1. Pies kicking themselves
Collingwood gave everything it had against reigning premier Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night, but it still wasn't enough. Despite winning contested possessions (142-133), tackles (79-68) and clearances (46-33), the Magpies struggled to convert their dominance on the scoreboard. Collingwood kicked 12.19 for the match, with forward Jesse White and young midfielder Tim Broomhead missing crucial chances late in the final quarter. White's errant set shot came just a week after his much-debated miss against Fremantle last Thursday night.
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2. Football pays its respects to Phil Walsh
The tragic death of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh still raw, the football community came together to celebrate his 32-year service to the game he loved. As part of the tribute, both Hawthorn and Collingwood ran out without their club theme songs playing, while players, officials and umpires all wore black armbands. A tribute video was also displayed on the MCG scoreboard, with images depicting Walsh's journey through football. Hawks and Pies players, officials and umpires also came together to observe a minute's silence before the game which was met with respect from the 75,880-strong MCG crowd. Players from both teams, as well as coaches Nathan Buckley and Alastair Clarkson, also joined each other in a circle in the middle of the MCG turf at the end of the game to pay their respects to the late Crows coach.
3. Rioli roars in lieu of Rough
The strength of Hawthorn's team is its ability to share the load on the scoreboard and still kick a winning score. With Jarryd Roughead ruled out for what is expected to be two to three weeks after having a melanoma removed from his lip, Cyril Rioli stepped up to fill the big forward's shoes. Rioli had three goals on the board before half time before finishing with five for the night. His pressure inside forward 50 was constant, causing Collingwood's defenders to panic every time he went near the football. Rioli's win of a key one-on-one contest, where he trapped the ball under his arm and then fed out a handball to a teammate with just a minute to go, led to the game-sealing goal for Luke Breust.
4. Pies turn up the pressure
From the very start of the game, it was clear that Collingwood's mantra was to put as much physical pressure on Hawthorn as it could. By half time, the Magpies had laid 45 tackles to the Hawks' 39. Whenever that pressure dipped, Hawthorn moved the ball far more freely and was able to pick the Pies apart with its ability to find target after target. The Magpies laid 90 tackles against Fremantle in the west last Thursday night, with Buckley applauding his side's widespread effort. He would have again been delighted with what he saw against the Hawks on Friday night, with his side applying 79 tackles. Although its effort was strong, Collingwood lacked the necessary polish to get over the line.
5. Pendlebury back to his best
As much as Collingwood tried to downplay any injury concern surrounding Scott Pendlebury, it was clear he was not quite at 100 per cent in recent weeks. That all changed on Friday night, the Magpies skipper collecting 37 disposals, laying 10 tackles and helping himself to 10 clearances in his best game of the season. It was his renowned ability to find the right target in heavy traffic that stood out most in what was a hotly-contested game.
