For the third successive season, the Demons have gone down heavily to the Magpies on Queen’s Birthday at the MCG, one of the AFL’s biggest days.
After 77 and 51 point victories in the past two seasons, the 2003 showdown resulted in a 56 point win – 20.13 (133) to 10.17 (77) before 60,010 fans at the MCG – only the third crowd of that size for the season in a year in which the MCG capacity has been reduced to 70,000.
This latest defeat – Melbourne’s eighth in 11 games this season – leaves them in third last position and with no chance of making the eight, yet again continuing their six year trend under coach Neale Daniher of falling down the ladder the year after they make the finals.
The Magpies, in contrast, are now back in eighth place with six wins and five losses and poised, just as they did in 2002, to be Victoria’s leading challenger for the premiership in a season where all six non-Victorian clubs are in the top eight at the halfway mark of the season.
It was not just a triumph for the Magpies collectively on Monday but also for their star recruit Shane Woewodin, whose much-anticipated grudge match against his former club turned into a day he will never forget.
Woewodin, who has continually criticised his former club for trading him to the Magpies and then revealing his personal contract details to justify its decision to release him for salary cap reasons, was one of the Pies’ best.
He set up several goals with his ability to win the hard ball and his non-stop running and when he left the field at the 16 minute mark of the final term with 22 possessions under his belt he received a standing ovation from the “Black and White Army.”
However Woewodin was by no means the only star as Chris Tarrant yet again showed how much he relishes the big occasion.
It was in the second quarter the Magpies broke the game open with seven goals to two to take a 31 point lead into half-time.
Melbourne had actually begun the game looking the better side and totally dominated the first ten minutes but 1.2 and two shots out of bounds on the full was a poor result for their efforts.
Their inaccuracy continued early in the second quarter when the game was still a contest with even the normally reliable David Neitz missing a sitter from just 25 metres out.
The chances soon dried up for Melbourne’s forwards with Neitz kept goalless by Simon Prestigiacomo while the Demons’ other hope in attack Russell Robertson was also kept goalless by James Clement.
Even the ruck, usually Collingwood’s main weakness, was dominated by the Magpies with the much-maligned Josh Fraser playing a big role in his side’s match-winning first half.
In contrast the Demons’ number one ruckman Jeff White was virtually unsighted but he wasn’t alone as only a handful of Demons such as Adem Yze, Simon Godfrey, Clint Bizzell and Brad Green were able to make any meaningful contribution.
COLLINGWOOD: 4.3 11.4 16.8 20.13 (133)
MELBOURNE: 3.4 5.9 6.11 10.17 (77)
GOALS: Collingwood: Burns 4, Didak 3, Tarrant 3, Davis 2, Fraser 2, Lonie 2, Williams 2, Cole, Holland
Melbourne: Green 3, Bizzell 2, Yze 2, Godfrey, Thompson, White
BEST: Collingwood: Burns, Tarrant, Shaw, Licuria, Woewodin, Fraser, Prestigiacomo, Clement, Holland
Melbourne: Godfrey, Yze, Green, Bizzell
INJURIES: Collingwood: None
Melbourne: Leoncelli (calf), Ward (abdominal groin)CHANGES: Collingwood: Buckley (groin) replaced in selected side by Scotland.
REPORTS: None
UMPIRES: McLaren, Head, Wenn
CROWD: 60,010 at the MCG
