Collingwood faces tough run home to prove its premiership credentials

COLLINGWOOD deserves a big tick for climbing inside the top four with a long injury list, but is it really a premiership chance? JAY CLARK looks at the Pies’ tough run home and what they have to do to silence the doubters.

Re-signed and ready to rumble, Jordan De Goey will need to feature prominently for the Pies if they are going to make a dint in the finals. Picture: Getty Images

THIS is Collingwood’s month of truth.

There is no doubt the Magpies deserve a big tick so far, for climbing inside the top-four with an injury list which is now as long as your arm.

But even though we said Collingwood received a dream draw in 2018, Champion Data rates the Magpies’ remaining seven games the second-hardest run home in the competition.

And the next four circled in Nathan Buckley’s diary are West Coast (MCG), North Melbourne (MCG), Richmond (MCG) and Sydney (SCG).

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Re-signed and ready to rumble, Jordan De Goey will need to feature prominently for the Pies if they are going to make a dint in the finals. Picture: Getty Images

They already have 11 wins and two more victories within the next month, combined with at least one other triumph over lower-placed Brisbane at the MCG (Round 21) or Fremantle in Perth (Round 23) will book the Pies a long-awaited finals appearance.

It’s been a four-year wait which tested every ounce of the club’s faith.

But looking ahead this next month is where Collingwood will either gain enormous belief for a serious tilt at the flag, or the wheels may start to wobble a bit.

And without two of their best midfielders Adam Treloar and Daniel Wells, star forward Jamie Elliott, important stopper Lynden Dunn and now speedster Will Hoskin-Elliott, no one will be surprised if the Pies run out of some puff.

But this is a much more attractive football club for star free agent Tom Lynch or even his Gold Coast co-captain Steven May.

Could the Pies be a destination club for the likes of Steven May and Tom Lynch? Picture: AAP

The Magpies have stability and upside, and the decision to re-sign coach Nathan Buckley looks like one of the best calls any club made last year in the face of searing pressure.

Veteran Tyson Goldsack yesterday said it was genuinely a much happier footy club after 39 staff changes as part of the review. And stronger relationships across the board are at the centre of the upswing in 2018.

But even though Buckley’s troops sit second on the ladder, we still reserve out judgment somewhat on Collingwood, despite icing their seventh-straight over the brave Bombers yesterday.

Match-winning skipper Scott Pendlebury produced an inspirational last term and Jordan De Goey put on a show deep forward to seal the 16-point victory, 12.6 (78) to 9.8 (62).

De Goey may have turned down huge offers to drag him to a new club last week but the star goal kicker looked every bit a big-money man curling the sealer home tight on the boundary late in the fourth term.

Pendlebury had 14 last-term possessions, Mason Cox reeled in a career-best five contested marks with a screamer late and De Goey looks like a man ready to become a genuine superstar of the league, owning big moments like yesterday’s nailbiting finish.

Buckely isolated De Goey one-out in the square, probably sensing he could win them the game and he did reeling in two brilliant marks late.

Mason Cox big Mason Cox was a tower of power in the air against the Bombers. Picture: Getty Images

Re-signing him was a huge coup for the club.

But Buckley will be pragmatic about things overall in tomorrow’s review.

Collingwood’s connection between defensive 50m and the forward line was average at best yesterday and for a good part Essendon’s key defenders owned the airwaves.

And only one of Collingwood’s seven-straight wins has been against a top-eight team — and that was against an-up and-down Melbourne.

And the real worry, aside from the enormous injury list which claimed another two scalps yesterday — Will Hoskin-Elliott and Flynn Appleby — is the running repairs down back.

Dunn’s departure leaves a big hole at full back and over the next four games Collingwood confronts some of the best key forwards in the game.

There’s Eagles’ swingman Jeremy McGovern, Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown, premiership spearhead Jack Riewoldt and a bloke by the name of Lance Franklin.

It can’t all hinge on Brody Mihocek filling the key defensive hole and pressure through the midfield will be key.

If Collingwood or can or can’t complete the fairytale, we will know a lot more by the start of next month.

SCOREBOARD

ESSENDON 1.2 4.5 7.6 9.8 (62)

COLLINGWOOD 4.1 4.4 7.5 12.6 (78)

GOALS

Essendon: Brown 3, McKernan 2, McDonald-Tipungwuti, Langford, Baguley, McGrath

Collingwood: De Goey 3, Sidebottom 2, Stephenson, Grundy, Daicos, Hoskin-Elliott, Mihocek, Cox, Adams

BEST — JAY CLARK

Essendon: Zach Merrett, Devon Smith, Shaun McKernan, Dyson Heppell, Brendon Goddard, Mitch Brown, Andrew McGrath

Collingwood: Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey, Steele Sidebottom, Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Jack Crisp, Tom Langdon

INJURIES

Essendon: Orazio Fantasia (groin) late out, replaced in selected side by Jake Long, Patrick Ambrose (hamstring), Dyson Heppell (eye)

Collingwood: Will Hoskin-Elliott (knee), Flynn Appleby (hamstring)

Reports: Nil

Official crowd: 69,868

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