Collingwood has powered their way to a 35-point victory against the Western Bulldogs thanks to a dynamic second half at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Despite a lethargic opening to the game in which they were outscored eight goals to five, the Magpies turned the tables and booted eight of their own in the second half, all the while keeping the Dogs goalless.
Adam Treloar put together yet another sublime game for the black and white with a game-high 40 disposals and two majors, while Brodie Grundy was equally prolific and served as a tall target across the ground, finishing with 26 touches, 38 hit-outs and seven clearances.
Toby McLean was best afield for the Bulldogs with 33 possessions, yet his efforts weren't enough to inspire his side to its fifth win of the season.
The Dogs surpassed their score of 2.14 from last week's clash against Adelaide with ease, booting 5.2 in the opening term alone opposed to the Magpies' 1.1.
Fast, furious and full of ferocity, the Dogs swarmed their opposition from the get-go, utilising their pace and attacking brand of football.
While the Bulldog defence absorbed the first nine Collingwood inside 50, a risky kick across goal from Bailey Williams allowed Tom Phillips to secure the first goal of the game at the nine-minute mark of the quarter.
Yet the dare was there - something which was noticeably lacking from last Friday's clash.
As Phillips punished the Dogs from close range, Matthew Sucking saw it best to deal the damage from afar, winding up his left foot and letting rip a 55m drop punt which sailed through the big sticks.
Laying on the pressure with repeated inside 50s and aggressive tackles, the Dogs caught the Magpies off-guard as they struggled to negate the Dogs' hostility.
With two Tory Dickson goals sandwiching a Jordan Roughead major, the lead quickly ballooned out to 25 points at quarter-time after an ill-disciplined 50m penalty gave Tom Boyd a certain goal to close out the term.
The Bulldogs' midfield looked to be on song, with Jack Macrae leading the charge with 11 possessions by quarter-time, while McLean was also a sound contributor.
It took some time for their opposition to get their well-oiled midfield machine into gear, but when they eventually did, Collingwood looked to be the more dangerous team on the park.
Outscoring the Bulldogs four goals to three, the fluidity of the Magpie midfield was evident from their first major - scored midway through the quarter - with Travis Varcoe and Treloar combining on centre wing with blistering speed and laser-like precision.
Skipper Scott Pendlebury meanwhile seemed to have all the time in the world, spotting Josh Thomas from the back of a stoppage and giving the 26-year-old his first of the match.
As Suckling used his long kicking to great effect - this time hitting up Roughead who slotted his second - it did little to halt the Pies, who piled on the next two through unlikely goalscorer, Tom Langdon, and goal-sneak Jaidyn Stephenson.
The bad news kept coming for the Dogs, with Zaine Cordy rubbed out the game with a delayed concussion.
Yet two final goals to Billy Gowers and Bulldog debutant, Josh Schache, helped to steady and the ship and see the Dogs lead by three straight kicks at half-time.
Schache's first goal in his new team colours would however be the last of the Bulldogs for the remainder of the game, with the Magpies stacking on four unanswered goals to gain the lead for the first time since the opening term.
Collingwood mounted the pressure on their opposition early, with a crunching Jack Crisp tackle on Marcus Bontempelli directly paving the way for a Steele Sidebottom goal just two minutes in.
As Thomas, Taylor Adams and Will Hoskin-Elliott all kicked true to put Collingwood in front, the Dogs struggled so much as to pressure the Pies.
Grundy continued to tear through the centre of the ground and own the ruck contests, allowing the likes of Treloar, Phillips and Pendlebury to run rampant and repeatedly hammer the ball to their forwards.
Finishing with eight more inside 50s for the term and dominating the possession count in their forward half of the ground, the Magpies looked to be invincible.
But yet another hamstring injury to veteran Travis Varcoe soured what was otherwise a superb quarter for Collingwood, with the 33-year-old taken from the field and forced to watch to rest of the game from the sidelines.
Nevertheless the Magpies charged to three-quarter time with a slender nine-point lead, yet their scoring blitz wasn't at an end.
Stacking on another four unanswered majors, Collingwood trampled over their opposition, whose two minor scores for the quarter were rushed behinds.
Although managing to get the ball inside their 50 repeatedly, the Bulldogs' lack of gas in the tank and minimal ferocity kept them goalless for the entire second half.
The Magpie midfield reaffirmed their damaging capabilities up forward with Treloar and Pendlebury adding their names to the scoresheet after just four minutes of play had elapsed.
Mason Cox too proved to be an ominous presence for the Pies, and although the big American didn't score, his aerial dominance and telescopic reach was second to none after he clunked two impressive overhead marks.
Cox's groundwork however may come under scrutiny this week, after he clumsily collected Jason Johannisen high after attempting to bump the Bulldog running machine in the dying stages of the match.
As the Dogs continued to fatigue, Collingwood's leg speed stood marked as Hoskin-Elliott skilfully jagged his second off the back of a seamless and speedy transition out of defence.
With Josh Daicos' goal after the siren seeing the Pies victorious by 35 points, the black and white army creep into the top-eight and will remain there should either North Melbourne, Hawthorn or Geelong concede defeat this week.
