Collingwood Forever

The Sun-Herald
By: David Sygall
Monday 3 October 2010

Replay writes record Pies victory in history

IT’S one thing to make mistakes, but it’s another to make those mistakes twice. In the grand final replay yesterday Collingwood were able to atone for their foul-ups from last Saturday a whole lot better than St Kilda, convincingly claiming the premiership that they so nearly let slip in the historic draw seven days earlier.

The Magpies streaked away to a handy 27-point half-time lead, but unlike grand final part one, they drove the advantage home to claim their 15th premiership – their first since 1990 in front of 93,853 viewers.

The win made coach Mick Malthouse just the eighth man to lead two clubs to a premiership, having enjoyed victory with West Coast in 1992 and 1994, and ended his long streak of 261 games as coach of Collingwood without a premiership. It also meant that St Kilda’s 43-year drought, the equal seventh-longest in the history of the game, goes on.

It was deja vu in the first quarter, as Collingwood produced another commanding start. Three unanswered goals could have been five or six, but a lead of 3.2.20 to two behinds eased Collingwood minds.

The Magpies’ inaccuracy had been a weak point of their season, but it was the Saints who suffered the yips yesterday. Collingwood had scored 26 points before St Kilda finally got a major through Brendon Goddard 20 minutes into the second term after they’d scored seven single points. But winning clearances and contested possessions earned Collingwood a deserved half-time lead of 6.5.41 to 1.8.14, a margin three points greater than at the same time in the first game.

But there was to be no stepping off the accelerator this time and Collingwood extended their lead to 11.8.74 to 4.9.33 by kicking five goals to three in the crucial third term. Clearly dominant in all aspects of play, the Magpies ran away with the game in the final term, kicking a further six goals to three.

The teams each had one change from last week. St Kilda included Ben McEvoy for Michael Gardiner, who had a hamstring problem, and Collingwood included Tyson Goldsack for Leon Davis. And Goldsack scored the first goal after Collingwood dominated field position in the opening minutes.

Ben Johnson’s long bomb put the Magpies out by 13 as the Saints struggled with only Nick Riewoldt at forward. When Riewoldt did get the ball, Heath Shaw miraculously smothered it off his boot just as he was about to put it through for St Kilda’s first. A minute later Brent Macaffergave Collingwood a third.

Three missed shots for St Kilda by Sam Gilbert became costly. Instead, Collingwood pulled further ahead through Alan Didak. Goddard finally got St Kilda underway with 10 minutes remaining in the half, but Macaffer kicked his second and former-Swan Darren Jolly scored a long goal to establish a 27-point Collingwood lead at the main break.

Collingwood surged ahead in the third term. It started with Adam Schneider hitting the post for St Kilda before Chris Dawes pinched a goal for Collingwood. Sharrod Wellingham and Chris Dawes then broke St Kilda’s back with majors.

A sluggish Justin Koschitzke marked and scored for St Kilda shortly after Sam Fisher left the field with a hamstring problem. But again Collingwood hit back with Didak snapping brilliantly from the right pocket. Lenny Hayes, finished off a hard-working phase from the Saints with a goal, but Steele Sidebottom erased that effort with his own. Sam Gilbert scored before the final break but the Magpies held a 41-point lead at the last break.

Whatever slim hopes the Saints had of staging an unlikely comeback were dashed as Collingwood went on a final quarter rampage, with goals to Dawes, Dale Thomas, Harry O’Brien, Wellingham and Sidebottom. Stephen Milne kicked two and Nick Dal Santo one for St Kilda but it was only a blip on the radar for the Magpies.

Reference
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Final scores
Collingwood 3.2   6.5   11.8   16.12 (108)
St Kilda 0.2   1.8   4.9   7.10 (52)

Goals
Collingwood: Sidebottom 2, Didak 2, Wellingham 2, Macaffer 2, Dawes 2, Thomas, Swan, Johnson, O’Brien, Jolly, Goldsack.
St Kilda: Milne 2, Dal Santo, Goddard, Gilbert, Hayes, Koschitzke.

Best
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Jolly, N Brown, Sidebottom, Ball, Shaw, Thomas, Wellingham.
St Kilda: Goddard, Gwilt, Dawson, Gilbert, Jones.

Crowd: 93,853 at the MCG.

Umpires: Chamberlin, Ryan, Rosebury