As it happened: Milestone Magpie to ‘enjoy a beer tonight’ after team’s miracle comeback against Roos

Another Magpie miracle

There have been some miracle comebacks in Craig McRae’s time coaching Collingwood, but this was up there with the best of them.

They trailed by 54 points when North Melbourne kicked the first goal of the third quarter and were still 43 points behind at the 21-minute mark of the third quarter.

Collingwood celebrate a goal.Credit: Getty Images

Then Collingwood got rolling in Brayden Maynard’s 200th match and kicked seven unanswered goals, with Jeremy Howe – who had moved forward at half-time – putting the Magpies in front with five minutes remaining.

Nick Daicos did the damage with eight disposals in the final quarter after his tagger Will Phillips was subbed out. North Melbourne reclaimed the lead through Brynn Teakle, but it was not enough as Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill kicked his fifth goal.

A snap from North Melbourne’s Zac Fisher just missed with less than 30 seconds remaining. There were 11 Collingwood premiership players playing.

Rough for Kangaroos but future bright

It’s hard to pinpoint the player who ignited the Kangaroos. Perhaps it was Luke Davies-Uniacke’s 12 disposals in the first quarter or George Wardlaw’s five score involvements. Maybe the four goals Nick Larkey kicked as he pulled apart the Magpies’ captain Darcy Moore.

Could it have been Alastair Clarkson’s permanent relocation from the boundary to the coaches’ box, which began a week earlier? Or was it Tristan Xerri’s chase-down tackle on Lachie Sullivan before he kicked two second quarter goals.

All this without Jy Simpkin.

Kangaroos mid-season recruit Brynn Teakle.Credit: Paul Rovere

In the end, individuals were not the sole reason as the pressure North applied on Collingwood made the Magpies fumble and panic on the rare occasions they got their hands on the ball.

The loss will devastate the young Kangaroos, but it also should give them confidence they are on the right track as their young players showed they can play, and it was achieved without Jy Simpkin and two high draft picks; Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma.

Did the umpires miss another one?

It’s always hard to know, but Bailey Scott appeared to deserve a 50-metre penalty with a minute remaining when he marked on the 50-metre line and Collingwood players charged over the mark not aware it had been paid.

But it wasn’t the only decision to be questioned, many were asking why Will Phillips was subbed out of the match at three-quarter-time after quelling Nick Daicos for much of the match.

Well, that’s it for round 14.

Today’s game at Marvel Stadium was an absolute ripper. In fact, Michael Gleeson’s Four Points column has just dropped and he’s described it as the best game of 2024 so far.

Peter Ryan was also there for the classic match, and filed this report shortly after hearing from both coaches and talking to some players in the rooms.

Of course, we’ll have plenty more AFL news an analysis for you in the days ahead, not just written – the next instalment of our Real Footy podcast will be available on your device tomorrow afternoon. And our team will be back with more live blogs of the action from round 15, which kicks off on Friday night with a blockbuster between two top-eight teams – Carlton and Geelong – at the MCG.

See you then, footy fans.

It’s all over in western Sydney, where the Giants have proven too strong for Port Adelaide, winning by 22 points.

GWS started slowly, failing to kick a goal in the first quarter, but got their noses in front with a four-goal second term and extended their lead at each break thereafter to win 9.19 (73) to Port Adelaide’s 6.15 (51).

Giants teammates get around jubilant midfielder Tom Green.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

The result means the Giants draw level with the Power on eight wins. But their superior percentage means they displace Port in fifth spot on the ladder, and the Power’s percentage was bruised enough by today’s game for them to slip below Geelong into seventh spot.

Both teams face crunch games next week against in-form opponents: the Giants are at home again, but this time against the top-placed Sydney Swans, while the Power host the Brisbane Lions.

Port Adelaide will need to mount a last-quarter comeback if they are to beat GWS and climb to the upper-reaches of the AFL ladder.

The Power could find themselves in second spot if they beat the Giants at Engie Stadium, but at three-quarter-time they trail by 16 points.

GWS’ Toby Bedford and Port’s Connor Rozee compete.Credit: AFL Photos

The Giants are presently ninth on the ladder but looking to climb into the top eight and possibly oust Port from fifth spot if they can win at home.

They kicked three goals to two in the third term to extend the seven-point lead they had at half-time by eight points.

Three-quarter-time score: GWS7.14 (56) v Port Adelaide 5.10 (40).

Collingwood coach Craig McRae said the message he gave his players at half-time when they trailed cellar-dweller North Melbourne by 48 points was pretty simple.

“They (North) had 60 uncontested marks, and they were kicking the ball through us really easily. We had to improve that,” McRae said.

