Mark Robinson: Sometimes, there’s not always a winner after Anzac Day epic
Both the Pies and Bombers thrilled on Anzac Day, but both made plenty of mistakes and showed plenty of grit to not give up, which is why a draw was so fitting, writes MARK ROBINSON.
AFL
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It’s a day of privilege on many fronts.
A privilege to honour the men and women who represented and who have fallen on Australia’s most dignified day and, in a footy sense, a privilege to bear witness to an extraordinary contest.
The eerie silence before the game, as the bugle was blown, was replaced by disbelieving murmuring after it, moments after the siren sounded.
The draw was fitting, for Collingwood and Essendon had their moments, thrilled their fans and made their mistakes, yet neither team surrendered their will to compete.
Do we need extra time?
On an occasion like this, tradition is strong, and a draw can be more memorable than having a victor and a vanquished anyhow.
It was a hold-your-breath last two minutes.
As exhaustion took hold, Essendon’s Kyle Langford missed a shot at goal from 20m with 90 seconds left, which would devastated him, because he’s been such a clutch goalkicker.
With fewer than 30 seconds to play, Collingwood Jamie Elliott dropped a difficult chest mark deep on the forward flank. As much as Langford needed a goal, all Elliott needed was a point, and he’s as clutch as Langford.
They are not the only villains, if that’s the right word. Brody Mihocek missed two set shots at goal in the final quarter and in the third quarter, Essendon’s Zach Merrett, Peter Wright and Harry Jones all missed set shots.
In a lot of ways, the new-found trust in Essendon is real. The fear of Collingwood is doubly so.
Last week against Port Adelaide, they chased down a five–goal lead and won with a leg in the air. Against Essendon, they also chased down a five-goal deficit and shared the points.
This game was always going to be about pressure. How to apply it, where to apply it and how to absorb it.
Across the four quarters Collingwood was a lowly 168, then a raging 212, then 182 and 183
Essendon’s was more consistent: 184, 174, 181 and 187.
Always, pressure builds momentum which builds goals.
In the first quarter, Essendon had it. Late in the first quarter until late in the second quarter it was Collingwood. Late in the second quarter it was Essendon. Early in the third quarter it was Essendon, then Collingwood and very late Essendon. In the fourth quarter, it was Collingwood, Essendon, Collingwood, Essendon, and probably even stevens in the final five minutes.
The Bombers will rue the second quarter when Collingwood kicked 4.5 to 1.1. And the Pies will rue the first quarter when they kicked 2.6 to Essendon’s 6.1
Essendon preferred to play wide, controlled and short. Andy McGrath and Dyson Heppell were crucial rebounders, and so was Nic Martin before he lit up the front half in the final quarter.
Essendon led all major stats categories, other than tackles.
Mind you, Collingwood coach Craig McRae doesn’t lose sleep over numbers. But nor does his team rarely lose close games. Perhaps they went too controlled late in the final quarter, a tactic which has delivered them results previously.
After their vacant start, the Pies were frantic all over and wanted to own the corridor, where Nick Daicos and Jordan de Goey were major influences. Mihocek kicked three goals and missed five others.
You can say Langford, who kicked four goals, almost had the Anzac medal around his neck, but so, too, did Mihocek
The bustling Pies forward embodies everything about the day and about Collingwood. He gives his all. Every time and in every contest. He just needed more composure with the ball in hand and he had the medal and the Pies had the four points.
Zach Merrett won the medal. He had 31 disposals and was full of heart and skill. If he’s not the best performing captain in the competition he’s on the podium with Max Gawn, Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli.
In the first 20 minutes, Essendon beat Collingwood in the air and on the ground and their football was just about perfect.
Langford kicked the first goal via a contest win the centre square, which led to a handball, a handball, a handball and a short pass from Harry Jones
The second goal, from Jake Stringer, from where the 50m line meets the boundary line, came via switch play deep in defence. The third goal, to Jones, was a ground-ball win at a marking contest. The fourth goal, via a busy Darcy Parish, was from another ground-ball win and handball.
In the blink of an eye, spot fires had engulfed the Collingwood coaches box.
Pressure was immense. Beau McCreery fumbled in the goalsquare because he felt perceived pressure and Josh Daicos dropped a mark inside 50m because he felt real pressure when Redman and Cox converged in what was a double whammy.
When Peter Wright kicked Essendon’s fifth goal, the Bombers had taken 17 marks to Collingwood’s four and when he kicked the sixth goal, the Bombers led by 27 points, their largest margin of the afternoon.
The game changed slowly and then very quickly. Collingwood levelled the disposal count and then began to exert their front-half pressure and ability to win the ball back. In the second quarter, the pressure was 212 and they won it back 10 times in their front half for three goals.
Collingwood’s ability to make adjustments mid game, mainly in attitude, is astounding. Essendon took 27 marks in the first quarter and just 15 in the second, as the Pies ramped up pressure and closed space.
The Pies are debt collectors. If you don’t make them pay, they make you pay. In the third quarter, the three Essendon missed shots goal were slapped away with a Jamie Elliott mark and goal. The goal was rudimentary. The mark should win the mark of the year, if not the mark of the decade.
Such was the pressure, players from both teams made frequent mistakes. Tom Mitchell was sloppy at times, Stringer missed Wright as an easy option, Nic Cox was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and Ben McKay missed the ball in a spoiling attempt in the last quarter which handed Collingwood rookie Harvey Harrison a goal.
There were countless others, but that’s not criticism, because footy is a game of mistakes.
And sometimes, it’s a game without a winner.
It was still an epic.
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