By Greg Baum
In a contest between two such depleted teams, it was always likely that a bit player would emerge to seize his moment.
There were still plenty of stars, some of them super. Marcus Bontempelli and Nick Daicos put in titanic shifts for their sides, masking the stretched manpower in both teams, providing an unexpectedly enjoyable spectacle and moving Collingwood coach Craig McRae to say later: “I’ve always said Bont would look good in a Collingwood jumper.”
Lachlan McNeil of the Bulldogs (right) celebrates a goal with teammate Ryley Sanders.Credit: Getty Images
He played the entire last quarter, and his goal mid-way through stretched the thread by which the Magpies were holding on to breaking point.
But it was broken five minutes later by one Lachie McNeil, jumping on crumbs spilled by the besieged Magpie defence and taking advantage of a judicious block from Rory Lobb to kick his second goal of the night and effectively end it. Sam Darcy’s languid snap put the icing on the cake.
Marcus Bontempelli of the Bulldogs and Nick Daicos of the Magpies compete.Credit: Getty Images
If Darcy’s night began disastrously with a report that is bound to cost him a suspension and finished triumphantly, McNeil’s was no less a journey.
In only his second game of the season, he began in the sub’s vest, coaching himself to put his mind in the game. “Once you’re on the bench, you get into the game so that when you come on, it just feels like you’ve been playing the whole time,” he said.
As it happened, he was called in before quarter-time because of a hamstring injury to James Harmes (later Laitham Vandermeer would strain his hamstring, too, leaving the Dogs short-handed on the bench).
Jumped by the Magpies and especially the Daicos brothers, the Dogs held their nerve. “I was on the bench for obviously most of that first quarter,” said McNeil. “And the whole word was just to stay calm, stay composed.
“The longer the night went on the ball, we got sort of flowing with our ball movement, with how we want to play.”
By the last quarter, as Bontempelli was supreme and former Magpie Adam Treloar stood sentry over Nick Daicos, the ball barely came out of the rampant Dogs’ forward line. The Magpies had the first five inside-50s of the match, but the count eventually was reckoned up 64-41 the Bulldogs’ way. The dam had to burst, and did.
Ryley Sanders of the Bulldogs is tackled by Beau McCreery of the Magpies.Credit: Getty Images
McNeil, as per the vogue characterisation, played his role. Though there was time enough for the Magpies after he kicked his second goal, the shape of the contest by then suggested that it was over, and everyone knew it.
“I got a little block from Lobb-ey on the side there to help me out, ran around [Isaac] Quaynor and had a head of steam, so I thought, why not take it on?” he said. “I was almost going to run a whole lap of the field. I had to calm down. I knew there was probably still enough time, so I probably overdid the celebration, but I was pretty stoked.”
Depending on who you ask and how you count, the Magpies were up to 10 players shy of their best side this night, and the Dogs at least six. It meant that almost everything about the match came with an asterisk, but the contest belied this, proving worthy of its Friday night billing. Besides, as the Dogs will attest, victory never needs explanation.
“Collingwood have got a lot of injuries, we’ve got some, but under the circumstances, it just feels like more than just a win for us tonight,” said coach Luke Beveridge. “We haven’t really won games like this for a little while.
“There were signs that we were evolving and maybe more morphing into a team that can challenge a little bit.”
Sobering the celebrations, they will certainly be without Darcy, Harmes and Vandermeer next week, though may regain Tom Liberatore and Ed Richards from concussion.
For the Magpies, this was their second last-quarter fadeout in a row, and McRae lamented that in their jerry-built state, they’re not able to play out 120 minutes together at the moment.
Characteristically, he saw a half-full glass. “I’ll guarantee you that what we are now, we’ll be different in three weeks’ time,” he said. “Not personnel-wise. We’re learning, we’re hardening up; I can’t see us not getting better.”
The big injury toll did not grow, at least not on the field. McRae revealed that the club’s rehab co-ordinator had developed a stress fracture in his foot, presumably because he’s never been off it these past few weeks. “What do you do with that?” said McRae.
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