Pies leave Demons out in the cold
FOR eight weeks we have spoken about Jordan De Goey the forward.
Yesterday it was Jordan De Goey the midfielder. This was De Goey’s game by the numbers — 30 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, four score assists and 12 inside 50s.
A quiet final term denied him career-best figures, but his impact on the 42-point win against Melbourne was established long before that.
Collingwood built an early lead and De Goey was the reason.
When De Goey registered his sixth inside 50 the Demons had only registered three. Several resulted in goals.
At halftime he had 10 entries and was on track to beat the record of 16, shared by Adam Simpson and Brownlow winners Patrick Dangerfield and Mark Riccuito.
The Magpies bolted to an early 33-6 lead and, like a quiz master, from there they simply held all the answers.
After De Goey’s rampant first quarter, Demons coach Simon Goodwin started 97kg full-forward Jesse Hogan on him in the second term.
On Queen’s Birthday last year Christian Petracca was best-afield and the ensuing headlines compared him to Dustin Martin.
Well, De Goey is Collingwood’s Dustin Martin. He is a bull and, like Martin last year, he is pushing his price north with every game he plays.
How much is he worth now? $800,000 a season? A million? De Goey, 22, is an entertainer and footy was starving for a good game after an ugly season.
Yesterday 83,518 fans dined out on a cracker.
It felt like a final and it was the fifth-highest home-andaway crowd the Demons had ever played in front of.
In a high-scoring shootout it was Mason Cox who led the way up forward.
The “USA! USA!” chant rang around the MCG after Cox coolly slotted his fourth goal and his fifth goal sealed the win.
An American giant punting majors on Queen’s Birthday? Fancy that.
If Tom Lynch is thinking about joining Collingwood you wonder what he would’ve thought of Cox’s bag. How many could Lynch kick playing in front of this midfield?
Collingwood quite literally burned off Melbourne. How quick are the Pies? Speed thrills.
For all the recent fanfare about the Demons, they have recorded just one more win than these Magpies. Perhaps it was just ‘Fugazi’, as Goodwin labelled it.
It wasn’t long ago the Pies coach was seen to have Buckley’s chance of surviving after six so-so years.
Now he and his hungry young team are entitled to widen their ambitions. Collingwood is a very good team and getting better.
After the bye the Pies play Carlton, Gold Coast and Essendon. They should comfortably be 11-4 and from there you don’t miss finals.
Demon kid Joel Smith’s audition for Jake Lever’s position went well and youngster Charlie Spargo sparked his team in the second quarter.
Spargo had nine disposals at halftime, all recorded in the second term. Brodie Grundy shaded Max Gawn in the ruck and Grundy’s on-ballers smashed the Demons 45-26 in clearances.
Playing as the main target inside 50m, Rising Star chance Jaidyn Stephenson jagged 4.3.
It is not often Neville Jetta gets beaten but he was yesterday. Re-signed forward Tom McDonald kicked a careerbest 6.0.