AFL Round 7: Collingwood withstands Essendon comeback to claim Anzac Day win

The Anzac Day blockbuster lived up to its billing – with momentum shift after momentum shift for three quarters. Then, it was all Collingwood. Here’s how it all unfolded.

If one doesn’t get you – the other one will.

Josh and Nick Daicos again proved Collingwood’s premiership push is in good hands with an Anzac Day special at the MCG.

From Nick cruising through traffic forward of centre to Josh cleaning up across halfback, Essendon had few answers for the brilliant Magpie brothers.

The Bombers challenged the Magpies in the moments before and after half time but eventually succumbed to a death by a thousand Daicos cuts.

Nick wasted little time to stamp his mark on his first crack as Collingwood captain with the opening goal of the game from long range.

It was then over to Josh, who stepped up to run amok soon after his brother’s tidy finish.

Left unmarked by Essendon, Josh repelled everything the Bombers sent forward with a 13-possession first quarter.

Jamie Elliott soaks up one of his five goals.

The glittering opening term prompted a former Brownlow Medal winner to ask his colleagues on match day radio if two brothers have ever ran first and second in the prestigious count.

Josh finished the day with an equal game-high 36 disposals, six inside 50s, eight score involvements and 761 metres gained.

Nick collected 32 disposals, 11 clearances, nine inside 50s, nine score involvements, 619 metres gained and a goal.

Experienced heads Jamie Elliott (five goals), Steele Sidebottom (36 disposals) and Scott Pendlebury (31 disposals) also defied their age with top performances in relentless rain.

It wasn’t quite the perfect afternoon for the ladder-leading Magpies however, with forward Dan McStay substituted out of the game with an innocuous knee injury.

Bobby Hill boots the 'impossible' goal

BOBBY’S DAZZLER

Bobby Hill won Mark of the Year in 2024 and could very well finish this season with the Goal of the Year gong too.

Just as they were being tested, Hill cleanly roved the ball tight up against the boundary line and pierced the minor gap between the posts to give the Magpies back the lead.

Collingwood’s big-game small forward had been held relatively quiet until his brilliant third-quarter goal but delivered when his side needed him to.

BOMBER BLITZ

Essendon lit up the MCG with a scintillating four-minute burst.

The Bombers had been outmuscled and outclassed by Collingwood up until halfway through the second quarter before they flipped the game upside down.

It started with two goals in 45 seconds from Sam Durham before Kyle Langford and Archie Perkins joined in soon after.

The Bombers cut the lead from 27 points to back within a kick within a handful of minutes.

Collingwood went from complete control to needling a settler – and it luckily got one late through defender Brayden Maynard.

Ben Hobbs kicks a goal during Essendon’s charge. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos

THE STRANGEST OF CLASHES

Collingwood and Essendon’s choice of shorts created for a strange kit clash on Friday afternoon.

The Magpies, as the home side, opted with a predominantly white design on their commemorative ANZAC jumper.

It would have worked perfectly with Essendon’s mainly black jumper if Collingwood didn’t pair the jumper with its black home shorts.

Originally published as AFL Round 7: Collingwood withstands Essendon comeback to claim Anzac Day win