As it happened: Rampaging Pies put early heat on Hinkley’s final season in charge; Dogs hold off gallant Roos

It will be years before the winner of the Dan Houston trade can be properly judged, but Collingwood’s prized recruit has made an instant impact for his new club.

To say Houston was the difference between the two sides in a 91-point game would be overstating it. No player, no matter how good they are, can have that effect.

Dan Houston ran riot in his opening Collingwood game.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

But off a sample size off one it’s already apparent “Fly’s Pies” will be a markedly better side with Houston in it, and Port Adelaide will have a devil of a time replacing him.

After a nightmare opening round, Collingwood rebounded in emphatic fashion, giving a partisan crowd of 63,282 the perfect Saturday night out.

As a contest, this game was over by half-time, even though the margin was an assailable 34 points, but the fruits of their labours were enjoyed in a lop-sided second half in which they outscored a pathetic Port by 12 goals to two.

The Pies who showed up at the MCG were like chalk and cheese to the outfit that spectacularly ran out of puff six days ago in western Sydney.

Ken Hinkley’s side will be under the blowtorch early after a horror showing against the Pies.Credit: AFL Photos

Coach Craig McRae was emphatic during the week the Pies did not have a fitness issue, and with temperatures hovering in the high 20s for much of the game he was proven right.

The Pies, with their oldest and one of their slowest in Scott Pendlebury starting in the vest, played with great energy and vigour. Ex-Saint Tim Membrey was a bonus up forward with four goals to mark his value for Collingwood.

Aside from the scoreboard, the stats that illustrated this the most was their tackling, which they led 68-43 despite having more of the ball - a damning stat which highlighted how pathetic Port were.

Defenders thrive when there is the type of pressure on the ball.

Houston was a major beneficiary of the Pies’ turbocharged intensity in his debut in Collingwood’s black and white, part of a miserly defence that defused the Power’s largely limp forays inside 50.

For much of the night, he was the Pies’ leading possession-getter, finishing with 27 disposals, though he was overtaken late due in large part to the scarcity of play in their backline.

Collingwood 21.10 (136) d Port Adelaide 6.9 (45)

That brings an action-packed day of football to a close.

The grand finalists – the Brisbane Lions and Sydney – fought out a thriller, the Dockers were poor against Geelong, Port Adelaide surrendered against Collingwood, and the depleted Bulldogs held off a determined North Melbourne side.

We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. Good night.

Bulldogs youngster Luke Cleary was taken to hospital as a precaution on Saturday night after being knocked out during a sickening collision against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

Cleary was one of four players to suffer concussion across the opening three days of round one, including Lion Brandon Starcevich, Essendon’s Jordan Ridley and Hawthorn’s Jack Scrimshaw.

Luke Cleary was stretchered off the ground at Marvel Stadium.Credit: Getty Images

The Bulldogs believe Cleary is OK, but packed him in an ambulance and sent him to hospital for observation.

He was stretchered from the ground in the last term of the Dogs’ 20-point win after an ugly collision with Kangaroo defender Jackson Archer.

He bent down to collect a ground ball while on the run and appeared to fall forward as he was collected high by Archer’s knee. Archer also appeared to be going for the footy, but will come under scrutiny from the match review officer.

Starcevich was subbed out of the last quarter in the Lions’ four-point win over Sydney in a worrying sign for his short-term career. That his third concussion in the past 12 months.

Scrimshaw was rubbed out for three weeks after a high hit that caused Ridley to suffer delayed concussion, and then suffered a head knock himself, clashing heads with teammate Josh Battle.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said it was important to remember that their season was only one-week old after their dismal showing against Collingwood.

The Power were completely outclassed at the MCG, surrendering meekly by 91 points.

Ken Hinkley’s side will be under the blowtorch early after a horror showing against the Pies.Credit: AFL Photos

This will be Hinkley’s last year in charge as he hands the team to assistant Josh Carr at the end of the season.

“It’s hard to say anything positive around the way we played, other than that we’re in transition,” Hinkley said in his post-match press conference.

“We’re in a space of playing a slightly different game style. And clearly, we’ve got a lot to learn.

