By Danny Russell and Hannah Hammoud
A beaming Craig McRae made a point of praising a parochial Collingwood crowd for dragging his Magpies over the line in a stunning comeback win at the MCG – a one-point victory that remarkably keeps their finals hope alive.
The Magpies kicked the last three goals of the game to overhaul a 17-point deficit at the 20-minute mark of the last quarter and snatch an unlikely win over last year’s grand final opponent Brisbane.
Jack Crisp (R) hugs Magpies Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard and Will Hoskin-Elliott on the final siren.Credit: Getty Images
They did so on the back of the classy Nick Daicos and a rampant Magpie Army screaming for the black and white. What a difference a week can make – a home ground advantage, a come-from-behind win, and the team’s finals hopes alive.
Collingwood are now sitting in 10th, play a stuttering Melbourne at the MCG on Friday night and will be sweating on the teams above them to drop their guard.
“That was us sort of showing that we never give up,” an upbeat McRae said after the game.
“I’ve got no idea what the future holds for us. We can only control what we want and the stories that we write – our own stories.
Craig McRae, Senior Coach of the Magpies reacts on the final siren.Credit: Getty Images
“Our fans, unbelievable, 61,000 turn up today, helped drag us over the line again. Yeah, that’s a special win.”
McRae said the Magpies had gone back to school during the week after coughing up a match-winning lead against the Sydney Swans.
Collingwood highflier Jeremy Howe takes a grab over Brisbane at the MCG.Credit: Getty Images
“We worked on our method this week, as we do every week, and reinforced a couple of things that really, we needed to do late in that game,” McRae said.
“It’s hard to hold leads in the AFL right now. We’ve experienced that for the last couple of weeks, and you never feel safe in front at the moment. As a team, you know, we’re working through what that looks like for us. We chased today and we chased well.
“As I said to the players just then, I’m not into the ladder predictor. We can’t get voodoo dolls out for other teams. We can’t do anything.
“We’re in this position because it’s 23 rounds of us getting in this position, all the lessons learned, all the bumps and bruises, all the players out and players in and here or there. Umpire’s decisions, or not umpire decisions. We’ve all had that journey, every team has, and here we are.”
Magpie veteran Steele Sidebottom, who helped curtail dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, said it had been essential for Collingwood to seize back momentum after conceding the first four goals of the game and trailing by 31 points late in the first quarter.
Incredibly, Collingwood spent just five minutes and fifty-two seconds of the match in front.
Isaac Quaynor of the Magpies celebrates kicking a goal.Credit: Getty Images
“We were able to wrestle it back and just be close enough throughout probably the whole night – just to be in front when it mattered right at the end,” Sidebottom said.
“It’s nice to hear the crowd just go mad like that again, because we’ve missed it a little bit in the second half of the year, and it’s nice to know it’s still there.”
The crowd went ballistic when defender Isaac Quaynor chased down Zac Bailey streaming into an open goal late in the last quarter. They went crazy when the maligned Lachie Schultz kicked two late-term goals, and they shook the MCG to its foundations when Beau McCreery put them in front.
But while the crowd lifted Collingwood, it was the irrepressible Nick Daicos who helped keep them alive. In a match-saving second term, he had 14 disposals, three marks and two goals. He finished the game with 25 possessions.
“I think I will tell my grandkids that I coached Nick Daicos,” McRae said. “That’s going to be one of the great stories when I’m older. What a player.
“It is just nice to see someone just impose himself on the game we’re all on the bench just, not laughing, but just going, wow. We were all like in awe.”
The spoils could have so easily gone to big Brisbane forward Joe Daniher. He kicked four for the match and then sprayed a set shot in the final term that could have shut the door. Instead, the Lions find themselves outside the top four in fifth place. They play Essendon at home next week.
Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore spoils Brisbane’s Logan Morris.Credit: Getty Images
“Margins of three goals aren’t big margins in footy any more, they can be cut back pretty quickly and to Collingwood’s credit they kept going, and we just faulted right at the end,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
“We’ll take some learnings from the game, obviously. The main one will be, take your opportunities in front of goal which has been a thing I’ve had to talk about too often this year I reckon and a lot of our losses it’s had something to do with it.”
Fagan said Eric Hipwood had been fit to play, but Jarrod Berry was subbed out during the match with a hamstring complaint.
It was all spoils to Collingwood. As he left the room, still with a beaming smile, McRae again made mention of the crowd.
“It’s just really pleasing that regardless of what happens, that we play with that fighting spirit, and I’m sure our supporters tonight will go home really proud to be a Collingwood supporter,” he said.