70,000+ inside the MCG on a Friday night, as two heavyweights of the 2024 AFL season squared off… what more could you ask for?
A couple of degrees more warmth would be good, but other than that, there was plenty to keep me interested in the clash between the Cats and the Pies.
For Collingwood, this encounter loomed as one they could not afford to lose. With their place in the top eight not guaranteed – not by a long shot – the Pies look vulnerable, and the Cats have found form after a tough few weeks through the middle of the season.
Geelong jumped out of the box and slammed on three goals in the first 1.51 of game time, as Collingwood struggled to find the tempo. The Pies fought back, mostly due to Geelong aerial errors, and soon enough were on level-pegging. From there, slowly, but surely, the Cats started to edge in front, and once they were out to a three-goal lead, they flat out refused to give the Pies a sniff.
The last quarter was perfect front-running footy, as Geelong toyed with the Pies, outscoring them, whilst also denying them the footy. They locked the Magpies inside their own defensive fifty, and when Collingwood did manage to get out, the Cats had numbers back waiting for them. At that point, Geelong owned the footy and dared Collingwood to do something about it.
And they couldn’t. And to be honest, they didn’t dare too much, either.
With their mids dominating centre clearances, the Cats recorded an impressive 20-point win and certainly set the Cats amongst the Magpies in terms of the finals.
Plenty to get through in this one – let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Good, Bad, and Ugly of Geelong versus Collingwood in Round 18.
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