As it happened: ‘He got punched in the face’ – McRae’s blunt assessment of incident in nail-biting win

Steele Sidebottom kicked the match-winnner on the night he and Scott Pendlebury broke the record for the most games played together as teammates.Credit: AFL Photos

Collingwood spoiled Footscray’s 100th anniversary celebrations and won their second match in a row since their disastrous opening-round defeat in a thrilling contest at the MCG on Friday night.
Steele Sidebottom was the Magpies’ hero, snapping a goal out of congestion inside the last three-and-a-half minutes to outlast the gallant Bulldogs by six points.

Sidebottom also kicked the last goal of the third quarter to give Collingwood an eight-point edge at the final break after they trailed by six and five points, respectively, at quarter- and half-time.

That match-winner followed the returning Jordan De Goey fluffing a set shot for the Pies’ 16th behind, after rising Bulldog Joel Freijah tied the scores with a superb running goal from beyond 50 metres.

The score review system also correctly overturned a Daniel McStay goal after a desperate Bailey Williams got his fingertips to the Sherrin in the nick of time.

The Bulldogs piled on the first 22 points of the match, and it took the Pies almost 20 minutes to even score – but the contest soon turned into an arm wrestle in front of a captivated crowd of 78,027.

Even without resident superstar Marcus Bontempelli, plus the likes of Adam Treloar, Liam Jones, Cody Weightman and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Luke Beveridge’s brave Bulldogs were still a chance in the dying seconds.

Nick Daicos won 39 disposals and nine clearances in his latest brilliant performance, while veterans Sidebottom (22, six clearances) and Scott Pendlebury (26) turned back the clock.

Sam Darcy booted four goals – and probably should have had six – in an eye-catching aerial display, but the Dogs’ best player was stand-in skipper Tom Liberatore, who amassed 34 touches, 18 contested possessions and nine clearances with dad Tony in the stands.

Thanks for joining me tonight on the blog for what was a thrilling game between Collingwood and Footscray (now back to the Western Bulldogs).

Collingwood advance to a 2-1 record, while the Bulldogs drop to 1-1.

Be sure to join us again tomorrow for a huge day of footy, with the action beginning at 1.20pm.

That’s all for tonight – thanks again for your company.

Craig McRae said he expects the AFL’s MRO will examine Rory Lobb’s poorly aimed spoil that made direct contact to the face of Mason Cox.

Speaking to reporters after the game, McRae said Cox had some stitches put in just beneath his eye and didn’t return to play after the incident, but they weren’t worried he’d miss time.

Mason Cox suffered a fist to the face from Rory Lobb. Credit: Fox Sports

“He got punched in the face,” said McRae succinctly.

Speaking on Fox Footy, Jonathan Brown – a former triple-premiership teammate of McRae’s – said he believed Lobb’s eyes were firmly on the football and all contact was accidental, and therefore he should not face a suspension.

In more serious injury news, McRae confirmed that the club suspected Reef McInnes had torn his ACL in the first quarter.

“We won’t know officially until tomorrow morning [but] it’s devastating for the young man,” said McRae.

Despite acknowledging that his team played well and showed immense effort, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge boiled down tonight’s game to a concise fact: They came to win, and they lost.

“Don’t make excuses,” said Beveridge,“Credit to you all, but we didn’t win it. We came here to win tonight.”

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge. Credit: Getty Images

What cost the Bulldogs the game, to Beveridge’s eyes, was turnovers when they got caught up handballing.

“We overused the ball, particularly in the first half with handball chains,” he said.

“They pressured us into balls that spat forward and we were in trouble in open space.”

The Bulldogs will face Carlton next week at Marvel stadium.

Nick Daicos says the Magpies were prepared for a tight contest with the Bulldogs tonight, in a game which came down to the final seconds.

“Fly [coach Craig McRae] spoke going into the game about the arm wrestle ... we knew we were going to have to manage the moments,” Daicos told Fox Footy.

