In the latest instalment of one of Australian sport’s best and fiercest rivalries, Carlton and Collingwood once again delivered another thriller. With Collingwood still a finals chance and celebrating Scott Pendlebury’s 400th game, and Carlton’s finals spot suddenly at risk, both sides were desperate for a win under Saturday night lights.
As expected, the pressure was hot from the first bounce, with both defences standing strong against the incoming ball. Carlton started gaining the upper hand, but all five of their early scores were behinds. Collingwood made better use of their opportunities and kicked the first two goals of the game, while Carlton kept peppering away before Harry McKay was able to dribble through a goal from the boundary right on the siren to even up scores.
Collingwood got the upper hand in the second, with the forwards not permitting Carlton to exit defence and the midfielders starting to dominate centre bounce. Quick back to back goals temporarily eased the pressure on Carlton, but they still struggled to get through the Collingwood blockade. Again, the Pies were able to punish them for not taking advantage of opportunities by kicking the last two goals of the quarter and taking a handy 13 point lead into half-time.
Collingwood again were the better starters in the third, but Carlton refused to give up. For much of the third quarter it was a see-sawing affair with each side getting three goals and having their turn with momentum. But when it mattered Collingwood were again able to get late goals and push the margin out even further to give themselves a 25 point lead at the last break.
The momentum carried over for the Pies and they were all over Carlton in the first few minutes of the final term. When Jaime Elliot kicked a great snap goal the game looked all but over.
The frantic finish
The Blues had other ideas
They responded quickly with a great end to end goal to Elijah Hollands to make the statement that things definitely were not over. Suddenly, it was the Blues were dominating the centre while Collingwood were struggling to get the ball out of defence, as cool and composed handballing lead to a Matt Owies goal and they crept closer.
Collingwood dug deep and were able to hold off the Carlton onslaught for a time, but when they let their own chances at goal slip, it left the door wide open. The Magpie defence, which had looked so solid all night, were at a loss to stop three quick Carlton goals as the margin was cut to a mere two points with just under six minutes of play.
With the surge showing no signs of stopping, Collingwood needed to find something, but Jamie Elliot was unable to conjure his usual brilliance, and missed a shot on goal to set the margin at three points with four minutes left. It left them with little choice but to hold strong and keep Carlton from picking up an easy shot on goal.
The moment
And of course it all came down to a kick after the siren.
Mitch McGovern, 40-45 meters out, 45 degree angle.
Perhaps it was nerves, or perhaps it was the intervention of the footy gods, but McGovern was not even close and kicked the ball out on the full to give Pendlebury a memorable victory in his 400th.
Still giving glimpses
Collingwood are far from the side that dominated the competition last year, however, they once again had plenty of moments that served as reminders of how powerful they can be. When they were able to run out of half back they looked unstoppable and the ferocity of the defenders when the ball hit the deck was impressive, especially in the first half.
Small forwards Bobby Hill and Jamie Elliot were dangerous whenever they got near the ball while Hoskin-Elliot, McCreery, and Howe stood tall in defence and the Daicos brothers did their thing.
When they get their mojo going, the Pies can still be a devastating side, but it seems the rest of the competition has well and truly worked out how to stop them. However, with finals still a slim chance and the competition the most open it’s ever been, there is still an ever so sneaky chance that they can cause some damage in September if they can find a way to keep the switch on.
Not good enough for long enough
That final quarter from Carlton was one of their best for the year. They smashed Collingwood in clearance and were relentless in their attack into the forward line, while the defenders were superb at picking up intercept marks and sending the ball back. It’s just a shame they couldn’t play that way for the whole game.
Inconsistency is starting to really hurt the Blues, with too many players having periods where they were having little or no impact. They had too many lapses in concentration which undid all their hard work in regaining momentum, and their terrible eight-straight behinds to start the game meant they were spending the whole game playing catch-up.
Perhaps most disappointing was the lack of impact from their two forward guns. Charlie Curnow’s goal-a-game streak came to an end at 66 games, and apart from his goal at the end of the first term, McKay went missing for much of the night.
Once again, much of the load was placed on the aching shoulders of skipper, Patrick Cripps who more than did his job. He had an impact in all areas of the ground, racking up 30 disposals, half of those contested, seven clearances, nine score involvements, and a goal himself.
Jack Martin was able to get into the game in the second half in his 150th. Newman, Walsh, and Hewett all had over 30 disposals, while Weitering was strong in the final term, picking off Collingwood kicks out of defence.
But the loss now leaves Carlton in a very precarious position with only three rounds to play and with plenty of work left to do.
More injury woes
To make matters worse, they added a few more names to their injury list for the year. Adam Cerra was subbed out before half-time with another hamstring injury, his fifth in the past 12 months, and is looking unlikely to be back in time for finals. Matt Cottrell hurt his shoulder and didn’t play the second half, while Charlie Curnow also limped off with a sore ankle but was able to return to the game.
On the Collingwood bench, Jordan De Goey also pulled up with a hamstring injury after returning only this week after an interrupted season.
But of course it’s all about the milestone man
It’s no secret that Collingwood is not a well-liked club in the AFL, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single footy fan who doesn’t like Scott Pendlebury. He’s arguably the most consistent player in the recent era with plenty of accolades to his name with two premierships, six all Australians, and five club best and fairest awards. He also holds the all-time records for most disposals, tackles, and after this game, goal assists. Not to mention he’s also in the top 5 for contested possessions, clearances, goal assists and inside 50s.
And it was another great time for the legend. He took a cheeky snap at goal in the first quarter that hit the post and from there set to work. Every time he touched the ball the crowd roared as he collected a casual 27 disposals, five score involvements, nine clearances, and six tackles. He was also crucial in the dying moments of the game when he provided the composure to stop several Carlton chances on goal.
With all of his success, it seems there’s only one title he’s still got to claim – the record for the most games. He’s confirmed he will play on next year, but even still Collingwood need to make a few finals if he’s to catch Boomer Harvey on 432.
If anyone can do it, it’s Pendles.
Next week Collingwood will open the round with a trip up to the SCG to play ladder leaders, Sydney. After being completely smashed by Port Adelaide, the Swans will be desperate to get things back on track but with the Pies starting to get on a roll this will be another big challenge. At this point, you have to tip Collingwood to get another win closer to a finals spot.
Carlton return to the MCG for the early Sunday game against the high-flying Hawks in what could be one of the games that decides the top 8. Hawthorn would love to take the Blues spot inside the top 8 while also getting some revenge for the heavy loss in their only match up last year. Given how well they’re doing you can’t tip against the Hawks right now, but with both teams suffering tight losses in Round 21, the Blues should give them a good contest if they can find that drive that started that fourth quarter surge.
