COLLINGWOOD went down by 19 points to Adelaide to ensure theCrows’ place in the finals and shut the gate on any changes to the final eighton the first night of round 22.
The Magpies lost 11.9 (75) to 14.10 (94) and never headed Adelaide all night,despite getting within seven points on a number of occasions.
Collingwood could blame its own poor field disposal for the greater proportionof Adelaide’s goals. Until midway through the second term Collingwood could notfind a way through the sea of Adelaide players that set up across half back.
The Magpies fought back in the third term thanks to the run generated by RhyceShaw and others and went into the final term just eight points down after AnthonyRocca goaled on the three quarter time siren.
Sean Rusling didn’t come up and Ben Reid was a late inclusion.
Collingwood had enough of the ball in the opening minutes but failed totranslate that to the scoreboard. By contrast, in one of its early sortiesforward, Adelaide goaled through Scott Thompson. It was a portent of what wouldunfold across the night.
Both tall Magpie forwards Travis Cloke and Anthony Rocca sprayed wild shots atgoal in the opening term with Rocca’s shot going well wide to be out on thefull. Adelaide, on the other hand made the most of their next chance with MarkRicciuto booting a goal.
Adelaide’s defence was running the ball smoothly with Andrew McLeod rangingacross half back and mopping up everything in his area.
Collingwood took 14 minutes to snare its opening goal with adecisive break from a centre bounce that saw Scott Pendlebury fire in a nicegoal on the run. He was a shining light in the opening term and racked up ninepossessions to kick the Magpies’ only two goals for the quarter.
Adelaide did all the attacking with smoother movement of theball, and the Magpies couldn’t contain McLeod and Tyson Edwards and then BrettBurton came off the bench for back to back goals.
Collingwood trailed by 21 points at quarter time and in the early part of thesecond term tried to step up the pace, but Adelaide tried to slow it down.Heath Shaw broke the lines and when Rocca marked 50 metres out he made nomistake.
Collingwood wasn’t getting any favors from the umpires and ironic cheersgreeted the Magpies third free 11 minutes into the second term.
In a terrible passage of play, Reid dropped the simplest of marks and theturnover saw Burton and Porplyzia botch the attempt at goal, before Goldsack’skick-in landed straight in the arms of Welsh who goaled.
Adelaide’s flooding was forcing Collingwood to chip the ball around and try tofind a gap then getting killed on the turnovers. For all of their good workCollingwood had been outscored for the quarter until Reid marked 30 metres outand goaled.
Rhyce Shaw had been at the heart of the move and was one man who could find away though the maze.
Collingwood forced a goal thanks to mighty effort by Martin Clarke when tackledin the
square and brought to the ground. He fought desperately to keep it alivefor O’Bree to soccer the ball through from a metre out.
Things were turning the Magpies’ way and they were now within eight points.
Scott Burns unloaded a prodigious kick that narrowly cleared the grasping handof Rutten, and Collingwood went to half time with all the momentum and trailingby just two points.
The game went up a cog in a tremendous third quarter of total pressurefootball. Adelaide got away to exactly the sort of start Collingwood dreaded asGill, Burton and Shirley all goaled.
Collingwood was fighting tenaciously butmade some terrible errors with its field kicking and some of the worst culpritswere unlikely ones in Scott Burns and Leon Davis.
Collingwood reversed the trend by pouncing on a rare error by McLeod whichresulted in a goal to Thomas and then Martin Clarke produced a great secondeffort to get the ball to Buckley and the veteran made no mistake.
A goal to Gill stretched the Adelaide lead to 14 points but on the sirenAnthony Rocca made no mistake from 30 metres to set up a big last quarter.
Adelaide was always going to be hard to claw back if they opened up a lead andthe skipper obliged with two goals by the nine-minute mark. Anthony Roccaresponded with a thumping goal.
Then O’Bree goaled on the run to cut the gap to seven points. The seconds wereticking by but a win was still achievable. Then a dubious umpiring decisiontipped the balance inexorably Adelaide’s way.
Shane Wakelin and Nick Gill jostled for the ball and Wakelin gently tapped itwith his foot and the ball rolled over the line. Wakelin was aghast to hear theumpire’s whistle and from the free Adelaide raced the ball forward for BrentReilly to goal.
Moments later Goodwin added insult to injury with anotherand the game was all over.
ADELAIDE 5.3 6.5 10.8 14.10 (94)
COLLINGWOOD 2.0 6.3 9.6 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Adelaide: B Burton 3 M Ricciuto 3 N Gill 2 S Thompson JPorplyzia R Shirley S Welsh B Reilly S Goodwin.
Collingwood: A Rocca 3 S Pendlebury 2 S O'Bree 2 D Thomas NBuckley B Reid S Burns.
BEST
Adelaide: A McLeod S Thompson T Edwards M Ricciuto R ShirleyN Bock B Burton.
Collingwood: S Pendlebury H Shaw J Clement D Swan T Lockyer TGoldsack A Rocca.
REPORTS
Adelaide: Nil.
Collingwood: Nil.
INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil.
Collingwood: S Rusling (corked thigh) replaced in selected side by B Reid.
Umpires: B Rosebury S Ryan M Vozzo.
Official crowd: 47,915 at Telstra Dome.