Craig McRae looks pleased after his team’s comeback win against North Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images

“We showed some footage around that. There was some stark vision that I showed around our pressure and players in the screen who really weren’t involved in it.

“They were there ... the jumpers were, but their intent wasn’t there. It just wasn’t at the level we expect.”

McRae admitted the Magpies combined risk with method to eventually win back the lead.

GWS have bounced back in the second term at their home ground, Engie Stadium, against Port Adelaide.

After going goalless in the first quarter, the Giants kicked four goals in the second term to take a seven-point lead into the half-time break.

Port were the team that failed to kick a goal in the second term, adding just four points, which means all the goals in this match so far have been kicked to the same end.

Aaron Cadman congratulates Giants teammates Callum Brown after one of his goals in the second quarter against Port Adelaide.Credit: via Getty Images

Callum Brown bobbed up with two goals for the Giants in that term, while Harvey Thomas and key forward Aaron Cadman also got their names on the score sheet.

The leading possession-winner on the ground is Port Adelaide’s Dan Houston with 18, 17 of them kicks.

Half-time scores: GWS 4.8 (32) v Port Adelaide 3.7 (25)

Like the very best small forwards, Collingwood’s Bobby Hill has an ability to make the most of limited opportunities.

The 2023 Norm Smith medallist had only 10 possessions in today’s game against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, but finished with five goals and some spectacular additions to his personal highlights reel.

Two of Hill’s marks today will be under consideration as round 14’s mark of the week.

Both were taken at a similar position about 10 metres out from goal at the same end of Marvel Stadium, and the sharpshooter had the presence of mind to convert both into goals for his team.

Bobby Hill takes a screamer in the second quarter of today’s game against North Melbourne.Credit: Fox Sports

The first was a classic speckie, touted by some commentators at the time as the best mark of 2024.

It came with little more than six minutes left in the second term, when it seemed the game might have been slipping from Collingwood’s grasp as they trailed by six goals.

Landing cleanly on his feet, Hill went back and converted the goal to bridge the margin to five goals and give the Magpies a sniff.

Bobby Hill kicked his fifth goal against North Melbourne to win the match.Credit: Paul Rovere

The second spectacular grab happened late in the final term.

Although perhaps not as brilliant as the earlier grab, it was huge in the context of the game and required a considerable amount of courage.

After trailing for most of the day, the Magpies had got themselves in front, but relinquished their lead courtesy of a goal to North recruit Brynn Teakle. With little more than three minutes left in the contest, Steele Sidebottom centred the ball into the path of Hill and North’s Jackson Archer.

As the excellent photos above from The Age snapper Paul Rovere show, neither player took a backward step, but it was Hill who came up with the ball – and the match-winning goal.

Port Adelaide have the upper-hand in the remaining match of round 14.

The Power have travelled to western Sydney and kicked three goals in the opening term against the inaccurate Giants.

Mitch Georgiades has two majors for Port, and fellow big man Todd Marshall has the other.

It’s a big game for the Power who are presently sitting fifth on the ladder but could easily rise to second with a win tonight. Greater Western Sydney, meanwhile, are ninth, but would likely replace Port in fifth spot if they were to win.

Power by 15 at QT.

One of the more confusing elements of the game was when Alastair Clarkson subbed off Will Phillips for the final quarter, who had a tag on Nick Daicos and was keeping the Magpie fairly at bay.

“He was doing a good job (on Nick Daicos) but we were fatiguing and wanted the freshness of the sub,” Clarkson said post-match.

“We thought Liam Shiels could go in and finish the job. I don’t think it was pivotal in the result.”

On the non-call for Bailey Scott in the final minute, he said the umpires make hundreds of decisions a game but his side shouldn’t have gotten to the point where one in the dying seconds could determine the outcome.

“It just feels more pivotal at that point. The bottom line is it should never have got to that position,” he said.

Brayden Maynard got emotional in his post-match interview, talking about what the win meant to him after losing a friend recently to “mental health issues”.

It was the premiership defenders 200th game.

“[The win] means everything. I absolutely love this club. I love these boys. I’m getting a little bit emotional,” he told Fox Footy, while holding back years.

“It’s been a big couple of weeks. I’ve had a good mate of mine pass away to mental health issues.”

Brayden Maynard chaired off in his 200th game.Credit: Getty Images

He then said his heart went out to his friend’s family: “Much love from the Collingwood family and the whole AFL community. We’re sending you all our love; endless amount of hugs, every day.

“It’s more than a game, it’s more than just 200 games for the black and white. I do this for my family and my friends and the whole Collingwood supporter base and these boys here and the coaching staff. So, yeah, really, really emotional.”

As the Magpies next have a bye, he did start the chat in typical Maynard fashion: “Holy crap, such a good win, going to enjoy a beer tonight”.