AFL round 21: Hawthorn defeats Collingwood, Nick Daicos injury concern

After Carlton exposed cracks its in arch rival, Hawthorn has ripped Collingwood apart in a result which has blown the premiership race wide open.

Brandon Ryan celebrates a goal.

The Magpies might remain two games clear atop the ladder at the end of this round, but the notion they are premiership frontrunners has been shattered after Hawthorn convincingly dealt them a second consecutive loss.

Collingwood had no answers for the Hawks’ fierce pressure at stoppages and could not move the ball fluently all day, as the alarming 32-point defeat was compounded by injury concerns to Nick Daicos and Nathan Murphy.

Daicos was held to a career-low five disposals by Hawks tagger Finn Maginness and sat out the last quarter with what appeared to be a sore knee following a brutal collision with James Blanck which will be examined by the MRO.

Josh Daicos tangles with Finn Maginness. Picture: Michael Klein.

Murphy was helped from the field by trainers after suffering an ankle injury in the final term, but the Magpies might have more pressing concerns on the field after they were demolished 17 to three at centre bounces.

The Hawks’ quartet of Jai Newcombe, Will Day, Conor Nash and James Worpel put together the most complete performance of what has been an impressive season, while captain James Sicily was allowed to roam freely, particularly in a 14-disposal first term as he set up the Hawks from behind.

Tom Mitchell struggled in his first game against his former club, and was subbed out with just 12 possessions to his name and a possible quad injury.

Mitch Lewis enjoys a goal during Hawthorn’s surge. Picture: Michael Klein.

FURIOUS THIRD TERM

The match went up several gears to a finals-like intensity during a blistering, 10-goal third term, with Nick Daicos’ move forward the catalyst for one of the most brutal quarters of football this season.

Daicos was immediately a threat after dragging Maginness deep, and was collected heavily by James Blanck after he took a mark on the lead, sparking the first of a series of altercations between the two sides.

Minutes later Hawthorn coughed up a double goal after an ill-disciplined jumper punch from Dylan Moore on Daicos gifted him his first, with a dozen players from both teams sucked into another melee.

But despite Collingwood’s lift in intensity, the Hawks were cleaner under pressure and managed to extend their lead to 26 points by the final break.

Jacob Koschitzke roars. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images.

FINN’S BIG WIN

Hawthorn tagger Finn Maginness is uncontracted beyond next season, but an offer from the Hawks is surely on the way after a classic shutdown performance on Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos.

Maginness has been in and out of the side this season but is one of few players in the competition who can match Daicos’ blend of speed and endurance, and maximised his strengths as he held the star Pie to just three disposals in the first half - with one of those out of Maginness’ hands after an over-enthusiastic Conor Nash tackle gave Daicos a free kick.

STAR SMALLS ON BRAND

Retro Round at the MCG was so 90s-focused that The Badloves were given both the pre-game and halftime slots on stage, but Luke Breust and Jamie Elliott were only interested in paying homage to the early 2010s as they booted the exact kind of goals which have distinguished their careers.

Breust skipped through a pack, brushing off defenders after gathering a ground ball and tearing into an open goal for the Hawks’ fourth in the first term, while Elliott kicked the goal of the day when he received a handball from Steele Sidebottom and sprinted straight at the boundary line, curling through a miraculous drop punt from 45m during the second quarter.

HAWKS 4.2, 6.4, 12.7, 16.9 (105)

MAGPIES 0.3, 4.5, 8.5, 11.7 (73)

BOURKE’S BEST Hawks: Sicily, Nash, Newcombe, Day, Maginness, Reeves. Magpies: De Goey, Crisp, Pendlebury, Quaynor, Howe, Elliott.

GOALS Hawks: Ryan 3, Breust 3, Moore 2, Morrison 2, Lewis 2, Weddle, Reeves, Koschitzke, Newcombe. Magpies: Elliott 3, McStay 2, De Goey 2, McCreery, N Daicos, Pendlebury, Hill.

UMPIRES Johanson, Nicholls, Toner, Wallace

INJURIES Hawks: nil. Magpies: Mitchell (quad), Murphy (ankle), Daicos (knee).

CROWD 62,134 at the MCG

BOURKE’S VOTES

3. J. Sicily (Haw)

2. C. Nash (Haw)

1. J. Newcombe (Haw)

MITCHELL’S HUGE PRAISE FOR DAICOS’ NEMESIS

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has lauded the dedication of Finn Maginness after the tagger became the first to convincingly shut Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos out of a game.

Maginness held Daicos to only five disposals, two of which came from free kicks given away by teammates, before the Brownlow Medal favourite sat out most of the final quarter due to a heavy knock he sustained after a desperate shift to full-forward.

Mitchell said the Hawks’ midfield dominance was the key to executing the tag, as their 18-3 centre clearance demolition meant Daicos could not win the ball even though Maginness did not stand on him until after centre bounces during the 32-point win at the MCG.

Maginness now has the two biggest run-with scalps of the season after he held GWS star Josh Kelly to six disposals in round 17, and Mitchell said a dream situation would be allowing the aerobic beast to focus on a single opponent each week.

Football needs more Finn Maginnesses #AFLHawksPies

— Kane Cornes (@kanecornes) August 5, 2023

“Finn will leave no stone unturned in getting his job done ... unfortunately, quite often this year we haven’t been able to let him do his best job because of other problems in the game,” he said.

“We can’t retain the ball in our front half, we can’t put enough pressure on the opposition, we can’t win centre bounces … there’s always something else that’s causing us trouble.

“In the coaches’ box it’s a nightmare – it’s not an easy thing to do, and you compromise other parts of your game … we decided not to compromise centre bounce by putting (Maginness) in there, and that worked well. It certainly worked for us, but it’s not to say it would work again next time.”

Mitchell said James Sicily deserved a maiden All-Australian blazer despite missing four games due to suspension, and revealed a shift in focus back onto his own game had unlocked his rich vein of form.

Finn Maginness tracks Nick Daicos during Hawthorn’s upset win. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The Hawthorn captain amassed 37 disposals at 89 per cent efficiency and 19 marks in a best-on-ground performance.

“Yes, that’s a hard yes. I think (Tom) Stewart made All-Australian last year and missed more than that, so yes, I think he should be All-Australian,” Mitchell said.

“We had a fantastic conversation … probably eight or 10 weeks ago, he had a quieter game, and he said, ‘I think I was leading too much, so this week I’m just going to play myself’. (Then) he had a game against St Kilda where he had 40 disposals or something ridiculous, a bit like what he did today.

“At the end of the game I said, ‘maybe you should just play for yourself a bit more often’, and every person said, ‘such a great leadership game, that’s the captain you want’.

Mitchell said the emphatic win was another “step forward” for his young side, singling out ruckman Ned Reeves after he dominated in the air for 39 hit-outs, laid five tackles and kicked a goal.

Originally published as AFL round 21: Hawthorn defeats Collingwood, Nick Daicos injury concern