Collingwood v West Coast AFL round 16: Magpies see off spirited Eagles at Marvel Stadium
West Coast shocked the Magpie army at Marvel Stadium when they took a lead into half time, then Collingwood flexed their muscle after the major break. But will Nick nab all three votes?
It wasn’t quite the widely expected belting.
Ladder leaders Collingwood took the full four quarters to shake off last-placed West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The Eagles, who have less wins than the Magpies have losses this year, led the premiership favourites at quarter and half time.
Collingwood kicked two sets of four unanswered goals during the second and third quarters but the young Eagles maturely responded on both occasions.
Eventually the Magpies were too good, running over the top of West Coast in yet another methodical fourth quarter.
Darcy Cameron again won the ruck battle, Nick and Josh Daicos found the footy with ease, while veterans Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe defied age once more.
The Eagles were brave, and at times better, but it takes more than bravery and patches of good footy to beat these Magpies.
The second-gear win propels Collingwood 10 points clear on top of the ladder.
PURPLE PATCH PAT
The unsung Magpie is enjoying a patch of form.
Collingwood wingman Patrick Lipinski is flying under the radar with a top month of football.
Lipinski has kicked two goals in each of his past three matches and was a noticeable absentee in the one game he missed.
The premiership Pie had two goals and 11 touches during the third quarter against Hawthorn before he was taken out with concussion.
He wasted no time in his return match last week with 26 disposals and two goals, and followed it up with another terrific performance against the Eagles.
Lipinski finished with 19 disposals, two goals and seven score involvements.
A COACH KILLER
West Coast forward Jack Williams would have been in no rush to get to his team’s final huddle after a horror turnover late in the third quarter.
The Eagles had wrestled back another Collingwood surge term before Williams gifted the Magpies a goal.
Williams, on the last line of defence, tried to kick it as far as he could but shanked it to a wide open Dan Houston about 60 metres from goal.
Houston couldn’t believe his luck, summing his surroundings before taking a couple steps and launching at goal.
The goal gave the Magpies a double-digit lead heading into the final quarter.
Williams had a chance to rectify his mistake early in the fourth with a shot on goal but skewed it left.
"West, Yes!"
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 28, 2025
Magpie debutant Charlie West delivers a goal with his first kick â˜ï¸
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BUDDING BIG MEN
The future of Collingwood and West Coast’s forward line was on show in the form of debutants Charlie West and Jobe Shanahan.
The Magpies and Eagles unveiled their hyped key forwards in the same game and they hit the scoreboard within minutes of each other in the second quarter.
West broke his duck first, showing his craft with an opportunistic goal from close range.
"Jobe Shanahan you are an AFL goalkicker!"
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 28, 2025
Another debutant has their first goal and the Eagles are back in front 👀
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Shanahan then marked and steadily converted a set shot he would have been excused for missing in game one.
West was eventually substituted out of the game but showed enough to match the excitement.
SCOREBOARD
COLLINGWOOD 1.3 5.5 9.6 13.10 (88)
WEST COAST 2.6 6.7 8.8 8.11 (59)
GOALS
Magpies: Mihocek 2, Membrey 2, Lipinski 2, West, Elliott, N Daicos, Hoskin-Elliott, Houston, Sullivan, Pendlebury
Eagles: Brockman 2, J Williams, Ryan, Shanahan, Kelly, Flynn, Hough
BEST
Magpies: Pendlebury, N Daicos, Howe, J Daicos, Crisp, Sidebottom, Lipinski, Cameron
Eagles: Baker, Hough, McCarthy, Duggan
INJURIES
Magpies: nil.
Eagles: nil.
CROWD: 38,126 at Marvel Stadium
TYLER LEWIS’VOTES
3 Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
2 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
1 Jeremy Howe (Collingwood)
WHAT IS HOLDING THE BALL?
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter will join the chorus of coaches seeking clarity around the holding the ball rule.
McQualter was proud of his side – claiming it was the brand he wanted them to play – but said he would ask for further explanation on a few holding the ball free kicks.
“There were a few challenging ones tonight I am going to seek some clarity on,” McQualter said.
“Because I thought there were a couple I wasn’t sure which way they were going to go – it’s a challenging job umpiring this game, it’s a really hard job
“We’ll just get some clarity from the AFL on some of those decisions and look to train our players once we get that.”
Collingwood coach Craig McRae was recently in contact with the AFL about umpiring after Nick Daicos was repeatedly held off the ball.
McRae said the rule “hasn’t been clear for a long time” but drew the line at being a coach who went to the AFL frequently.
“Way back when I was teaching Mason Cox the game, he says, ‘What’s this holding the ball thing?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know, we’re working it out’,” he laughed.
“What are we 15 years later, or 10 years later, (and we’re) still not sure – we average the most tackles of anyone per game, 98, and average about six holding the balls.
“I am not sure, it’s challenging. I just don’t want to be the guy to ring the AFL every week, I’ll let the game be the game.
“It’s amazing how many things, if you give time and space to, somehow find a way of balancing itself out.”
McQualter earlier praised the umpires and his medical staff for their efficiency in a first-quarter incident involving Harry Edwards.
West Coast doctors were in dialogue with Edwards on the ground for nearly 10 minutes as the defender seemingly refused to leave the ground.
The Eagles’ staff eventually notified the umpires, who stopped the game and sent Edwards to the interchange.
“To my knowledge, it’s challenging getting players off during live play, but our doctor’s stopped the game which is following the protocols,” McQualter said.
“I think it’s the right thing to do, they pulled that lever, stopped the game (and) Harry came off to do his HIA (concussion test).
“He passed and went back on, I think it was really well handled, followed the process and the right outcome was achieved.”
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