AFL Round 2 2024: Collingwood’s woes continue in 94-79 loss to rampant St Kilda

Craig McRae may be able to explain the Pies’ 0-3 start as nothing to do with hunger, but the Saints’ 15-point win appears to confirm, if it’s not a premiership hangover, it’s at least a headache.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: Darcy Moore of the Magpies looks dejected after a loss during the 2024 AFL Round 02 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Collingwood Magpies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 21, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Someone get a blue Powerade or a full English breakfast – Collingwood is hungover and needs a cure.

Whether Craig McRae can explain away the 0-3 start as nothing to do with hunger or sweet satisfaction lingering from September, the fact is the reigning premier has woken up in the 2024 season with a serious headache.

And Thursday night’s 15-point loss to a superb St Kilda was headlined by fumbles, mistakes and being simply outworked.

Even a potential trademark last-quarter comeback couldn’t materialise for the Magpies, as a Bobby Hill charge came from too far back.

Jack Higgins saw to that with a remarkable long-bomb from deep in the MCG’s Members Stand.

McRae said post-game, the issues started with the fundamentals for his side.

“There’s just fundamental stuff that we’re just doing really poorly.

“It’s just little things that mean big things and we’ve taken great pride in the last period in doing the little things really really well.

“I think you can see the fundamental skills that are sloppy, rusty, clunky, just giveaway goals, things you take great pride in,” he said.

The depth of Collingwood’s wobbles were clear in the final minutes of the first term.

If you want to know what that queasy feeling looks like on the football field, take the last three goals the Pies conceded in that quarter.

The Saints grabbed their first win of 2024. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

To start with, Oleg Markov and Steele Sidebottom ran into each other, allowing the Saints to swoop and set up a Liam Henry set shot.

Next, Darcy Moore took a trademark intercept mark deep in defence and completely shanked the handball right into the hands of Brad Hill.

Lastly, Jack Crisp missed another simple handball to Nick Daicos, releasing three St Kilda players out the back.

It might have been almost cathartic for Pies fans to see Billy Frampton taking out Higgins in the goalsquare, at least it was some kind of physical release of the frustration of the 10-minute period.

Those were the simple mistakes a team running on a full tank just doesn’t make, setting the table for any half-decent opposition to make them pay.

And the Saints were plenty better than half-decent.

Should you head into a Thursday night match at the MCG nursing some kind of headache, the Saints are not the right team to face.

The Pies found that out pretty quickly, as they persistently trailed Ross Lyon’s honest workers across the field.

McRae said pre-match that the Pies had recognised Lyon’s men as the biggest runners in the competition and it looked that way, as the honest underdogs spread harder, faster and for longer than those in black and white.

A man short after Mason Wood’s horrendous first-quarter fall, it was St Kilda who had the fresher legs all night.

Jordan De Goey struggled again. Pic: Michael Klein

The pounding inside the head at Collingwood was enough for premiership Pie Daisy Thomas to believe the reigning premier looked satisfied: “The way they are playing it certainly looks like it”, he told Channel 7.

There are holes looming suddenly everywhere in Collingwood’s team.

Where Collingwood’s topline recruit Lachie Schultz was essentially missing for most of the night, St Kilda’s big singing in Liam Henry was red hot.

With Jordan De Goey – just 13 disposals as Marcus Windhager hung off him all night – and Nick Daicos (22 touches) quelled, the midfield lacked drive.

And the forward line struggled for winners, as Saints defenders Callum Wilkie and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera dominated that end of the ground.

At least Reef McInnes showed something with three goals, but youngster Fin Macrae still couldn’t reach the best 22 as Tom Mitchell had no impact.

No doubt McRae will spin the doughnut start to the year as a new challenge to mount.

And it is becoming a serious challenge – this being the first time Collingwood has started the season 0-3 since way back in 1999.

Ross Lyon’s side were better than the scoreboard suggested. Ros. Pic: Michael Klein

The difficulty rating gets higher given an Easter Thursday clash in Brisbane looms next week.

At least one of the 2023 grand finalists will be winless four weeks into the season.

This Collingwood hangover needs to be cured quick, otherwise this premiership defence will quickly slip too far out of reach.

SAINTS 5.1, 6.2, 11.7, 14.10 (94)

MAGPIES 3.1, 7.4, 8.5, 12.7 (79)

BOURKE’S BEST Saints: Wanganeen-Milera, Wilkie, Marshall, Steele, Battle, King, Windhager. Magpies: J Daicos, Frampton, Lipinski, Maynard, Cameron, Crisp.

GOALS Saints: Higgins 4, King 3, Membrey 2, Henry 2, Hill, Sharman, Phillipou. Magpies: McInnes 3, Lipinski 2, Elliott 2, Hill 2, Schultz, Cameron, Elliott.

UMPIRES Fisher, Foot, Hosking, Mollison

INJURIES Saints: Wood (concussion/collarbone), Henry (hamstring). Magpies: nil.

CROWD 69,517 at the MCG

BOURKE’S VOTES

3. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (StK)

2. Josh Daicos (Coll)

1. Callum Wilkie (StK)

Originally published as AFL Round 2 2024: Collingwood’s woes continue in 94-79 loss to rampant St Kilda