“I think the thing we have got to remember is that it’s round one.

“I think we’ve got to maintain our belief in what we do and how we do things, and you don’t always get the start you want.

“But the reality is, you can only sink quickly into a bad place if you go into a too much negative stuff.”

Experts have questioned Port Adelaide’s succession plan involving Ken Hinkley and Josh Carr after the Power surrendered without a whimper against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night.

Hinkley has agreed to step aside at the end of the season and hand the keys to the team to Carr.

Assistant coach Josh Carr, left, Port Adelaide president David Koch, centre, and Power coach Ken Hinkley. Credit: Getty Images

But that plan has come under fire after the hapless Power were smashed by 91 points against a rampaging Magpies outfit at the MCG.

Fox Footy commentators Jack Riewoldt and David King said they did not agree with the succession plan.

“I just ask, ‘Why?’,” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy after the game.

“I commend the Swans for the way they’ve done it [replacing John Longmire with Dean Cox]. They’ve ripped the Band-Aid off, and maybe it’s something that Port Adelaide should have thought about.

“There are players that gave up tonight and looked uncompetitive, and maybe he’s [Hinkley] got to ask the players, ‘Why? Why was that the case?’.”

King said the Power leaders had made the call to anoint Carr and should get on with it.

“You can still do it in a respectful manner,” King said.

“The long goodbye, the slow goodbye, it doesn’t work, and it’s so damaging to your football program.

“Like, who’s in charge? Whose system has failed tonight? Is it Ken’s or is it Josh’s?”

Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos says he deserved to cop criticism from fans over his early-season fitness after he cramped in his opening game of the year.

The gun onballer, and the Magpies, were able to bounce back from their disappointing output against Greater Western Sydney as Collingwood thumped Port Adelaide by 91 points.

Nick Daicos is swamped by teammates after kicking a goal against Port Adelaide.Credit: Getty Images

“It was very abnormal for me to be cramping, especially so early in the season,” Daicos told Fox Footy.

“I tried to block out all the noise. However, I do pride myself on my professionalism, so I thought it was quite disappointing to be cramping, and I thought a lot of the comments, to be honest, were fair enough.

“So it was up to me to come out and really drive the pressure and run tonight, and I thought I was able to do that.”

Daicos (26 possessions) was full of praise for Collingwood recruits Dan Houston (27 disposals) and forward Tim Membrey (four goals).

“Dan’s an absolute star, and I think we brought him across the club knowing what he can produce,” Daicos said.

“When he gets the ball in his hands, it’s game over.

“Tim is his own worst enemy sometimes because he works so hard that by the time the ball sort of comes in his area, he has spent all his tickets. It was nice for him to get on the end of it tonight.”

It will be years before the winner of the Dan Houston trade can be properly judged, but Collingwood’s prized recruit has made an instant impact for his new club.

To say Houston was the difference between the two sides in a 91-point game would be overstating it. No player, no matter how good they are, can have that effect.

Dan Houston ran riot in his opening Collingwood game.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

But off a sample size off one it’s already apparent “Fly’s Pies” will be a markedly better side with Houston in it, and Port Adelaide will have a devil of a time replacing him.

After a nightmare opening round, Collingwood rebounded in emphatic fashion, giving a partisan crowd of 63,282 the perfect Saturday night out.

As a contest, this game was over by half-time, even though the margin was an assailable 34 points, but the fruits of their labours were enjoyed in a lop-sided second half in which they outscored a pathetic Port by 12 goals to two.

The Pies who showed up at the MCG were like chalk and cheese to the outfit that spectacularly ran out of puff six days ago in western Sydney.

Ken Hinkley’s side will be under the blowtorch early after a horror showing against the Pies.Credit: AFL Photos

Coach Craig McRae was emphatic during the week the Pies did not have a fitness issue, and with temperatures hovering in the high 20s for much of the game he was proven right.

The Pies, with their oldest and one of their slowest in Scott Pendlebury starting in the vest, played with great energy and vigour. Ex-Saint Tim Membrey was a bonus up forward with four goals to mark his value for Collingwood.

