1. Cloke's calf and Witts' report
Collingwood will be sweating on a favourable prognosis for their chief forward target Travis Cloke who, according to the club, has tweaked a calf, placing him in doubt for at least next week's crucial clash with the Western Bulldogs. Remarkably, Cloke has missed just nine games since 2007. The Pies' hopes of knocking off the second-placed Eagles looked slim when a visibly annoyed Cloke left the field just 15 minutes into proceedings and was substituted out of the contest, leaving the Pies without their top two goalkickers (given Jamie Elliott is already sidelined with a back problem). Ironically, and probably coincidentally given the Eagles' early dominance, the Collingwood attack started to function better without its spearhead as its midfielders worked into the game. Cloke's replacement, substitute Jarryd Blair, snared the Pies first goal after 26 minutes. Witts was reported in the opening seconds of the last quarter for tripping Matt Priddis with his leg.

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2. McGovern's hammy
The early loss of Cloke was buffered somewhat by a hamstring injury to Eagles star Jeremy McGovern, who hobbled off midway through the third term. If he is sidelined as expected, McGovern will be sorely missed given the Eagles' tough month ahead. The 23-year-old has been a revelation this season after the Eagles lost key defenders Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown early in the season. West Coast forward Josh Hill also battled a shoulder problem in the second half.

 


3. Eagles soar, while Pies lose four in a row
For the Eagles, this was the first leg of a season-defining stretch in which they face five top-eight teams in six weeks, including season-defining clashes with Sydney, Fremantle and Hawthorn – and they would have sewn this one up midway through the third quarter if they'd kicked straight. They have taken top spot, at least for a time. On the flipside, it was the end of a month that produced some terrific football for Collingwood against quality opposition, but ultimately has resulted in four consecutive losses for the first time since 2006.

4. Greenwood's fairly good 'Woods debut
Ex-Kangaroo Levi Greenwood finally played his first game for the Pies after being sidelined with a fractured right ankle. A direct replacement for suspended inside midfielder Taylor Adams, Greenwood steadily worked into the contest, at times seeming to struggle with the step up in pace and intensity, but he won some hard balls and did some nice things with them. He finished with 18 possessions (17 of them in the first three quarters) in a solid first-up effort. A couple of other Collingwood inclusions also had their moments. Marley Williams, who was unavailable last week after a family bereavement, had the ball on a string with an equal career-best 33 touches, while Ben Kennedy ruined a reasonable game with several missed shots at goal.

5. Gaff's cool century
In his 100th AFL game West Coast playmaker Andrew Gaff continued in the same, prolific manner that has made him one of the most influential figures in the Eagles' unexpected rise this year. The 24-year-old left-footer, who had averaged 30 touches in his previous two outings against the Pies, gathered 34 possessions (28 uncontested), four inside 50s and two score assists. He was part of a dominant midfield that also included Chris Masten (29 and a goal), Matt Priddis (29). The Pies best runner was Steele Sidebottom, who amassed a game-high 37 disposals and a goal.