Collingwood scraps its way to victory over defensive Dees at the MCG on Queen’s Birthday

COLLINGWOOD earned Queen’s Birthday honours in a dour clash with AFL rivals Melbourne, downing the Demons by 33 points at the MCG.

AFL Round 12 Melbourne v Collingwood at the MCG. Tyson Goldsack high 5's Dayne Beams after he goaled. Pic: Michael Klein. Monday June 9, 2014.

THEY’D been hanging around and hanging around, hoping Collingwood would give them a break.

For almost three quarters Melbourne had enjoyed more good passages than their fancied opponents but had failed dismally to convert it on the scoreboard.

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Despite this they’d managed to keep things tight and with a minute to go in the third quarter the margin to the Pies was a reachable 10 points.

Sensing a spark was needed Melbourne coach Paul Roos executed his substitution bringing on exciting youngster Jay Kennedy-Harris for ruckman Mark Jamar.

It was bound to happen...Melbourne’s Jeremy Howe marks over Alex Fasolo during the second term. Picture: Michael Klein

It worked - just the wrong way.

In the final minute of the term, Jeremy Howe kicked a short-pass from next to the behind post to Kennedy-Harris who had run into space. It was a sound play to wind down the clock but the only problem was the kid fumbled the simple overhead mark, allowing Dane Beams to swoop in and snap an easy goal.

Call it heart-breaking, game-changing, momentum-swinging - all of those fit the bill.

Adding to the horror for Roos was the moment seemed to spark Beams, who’d been well held by veteran Daniel Cross.

MELBOURNE-COLLINGWOOD GALLERY

Ninety seconds into the final term he was on the receiving of a Jarryd Blair pass and went back to kick his second goal from 45m.

Paul Seedsman had the most running bounces for the game. Picture: Michael Klein

To add further salt into the wound it was a Beams bullet pass at the 16-minute mark to Travis Cloke which ended any hope of a Melbourne comeback. The final result of 33 points doesn’t do justice to the way Melbourne had fought.

But in saying that, they do have to shoulder a lot of the blame for making it a tiresome and at times boring affair.

In the end it was Collingwood’s class and experience which ensured they prevailed even though a number of their stars were quiet by their lofty standards.

Beams booted two goals for the Pies. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

The Demons got their match-ups right with Cross limiting Beams to eight touches in the first half while Bernie Vince had an intriguing head-to-head battle with Pies skipper Scott Pendlebury.

Neville Jeta was the surprise opponent for Jamie Elliott and beat him comfortably while Lynden Dunn won most of the one-on-one battles with Cloke until the floodgates opened late.

The problem for Melbourne - and it’s a pretty important facet of the game - is that they couldn’t score.

Melbourne’s Chris Dawes presented well during the first half. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Their first goal came in the opening 25 seconds courtesy of Nathan Jones, the second was via Howe with a set shot at the three-minute mark of the second quarter and then their third and final goal came through Vince at the 13-minute mark of the third quarter.

In many ways it was a bizarre result given for large parts of the first half the Demons seemed to be finding space easily and getting uncontested marks at will - Cam Pedersen had seven marks at half-time - but as soon as they approached the 50m mark it broke down.

This is where unheralded Pies defenders Jack Frost and Lachlan Keefe deserve credit for keeping Chris Dawes and James Frawley in check while the man who kept the Pies going early was Clinton Young.

Jack Frost applied the clamps at the MCG, including during this tackle on Dom Tyson.

The ex-Hawk’s run from half-back was a stand-out - he finished with an equal team-high 26 touches - and in the second half he got some help with Heritier Lumumba and youngster Paul Seedsman regularly breaking the lines. Slowly but surely they gained control of the midfield thanks in part to Brent Macaffer blanketing Dom Tyson, who’d been the Dees best on-baller all season.

Ironically the injection of Pies substitute Luke Ball sparked his own side and he was dominant in the final term with 10 touches.

Originally published as Collingwood scraps its way to victory over defensive Dees at the MCG on Queen’s Birthday