AFL 2020 news: Melbourne turns around season as woeful Magpies continue downward spiral

They were dubbed the meanest defence in the competition, but Magpies coach Nathan Buckley says the cohesion was left in the changerooms as a resurgent Melbourne outfit tore them to shreds.

Brody Mihocek finds himself on the deck after a heavy collision with Melbourne’s Aaron Vandenberg. Picture: Michael Klein

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said his side were ‘as disconnected as we’ve been’ after being thumped by Melbourne in a rare show of defensive vulnerability by the Magpies.

The Pies came into the Saturday evening clash at the Gabba with the meanest defence in the competition but gave up 100-points as the Demons handed them a 56-point drumming.

Collingwood actually had more inside 50s (41-40) and clearances (32 to 31) but the Demons booted 16 goals.

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Buckley said the Pies — who have played four games in 14 days — were “a little bit out of shape at the moment”.

“When you are a little bit out of shape it affects you so everything looks like it is a little bit harder and the reason it looks like that is because it is,” he said.

“So we will continue to work because when we do click we know it works for us but we didn’t display that tonight and that doesn’t help the front six, it doesn’t help the back six, it doesn’t help anyone in the Collingwood guernsey when we are not playing the way that we want to play.

“It’s what we look like on the field, it’s where we have our bodies and generally we hold up really well defensively because of that even when we are really bad our numbers in our offence we generally defend better.

“We were off tonight, that is as disconnected as we have been.”

The Pies’ task was made harder with Brody Mihocek (concussion) and Ben Reid (hamstring) joining a length injury list.

Nathan Buckley says the Magpies are ‘a little bit out of shape at the moment’.

Buckley said Mihocek was “one of the toughest blokes I’ve ever seen play the game” so the hit he took was significant and he had gone to hospital for precautionary scans.

Reid was not taken to Adelaide last round so his body would be right for the Demons clash and Buckley said him going down was a big blow.

“It’s really upsetting for him and us, he has put a lot of work in and the soft-tissue injuries have really hounded him for the last three years,” he said.

For the Demons, it was a third straight win — and fifth from seven — just over two weeks after a heavy loss to Port Adelaide prompted stinging criticism from president Glen Bartlett.

“Internally as a footy department we were really strong on that performance, on what is acceptable for us as a footy club,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin said.

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“But before that we were building... for us that game was a bit of an outlier.”

Now in the top eight with a game in hand, the good news keeps coming for Melbourne with Max Gawn training before the game.

Goodwin said it was likely he would play against the Western Bulldogs and said the Demons didn’t make the wrong decision by playing their captain with a shoulder injury against Adelaide in Round 10.

“Max trained this morning and trained strongly, all indications are he will play next week,” he said.

“He was resting at full forward when he hurt his knee, so he wants to play every game he is our captain and we don’t take any team lightly in the competition.”

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They say one week is a long time in footy, Melbourne has completely changed the course of its season in a fortnight.

Just over two weeks ago the Demons were labelled as having “trashed” the Melbourne jumper by president Glen Bartlett and Simon Goodwin was under some serious pressure following an insipid display to Port Adelaide.

Now the Demons have won three in a row and are inside the top eight with a game in hand after claiming their biggest win of the season with a thumping 56-point win over Collingwood.

The critics, and those who can’t trust the Demons after what they have served up in recent years, will say the wins have come against winless Adelaide, North Melbourne and an injury-ravaged Pies outfit but the Demons now have won five from their last seven.

Nathan Jones and his Demons teammates had all the answers at the Gabba.

DEFENCES BREACHED

Collingwood had given up the least amount of points in the competition going into the match, and just 37 and 41 in the last two.

With 5.37 before halftime at the Gabba the Pies had leaked 52-points as the league’s tightest defence sprung leak after leak in the second half.

Yes they are undermanned through injuries, and it was the Pies fourth game in 14 days, but Collingwood’s defence — with maybe the exception of Darcy Moore — was seriously found wanting against a Demons side with a spring in their step.

Tom McDonald was by himself near the goalsquare for ages before he was found for his first major, while Jake Melksham (two goals) and Charlie Spargo (three) caused havoc when the ball hit the ground in Melbourne’s forward 50 and while Collingwood won the clearances in the first half the Demons did the damage on the scoreboard.

Christian Petracca celebrates a goal as the Dees enjoyed a night out against the Magpies.

DEADLY DEMONS

The Demons have become a calmer and more measured with their ball movement against Collingwood they were deadly in front of goal.

The Pies defence helped at times but the Demons kicked 7.1 in that second quarter which set up the big win.

The inside 50 count at half time was even at 20 a piece, but when the Dees went forward they were clinical.

Ed Langdon drilled one home from 50m off just one step, in the third Christian Petracca slotted one home from a tough angle with ease.

Brody Mihocek and Aaron vandenBerg find themselves airborne after the big hit. Pictures: Getty Images

MORE LOSSES FOR PIES

Brody Mihocek hasn’t missed a game for Collingwood since debuting in Round 11 2018.

But the important forward became the latest Pie to fall to the injury crisis at Collingwood in his 52nd match for the club.

Brody Mihocek has been stretchered off the field after this contest. #AFLDeesPies pic.twitter.com/Uo6EDR1vTp

— AFL (@AFL) August 15, 2020

The Pies leading goal kicker this year was involved in a heavy collision with Aaron vandenBerg in the second quarter and had to be stretchered off the field.

And then in the third quarter the luckless Ben Reid suffered a left hamstring injury and was done for the evening.

The Magpies trudge off the ground after their horrible night in Brisbane.

He joins a list of key injuries for the Magpies that also includes Adam Treloar (hamstring), Jeremy Howe (knee) and Jordan De Goey (finger).

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley said Mihocek would be taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

“We won’t see him for the rest of the night. It takes a pretty big hit to keep him down and it was a big hit,” Buckley said.

“He’ll head (to hospital) soon enough to have a look.”

MELBOURNE 3.3, 10. 4, 12.4, 16.4 (100)

COLLINGWOOD 1.1, 5.2, 6.6, 6.8 (44)

GOALS

Demons: Spargo 3, Fritsch, Langdon, Melksham Weideman 2, Petracca, Brayshaw, McDonald, Pickett, Sparrow

Pies: Reid 2, Hoskin-Elliot, Elliot, Adams, Brown

SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON’S BEST

Demons: Langdon, Oliver, Petracca, Brayshaw, Spargo, May

Pies: Sidebottom, Adams, Grundy, Daicos

SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON’S VOTES

3 - Ed Langdon (Melbourne)

2 - Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)

1 - Angus Brayshaw (Melbourne)

INJURIES

Pies: Mihocek (concussion), Reid (hamstring)

Originally published as AFL 2020 news: Melbourne turns around season as woeful Magpies continue downward spiral