Side by side we stand as one
The Magpies reign has just begun
Determined to triumph, success in our sights
Tonight the Cats will reach new heights
OMEN
Leon Davis, the Collingwood forward with a horror rap sheet in September, was a late withdrawal 90 minutes before the match with a hamstring injury. There would have been Pies supporters glad to hear the news, with Tyson Goldsack parachuted into the 22.
HERO
In what may well have been his last game for Geelong, Gary Ablett was nothing short of heroic on a tragic night for his footy club. The little master’s 40 possessions - won inside and outside - were the most ever gathered in a preliminary final, and he unselfishly and constantly set his teammates up. The shattered Cat gave no indication of his intentions as he walked off the MCG with his head bowed.
GOAT
When the game was alive ever so briefly in the first quarter, Geelong defender Tom Lonergan let himself down too often. Lining up against Travis Cloke, he conceded the first goal of the game four minutes in, and was consistently outmuscled in marking contests. One selection wouldn’t have made the difference on Friday night, but he kept two-time premiership player Andrew Mackie out of the side.
BY NUMBERS
22 - Collingwood forward entries in the first quarter, to the Cats’ eight
26 - Collingwood tackles in the first quarter, to the Cats’ 18
114-81 - Geelong’s handball-to-kick ratio in the first half, as they panicked under the Pies’ pressure
25 - first-half possessions won by Gary Ablett, to no avail, as his side collapsed around him
THE DECISION
The interchange stewards were ‘on’ on Friday night, spotting two infringements in the first half. The first, against Dale Thomas, was inconsequential. But the second, against Corey Enright in the second quarter, gifted the Pies a goal that left them 55 points clear. Thomas, ironically, was the benefactor.
LOST IN COMMENTARY
“Geelong is going south, and maybe Gary is going north.” - Dennis Cometti, Channel Seven.
THE MOMENT THEY’LL REPLAY
Leigh Brown, one of the Pies’ unfashionable heroes, kicked a first-quarter goal that would be more at home on the MCG on Boxing Day. The burly Magpie slammed the ball on his boot from the corner of the centre square and watched as his kick drifted left across the face. Then, magically, the ball bounced at a 90-degree angle and through for a goal, leaving the Cats scratching their heads.
THE MOMENT THEY SHOULD REPLAY
Late in the second quarter, as they had done for most of the first half, the Cats hesitated bringing the ball out of defence and the Pies pounced. There was manic pressure on every rushed Geelong possession before the ball spilled and found its way to Dane Swan. The star Magpie snapped a classy goal under heavy pressure, but it was his teammates’ tackling that was the real highlight.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
