1. Pies' pressure puts nightmare week behind them
If there was a question on how the Magpies would react after their tumultuous week, they answered it in emphatic fashion. Sure, they ran out of legs as the Lions stormed home in the final 40 minutes, but the Pies' intensity was relentless for most of the night. The provisional suspensions for Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas early in the week might have sent a shock through the club, but you would never have known it from the on-field performance. They smashed the Lions in contested possessions (164-152) and gave their opponents no room to move. The attitude was spot on and it was a suffocating defensive effort that Collingwood fans should get excited over.
2. Rocky's broken ribs rub it in
As if the loss wasn't bad enough for the Lions, inspirational skipper Tom Rockliff has suspected broken ribs. Early in the third quarter new Magpie Travis Varcoe flew for a mark at half-forward and collected Rockliff in the ribs with his right knee. The 2014 All Australian and best and fairest winner was in agony and assisted from the field by Lions' medical staff before being subbed. His team rallied in his absence, but losing the skipper was a cruel blow.
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3. Adams ambushes Beams' big match
He was the centre of attention all week, and Dayne Beams busted his backside in his first game since leaving Collingwood for the Lions - but Taylor Adams might have just got the points. Beams got plenty of the ball, racking up a game-high 32 disposals, but 25 of them were handballs, and many of them backwards. With regular tagger Brent Macaffer sidelined with an ACL injury, Adams (who had 29 touches of his own) might have put his hand up for a regular run-with role. On the flipside, ex-Lion Jack Crisp was more than serviceable in his first game for the Magpies, finishing with 13 disposals and a classy right-footed snapped goal in the third quarter.
4. Man of Steele steps up
The Magpies lost Beams in the off-season, Thomas during the week and are still without Clinton Young (hamstring), but Steele Sidebottom picked up any midfield slack in spades before breaking his thumb early in the final term. The classy on-baller had just 19 disposals, but it's the quality that counts and he laid two goals on a platter in the dominant first half and added two of his own to set-up the match-winning lead. Dane Swan (31) and skipper Scott Pendlebury (25) were their usual prolific selves, and showed they're also in top touch to start the season.
5. What's the weird hand contraption on Collingwood's bench?
Just when you think you've seen everything possible to do with recovery and rehabilitation, AFL clubs continue to surprise. When sitting on the bench during the first half, ruckman Brodie Grundy and defender Nathan Brown were seen sporting a strange 'claw' like contraption over their hand. Whether it was a mini ice glove or not, it certainly worked, because Grundy was superb against the Lions' tandem of Matthew Leuenberger and Stefan Martin, while Brown was also solid at the back.
