For three-quarters of the preliminary final, Collingwood played unfathomably poorly, and the resounding thought was: do they know they’re playing in the game to win entry into the grand final?
This awareness was not on display while the game’s ultimate path was being determined, with the occasion failing to instill much visible urgency in Collingwood.
The Pies were manhandled in the first half, but escaped not just still in the game, but somehow with a lead. Surely, they would make the most of their borrowed life after the break.
But the Giants continued to assert themselves in the third quarter and finally capitalised on their ascendancy with five goals as just rewards.
The Collingwood players were barely present for their own execution, spectators as the Giants midfield – missing four of its five best contributors – were harder and cleaner at stoppages again and again and again.
Under Leon Cameron, the Giants have never played an especially sophisticated brand. They have been easily solvable if not containable.
You know what you are going to get: elite talent and hardness around the ball, two magnificent intercept markers in defence, and a transcendent key forward defining an attack filled with class.
The issue has always been in coherently linking these three things. Melbourne’s skies largely removed that problem for Cameron for a day.
In the wet, the game would be won in the contest, at stoppages, and with territory. Pre-match it appeared that the Giants, absent Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield, Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward, would just not have enough to match their opponents’ vaunted midfield and the best ruckman in the game.
But they did. Outside of Brodie Grundy, the five most impactful midfielders on the ground – Zac Williams, Josh Kelly, Tim Taranto, Harry Perryman and Matt de Boer – were all Giants.
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Even with all of Greater Western Sydney’s absences and Grundy’s dominance, Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar failed to exert any force on the game, muted by the Sydneysiders’ hardness and power at stoppages.
That such a proud and able group failed so magnificently defined the game and could not be overcome.
This Collingwood team is a resilient, admirable and mentally fierce group, so predictably they did not go down without a fight. The comeback was furious and almost complete. With maybe three combined inches added in various directions to Dom Sheed’s kick, Chris Mayne’s set shot and Taylor Adams’ poster, the Pies might be defending a premiership this Saturday.
Football is a game of inches, rapid moments and good fortune in the clutch – those inches not going Collingwood’s way, as brutal as it is, has to be lived with. Where the Magpies will really suffer is in the knowledge that the preliminary final should never have been a game of inches – they should never have let it come to that.
The Giants were immense. They were the better team on the day and deserve their grand final berth.
Nothing broke their way in the lead-up – the inane jokes will come about the AFL giving them everything, but this season circumstance has given them nothing; it has only taken from them.
They are in the grand final not through generosity but through sheer grit, determination, and all the other things they were once questioned on – questions now dismissed.
Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
As good as the Giants were, Collingwood will rue this missed opportunity for however long an eternity is in football.
At the MCG, coming off a bye, as three-and-a-half-goal favourites, against an interstate team that finished sixth and was missing four of their five best midfielders, and had their best defender and captain hobbled from the first term, this was a match that simply could not be lost.
It was, though, in the biggest boilover in a preliminary final since 1999.
As a broken and characteristically incisive Nathan Buckley said post-game: the comeback somehow only made things worse.
Where was that fight in the first three-quarters? Why did it take a five-goal deficit in the final quarter to provoke urgency, instead of the opening bounce?
This Collingwood team is not perfect, although still almost certainly good enough to have won a flag in the past two years.
The defence is outstanding, but Brody Mihocek, Ben Reid and Mason Cox should not be the options to anchor a forward line. Perhaps Jordan de Goey can, but he is needed in the middle.
That was where De Goey’s presence was most missed on Saturday, in a familiar scene this year. The club’s midfield, for all its class and composure, often lacks the necessary quick-twitch grunt that the midfields of Geelong, Richmond, GWS and West Coast possess. De Goey has that, and more time in the middle – should his body hold up – is surely his future.
For now, this is what Collingwood and their fans are left with – hypotheticals and desperately scribbled outlines of potential best 22s for next year. This, instead of fighting for 2018’s redemption in what would have been the biggest grand final in a quarter of a century.
