COLLINGWOOD has progressed to the semi-finals of the 2009 NAB Cup, beating Richmond at Telstra Dome 1.13.10 (97) to 2.3.15 (51) on Thursday night in front of 37,121 fans.
Almost the entire focus pre-game was on the return to top-level football of former Eagle Ben Cousins, and the Brownlow Medallist didn’t disappoint, racking up 21 touches despite still appearing to be not fully match fit.
The Magpies took over after half time and kicked the last eight goals to win by 46 points.
Both sides would have been heartened by the form of their youngsters or returning players.
For the Pies, Brent Macaffer looked good before leaving the field with a leg injury, Dayne Beams showed class up forward and Alan Toovey was good in defence early.
In the yellow and black, Alex Rance was good across half-back, Daniel Jackson impressive on the wing, Robin Nahas showed good speed and nous, former Port Adelaide player Adam Thomson got his hands on it a lot early, and Andrew Raines swept across half-back well.
Other Pies to show positive signs were forward Travis Cloke, midfielders Shane O’Bree, Dane Swan and Leon Davis, Scott Pendlebury and Shannon Cox.
The Tigers would also have been heartened by vice-captain Nathan Foley in the midfield, skipper Chris Newman in the backline, Brett Deledio in the midfield and forward Tom Hislop, who showed he can find the ball.
Troy Simmonds was also good in the ruck.
A couple of injuries came out of the game – former Tiger skipper Kane Johnson had a knee iced in the second term, while Magpie youngster Macaffer went up the race in the second term with concussion.
After the game, Richmond also cancelled a planned Ben Cousins press conference, saying their star recruit was suffering from concussion.
The Pies got off to a great start when John McCarthy took the spillage from a pack in the square and kicked truly. Josh Fraser accepted a handball from Scott Pendlebury and added another a minute later, and the Pies had the only goals until new Tiger skipper Newman booted a nine-pointer.
Fraser then returned the favour for Pendlebury to goal on the run from 45, but Nathan Brown marked and converted from close range, with youngster Nahas good in the buildup.
But Magpie youngster Macaffer marked close to goal and at the first break, and the Pies were up by a goal.
The second term was scrappy, with numerous skill errors from both sides, and nearly 14 minutes passed before Beams goaled for the Pies.
Matty White then replied with a supergoal less than two minutes later, but Travis Cloke provided the comedy.
He marked in the forward 50, kicked into the man on the mark, got it back, then missed to the left from 30, and the Pies led by that behind at the long break.
The Pies had the better of the third term – Didak kicked the first before Richmond’s No.8 pick from the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, Tyrone Vickery, was paid a downfield free and converted.
Soon after Matthew Richardson marked just inside the fifty and kicked truly to give the Tigers a five-point lead.
But then the Pies took over from that point – Tarkyn Lockyer was the recipient of some great work from Cloke, who flew, then gathered on the ground and fed the handpass.
Former Roo Leigh Brown goaled form a free kick and Dane Swan snapped form 20 and the Pies led at the last change by 11 points.
In the last it was still all Collingwood, the Magpies kicking all five majors of the term.
The match also featured the first instance of the AFL's trial rule of awarding a free kick for a deliberate rushed behind, after Richmond's Jordan McMahon handballed across the line in the dying minutes. But Collingwood's John Anthony failed to capitalise, spraying his shot out on the full.
Collingwood will play the winner of Essendon and the Brisbane Lions in the semi-finals, while Richmond head to Shepparton for a NAB Challenge fixture.
Collingwood 0.4.2 0.5.4 0.9.5 1.13.10 (97)
Richmond 1.1.5 2.1.9 2.3.12 2.3.15 (51)
GOALS
Collingwood: Nine-point goals: Didak Goals: McCarthy, Fraser, Pendlebury, Macaffer, Beams, Didak, Lockyer, Leigh Brown, Swan, Cloke, Toovey, Anthony, Nathan Brown
Richmond: Nine-point goals: Newman, White Goals: Brown, Vickery, Richardson
BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Cloke, O’Bree, Beams, Cox, Toovey
Richmond: Foley, Brown, Cousins, Simmonds, Raines, Thomson, Rance
INJURIES
Collingwood: Macaffer (concussion)
Richmond: Johnson (knee), Cousins (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Stevic, Meredith, Ryan
Crowd: 37,121 at Telstra Dome
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
