Collingwood keeps finals dream alive after overcoming a week of challenges in Perth
Nobody gave Collingwood a chance after a season of drama and a week in Perth quarantine. But the Magpies’ conjured one of their best finals wins after an inspired game plan overhaul by coach Nathan Buckley.
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Collingwood is daring to dream it can embark on the same magic carpet ride that swept the Western Bulldogs to a flag four years ago, believing it can turn a boilover Perth elimination final win into the most unlikely of premierships.
It won’t be easy, but neither was Saturday night’s extraordinary one-point victory over West Coast.
The odds were stacked against the Magpies leading into this knockout clash before a parochial Eagles home crowd – as they have been for most of the season – but Collingwood’s us-against-them mentality brought about one of the club’s best recent finals wins.
It came off the back of a number of huge challenges – a seven-day hard quarantine inside the Joondalup Resort, what felt like the enmity of an entire state and the unwanted tag of being labelled “dirty” which resulted in a controversial West Australian newspaper back page.
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Just as important as the real and perceived slights that fired up the Magpies was Buckley’s overhaul of the slow build-up style that had stifled Collingwood through the second half of the season that led to a faster, more dynamic brand that proved crucial in the end last night.
“They can call us whatever they want,” skipper Scott Pendlebury declared on Channel 7 after the thrilling final brought about another Pies-Eagles finals classic.
And Buckley joked the Pies were heading back to their resort for a shower “to get clean again.”
The Magpies will now meet Geelong in Saturday night’s semi final at the Gabba, buoyed by the way in which they narrowly brought the Eagles undone.
Collingwood started superbly in kicking four goals to one in the first term, with Mason Cox reprising his 2018 preliminary final heroics when kicking three majors from three contested marks in the space of five minutes.
The Magpies led at every change, but the Eagles started the last term with two quick goals that had the hostile crowd roaring.
Oscar Allen put the home side in front six minutes into the last term, and the visitors looked in trouble.
Once more they rose to the occasion.
Collingwood kicked three goals in a row, with two to Brody Mihocek and to Jordan De Goey, to wrest the momentum only for the pendulum to swing back in the Eagles’ favour with late goals from Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.
That left the Magpies one point in front with just over a minute remaining, and they gamely closed out the match to record what was a famous victory.
Few teams have appeared as battered and bruised through this COVID-interrupted season as Collingwood, in particular through the Festival of Footy.
Some of it was pure bad luck, some of it was being on the wrong end of the stick in terms of fixturing; some of it was even self-inflicted.
But the Magpies have now re-emerged as an unlikely contender again, knowing that Luke Beveridge’s Bulldogs managed to use the Eagles as a launching pad in 2016 that resulted in a fairytale premiership win.
At one stage the Pies had to play four games in 13 days across three states, with the geographic and fixturing hurdles ultimately leaving them running empty at crucial stages of the season.
Could feel the Magpie army with us tonight. We can only hope that brought you some joy. Thank you for your unwavering support. Together we are up for the fight âš«ï¸âšªï¸
— Taylor Adams (@taylor_adams13) October 3, 2020
Through the year they had to endure a host of injuries to key players, including Jeremy Howe, as well as losing Steele Sidebottom for the season as he returned home to Melbourne for the birth of his first child.
The Magpies are on the road again on Sunday morning, returning to Queensland – and their families – to prepare another huge finals against the Cats – a team they beat in Round 7.
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SCOREBOARD
COLLINGWOOD 4.0 6.1 9.4 12.4 (76)
def
WEST COAST 1.2 5.4 7.6 11.9 (75)
GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 3, Darling 3, Allen 2, Ainsworth, Cripps, Ryan
Collingwood: Cox 3, Mihocek 3, De Goey 2, Adams, Noble, Elliott, Hoskin-Elliott
BEST
West Coast: Naitanui, Duggan, Ryan, Gaff, Cripps, Darling
Collingwood: Treloar, Adams, Pendlebury, Mihocek, Greenwood, Cox
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Collingwood: Nil