All that is left for now are vacant, dazed minds for reflection – on an impressive year and a catastrophic failure, one from which no silver linings can be gleaned, beyond the easy but ultimate warmth that there will be a next year.
r0bsta
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure it was a wasted season, but it possibly didn't live up to the pre-season potential. Over the season, I think the pies would have placed fairly at 6th - the start was electric but after the bye they lost their mojo and wins over lower-placed teams possibly papered over the cracks a little. The Beams trade seemed strange to me at the time, but the pies ended up missing him when he was out. For all the talk of that midfield being elite, and having the best ruck in the competition, there wasn't enough inside grunt - Taylor Adams is the most valuable player in there. Hopefully Wills and Sier can start to add something as they develop. I agree with the posters who have pointed out the lack of a true key forward - the pies game plan stacks up against certain teams but has been undone consistently by teams who play tall in defence and who have strong intercept markers.
r0bsta
Roar Rookie
this comment aged well
Pieman
Guest
Totally with you on that Chris. Eds given Buckley everything on a silver platter. They both need to go...Eds trying ti pathetically save face now that pies lost chance of a flag under Buckley by saying how well positioned we are for next season. Cant recall him saying that during Malthouse tenure. He is laughable...
ChrisH
Roar Rookie
Totally agree! The Tiges efforts when their injuries were worst - esp the game in Adelaide against Port - were remarkable achievements for the coaching staff and plans.
DTM
Guest
I agree. Earlier in the season a lot was made of Richmond's injuries but now we hear nothing about it. In my view, it is an extraordinary effort for them to have made the GF considering their injuries (I admit, like many others I wrote them off after Rance went down). Yes, they have had a dream run with a number of home games but credit should be given to the players, the medical staff and above all, the coaches. In my view, Dimma and his group have out coached most other coaches this year. I'm hoping the Giants win tomorrow but if the Tigers prevail, they will deserve it.
ChrisH
Roar Rookie
Collingwood's last two seasons have been greatly impacted by injuries and suspensions. But so have the two teams that beat them - Eagles last year, Giants this year. So they can't use that as an excuse. But it does point to the problem. Depth. The Eagles lost Gaff, Natanui and Sheppard, yet still won the flag. The Giants lost Ward, Deledio, Coniglio, Whitefield and Greene, yet still got the grand final (tomorrow that may become "and won it"). Dogs and Tigers also lost key players during 2016 and 2019 but were able to cover for them with depth during the season to stay on track and then had most of them back in time for the finals. The Pies managed to hold it together for most of the season and finals, but in the end the lack of depth compared to their opponents bit them. Ultimately, they couldn't quite cover the absence of De Goey, Cox and Greenwood whereas the Eagles covered for Gaff, Nic Nat and Sheppard, and the Giants covered for Coniglio, Whitefield and Greene.
Seymorebutts
Guest
Yes they need that big forward who can consistently kick 50-60 goals a year. All the other top sides have them, usually two working in tandem. Ditto down back...Im not that familiar with their list but they dont have the big players that dominate in the air like the other clubs have either. Sure, they have the leagues best ruck-man and enviable depth in the midfield, but you cant win a flag without a couple of big bodies in the key positions...they ideally want to get someone like Phil Davis or another one of those young Giants at their club. So fourth best is probably a fair reflection of where they stand in the league.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Arguably seven sides who play finals will endure a 'wasted season'. Amplified by a top four finish sure but I dont know that its right to label it so. You take learnings from every season and more learnings when you lose. Collingwood had a large injury list and then endured Stephenson's suspension. Geelong finished on top and out in the prelim again. WCE loss to Hawthorn killed its chances. Brisbane having surprised many and handed two home finals and lost both - wasted season? If the Tiges dont win on Saturday, then that's a wasted season?
Les Bechelli
Guest
What the pies need is a forward, look at the sides that wins grand finals. They have decent or quality big forward, Kennedy, Lynch and Cameron. The pies need to target one in the draft, maybe Josh Jenkins from Adelaide might be worth pursuing. Cox and Reid’s are not options and De Goey is needed as part time midfielder and probably can’t tie down full forward all the time. I do agree the premier midfield does often go missing in big games or when tagged. Downhill skiers don’t often win premierships. We need a big forward, if only Lynch picked the pies
asd
Guest
its a wonder they made it to the preliminary considering the injuries
anon
Roar Pro
I'm Mr Correct. Correct about Geelong, correct about Collingwood, and in a few days time correct about Richmond.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
You are mister negative. Enjoy
Onside
Guest
Loosing big finals games by one straight kick two years in a row is hard to accept, made harder this year when considering a couple of key personnel recruiting coups in the last couple of seasons ,were from of all clubs, GWS. I think failure is a fair assessment for those aware of Collingwoods away games schedule throughout the season, and that the MCG is their home ground.