Aside from the scoreboard, the stats that illustrated this the most was their tackling, which they led 68-43 despite having more of the ball - a damning stat which highlighted how pathetic Port were.

Defenders thrive when there is the type of pressure on the ball.

Houston was a major beneficiary of the Pies’ turbocharged intensity in his debut in Collingwood’s black and white, part of a miserly defence that defused the Power’s largely limp forays inside 50.

For much of the night, he was the Pies’ leading possession-getter, finishing with 27 disposals, though he was overtaken late due in large part to the scarcity of play in their backline.

Collingwood 21.10 (136) d Port Adelaide 6.9 (45)

The Western Bulldogs appeared in trouble at three-quarter time.

Nick Larkey had kicked his fifth goal after accepting a dubious decision to pay him the mark on the siren.

There was no Marcus Bontempelli – who had not missed a Bulldogs game at Marvel Stadium for a decade – and the joeys that North Melbourne think can lift them off the bottom had a sniff of victory.

Tom Liberatore led the Bulldogs out at Marvel Stadium.Credit: Getty Images

Enter the stand-in captain Tom Liberatore, who recognised that if his team was going to hang on, they needed to win some clearances. It is in such times he becomes desperate, and when he does that he is as rabid a Bulldog as there has been. It made a huge difference as he released classy Bulldogs Ed Richards and Bailey Dale into space and within seven minutes Luke Beveridge’s men had kicked three unanswered goals to stretch the lead to a manageable level.

They then did enough, despite three goals from Paul Curtis, to hang on for victory by 16 points.

The only downside was a sickening clash with just six minutes remaining on the clock when Bulldogs defender Luke Cleary was knocked out cold as he stumbled desperately at a loose ball as Jackson Archer charged at the contest.

Archer’s knee collected Cleary, who was positioned awkwardly. He was taken off the ground on a stretcher but gave the thumbs up to the crowd as he left.

North Melbourne battled throughout but fundamental mistakes cost them goals when they should not have even given the Bulldogs a look at scoring.

Luke Cleary was stretchered off the ground at Marvel Stadium.Credit: Getty Images

Colby McKercher dropped a chest mark. Caleb Daniel turned the ball over, and Charlie Comben overran a ground ball and the Bulldogs pounced.

Jack Darling was excellent against Rory Lobb, while Nick Larkey kicked five goals.

Cameron Zurhaar was froth and bubble, kicking inaccurately when the team needed him to kick straight.

In the coaches box, Beveridge found some answers to replace their missing stars, with Joel Freijah playing in the midfield, the defender a classy player in just his second season.

Laitham Vandermeer was dangerous forward of the ball, and Aaron Naughton attacked the ball with bravery and stood up when needed.

Along the way Ryley Sanders was classy, showing why he was such a high pick in 2023. He is ready to take the next step and kicked the first two goals of his career, while Sam Darcy was brilliant and whenever he had a chance to fly for the ball he marked.

The Bulldogs deserved the four points, having led doggedly throughout, and head to next Friday night’s blockbuster against Collingwood to celebrate their 100th year with a win next to their name. North Melbourne need to wipe out their errors and play with the heart ruckman Tristan Xerri displayed to make inroads on the ladder under Alastair Clarkson.

Western Bulldogs 17.11 (113) d North Melbourne 14.13 (97)

Collingwood have smashed a hapless Port Adelaide side at the MCG by 91 points.

Western Bulldog Luke Cleary has been stretchered from Marvel Stadium after an ugly collision with Kangaroo defender Jackson Archer.

Cleary was knocked out and lay motionless on the turf after the clash.

He bent down to collect a ground ball while on the run and appeared to fall forward as he was collected high by Archer’s knee. Archer also appeared to be going for the footy.

It was a huge contest, but did look to be accidental.

That was as big a contest as you would see and unfortunately Cleary was off-balance when he copped contact.

Play was stopped as the medical cart was driven onto the field. Cleary was put in a neck brace and did not move as he was loaded onto a stretcher and then loaded onto the cart.

Reassuringly, Cleary put both thumbs up as he left the field.