Collingwood will be back on their home turf when they host Fremantle on Sunday afternoon at the MCG, while the Western Bulldogs will have a daunting task when they face Melbourne at Etihad Stadium to kick off Saturday's Sir Doug Nicholls Round proceedings.
COLLINGWOOD 1.1 5.3 9.8 13.12 (90) WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.2 8.3 8.5 8.7 (55)
GOALS Collingwood: Treloar 2, Thomas 2, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Phillips, Stephenson, Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Daicos, Adams, Langdon Western Bulldogs: Dickson 2, Roughead 2, Boyd, Gowers, Schache, Suckling
BEST Collingwood: Treloar, Phillips, Grundy, Pendlebury, Crisp, Scharenberg, Dunn, Greenwood Western Bulldogs: McLean, Hunter, Macrae, Roughead, Dahlhaus
INJURIES Collingwood: Varcoe (hamstring), Cox (knee) Western Bulldogs: Cordy (concussion)
TALKING POINTS
1. MAGPIES MOVE INTO THE EIGHT
With several teams vying for top-eight contention, the Magpies got the early jump in following their victory tonight and look in good stead to be a legitimate contender come the pointy end of the season.
What makes the Magpies so strong is their solid structures in all areas of the ground, which has performed admirably in the face of numerous injuries to key players.
Boasting one of the best midfields of the competition, some of the most dynamic youngsters and arguably the most influential ruckman, Collingwood have the potential to be a threat come finals.
Now sitting in eighth position, the Magpies will be watching Sunday's three games with great interest, with a loss to either Hawthorn, Geelong or North Melbourne cementing their spot in the top-eight for at least a week.
The Magpies will however need to work on rectifying their slow starts which have been a hindrance over the past fortnight, with a sloppy 3.3 term against St Kilda last week and a 1.6 opening half against Geelong the week before marring their otherwise sound game play.
The Pies are warming up.
2. COX CLUMSILY CLEANS UP JJ
It takes time for a 211cm behemoth to either bend down and pick up the ball or slow down, and unfortunately for Mason Cox, there wasn't enough time to do either.
In a somewhat clumsy collision, Cox's hip went straight into the side of Jason Johannisen's head as he went to collect the ball from ground level.
A free kick was immediately paid to the Bulldog, who played out the final three minutes of the game unaffected.
Cox has already been suspended once this season, and his potential absence will leave a sizeable hole in Collingwood's offence should he get a week.
3. DOGS DISAPPOINT AFTER PROMISING START
It's been three weeks since the Bulldogs chalked up a win on the board, but the Bulldogs certainly had the chance to break their losing streak tonight.
On top in the opening term, the Dogs kicked five consecutive goals as they lay waste to their unsuspecting opposition.
With Jack Macrae and Toby McLean dominating the centre of the ground, the game was set for an intriguing second half after the Pies managed to wrestle back some momentum in the second quarter.
Yet the Bulldogs completely dropped away, registering just four behinds for the final two quarters and being outplayed in almost every facet.
The Dogs' second half last week was less than impressive, yet their 1.7 against Adelaide last week in the wet (and 2.14 for the game) was nowhere near the 0.4 scored tonight.
Clearly fatigued and devoid of pressure in the game's final stages, the Bulldogs will need to expend double the amount of energy if they are to give Melbourne a run for their money next week.
4. MAGPIE MIDFIELD ON POINT, BUT NO VARCOE FOR SOME TIME
The Magpies just can't seem to catch a break with hamstring injuries this season, with Travis Varcoe the latest to succumb to such injury.
Varcoe was putting together a sound game (13 disposals, two inside 50s) before injuring his left hamstring midway through the third term.
While the veteran may spend the next month on the sidelines, Magpie fans should be content with the talent their midfield group has to offer.
Adam Treloar was best on ground with a superb 40 possessions and two goals, while Scott Pendlebury (32 disposals) oozed class alongside Tom Phillips (36) and Steele Sidebottom (24).
Treloar and Sidebottom have recorded six games this season with over 30 touches, while Phillips has achieved the same feat five times (four with a goal against his name) and Pendlebury four times.
Throw Taylor Adams, Levi Greenwood and Jordan De Goey to the midfield mix and that's quite a bit of talent to choose from.
5. GRUNDY GREAT AGAIN
But the real wildcard has been Brodie Grundy, whose rucking talents and ability to play as a second midfielder has been invaluable to the Magpies.
Finishing tonight with 26 possessions (21 of which were contested), 38 hit-outs, seven marks and seven clearances, Grundy put together a clinical performance which was pivotal to his side's success.
An excellent tall target for defenders looking to clear the ball and a surprisingly good crumber with bewildering agility, the ruckman's versatility has grown incredibly important to the Magpies in what is just his sixth season.
Out of the 10 games played this season, Grundy has finished seven times above 20 touches, including a whopping 33-disposal game against Adelaide in round four.
Furthermore, the 24-year-old now averages a whopping 37.1 hit-outs per game - a figure which is pale to Max Gawn's 47.7, yet Grundy's ability to rack up possessions certainly makes up for it.
Grundy vs. Gawn on Queen's Birthday is going to be a phenomenal duel.
Comments