Well, we face Sydney, The Swans, in this year’s Prelim.
I like The Swannies. I like their team and I like their culture. Been watching them since South Melbourne was transplanted up to Sydney and footy on a Sunday – televised – became the norm. It announced the end of VFL Saturday, 2.00 start for all games, World of Sport on Channel Seven and another era of footy had begun. The days of The Doctor, Warrick Capper, Ricky Quade, Barry Round, Tommy Hafey and Ron Barrassi. Later on Tony Lockett, a young skinny kid, Paul Kelly, later still Paul Roos, Adam Goodes and Mickey O’Loughlin, etc. I especially remember when Sydney won in ‘05 and the very, very first thing Roos did was to thank the old South Melbourne supporters. This was in stark contrast to Michael Voss’s snub to the old Fitzroy supporters in ‘01 when the Brians won their 1st. It welded them and their families onto The Swannies for life.
I have a lot of respect for Sydney, it’ll be hard to beat them on their own, traditional turf at the SCG.
1st Quarter
Well, it opens with the first four goals to Sydney and they are on fire. Got a better spread and are covering the ground with more energy and structure.
There is more red and white than black and white at the moment. Quaynor gets a free on the wing, Mason Cox takes a nice mark and free and he’s kicking from 50.Gets it across to WHE who kicks our 1st.
The Swannies seem to be winning all of the central contests and they have plenty of time! Certainly filling the holes better than we are at the moment – that 1st goal sort of started from a bit of chaos down the middle. The Swans are more organised defensively. McCreery puts a short pass across to Johnson when he should have had a shot himself, I reckon.
Big Mason is playing really well as are Crisp and Billy Elliot who is having a shot on goal. Much better linking – Cox to Lipinski to Cameron to Elliot who converts. 4.2 to 2.0. Another ball up, they clear it AGAIN. Bloody hell, they get another from an impossible spot. 5.2 to 2.0. The next centre bounce Jack Crisp takes all on, has a couple of bounces through the centre and nails the answer in no more than 10 seconds. Swannies answer back again directly with a goal to Reid, 6.2 to 3.0.
With seconds on the clock Buddy takes a set shot, siren sounds during his run-in and this must have put him off as he sprays it to the right and thankfully for us, kicks a point. Quarter time nine shots to three, 6.3 to 3.0
2nd Quarter
Well, after a great bit of ruck work and follow up from Mason to De Goey to Lipinski to Crisp to Elliot who goals. 6.3 to 4.0. Bloody hell – we’ve played all of 40 seconds game time and Buddy is having a shot on goal which he nails and two goals kicked! 21points in it. Seems however that we are beginning to match them.
Haven’t seen a lot of the Daicos boys so far, let’s hope that they can work themselves into the contest. De Goey’s starting to get going after the first mad scramble in the centre and Crisp gets it away again…Amazing pressure in the forward line, fantastic. Bloody Hell. Reid’s having a set shot which he passes onto a bloke in the pocket who thankfully kicks a point. 11 shots to four, 7.4 to 4.0.
Crisp, Cox and Pendlebury are the best for us so far, the Daicos boys are still pretty quiet. Sidebottom takes a courageous mark. Cameron gets a dubious free and converts – 7.4 to 5 straight! Scoreboard accuracy is keeping us in this…. terrific kick by Cameron. Crisp to Quaynor, fantastic really. 6 minutes game time and it’s a tussle. Cox is playing well, however they roved off him that time and Papley kicks a point. 7.5 to 5.0.
Crisp comes the table again, just fantastic, to Ginnivan to McCreery who nails a shot from 40 out. 7.5 to 6.0 and it’s an 11 point ball game.
Cameron is completely outplayed in the ruck and Buddy gets a pass right down his throat and he duly converts, 8.5 to 6.0.
Free to them at the centre ball up and hey presto – that was gunna happen – and it’s another bloody goal to the Swans…Got a feeling that this is becoming a bit of a shoot-out. Crisp gets a centre clearance AGAIN – however we turn it over. They are playing well The Swans, very good. Cox takes a lovely defensive mark and kicks a better long kick to Checkers on the wing who passes it to Elliot who lands it in the goal square which is marked by the Swans. Ginnivan stands on the mark in the pocket and is penalised 50 metres. Why? No reason. Weird.
Daicos takes it down the centre and is caught. However we rally, a nice bit of play-on play and McCreery has a shot again which he nails. 9.6 to 7.0 – 15 shots to 7. Daicos was super good then even though that was his 3rd disposal for the match.
Now they are having a shot on goal which they miss, gee, they are keeping us in this, 9.7 to 7.0.
Another 50m penalty (what for?????) from the wing and Papley kicks the goal. 10.7 to 7.0. Jeeeeezzzzz. 25 points up which is further in front than the 1st quarter.
They have their tails up and it’s another goal and it’s 11.7 to 7.0, 31 points – 6 kicks in front with 4 minutes of game time to go. I gotta say that Mason Cox is playing a blinder today, cleared it nicely down to the forward line. Jamie Elliot has a shot and misses for our 1st minor score.
Penblebury to Crisp who is infringed – definitely our best player so far today. Siren goes, Quaynor has an optimistic shot from 60+ m’s out and no score. 11.7 to 7.1 – eighteen shots to eight, outscored again this quarter. We still have a half of footy to play….. we’ll see how we go.
3rd quarter
Well, the premiership quarter starts with us kicking a point.