berrlins
Roar Pro
Failure is abit strong but I guess it depends on what you believe, some think that only a flag is a sign of success, in which case yes they did, but I'm more glass half full. They aren't a particularly old team, they have a really classy midfield, a decent defence and a forward line that may need some work but has potential, they did better than my team (Western Bulldogs) and they'll be there abouts again next year and could even go further next time, they'll feel the pain of the prelim for awhile, but it serves as motivation to be better and might help them into another granny next year. I think even though Richmond lost the prelim last year, that thought might have kicked them into gear at half time against Geelong this weekend.
Tommy
Guest
Thanks for the article Jay. As a Collingwood supporter, I have felt plenty of pain since I began supporting the team in 1975. Failure in the big games in certainly not uncommon to the Magpies. Was the season a failure? I would say yes and not because of the result against GWS. Our team prior to the season starting looked really strong in fact I was confident we would make the GF. Where did we go wrong? The usual places. Too many injuries (consistently the worst injury list over many seasons), Continuing to play certain players when they were not performing....Mason Cox is the first that springs to mind. Poor selections in several matches where to me it was obvious certain players could not cope in these games. I think of Appleby and Madgen here. Finally I must say that Nathan's coaching in the prelim was probably his worst effort this year. Why it took 3 qtrs to change the on ballers starting in the middle is beyond my comprehension. Why Grundy wasn't told to spike the ball forward 20 metres was beyond my comprehension when almost every time GWS would win the clearances. Why Brody Mihocek didn't go the CHB in a direct swap with Darcy Moore is beyond my comprehension. Anyway as we always say after we have had our gripes "there's always next year"
Chris
Guest
The problems at Collingwood are deep-rooted. Making players feel and think they're multi-media superstars is the very first thing that needs addressing. Treloar, Pendlebury, Buckley, Beams, De Goey need to pull their heads in. The wounded should be cleared. There are ten to twelve players who need to be shown the door ASAP. That leaves the recruiting staff with headaches galore. They haven't got a clue as to how they are going to assemble a side needed to win the big one. The midfielders are frontrunners not go getters!As for Buckley, his cockiness and stupidity are loathsome in every sense of the word. My club has hit an all time low and I don't want to hear any more ridiculous excuses. They were poorly prepared and downright arrogant in the extreme. Why don't they leave us long-suffering genuine Magpie supporters alone for good.They don't deserve our time or money. Buckley, McGuire and Co. OUT!
anon
Roar Pro
The Pies aren't particularly good. West Coast threw away that round 23 match against Hawthorn. West Coast win that, Collingwood are 5th, GWS 6th. In the QF they got the dream match up of Geelong on the MCG. Chris Scott is one of the worst finals coaches of all time.
Raimond
Roar Guru
I was reflecting on the game on Sunday, and I’m still struggling to comprehend the Magpies performance. I think they turned up expecting things to click, which is quite amazing, if true.
Timbo's rules
Guest
You rate the wobbleies too highly. I would rate the Giants a top 4 side and Collingwood about 6th not the other way round. Collingwood almost fell in to another grand final, which they would have lost and the game would have been the poorer for it because they are just not that good. Also you describe the Giants in a way that makes it sound bad, but it's not. If they bring the grit and the outside game in equal measure then Richmond are in for a fight.
DTM
Guest
No doubt a missed opportunity for the Pies. To be fair after Saturday, there will be 17 teams who will feel the season was wasted. However, I question the tactics of Collingwood - both pre game and during the game. This fits squarely on the shoulders of Buckley and the other coaching staff. If I was a Collingwood supporter, I would be very upset with both the preparation of the team mentally and the game day tactics. They will probably have a big turnover of players in the next 2 years but unless they address their coaching issues, another premiership will elude them. Good coaches win premierships - hard to think of a good one in the last 20 years who has not won one or a premiership winning coach who was no good. Buckley is still young, has a deep knowledge of the game so his coaching can improve but I'm not sure how patient the Collingwood fans will be.