Father-son combo gets Pies over the line

 

Collingwood v Brisbane Round 22 MCG

by John Sandy

First against fifteenth, on paper this looked like a one sided affair. Collingwood had a number of players out; with Maxwell and Wellingham joining Shaw and Dawes on the sidelines as well as Davis, Krakouer and Johnson all rested to recover from niggles. For Collingwood this was all about the youngsters showing whether they are up to it should the previously mentioned premiership stars not be ready for September action. It was also a chance for Didak and Toovey who had been out with injury to gain some valuable game time and hopefully some touch in the run into the finals. For Brisbane it was about proving that their young team could match it with the best.

After spending the day at Vic Park with my 7 and 9 year olds I prepared to watch the main event on the TV. My son Wil got right into the spirit, after his bath he put his dirty sleeveless footy jumper back on to watch the footy. When I suggested that his jumper needed a wash he opted for his long sleeved jumper, a hand me down pre-loved by numerous cousins.

 

And so the game began with Brisbane getting out of the blocks early taking a 7 point lead into the quarter time break. For the Lions Goose McGuire showed courage going back with flight of the ball on more than one occasion. Cornelius proved a target up forward whilst Redden, Rockliff and Leuenberger showed plenty of ability through the middle and around the ground. The Irishman Niall McKeever, playing at fullback, relished the chance to have a shot for goal with a Josh Kennedy like approach he looked awkward but proved effective. Black got a bit of the ball but another old stager from their premiership era, Power, appears to have his best footy behind him.

 

Things clicked in the second and third terms with the Pies taking control with Swan, Ball, Beams, Didak, Cloke and O’Brien leading the way. A few weeks back I suggested to my sister that Beams might be the one to miss out. At that stage he has been out for a month with a broken foot, almost since the moment I uttered those words he has returned to the team and has immediately returned to stellar form spending more time through the middle and getting stacks of the ball. Swan is another who appears to have hit peak form as we head toward the business end of the season. One highlight was a trademark rover’s goal as he read the ruck contest to perfection hitting the ball at full tilt and making the 15 metre snap look as easy as you like. Didak got plenty of the ball, putting in a solid game and showing the odd sign of his greatness. Reid left the ground before three quarter time which could be worry for coming weeks.

 

As far as the youngsters were concerned Keefe had one memorable bit of play, one where he turned and hit Cloke on the chest looking more like a small forward than a man on his size. Sinclair, playing his second game kicked one goal and had a few other chances. He took a good mark and tackled well. The first gamer, Young, was in the thick of it. His first possession, in the opening minutes, saw him give away a free for throwing the ball. His first kick was a point but he made up for this by kicking two goals in as many minutes in the third term. That brings me to Alex Fasolo who continues to impress, he may well be the surprise packet this year in a similar way to how Jarryd Blair was last year and in doing so keep out a few more experienced players in the process. He looks the goods in the number 35.

 

In the third quarter the Pies showed some brilliance taking a 46 point lead into the final break. However, the last stanza belonged to the Lions, kicking 7 goals to 2 and giving their fans something to cheer about in the short term and giving them plenty of hope for the future.

 

Collingwood finished the game winners by 18 points, not quite what most people expected but as they say in the classics, they got the 4 points. With Wil asleep on the couch, I carried him into bed feeling very proud that my son was sleeping in his footy jumper.

 

 

Comments

  1. go pies!
    Ahh sleeping in the jumper, something i have done many times :)
    I have now retired my signed number 9 long sleeve jumper, although i do go back for the occasional
    hug. Have to say the placement of the Emirates logo on the new jumper annoys the hell outta me -_-

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