Collingwood produce the upset of the season with a dominant win over Adelaide at Adelaide Oval
COLLINGWOOD produced the upset of the season to end a five-year jinx against Adelaide and win at Adelaide Oval for the first time on the back of Brodie Grundy and Steele Sidebottom.
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COLLINGWOOD produced the upset of the season to end a five-year jinx against the Crows and win at Adelaide Oval for the first time.
Using leg speed and quick ball movement to rip Adelaide apart through the middle of the ground, the Magpies dominated in the wet and slippery conditions to easily win by 48 points.
Starting a big underdog against the beaten grand finalist, Collingwood - inspired by a freakish five-goal performance from first-year player Jaidyn Stephenson - defied the odds to win on its ear.
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Dual Crows premiership coach Malcolm Blight’s pre-game concerns that Adelaide could be top heavy in the wet proved accurate as the Magpies controlled the contest at ground level.
Their game plan was clear, with the focus on winning the contested ball and then breaking clear and running hard in numbers.
Midfielders Steele Sidebottom, Adam Treloar and Scott Pendlebury starred while up forward, smalls Tom Phillips, Josh Thomas and Jordan de Goey were sharp and dangerous.
In contrast, the Crows looked flat all night.
With the Crouch brothers, Matt and Brad, sidelined by injury and Rory Sloane struggling to get his hands on the ball as ruckman Sam Jacobs was convincingly beaten by in-form Brodie Grundy, Adelaide was smashed in the middle.
And up forward, the Crows’ five talls - Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch, Mitch McGovern and Darcy Fogarty, who are 190cm or taller - struggled badly, managing just four goals and having little impact between them.
Adelaide was beaten by 34 in contested possessions, while also having 58 fewer disposals.
And when it did win the ball it turned it over in a sloppy, error-riddled performance.
The Crows had not lost to Collingwood since Round 16, 2013, at the MCG.
Adelaide had only a handful of solid contributors, with half-back ball magnet Rory Laird its best with 37 disposals while Bryce Gibbs was solid with 27 and two goals.
The Crows, who played two of their first three games on the hard surface at Etihad Stadium, did not come out with any spark.
And they soon found themselves behind the eight-ball.
With Phillips creating havoc at ground level - he kicked the first goal and had seven disposals in the opening six minutes - Collingwood broke to a handy 25-point lead at the first change.
Stephenson, in just his fourth game, kicked his first two goals in the AFL in the opening stanza and with Travis Varcoe joining Phillips in being dangerous inside 50, the Magpies seized control.
The Crows, who were guilty of several bad turnovers which cost them goals, managed only one goal for the term.
The telling statistic in the opening quarter was Collingwood’s +14 advantage in contested possession.
Surprisingly, Adelaide has just one fewer inside 50 for the term but its tall forwards struggled in the slippery conditions.
In contrast, Collingwood’s smalls were proving dangerous at the other end of the ground.
De Goey - in the Pies AFL side for the first time this season after serving a club-imposed suspension - was effective playing as a small forward.
The Crows struck an early blow in the second quarter when Rory Atkins found space inside 50 to mark and goal.
But when Thomas capitalised on some smart ball movement to goal on the run and Grundy broke free of Jacobs to kick another superb running goal the Magpies’ lead was out to a decisive five goals.
COLLINGWOOD 5.2 8.5 11.9 16.10 (106)
ADELAIDE 1.1 3.2 6.3 9.4 (58)
BEST
Collingwood: B.Grundy, S.Sidebottom, J.Stephenson, A.Treloar, S.Pendlebury, T.Phillips, J.Thomas
Adelaide: R.Laird, B.Gibbs, H.Greenwood, P.Seedsman
GOALS
Collingwood: J.Stephenson 5, J.Thomas, W.Hoskin-Elliott 2, B.Grundy, T.Varcoe, B.Reid, T.Phillips, B.Crocker, J.Aish, J. de Goey
Adelaide: T.Walker, M.McGovern, B.Gibbs 2, R.Atkins, C.Ellis-Yolmen, P.Seedsman
INJURIES
Collingwood: Lynden Dunn (finger)
Adelaide: Eddie Betts (hamstring), David Mackay (head knock).
UMPIRES: S. Hay, N. Williamson, S. McInerney.
CROWD: 45,495 at Adelaide Oval.
VOTES
3. Brodie Grundy (Coll)
2. Steele Sidebottom (Coll)
1. Jaidyn Stephenson (Coll)
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