the competition for it, with the Kangaroos down in 15th.
If the Kangaroos can match them in that area then they are a chance of winning today.
Stopping Travis Cloke, who kicked four goals the last time they met, will also be crucial.
At the MCG the Kangaroos have only won two of the last seven against the Pies. Overall though the teams have split the last five meetings.
This is a tough match to pick. Both teams need to win and they match up well against each other. The stat on North winning after a smashing is also damning for today’s encounter.
I originally picked Collingwood, at the start of the weekend, and will remain with that based on their form at the MCG, and their recent record against the Kangaroos.
It wouldn’t surprise me though if North respond and win after last week.
Prediction – Collingwood by 12 points.
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