Impressive Pies overhaul depleted Eagles

Collingwood 19.13 (127) def. West Coast 13.12 (90)

Collingwood has snapped its three-game losing streak and resurrected its top four hopes with an impressive 37-point victory over a depleted West Coast at the Telstra Dome this afternoon.

After a poor start that saw it 14 points behind at the first break, the Magpies gradually took control and led by 12 with a quarter remaining. From there, they put the Eagles away with four goals inside seven minutes to open the last term, as the Pies lifted to ensure a happy 200th game for Anthony Rocca.

The Collingwood big man had a quiet afternoon with just the one major, but he was backed up well by veteran Nathan Buckley, who booted two goals and set up several opportunities for his teammates, and Chris Tarrant, who was the leading goalkicker on the ground with four.

Most exciting for Pies fans would have been the performance of youngster Dale Thomas and late inclusion Ben Davies, as they teamed up to provide the home side with the run and youthful exuberance needed to overcome the strong Eagles midfield.

Thomas especially was brilliant, rebounding from a first quarter knock from Darren Glass to show composure and calm under extreme pressure in a dominant second half showing. Josh Fraser (two goals) was another to raise his game with a crucial display up forward and in the ruck, while Ben Johnson curbed Chris Judd’s influence and also offered important run through the middle.

Missing the zest of captain Ben Cousins, West Coast appeared to tire in the final quarter as Collingwood ran all over the top of them. The early loss of versatile Adam Hunter didn’t help either, but ultimately the second-placed Eagles couldn’t match it in the midfield and struggled to contain the Magpies’ forward line, who twice conjured up seven-goal terms.

Daniel Kerr was the visitors’ standout performer on his return from suspension and together with Michael Braun and David Wirrpanda, they powered the Eagles until they ran out of steam. Mark Seaby (three goals) also performed admirably but he was another to tire as the burden of being West Coast’s lone ruckman eventually took its toll.

Late changes to both sides had the potential to unsettle them, with Magpies’ youngster Davies coming in for midfield hard nut Paul Licuria, while maligned Eagles forward Andrew McDougall was given his first match of the year, at the expense of counterpart Ashley Hansen.

The Eagles’ Seaby celebrated his own 50-game milestone by outmarking Rocca in his forward line and posting the first goal of the game, which was matched almost immediately by the Pies’ Chris Egan, who booted a running major from the 50m line.

However, West Coast were working harder around the packs, with Kerr and Judd prominent, while Wirrpanda’s move upfield as a crumbing forward was creating dividends for Quentin Lynch. He slotted through two goals, as did Brent Staker, to help the visitors to an 18-point lead, but the Eagles were having trouble converting their eight marks inside 50.

Despite the majority of the play, a late snap from Egan meant West Coast had only a 14-point buffer at quarter time, and the inaccuracy continued into the second term as Wirrpanda fluffed another gettable shot at goal.

Collingwood guns Buckley and Fraser showed the visitors how it was done, kicking truly from tight angles, with the former in particular proving a menace in attack. He set up Davies for his first goal in league football to give the Pies an improbable lead and was influential in several other thrusts forward, as the home side started to find midfield ascendancy.

The Eagles struck back momentarily, with Seaby drifting forward to kick two second quarter majors, while Kerr lodged his contender for mark of the year with a spectacular grab over Scott Burns right in front of the West Coast goals, however, the last seven minutes belonged to the Magpies.

Fraser converted another difficult shot and he was followed soon after by Shane O’Bree, who came off the bench to boot two goals in a minute and put Collingwood 11 points ahead at the long break.

Young tyros Thomas and Davies were important contributors in the Magpies’ brilliant seven-goal second term, as was Buckley with three goal assists, while Ben Johnson worked hard to restrict Judd for most of the first half. For the Eagles, Kerr was magnificent in and around of the packs and together with Seaby (three goals), were doing their utmost to keep the visitors in the game.

Mistakes started to creep into the contest upon the resumption of play as the intensity and pressure lifted. Each side added just the one goal in the first 15 minutes of the third quarter as the ball swung wildly between the half forward lines, with neither team able to break through.

All that changed when Tarkyn Lockyer bungled a defensive handpass, which allowed Wirrpanda to swoop in and kick the Eagles within seven points. However, a terrific effort from Burns won the Pies a critical free kick just before the last change and he gifted Tarrant his second easy major of the match, ensuring West Coast would once again have to come from behind in the final term.

The Magpies’ 12-point advantage would balloon dramatically early in the last quarter, with Tarrant finding space to add two goals to his personal tally, while Didak ran in to slam home his first. When Buckley cleverly won a free kick and converted from 40 metres out, the Pies had kicked four of the first five goals of the quarter to sprint to match-high 29-point lead, guaranteeing there would be no miracle comeback this week for the Eagles.

Rocca completed the last quarter domination with the final major of the match as the Pies finished full of running, much to the joy and relief of the Collingwood faithful.

Next Friday night, Collingwood face the resurgent Hawks at the MCG, while on Saturday afternoon, the Eagles tackle flag favourites Adelaide in the much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash at Subiaco.

•  Have a view on this story? Send us your feedback!