- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
A determined Melbourne outfit have outshone Collingwood today at the MCG, running away 35-point winners.
REPORT: MELBOURNE DOWN COLLINGWOOD BY 35
In-form ruckman Max Gawn was fantastic for the young side, who were spurred to victory from an across-the-board contribution from the first bounce.
The Demons jumped the Pies early, dominating the contested possession stat and being far cleaner with the ball, especially with their delivery inside 50. The gap in effort was glaringly obvious, as the Demons continued to rack up numbers around the largely reactive Collingwood side, going into the first break up by five goals.
Collingwood steadied the ship in the second quarter, with seasoned players Steele Sidebottom and Travis Varcoe impacting the scoreboard, but could not make any ground on the Demons. Accurate kicking from Melbourne was crucial to their lead, highlighted by Jack Watts’ effort of going into halftime with 4 goals straight.
The second half largely played out like the first, with every lift in intensity from Collingwood being matched by Melbourne. Travis Cloke and his fellow forwards struggled to have much impact at all against a rigid Melbourne defense led by Tom McDonald.
Grundy fought well, as did Greenwood, Sidebottom and Treloar, but they were simply not good enough under the storm of physical pressure heaped on them today. Melbourne will be rapt with the games of some of their lesser known players, including Josh Wagner, Sam Frost and debutant Jayden Hunt.
On a day where Collingwood had all eyes on them, they failed to turn up and will be under intense scrutiny this week as they go into the ANZAC match against Collingwood next week.
Melbourne will take great confidence into their clash with Richmond, with solid contributions from all 22 players sure to lift belief in their ability to win as a team.
Final score
Collingwood 16.6 (102)
Melbourne 9.13 (67)
Many pundits are already putting a line through the Collingwood Magpies‘ season, but can they get back on track by putting the Melbourne Demons to the sword at the MCG? Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 3:20pm (AEST).
These two teams come into this game with huge question marks hanging over their seasons.
Both sit uncomfortably in the lower half of the ladder with one win and two losses, their respective wins being only by narrow margins in games they weren’t ever in control of.
Melbourne was no doubt the better performed of the two last weekend, losing by less than a goal in a thrilling, no-holds-barred shootout against North Melbourne, while Collingwood were made to look second rate by St Kilda, a team many believe to be behind them in terms of development.
The Magpies will be solidified by the returns of gun onballer Steele Sidebottom and veteran Travis Varcoe, while the Demons will lament the loss of Bernie Vince to suspension, especially seeing as he was best on ground in their previous meeting last year.
That game, which the Demons won, is also worth mentioning as Travis Cloke didn’t play – interestingly he bagged his personal best of seven goals in their earlier 2015 meeting.
With a few key personnel changes it looks like Collingwood have the upper hand, but on recent form this is hardly a team to instil confidence in anyone. Genuine speed seems to trouble them, and with players such as Dean Kent and Jeff Garlett lurking in Melbourne’s forward half, the Collingwood backline may not have the legs to stop them on the counterattack.
Max Gawn is coming off a whopping 63 hitouts last weekend against a quality ruckman in Todd Goldstein, and will be full of belief that he can give first use to his midfield. The Demons are a solid clearance team, and with quick ball movement and clever teamwork they have the ability to score heavily.
Collingwood are struggling in a lot of key areas so far this season, including inside 50s and clearances. If they are to win, Cloke needs to take this game by the scruff of the neck and remind the footballing world of the powerhouse he can be. It will be interesting to see if he is aided by his new forward-line buddy Jeremy Howe, or if his ex-teammates will rattle him.
The end result is huge; one team will break even on the year while the other moves to the ugly prospect of 1-3, another step behind the pack. It all comes down to which version of each team takes the field. Three games in and still we’re not sure what we’ll get – but it will be close.
Prediction
A true toss of the coin, but Vince is a big loss, so I’m leaning ever so slightly towards the Pies.
Collingwood by 2 points.
Will it be Collingwood or Melbourne that steer their ship back on course for season 2016? Join The Roar from 3:20pm (AEST) for live scores and rolling coverage, and join in the discussion below to let your thoughts be known.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.