PIES BRUSH ASIDE DEES
COLLINGWOOD’S forward line is a fireworks show.
Scoring across the league might be the lowest we’ve seen in half a century, but Magpies’ fans happily inch to the front part of their seats whenever the footy zips into attack.
We’ve lauded Collingwood’s superstar midfield, the emergence of Jordan Roughead and Darcy Moore in defence, but it was the Magpies’ weaponry in attack which was the difference in the commanding 41-point win over Melbourne yesterday.
While Geelong sent a strong statement on Friday night, surging two games clear on top of the ladder, Jordan De Goey and Jaidyn Stephenson responded yesterday, snagging six goals between them to bury the Dees.
He looked unstoppable, De Goey, but it was excitement machine Stephenson’s best game of the season.
The second-year speedster took a hanger on Marty Hore in the third term, burned off his men throughout, and could have had a big bag, if not for some wayward set shot kicking.
As a Batman and Robin double act, this Collingwood duo of De Goey and Stephenson is one of the most watchable and most damaging duos in the league.
Max Gawn won the battle of the superstar ruckmen against Brodie Grundy, putting in a herculean performance with 34 disposals, 33 hitouts and 10 clearances.
Gun defender Steven May also made an excellent comeback for Melbourne.
But, most importantly this was another inefficient day for the Dees, continuing the midfield- forward connection headaches they’ve had all season.
They swung with another blunt axe yesterday, registering 58 entries forward for only seven goals, an issue which will top Goodwin’s list of problems to fix in the off-season.
GLITTERING DE GOEY
MICHAEL Hibberd would have felt like the loneliest man on the MCG.
The Melbourne defender was isolated one-out in a second-term marking contest with De Goey when the star Magpie pulled out arguably his most magical bit of play for the season.
Holding Hibberd off with one arm, De Goey brought the ball to ground and then made perfect connection with his right boot, drilling the goal beautifully off the ground.
While the swirling finger celebration was just as nice, it’s the kind of solo act that makes De Goey the most feared one-on-one mid-sized forward in the league.
And later in the third term he did something similar, swooping on a bouncing ball and then finishing with a curling right-foot snap.
Will Hoskin-Elliott stood in the goal square on his own,
but happily watched the ball sail over his head, knowing there’s few better in that situation than De Goey.
Goodwin would have been pulled his hair out. Only moments before De Goey’s second-term blinder, the Dees butchered an easy chance at the other end of the ground.
Melbourne livewire Jeff Garlett should have lined up at goal from 40m, but instead went for the short pass which was masterfully picked off by Darcy Moore.
It was a two-goal swing to give the Pies a 21-point buffer at the main change.
MAY DAY
IT had been a hellish start to the season for May.
He arrived for preseason training out-of-shape, suffered a hamstring injury, wrenched his groin and then got in trouble for having a drink with mates when in rehab.
But what happened in the first half yesterday, in particular, suggests the gun full-back can be the missing link in Melbourne’s back line for the next five years.
May completely shut down Mason Cox before half time, expertly nudging the big Texan under the ball in the marking contest.
May was also calm with the ball in hand, but things got heated midway through the third term when he had a go at James Harmes for a positioning problem.
Melbourne has been dominated in the marking contests in the back half but with May back in the fold, they will be much harder to score against in the back half of the year.
BLOODY BLOW
Melbourne lost Sam Frost in the first term to concussion.
The defender came off second-best in a head clash with teammate Christian Salem and both came off with bloody foreheads.
Frost tried to play on but after five or so minutes came back to the bench for a concussion check and failed the test.