Round 21 – Hawthorn v Collingwood: The view from Bangkok (Floreat Pica Society)

 

By Paul McKay for the Floreat Pica Society

 

After a dominant 45 point win against a full strength Eagles last week, one would have expected the Pies players and coaches to start today full of confidence. Although it’s fair to say that our opponents would also have fancied themselves, after beating the Lions in Tassie last week.

 

 

First Quarter

It’s a vast, empty MCG, where everything can be heard, even the squawking seagulls. It was fast, scrappy, pressure footy for much of the first quarter. Replays showed a clear hand over the shoulder on Ollie Henry at the eight minute mark. No free. McCreery is back in the team and looks sharp and fast. None of our backs went the punch, which allowed Lewis a goal after eight mins and the Hawks get the first. Pies were able to play most of four quarters in keepings-off mode last week, the Hawks are doing it to us this week. De Goey starting to get the ball and we are moving forward. High tackle on the Bendigo boy Ginnavan, 15m out, and it’s a goal apiece. De Goey involved again and we are moving forward again, but losing possession as we get into the forward 50. Adams coughs up a simple chest mark and the Hawks are back into their forward line. Burgoyne goal. He turns 39 in October. More quick work from the bounce and Fin McCrae gets his first goal. De Goey gets another clearance from the bounce and into the 50 again, only for Crisp to fluff his kick and put it into Hawks hands. Grundy feeds it straight out of traffic to Phillips, who is no longer wearing black and white, and it goes down to a Moore, also wearing the wrong jumper and it’s another goal to the Hawks. Cue the fake applause. Hawks by seven points. Darcy Cameron, who has gone for the ‘Voldemort’ look this week, gets a free and misses. We cannot capitalise on our forward 50 moves, Scrimshaw gets one for the Hawks and they take a 12 point lead into the quarter time break. De Goey with 10 touches.

 

 

Second Quarter

Hawks get four goals to our one. McEvoy out-marks two of our talls in the goal square. Goal. Next bounce and the ball heads back into Hawks territory and our backs are under pressure. Chance for WHE after some good handball chains forward. He fails to make the distance. Worpel gets one on the run and the game is slipping out. Hawks by 24. Ollie Henry redeems himself, from a moment of indecision at half back, to a left foot snap 15m out; nice goal. Hawks by 17. Crisp, WHE, Maynard are finding only brown and gold in this phase, and the Hawks are starting to play the possession game better. Poor judgement from Noble allows the wrong Howe for an easy goal to Hawthorn. McCreey charges Phillips late and it’s a down field free…easy goal to the Hawks and they take a 30 point lead into half time. The general feeling is that this game is going to be won by the team making the fewest errors.

 

 

Third Quarter

Hawks get five goals to our three. We get a nice forward move from the bounce, but spoilt by two easy marks dropped and the ball is in O’Meara’s hands and an early goal to the Hawks sees the lead blow out to 36. After a strong of mistakes, Elliott slices a perfectly executed goal from the boundary line. The wrong Moore, the wrong Howe and then Koschitzke string together three quick goals and we are 48 points down. Dunstall makes the understatement of the day by saying the possession game that Hawthorn are playing is exactly what the Pies were doing last week. A mini turnaround happens here, where we get four of the next five. Ginnavan gets a free after having his head ripped off, McCreery misses an easy running goal. The traditional vertical hold of the ball was needed here, but he went for modernist horizontal option, and of course missed. Crisp putting some nice running together, a forward push and another goal to Ginnavan in the goal square. Margin back to 36 points and a long way to go. Sloppy back line work and Nash gets one back for the Hawks and then we have some rare decisive moves involving Maynard and Ruscoe, Elliott, Mihocek, goal. Another goal to Elliott, then Dunstall reminds us that Hawthorn conceded eight goals to one in the fourth last week; there is some hope. JT misses one from 45m out and dashes those hopes. 30 point margin at three quarter time.

 

 

Final Quarter

De Goey is busy again, and after some zigzag play, the ball is with Checkers, 45m out and he drills it home. 24 points, and some hope is still there. Mitchell put hope on hold with a snap from the goal square. IQ has been very loose today. Ceglar takes yet another intercept mark for the Hawks…yawn. Sidey provided slight hope once again with a nice snap after some textbook roving from a throw-in. 25 points. Goals to Cameron (preceded by a trademark Jeremy Howe hanger), Koschitzke, then Grundy and we had four minutes to claw back 19 points. It was not to be, and I’m here wrapping up the Sunday night report from the very quiet city of Bangkok.

 

 

Plenty of opportunities today, but the mistakes crept back in this week, and they were costly. The commentators seem to think that Clarko outcoached Harvey with his own game. Maybe right, as on so many occasions the forward channels were blocked and turnovers ensued. Our mistakes may also have been due to Hawthorn pressure, but letting the lead slip out to almost 50 points was always going to make it tough. Brisbane and the Bombers in our last two games. Given their recent form, I can’t see us winning, unless we bring that Weagles game form back quickly. Who knows?

 

 

Go Pies!

 

 

The BKK Correspondent.

 

 

 

HAWTHORN           4.2       8.3       13.5     15.7 (97)
COLLINGWOOD     2.2       3.3       8.5       12.6 (78)

 

GOALS
Hawthorn: Koschitke 3, Moore, Howe 2, Lewis, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Nash, O’Meara, Scrimshaw, Worpel, Mitchell
Collingwood: Ginnivan 3, Mihocek, Elliott 2, Henry, Macrae, Sidebottom, Cameron, Grundy

 

BEST
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Hardwick, Ceglar, Wingard, Nash, Scrimshaw
Collingwood: De Goey, Adams, Crisp, Grundy, Howe, Macrae

 

 

 

 

 

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