The game started with a flurry before both teams managed to slam the brakes on.
Is that what people are going to tell you? Well, then allow me to tell you something else in the intro.
The Pies slammed the brakes on, not the Giants. It was one team applying the brakes, and the other team getting broken.
It was Collingwood that looked at what the Giants were attempting to do, made adjustments to their style, and shut down the handball game of the Giants. By cutting it off at the source (half-back), the Magpies changed the game. They looked at the 60 handballs the Giants put together in the first stanza and simply said “no more”.
From there, the Pies applied the pressure, closed in on the Giants whenever they took possession, and forced them to attempt to kick their way through the defensive zone.
And they couldn’t.
GWS were not really out of the hunt, but they certainly didn’t help themselves, with a poor night in front of goal, and a forward line looking completely out of sync, failing to hit the scoreboard… at least in a meaningful way.
The game saw Oscar Steene make his debut, giving the Pies plenty of first use, following on from some really solid preseason form, and gave the Giants headaches at centre stoppages.
Plenty to get through in this review, and there are a few home truths for some players, as well.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions
The remainder of this article is for our members. They support me, and I provide for them. It’s a good deal.
Oh… a Mongrel paywall… the worst of all paywalls. We’re all in on the 2026 AFL season. Player articles, stats, awards, game coverage. Dump the mainstream lip service and dive into articles like this – you will never look back. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I consider it your loss as we get into the grind of the season, and you’re stuck with the stuff that’s frustrated you for years.
