Australian Football

Match Report

Two sides who were seen before this season started as unlikely contenders - Collingwood and the GWS Giants - met on Sunday afternoon for a place in the top four. When the final siren sounded, it was the Magpies who were big winners and firmly entrenched in the top four, a game plus percentage clear of the vanquished Giants, who were good in patches but couldn't hurt Collingwood on the scoreboard. The Giants were also hampered by injuries to key players, one of which was season-ending, with Shane Mumford requiring ankle surgery that will see him miss the rest of 2015.

The match got off to a dour start, with the two sides trading nothing more than behinds for the first 15 minutes. James Stewart finally put the first major on the board for GWS at the 15-minute mark, after which Collingwood was stung into action. The Pies scored three goals over the next eight minutes - one each to Jesse White, playing his 100th match, Alex Fasolo and Travis Varcoe - to take an 11-point lead. Each side added another goal after that, and it was the Pies by 12 at quarter time. 

GWS dominated proceedings in the first 11 minutes of the second term and transformed their deficit into a 10-point lead. Cam McCarthy scored two goals and Devon Smith one but the Giants also missed several gettable shots that would have seen their lead closer to five goals had they been on target. The momentum them shifted and Collingwood took full advantage, with majors to Paul Seedsman, White, Travis Cloke and Jack Crisp giving the Pies a 15-point buffer at the half. 

The Giants pressed hard when the third quarter began, and a goal to Josh Kelly saw the difference cut back to eight points, but Jordan de Goey answered for the Pies and the lead was back up to 14 at the 10-minute mark. Cam McCarthy's third reduced the margin back to eight before Collingwood once again took control in general play. But the Pies' dominance was wasted as White, Dane Swan and Cloke twice all missed shots at goal. Jamie Elliott finally found the big sticks and Collingwood led by 17 at the final change.

Hamstrung by injury, the Giants barely gave a yelp in the first half of the final quarter as the Magpies piled on the goals. Crisp, Cloke, Scott Pendlebury, Cloke again and Adam Oxley all took turns to kick majors and the Magpies led by a commanding 58 points at the 16-minute mark. The game opened ump after that and the Giants managed to score four of the last seven goals but the Pies were 42 points in the clear when the final siren sounded.

Best for the Pies included Taylor Adams (36 possessions, eight marks), Marley Williams (27 touches) and Swan (30 disposals, eight marks), while the Giants better players numbered Dylan Shiel (34 possessions, four tackles), Callan Ward (30 touches and a goal) and Lachie Whitfield (12 marks, 26 disposals).

A bye is next up for Collingwood, while GWS will host North at the Sydney Showground next Saturday. As well as losing Mumford for the year, the Giants will also be missing key backman Phil Davis for the next two months with an ankle injury.

GOALS
Collingwood: Cloke 5; White 3; Crisp 2; Fasolo, Varcoe, Broomhead, Seedsman, De Goey, Elliott, Pendlebury, Oxley
GWS: McCarthy 4; Cameron 2; Stewart, Smith, Kelly, Ward, Haynes

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Collingwood: Adams, Williams, Brown, Cloke, Pendlebury, Crisp, Varcoe, Swan
GWS: Shiel, Ward, Whitfield, McCarthy, Treloar, Shaw

BEST - SMH.COM.AU
Collingwood: Adams, Williams, Swan, Cloke, Brown, Pendlebury, Langdon, Varcoe
GWS: Ward, Shiel, McCarthy, Scully, Shaw, Griffen, Treloar, Greene

INJURIES
Collingwood: De Goey (hand)
GWS: Davis (right ankle), Patfull (ribs), Coniglio (right shoulder), Mumford (left ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Ben Kennedy replaced Jordan De Goey in the fourth quarter
GWS: Nathan Wilson replaced Phil Davis at half-time

UMPIRES: Bannister, Margetts, Stevic

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Jason Dunstall, Danny Frawley, Cameron Mooney