Oh umpire come on…. we just got taken over the line and it’s a free to them!!!!! Along with the umpires they are cutting us up at the moment. They kick a point. We kick out straight to Sydney and they kick it straight back again. Marked in the goal square – put down your glasses. It’s a 36 point game.
Another centre clearance to them and Papley is cleaning us up. Pendles and young Daicos combine to get it to Elliot who misses a very gettable shot……bloody hell. We have kicked 3 points in a row. Shock, horror!!! We get a 50 metre penality! Because they kicked it away. Wonders never cease. A minute later N Daicos, kicks a lovely goal to pull one back.
The Swans get a turnover and there is no-one between them and the goals and J. McInerney sprints down and nails the open goal. Jeeeezzzz. 35 point margin with 11 minutes of game time to go this quarter. Coxy’s been injured – damn – and Nathan Kreuger is subbed on.
Papley has a shot on goal and misses – could have been the sealer, I’m thinking – back to 36.
Rushed behind to us, 35.
Daicos, J kicks a goal and it’s one back. Need a bit more Daicos magic. It’s back down the forward end, here we go, Maynard takes it and kicks down, Collingwood haven’t given up. Ball up just outside the goal square and Jaicos has a scrambled shot and misses.
ANOTHER 50m penalty for some God unknown reason…..
Beautiful linkage from the backline and Ginnivan has a set shot and kicks it right through the guts. 22 points in it, we are coming back and The Chant is on. To-ing and fro-ing on the backline, passes down to Johnson who had it spent and drops it and kicks it out on the full under pressure. Heeney has a shot on the siren and misses and it’s a 23 point ball game, 13.10 to 10.5
Last Quarter
2 minutes, 30 seconds in and it’s in our forward line, pass from Daicos to Steele who has a shot and misses.
3 minutes in and ball up in Sydney’s forward pocket. Ball is going back and forth, both sides are making mistakes, interesting stuff. The Swans are looking a little tired. Somehow we get it forward – I have no idea how – and Bianco, who has been unsighted and done nothing all day, kicks truly. 16 points in it.
You can tell now that the boys have got a sniff now and really upping the anti. Moore takes a screamer of a contested mark…Anyway, here we go – another ball up in the forward line. Jaicos has blinding shot on the run and kicks a point…15 points down with 13 minutes of game time to go.
Backline is really giving us some drive and Kruger sprays it and misses for a behind. Should have been a goal! Bad miss. Tough, tough football and Noble locks it up in the centre for a ball-up. Bloody hell – Papley pushes Moore squarely in the back with both hands, claims the mark even though it was touched and hit the ground after his second grab. Has a shot and kicks it. That was an umpire’s goal if ever I have seen one. 20 points.
Another centre clearance and the bounce is going lousy for us and they get a point, 9 minutes of game time to go.
Another stoppage in the forward pocket for the Swans. We get it back, it’s rushed down in front of goal by the backs and Mihochek gets the mark/free, doesn’t waste any time and hurries back and kicks it. 15 points the difference and we are throwing everything at this and are playing on at all times.
You little ripper – Daicos to Hoskin-Elliot who drops the mark however spins around and slots it on his right. 4 minutes game time left. 9 points.
Scenes of real panic on the Sydney bench at ground level, Longmire is all over the shop. As the commentator said – one side is trying to win the game and the other is trying not to lose it. Here we go, here we go, here we go…Sidebottom kicks a beauty and it’s a 3 point game. 2 minutes 42 left and GO HARD PIES!!!
A rushed behind and there is still 2 mins 22 left.
One minute 20 and The Swans have it and are just keeping possession.
20 seconds and it’s a ball up directly in front of Collingwood’s goal.
Rushed behind. Game over.
FT: Swans 14.11 Pies 14.10
Wash up
Like everyone, every Collingwood supporter, we are all incredibly proud of our team. Their unstoppable spirit and self-belief. Craig McRae is a teacher, I was hearing recently. Like John Kennedy and Alistair Clarkson. Teachers make great coaches. Craig has come to a club in strife and made something of it. Thanks Fly and thanks Graeme Wright.
Well, for a side to go all the way in footy, it needs a certain amount of luck – luck with injuries and luck on the day (which way is the ball bouncing?). “Luck” with the umpiring. All of these things can break a fan’s heart. I reckon that we copped a bit of bad luck leading up to, and during this game. The injury to Taylor Adams, Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox at ½ time. The goal from the 50m penalty and Papley’s goal in the last quarter…
The final margin, one point.
I took the liberty yesterday, Sunday, to check out the report on our last game for 2019, the Prelim against the other Sydney side, GWS and there are some very interesting parallels.
This year, in the final quarter, we kicked 4.5 to Sydney’s 1.1 and lost by 1 point.
In 2019, in the final quarter, we kicked 4.5 to GWS’s 1.1 and lost by 4 points.
In 2022 Papley’s goal came from an umpire’s call.
In 2019, Grundy was pushed squarely in the back from a boundary throw-in and their ruckman kicked a goal. Another umpire’s call.
No-one minds being beaten fairly and squarely, team v’s team without any outside influences, however “luck” has left its mark. I will leave it at that.
Like Craig McRae says, you can’t dwell on the what-if’s you just have to get on with the things you can affect.
It’s just bloody hard at times. Very, very hard.
I love this club, this team, this coach and over the years Collingwood Football Club has given me something to hang onto when life gets real, real tough.
They give so much and remain a real joy.
GO PIES !!!
PS: Good luck for the granny Swans, you’ll need every, tiny bit of it
To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au home page click HERE
Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.
Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.
Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE
Leave a Comment