GWS Giants’ class shows through in narrow escape against Collingwood at MCG
COLLINGWOOD’S effort can’t be questioned, but when it mattered, Greater Western Sydney’s class shone through at the MCG, a ground they still don’t look completely comfortable on.
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GREATER Western Sydney’s talent-laden list has long been described as football’s Ferrari.
On Saturday it was pitted against a Collingwood line-up resembling a 1980s Toyota Camry with no air conditioning and a rusty paint job.
It is windows down sort of stuff and while they sputter at times, they just keep rumbling along.
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The Magpies always seem to have a crack. If there was an effort gauge at the MCG it would’ve swung heavily in coach Nathan Buckley’s teams favour despite the 16-point loss.
The footy world has long suspected the Giants would be winning Grand Final after Grand Final at the MCG.
Well, after 13 trips to the home of football, they are 2-11. That record improved but while the Giants were clinical last week, they were sluggish at times on Saturday.
Their next MCG trip is not until Round 23 and you suspect coach Leon Cameron might be using that match as a dress rehearsal for how they need to play the ground to win a maiden premiership.
At the final change they led a Collingwood team restricted to two players on the bench.
But the Toyota Camry found an extra gear in the first five minutes as Jack Crisp and James Aish hit the scoreboard.
Then, the class discrepancy showed.
Three silky Giants – Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Dylan Shiel – were rotating between the midfield and goalsquare. It was a luxury the Magpies simply didn’t have.
Coniglio’s first goal was his best, a right-foot snap from the pocket in the first quarter.
But his next two were far more important, kicked in quick succession to restore the lead in the final term.
The Giants generated only 20 shots at goal, down on last week’s 33, but threaded 15.5 (94) to Collingwood’s 12.7 (79).
Kelly was one who got his hands dirty. Beaten by Steele Sidebottom early, Kelly responded to lay a career-best 14 tackles.
Buckley stated before Round 1 that the Magpies would again play a contested ball style.
It suits his list and it worked as they won the contested count 155-151 with 75 tackles to boot.
Brodie Grundy dominated the ruck and the Magpies made a conscious effort to get in the face of Grundy’s man Rory Lobb after both of his goals.
With Ben Reid (hip) a late withdrawal and Mason Cox, Jamie Elliott and Daniel Wells already absent, Buckley returned natural goalkicker Darcy Moore to the forward line.
Moore’s forward pressure generated a first-quarter goal but a hamstring injury in the second term ended his day.
Adam Treloar failed to win a kick until the dying minutes of the first half. But it was worth the wait as he curled through a right-foot snap for a goal.
Another quiet Magpie, Travis Varcoe, nudged Collingwood into the lead early in the third term.
Treloar kicked his second goal a minute later to bring the crowd of 30,941 to life as they cheered a seven-point buffer.
Ben Crocker should’ve made it 13 points but butchered his snap from a set-shot. The polish was lacking but the effort underpinned by tackling pressure was ludicrous.
Suddenly, the Ferrari was on the blocks.
There were excuses.
The Giants were missing Toby Greene, Zac Williams (Achilles), Will Setterfield (knee), Ryan Griffen (ankle), Matt Buntine (knee) after farewelling Devon Smith, Nathan Wilson, Matthew Kennedy, Shane Mumford and Steve Johnson last year.
They were also down Tom Scully, who appeared to break his ankle in a 38-minute first quarter that was football’s version of medical emergency show ER.
But there was still enough class, evidenced by Jeremy Cameron and Kelly threading goals from tricky angles.
They are the MCG memories GWS will want to savour.
BEST
Collingwood: B.Grundy, T.Phillips, J.Howe, M.Scharenberg, S.Sidebottom, S.Pendlebury
GWS: S.Coniglio, J.Kelly, T.Taranto, C.Ward, L.Whitfield
VOTES
3. Brodie Grundy (Coll)
2. Stephen Coniglio (GWS)
1. Tom Phillips (Coll)
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