Henry Schade played the best game of his AFL career in Collingwood’s win over Sydney
A WEEK ago you might not have heard of Henry Schade. But the Collingwood defender turned showstopper on Friday night to lift his team to a huge win.
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THE little-known Magpie who kept Lance Franklin without a goal in his 250th game, has thrown the praise back on his teammates for committing to a team plan designed to bring Buddy undone.
Collingwood defender Henry Schade played the best game of his AFL career on Friday night, locking down on Franklin in the thrilling one-point win over Sydney.
It was only the 21st time in Franklin’s career — and sixth since he joined the Swans — he has failed to register a major in a match, highlighting the significance of Schade’s performance.
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Having joined the Magpies as a rookie late last year after 20 senior games with Gold Coast, Schade said his task was aided by his teammates’ adherence to a plan to ensure Franklin was rarely isolated one-out in attack.
“It was definitely a focus to try and not let (Franklin) get isolated,” Schade told the Herald Sun. “The way teams set up structurally and use those structures to isolate forwards, it is something we try to stop each week.
“And in this case, it was obviously Buddy, so we knew we had to put some (extra) work into doing that.”
Schade was told midweek he had the job on Franklin, with defensive coach Robert Harvey telling him to back his own judgment.
“The message from Robert Harvey was just to back our structures and the pressure we got up the field, especially in the first quarter, was probably the difference in the end,” he said.
“It was a 22-man job. I just tried to play as I would normally and tried not to get too Buddy-conscious, which is actually a hard thing to do.
“He is obviously a star of the game and one of those players who can turn a game with one kick. There were definitely a few moments when he was so dangerous, but the pressure around me (from his teammates) helped me out.”
Coach Nathan Buckley’s decision to place his faith in Schade to take on one of the most dangerous footballers of any era paid significant dividends.
“He was the right match-up,” Buckley said. “If you’re going to collapse after a couple of bad ones, you’re not going to make it in this caper. He’s a strong, resilient young man and we’re seeing him stand up. There’s still a lot of growth in him and we’re looking forward to that.”
“(Franklin’s) a gun. We’ve got enormous respect for him. I think most clubs spend a bit of time in their match committees trying to work out how they’re going to handle him. He looked very dangerous at times, which is why we’re so proud of Henry and his job on him, and the rest of the team, to be able quell his influence.”
Schade said Collingwood needed to back up Friday night’s performance when they take on St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday week: “One win doesn’t make a season, and we need to follow that up this week.”
Originally published as Henry Schade played the best game of his AFL career in Collingwood’s win over Sydney
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