Buckley’s praise for hurt Grundy

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley revealed ruckman Brodie Grundy entered yesterday’s clash under a major injury cloud.

Grundy played 89 per cent game time for 14 disposals and 30 hitouts, but he was outshone by Melbourne’s Max Gawn, who posted a career-high 34 disposals, 10 clearances and 33 hitouts.

Buckley said Grundy had been battling neck soreness that put him in serious doubt for the match.

“Brodie will hate me saying this, but he was under the weather physically tonight and did a really good job to get up,” Buckley said.

“He had a really sore neck and for a long part of the week he might not have played. He was able to push through that.

“Max was huge, not just in clearance but around the ground. ‘ Brodes’ really stuck at it, in particular that five minutes before halftime — it gave us the capacity to get a couple of goals on the board.”

Magpie high-flyer Jeremy Howe was on the wrong end of a controversial “studs up” call in the first term that irked Collingwood fans.

He marked over Tom McDonald but was deemed to have put his studs into the forward’s back. McDonald was awarded a free kick.

“Studs up is a free kick against,” Howe said. “The actual rule is if you extend your leg, almost like you’re kicking someone. My leg was as straight as it could be, but in saying that it’s probably not a good look.

“It definitely hurt him (McDonald), because he turned around and had a bit of a chuckle and laugh.

“I couldn’t quite get there quick enough, so I stuck my leg out not even thinking. As soon as I heard the crowd going off their trolley I had a fair idea it was going to go against me.”