The gun midfielder – who racked up 39 touches – said those challenging moments came in the form of Sam Darcy’s three first half goals, but that the Pies were able to conjure up their own magic.

“Pretty early on, we were tested with big Sammy Darcy absolutely dominating the game … and then on the other side of it, we’ve got Bobby Hill … just kicking these unbelievable goals.”

Nick Daicos was damaging for Collingwood.Credit: Getty Images

Steele Sidebottom kicked the match-winnner on the night he and Scott Pendlebury broke the record for the most games played together as teammates.Credit: AFL Photos

Collingwood spoiled Footscray’s 100th anniversary celebrations and won their second match in a row since their disastrous opening-round defeat in a thrilling contest at the MCG on Friday night.
Steele Sidebottom was the Magpies’ hero, snapping a goal out of congestion inside the last three-and-a-half minutes to outlast the gallant Bulldogs by six points.

Sidebottom also kicked the last goal of the third quarter to give Collingwood an eight-point edge at the final break after they trailed by six and five points, respectively, at quarter- and half-time.

That match-winner followed the returning Jordan De Goey fluffing a set shot for the Pies’ 16th behind, after rising Bulldog Joel Freijah tied the scores with a superb running goal from beyond 50 metres.

The score review system also correctly overturned a Daniel McStay goal after a desperate Bailey Williams got his fingertips to the Sherrin in the nick of time.

The Bulldogs piled on the first 22 points of the match, and it took the Pies almost 20 minutes to even score – but the contest soon turned into an arm wrestle in front of a captivated crowd of 78,027.

Even without resident superstar Marcus Bontempelli, plus the likes of Adam Treloar, Liam Jones, Cody Weightman and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Luke Beveridge’s brave Bulldogs were still a chance in the dying seconds.

Nick Daicos won 39 disposals and nine clearances in his latest brilliant performance, while veterans Sidebottom (22, six clearances) and Scott Pendlebury (26) turned back the clock.

Sam Darcy booted four goals – and probably should have had six – in an eye-catching aerial display, but the Dogs’ best player was stand-in skipper Tom Liberatore, who amassed 34 touches, 18 contested possessions and nine clearances with dad Tony in the stands.

Phew! That was close.

Collingwood advance to 2-1 after a thrilling win over the Bulldogs with Steele Sidebottom’s late goal pushing the Pies in front.

Nick Daicos’ 39 disposals and nine clearances and two goals to Sidebottom, Lachie Schultz and Bobby Hill also powered the Pies to get the four points.

The Bulldogs were unable to celebrate the clubs’ centenary in the league with a win, but their effort can’t be questioned.

Jason Dunstall said on Fox Footy that Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge would be pleased with his team’s effort, but “it could’ve been a season defining win”.

The last time the Bulldogs went 2-0 to start the season was in 2021 when they went on to play in the Grand Final.

The Magpies celebrate Steele Sidebottom’s game winning goal. Credit: AFL Photos

Collingwood have spoiled the Western Bulldogs’ 100th birthday celebrations, winning a thriller at the MCG.

The Magpies withstood a Bulldogs forward entry in the final 30 seconds of the game to edge out Luke Beveridge’s brave men by just six points.

The Bulldogs fought hard (including a four-goal haul for Sam Darcy and 34 disposals for stand-in skipper Tom Liberatore) but Collingwood’s pressure proved overwhelming. The Pies move to 2-1 on the season.

Steele Sidebottom has kicked his second goal – and a potential matchwinner to break Bulldog hearts.

The veteran expertly roved a ruck contest deep inside the Magpies’ forward half and slammed it on his boot for six points.

Bulldogs 10.9 (69) to Collingwood 10.16 (76) with three minutes left in the game.

A record breaking crowd came to see the Bulldogs. Credit: AFL Photos

A crowd of more than 78,000 has broken the Bulldogs’ record for their highest attendance for a home and away game on the night the club celebrates their 100-year milestone.

Choosing to celebrate the club’s centenary at the MCG has played a part in attracting the huge crowd (as too has playing against Collingwood).