Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Collingwood 2.5 7.7 8.11 13.13 91 West Coast 4.2 5.2 9.3 11.6 72
The game
Collingwood kicked a goal through Moore. West Coast replied. Moore then scored two behinds from straightforward shots. The Eagles scored another couple. Greenwood took a candidate for mark of the year, went back and coolly slotted it. The Eagles managed another goal, Darling's second. He should have had another a minute later, just before the siren, but unaccountably he missed.
At quarter time, I watched the screen, absorbing the stats. Collingwood seemed to be ahead in most of the stats, including scoring shots, but they were behind where it mattered. At half time it was much the same only more so.
Moore kicked another, the Eagles replied, but after that it was one-way traffic, that Eagles' goal their solitary score for the quarter. Cloke, Aish and Moore all kicked goals within a three-minute period. Moore went off soon after and was not seen again. He still managed to be Collingwood's top goal scorer for the match. What might have been!
After Aish kicked one more, Collingwood had produced a symmetrical half: 2.5, 5.2 to go into the long break leading the Eagles by exactly their first quarter.
The Eagles came back in the third quarter with a brace to Darling and two others (during the match Kennedy missed several he might have been expected to seal), while Collingwood added 4 minors.
Sometimes at the game, it becomes clear exactly how the entire game is playing out. At that stage I realised that of the 16 goals kicked in the game to that point only 3 had been kicked at the Punt Road end. With the Pies only 4 points down (7.11-9.3) and kicking to the scoring end in the last quarter, I figured that if Collingwood could just hold the line until the final break, they were a good chance to record an upset. In the event, they went one better, Sidebottom kicking a goal to put the Pies ahead by two points.
Cripps kicked the first goal of the last quarter, Collingwood 5 of the next 6 to win by 19.
Positives
Darcy Moore managed to snaffle a Rising Star playing only 45 minutes of football.
Collingwood managed to snaffle a win with their best forward off the ground for 75 minutes.
For a first-gamer, Rupert Wills deserves a note for his 11 tackles and good debut.
Negatives
You watch a team of primary-age kids play, perhaps at half time at an AFL game, perhaps at your kid's school. You notice that they go through the motions of emulating their heroes, the "real" players. They strike a somewhat discordant note, but you make allowances because, after all, they are only kids.
In the third quarter, the Pies try to handball their way out of defence. There is a string of handpasses. The Collingwood ferals around me are getting restless and it's clear why: perhaps the Pies think they are emulating "real" players like those who play for Hawthorn or Sydney, but up in the stands it is clear that the chain of handballs is aimless. Each handball goes to a player in an inferior position, either nearer to the defensive goal or under greater pressure. The crowd - supporters of Collingwood, remember! - is baying for blood. "Kick it!" they howl almost as one. "Effin' kick it!" (Family friendly?!)
Finally, Sidebottom puts the ball to boot. There is a momentary sigh of relief and release - until the crowd realises that he has pin-pointed a pass on to the chest of an Eagle! "Why'd you kick it? Get off the ground, Sidebottom!"
There are at least two negatives in this vignette: the abysmal behaviour of the Collingwood ferals; and the encapsulation of the very worst of Collingwood's bad side. Like the girl with the curl, when they are good, they are very, very good (first quarter against Geelong, second quarter against the Giants); but when they are bad, they are horrid (totally aimless play, lacking all system; failing to present even the semblance of a team of "real" footballers).
The wrap
I'm not convinced that Collingwood won this match, more that West Coast contrived to lose. Still, there were more than a few bright spots and much joy and celebration in the stands.
There is still a mountain of work to be done.
Sources, Notes, Footnotes, References
http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_match_statistics?mid=6328
http://www.theage.com.au/match-centre/afl/match-20160141903.html
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