WHAT a difference a week makes.
Last week, Ollie Henry was hit with the yips in front of goal under the bright lights of Friday night football, kicking 0.3 as well as missing a couple of other chances in Collingwood's disappointing loss to the Western Bulldogs.
The 19-year-old was left out of the 22 for the trip across to Perth to face Fremantle on Sunday but was named as the medi-sub at Optus Stadium.
When Mason Cox was substituted out of the game in the second quarter after injuring his finger in a ruck contest against Sean Darcy, Henry grasped his chance in the wet.
The 2020 first-round pick finished with 13 disposals, five marks and 4.1 from 62 per cent game time in a match-winning performance to sink the Dockers on their home deck.
It was only fitting that on the final day of the Premier League season, the AFL enjoyed a performance by a sub that would have left the English smiling.
While Henry's effort is only ranked No.8 by Champion Data since the medi-sub rule was brought in on the eve of last season, it is clearly the most impactful.
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Adelaide's Lachlan Sholl gathered 23 disposals and 10 clearances when he was activated into the game against Fremantle in round one. Essendon's Tom Cutler finished with 24 disposals and a goal when he came on against Geelong in round one. Carlton's Nic Newman gathered 21 disposals against Adelaide in round 15 last season.
They are the top three ranked performances, but when you consider the conditions, the opponent and his performance in front of goal nine days earlier, no one has had greater impact after being activated as the medi-sub.
BEST MEDI-SUB PERFORMANCES
|
Year |
Round |
Player |
Club |
Opposition |
Ranking Points |
TOG |
|
2022 |
1 |
Lachlan Sholl |
Adelaide Crows |
Fremantle |
108.4 |
77:37 |
|
2022 |
1 |
Tom Cutler |
Essendon |
Geelong Cats |
103.8 |
103:04 |
|
2021 |
15 |
Nic Newman |
Carlton |
Adelaide Crows |
98.9 |
77:34 |
|
2021 |
20 |
Connor Blakely |
Fremantle |
Richmond |
98.7 |
67:36 |
|
2022 |
4 |
Devon Smith |
Essendon |
Adelaide Crows |
97.8 |
57:18 |
|
2022 |
3 |
Ben Long |
St Kilda |
Richmond |
91.3 |
83:22 |
|
2021 |
21 |
Jack Bowes |
Gold Coast Suns |
Carlton |
89.5 |
66:22 |
|
2022 |
10 |
Oliver Henry |
Collingwood |
Fremantle |
82.8 |
75:53 |
|
2021 |
9 |
Hayden Crozier |
Western Bulldogs |
Port Adelaide |
79.5 |
72:09 |
|
2022 |
1 |
Tom Phillips |
Hawthorn |
North Melbourne |
77.2 |
73:20 |
Henry now has 12.9 on the board from seven senior appearances this year, adding to the 12 goals he has kicked from three VFL games, including a haul of seven against Coburg.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae revealed in his post-match press conference on Sunday night that the Magpies' match committee spent half an hour discussing Henry's spot in the side last week.
Safe to say the Magpies coach was thrilled they took the Geelong product across the country.
Henry was spotted taking plenty of shots at goal at the AIA Centre during the week, well after everyone else was off the track.
A week is a long time in football.
