AFL Round 10: Collingwood strengthens premiership claims with impressive win over Fremantle

Collingwood’s search for a Nathan Murphy replacement has been long and largely fruitless. Minus Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe showed he can be the man to fill the Murphy void. Josh Barnes explains why.

For the second week running, Collingwood’s back six found a way under repeated pressure as Jeremy Howe stood in for the missing Darcy Moore to further stamp the Pies’ premiership credentials.

Howe and the Collingwood defence swamped the league’s second-best offence for most of Saturday, before again battening down the hatches in the final moments.

Last week, against the fatigue of a five-day break and travel to Perth, the Magpies rebounded over and over against Fremantle to win despite having 28 less inside-50s.

Rain and Izak Rankine’s poor goalkicking helped this week, but Howe and his men were still able to stem the tide despite conceding 10 more inside-50s in a tight final term.

Howe was so dominant he saw off Crows champion Taylor Walker, who was subbed off tactically in the third term, then put himself on Darcy Fogarty to block him out of the game after a three-goal second-term.

The ageless Tasmanian’s number game up in round 7, and he was the veteran chosen by Craig McRae’s team for a rest that week, a move that looked like it had him with even more spring in those trampoline legs against Adelaide.

The Crows entered Saturday averaging 102 points per game but like Virat Kohli post-pandemic, they never really threatened to make the century this week, until a late flurry.

Howe wasn’t alone in the back half.

Jack Crisp goals for Collingwood

Bobby Hill goal vs Adelaide

McRae told Fox Footy pre-match that he was aware the Crows “have some real weapons down there and ideally, we would get a system of support down there”.

There was almost as much support in the Magpies defence as in the blatantly one-eyed crowd on the other side of the fence at the MCG.

While Fogarty caused some issues, Billy Frampton played one of his best games for the club in holding up Riley Thilthorpe and keeping the marking machine goalless.

It was the first time this year the powerful Crow failed to kick a goal.

Stand-in skipper Brayden Maynard delivered playing higher than his chunky frame for most of the day and then the rebounders went to work, with Josh Daicos exceptional off the back flank.

Izak Rankine goals on the run

McRae thought fellow kicker Dan Houston had one of his best games yet in the black and white.

Howe was best on ground even though he had 17 disposals, marshalling the defence all day.

It was needed as the midfield got pressed in the second half, losing the clearance by 14 from the midway point of the game.

The Pies lost that stat to the Dockers by 13 last week.

McRae said post-match a negative inside-50 count had become “a bit of a pattern”.

“But our backs have been enormous to stop scoring, they (opponents) don’t score when they dogo in there. That’s a big part of the game,” he said.

“Our backs were massive today.”

That kind of play is probably not sustainable, and Collingwood isn’t flying just yet, but McRae’s men are the best team in it right now.

They have always found a way to win under this coach and at 8-2, they are perfectly set up for a serious flag tilt.

Originally published as AFL Round 10: Collingwood strengthens premiership claims with impressive win over Fremantle