Taylor Adams isn’t a certain starter for Collingwood against Brisbane after Covid absence
Collingwood will welcome back Jordan De Goey while Jamie Elliott is looking at 12 weeks on the sidelines. But it is still unclear if Taylor Adams will take on Brisbane.
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Collingwood will welcome back Jordan De Goey (suspension) but still has to medically clear Taylor Adams (Covid) for Thursday’s clash against Brisbane at the Gabba.
Adams will be out of the health and safety protocols but Collingwood flies north on Wednesday so he is not yet a certain starter.
Jamie Elliott is likely to miss 12 weeks with a broken AC joint with players unable to rush their return from that injury.
Respected sports medico Peter Larkins said there were multiple ways to operate on that injury but no way to fast-track a return in less than three months.
“You can use a plate and screws but they have to come out before you play again. Or you can use a hamstring graft in the same way as you would for an ACL. Either way it takes 8-10 weeks before it sets.”
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Coach Craig McRae said the loss of De Goey and Adams hadn’t cost the Pies their loss against West Coast.
“If you take two of your best players out of any team it leaves a hole but we had enough entries and possessions to get the job done. We just didn’t execute today.”
He conceded Elliott’s continued absence would have a significant impact on the Pies.
“It is massive. He is one of our forward leaders, he is an incredible pressure player, the things you don’t see is how he’s leading our players. It’s a young forward line he has been the captain of. It does leave a hole but you have to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward.”
ELLIOTT SET FOR LENGTHY SPELL IN BIG BLOW FOR PIES
Nick Smart
Luckless Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott was taken to hospital on Saturday night and is facing up to three months out in a massive injury blow to the Magpies.
The Magpies’ surprise loss to West Coast at Marvel Stadium was made worse when Collingwood coach Craig McRae revealed post-game the extent of an AC injury Elliott suffered during the final term.
He left the ground clutching his shoulder and was immediately subbed out after being tackled to the turf by Eagle Jamaine Jones.
It continues a horror run for Elliott, whose career has so often been disrupted by injury in over a decade at the Magpies.
He has not played 20 games or more in a single season since 2015.
“It’s an AC injury and he’s going straight to hospital to be assessed,” McRae said.
“I think it could be quite a serious injury.
“If he needs an operation it’s going to be 12 weeks, so it’s not a great result for us.
“He’s a pivotal part of what we do and we care deeply for him.”
Collingwood has now given up a three-quarter time lead in consecutive weeks after blowing a 37-point advantage against Geelong, and then slipping to 2-2 under McRae on Saturday night.
“I think we’re just learning how to win and that’s just the reality of our group at the moment,” McRae said.
“We put ourselves in positions to get the job done.
“It’s another week where all the numbers looked really good but we just didn’t get the result.
“We reflected with the group just then about not so much lost opportunity but just not getting all the little details right to get the win.”
The Magpies were missing stars Taylor Adams and Jordan De Goey on Saturday night, but McRae said that was no excuse for the defeat.
“You take two of your best players out of any team and it leaves a hole, but we still had enough entries and possessions to get the job done,” he said.
“We just didn’t quite execute today, did we?”
McRae also heaped praise on first-year sensation Nick Daicos, who had a game-high 32 disposals.
“He’s a 19-year-old and he’s dominating possessions, so that says a lot about the way he goes about it,” he said.
Depleted Eagles shock Pies
– Marc McGowan
West Coast arrived in Melbourne without the likes of Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Tim Kelly, Dom Sheed, Andrew Gaff and Jamie Cripps but charged over the top of Collingwood to snatch a 13-point victory.
Hit hard by Covid-19 and injuries, the Eagles’ season was on the line when they slipped 13 points behind the Magpies in the third quarter while spending 15 minutes without going inside 50.
But a booming Josh Kennedy goal against the flow – one of his three for the night – reignited West Coast’s challenge as the visitors overcame a combined 60 disposals between the Daicos brothers.
Brody Mihocek gave Collingwood the lead 18 minutes into the fourth quarter after a courageous mark in the goal square but that was the Pies’ last hurrah.
Willie Rioli responded down the other end after out-bodying John Noble to mark and slot his third major to inspire a frenetic Eagles finish that delivered them their first win of the year.
Jeremy McGovern kept Collingwood at bay with an outstanding performance down back, while Jack Redden and Richmond discard Patrick Naish were also key contributors.
Collingwood has given up a three-quarter time lead in consecutive weeks after blowing a 37-point advantage against Geelong, and slipped to 2-2 under first-year coach Craig McRae.
The Pies will rue a series of frittered chances in front of goal, as well as their failure to capitalise on territory dominance in the third quarter, which helped them go inside 50 19 more times for the match than West Coast.
But Nick Daicos was impressive again with 32 disposals and 10 score involvements, a week after being nominated for the Rising Star award.
Meteoric Mihocek
Brody Mihocek has enjoyed far more prolific games than he had on Saturday night but his aerial prowess provided a series of highlights.
Collingwood’s No. 1 target soared over Jeremy McGovern to mark and goal in the third term before pulling down an even better one the next quarter.
Shortly afterwards he crashed into a goalpost while snaffling his sixth contested mark of the night – a career high – to give the Pies their last lead before West Coast stormed over the top of them.
Shoulder slam
Jamie Elliott hasn’t played more than 18 games for Collingwood in any of the past five seasons because of injury misfortune.
The 29-year-old might be set for another stint on the sidelines after dislocating his left shoulder in the early stages of the fourth term when West Coast’s Jamaine Jones buried him in a tackle.
Elliott immediately came from the field holding his shoulder and the Magpies wasted no time subbing him out for Trent Bianco.
Putting on the afterburners
West Coast’s All-Australian forward Liam Ryan sprinted past Jeremy Howe to register the game’s opening goal in unorthodox fashion.
The Eagles negotiated a minefield of Magpies at half-back before finally making it through for Jake Waterman to drive a kick inside 50 to an unattended Ryan.
Ryan could have taken a set shot from the pocket, but instead opted to instantly take off and narrowly beat Howe to the goal line in a spectacular example of his speed.
The excitement machine almost nabbed a dazzling mark at half-back in the third quarter as well.
Scoreboard
MAGPIES 1.2, 6.6, 9.10, 10.14 (74)
EAGLES 2.2, 7.2, 9.3, 14.3 (87)
McGOWAN’S BEST Magpies: N.Daicos, Maynard, J.Daicos, Grundy, Crisp, Howe. Eagles: McGovern, O’Neill, Redden, Witherden, Naish, Kennedy.
GOALS Magpies: Ginnivan 2, Mihocek 2, Henry, Hoskin-Elliott, J.Daicos, Wilson, Cameron, Maynard. Eagles: Kennedy 3, Rioli 3, Ryan 2, Darling 2, Langdon, L.Edwards, Naish, Waterman.
INJURIES: Magpies: Elliott (dislocated shoulder). Eagles: L.Edwards (groin).
UMPIRES Stevic, Williamson, Heffernan
VENUE Marvel Stadium
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
McGOWAN’S VOTES
3. J.McGovern (WC)
2 N.Daicos (Coll)
1. B.Maynard (Coll)
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