Round 2 – Collingwood v Richmond: Daicos Delights in Dour Draw
It’s the couch for now as our MCG seats lie vacant. Round 2 has a different feel to Round 1. Back in March, the world was closing in, the unknown consequences of what was about to hit. I didn’t feel that they should have played. Was hard watching the game in front of an empty stadium on TV. As good as the Pies did look.
11 weeks later. 11 weeks full of old sport. Of docos. The house and garden have never looked better. I’m not bursting out of my skin for the footy, but am looking forward to the structure it gives to a week. Looking forward to seeing Collingwood run around again as life ever so slowly creeps back to some kind of normality. Looking forward to the shared experience of again watching the Pies with my boys.
Before the bounce, players from both teams make a unified stance against racism. The ball is bounced and that feeling of hope and angst from supporting your team is back. The joy when a perfect tap from Grundy to Adams, who snaps an early goal. Our first term is wonderful. Howe leading a super tight defensive unit. Grundy dominating the ruck contests. The newly goateed Josh Daicos, playing a fantastic quarter full of poise, awareness and skill, his pirouette prefacing a precision pass picking out Phillips was pure Pies perfection. Phillips misses the shot after earlier kicking the second goal. Sidebottom and Callum Brown also score majors. 4 goals to none at quarter time. We’re loving footy being back!
Phillips kicks his second 5 minutes in to the second quarter in reply to Richmond’s opening goal through Tom Lynch. Incredibly, this was to be the last Magpie goal for the evening. Grundy limping off is something we never like to see, though thankfully he’s not gone for too long. The game descends into a dour, tense arm wrestle. A Jack Higgins mark, seemingly over the goal line, was paid, raising our ire. By three quarter time, Collingwood’s lead has evaporated, just two points ahead.
If Collingwood weren’t playing, we’d likely have turned the TV off at that point. But we are fully engaged as supporters, not caring about the quality, just hoping for the four points.
We had our chances in the final term. De Goey and Phillips fluffed shots at goal. But so too did Richmond have their chances. The final minutes were ugly. But tough. Two teams of exhausted players, not match fit, full of skill errors, desperately trying to conjure a point at least. The shortened quarters all felt extra short, but I bet that last quarter didn’t feel short for the players. A draw, unsatisfying for supporters and neutrals alike, but probably a fitting result.
We yell more at home. It’s a good thing our nearest neighbour is 500 metres away. The camera angles infuriate. The commentators even more so. No need for a coronavirus test on Friday, I know where my sore throat has come from.
Despite the game and the result, there’s plenty to like. Pendlebury is his usual magnificent self. The break has done him no harm. Our backline is superb. Howe, Maynard, Roughead, Moore and Crisp are a formidable combination. Darcy Cameron is very impressive on his Collingwood debut, taking several strong marks and presenting well. But we are most happy with the performance of Josh Daicos. The boys and I have eagerly followed his progress since he was drafted, we so want him to succeed. Probably the best game in his short career to date, this performance on the wing should go a long way to cementing his place in the team.
It’s going to be the couch for a while. Whether it’s later in the season or not until 2021, our seats will wait for us. This game will probably not be replayed much during the next pandemic. But part of our structure is back. Collingwood is back. We’ll take what we can get. Go Pies.
COLLINGWOOD 4.1 5.3 5.4 5.6 (36)
RICHMOND 0.1 3.1 5.2 5.6 (36)
GOALS
Collingwood: Phillips 2, Adams, Sidebottom, C.Brown
Richmond: Lynch 3, Bolton, Higgins
BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Howe, Adams, Daicos, Sidebottom, Phillips, Crisp
Richmond: Cotchin, Houli, Martin, Lynch, Prestia, Lambert
UMPIRES
Stevic, Fisher, Gavine
OUR VOTES
3. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
2. Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
1. Jeremy Howe (Collingwood)
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Luke definitely a game you had to be invested in to watch v well played re the use of the letter p
Structure and normality ever so slowly returning hopefully clubs have learnt vital lessons re just how important supporters are
Crackers, like most people I watched the entire game.
For the neutral supporter, it was an ordinary match, kept interesting only by the Tigers’ comeback and the close tussle of the last quarter battle. The caveat is that this was the first match after a long break.
Again, as a neutral, my thoughts were that the Pies getting off to a flyer was crucial. This was evident in a couple of the games on the weekend (especially Melbourne v Blues, and Essendon kicking the first 3 v Swans). I also thought Richmond was the better team from halfway through the second quarter.
I don’t normally bet on footy, but might have a dollar or two on your skipper for the Brownlow. Daicos showed that the apple does not fall from the tree!
Happy to get away with the draw Luke. Tiges seem to be more threatening in the second half – mind you should have been over at half-time (if not for another junk time stuff up in the last minute – missed goal by us, late goal by Lynch – 4 goal lead become 2 goal lead at the half).
I wasn’t so much bothered by the mark paid to Higgins, as the free kick to Bolton just prior. Give me a break.
That Daicos spin out of trouble was a sight to behold. He has some great footwork that kid. Very promising.
Thanks Luke. A good read. I like your optimism as I was quite gutted & frustrated as I thought the pies should have buried it a lot earlier.
Liked the Reference to your garden looking good in the footy downtime of CornaVirus social restrictions
Danger game next week: then again I think every match is!
Go pies