A week ago, I tipped Collingwood, off the back of a 17th-placed finish in 2021, to make the eight.
After watching a new-look Magpies outfit freewheel their way to a 17-point victory over a gallant St Kilda to start Craig McRae’s tenure in the best possible way, I no longer feel like a raving lunatic.
Gone was the slow, dour Pies game plan that saw Nathan Buckley’s tenure finally end midway through last year. Dynamic off half-back, ferocious in close and dominant out of the centre, the Pies steamrolled the Saints with a game-breaking start to the third quarter, three goals in six minutes extending the lead to 34 points.
Their methods proved unsustainable for a full four quarters – in a growing trend to start the round, the Saints got a run on late in the third term that briefly saw them hit the lead in the last – but there was no question as to who the superior side was.
Durely spurred back into gear, the Pies’ tackling pressure returned to its frenetic best, winning several holding the balls and inspiring more turnovers to kick five of the final seven goals.
“Pleasure to watch the Collingwood of 2022 go about it. It’s brilliant,” commentator James Brayshaw enthused after the game.
With youngster Oliver Henry’s final goal, the Magpies passed the 100-point mark that they only managed once in 2021 – the strongest sign of all of the way McRae wants his charges to play.
According to captain Scott Pendlebury, it’s all about diving headlong into the chaos at Collingwood this year.
“He’s [McRae] been embracing the imperfections of the game,” Pendlebury said after the match.
“We want a chaos game, it’s a bit of a new brand for us but we’re embracing it.
“We got so much growth to go, but he’s been so positive with us. Even at three quarter time, it was all about taking the game on and going after the Saints.
“To kick over 100 points – we wanted to score, and I certainly feel like we created some chances.
“Our first 10 minutes of the third quarter was electrifying, and the next 15 minutes the power got turned out, but we managed to fight back on and turn it around in the last quarter.”
Just as Carlton’s Thursday night win over Richmond inspired an outpouring of emotion from long-suffering Blues fans after the game, so did the Magpies barrackers a-shout (as all barrackers should) following the final siren.
The famous ‘Collingwood’ chant echoed around Marvel Stadium as the players made their way from the field – not for the first time on the night, you could have been forgiven for forgetting it was a St Kilda home game.
“We got the Blues last night, the Carlton supporters were as vociferous as anyone, and now we’ve got the Collingwood chant going. Footy’s back!” Garry Lyon laughed on Fox Footy.
For Lyon, the Pies’ win should have a similar impact on their legion of fans as the Blues’ – an influx of belief.
“From a supporter’s point of view, a Collingwood point of view, you come along to the game, you hear a lot of talk about change and how it’s a fresh start and all those things, and then you hold your breath and hope it happens,” he said.
“You walk away tonight having seen some difference.”
Former coach Nathan Buckley couldn’t have been prouder of his old team’s effort, comparing it favourably to the style that powered Richmond to three premierships in the last half-decade, with the pressure gauge reaching heights reminiscent of the Tigers at their suffocating best.
“‘Pendles’ spoke about embracing a chaos game, and we’ve known that of Richmond over the years,” Buckley said.
“That’s probably what ‘Fly’ [McRae] has brought to the table. Definitely going forward off contests more, and St Kilda were playing offside a lot. They won more of the ball, which gave them a chance to go and score.
“Overarchingly, Collingwood in the second half, their pressure was over 200, and that’s an extreme level.
“When a St Kilda player had the ball, the heat on them was huge. When Collingwood needed to lift, they did, and it was based on ball-winning and pressure.”
Nick Daicos handballs whilst being tackled by Dean Kent. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Just as critical as the pressure meter was the Pies’ explosiveness out of the centre, repeatedly catching the Saints’ defence off guard and unprepared.
Winning the centre clearances 18 to 9, the Pies would score 5.2 (32) to 1.2 (8) from them – the telling factor in a match that ebbed and flowed throughout.
“That’s a staggering number, and the difference is almost the margin,” Lyon said.
“6-6-6 has had a massive impact on that,” Buckley added.
“Since that’s come in, you can’t put the extra defender behind, you know you’ve got even numbers, so if you can get a clear possession out of the centre clearance, you’re going to give your forwards a chance to win one on ones.
“For the majority of the night, when it was an even-numbered contest, the Collingwood forwards had the better of the St Kilda defenders.”
The stars of the show were a mix of old and new – Jordan De Goey excelled in the mid-forward role that has provided so much promise but delivered in fits and starts thus far in his career, while veteran Jeremy Howe superbly marshalled a defence that looked undersized on paper, but was able to hold the Saints array of talls in check.
Max King’s kicking admittedly helped in the latter regard, booting 1.3 and once again missing a number of gettable chances, but Howe’s composure, elite foot skills and elite high marking – he pouched another pair of hangers under the roof – were critical in a match where few others could be trusted to find targets.
“The importance of him to this side can never be understated, and he slotted back in beautifully tonight. It’s not only his aerial stuff, it’s his ball use, his positioning, and obviously his leadership,” Lyon said.
There was a twinge of lament in Buckley’s voice as he admitted Howe, whose last two years were ravaged by injury, was finally back at full fitness – how he’d have loved to have him when the going got rough in 2021.
“He’s only played the 12 games in the past two years due to injury – this is one of the first games in those years that he actually looked top of the ground,” the former coach said.
“Even in those 12 games he’s played he was labouring. To see him jump at the ball like this, to see him kicking and moving freely… it’s a great sign for Collingwood moving forward.”
As for the new, recruit Patrick Lipinski shone with 30 disposals and a goal, and no player on the ground was better in the opening term. Unable to crack the Bulldogs’ ultra-deep midfield, and coming off an ankle injury that limited his pre-season, only Taylor Adams won more contested possessions than Lipinski’s 13, while his run and carry was likewise exceptional.
“He looks a ready-made player,” Buckley said.
“Won his own ball, was damaging in the use of it and stuck tackles and good pressure when he needed to.”
For St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt, Lipinski’s move to the AIA centre deserves high praise for the Magpies’ recruiters.
“It’s great recruiting. Look at who might be, not necessarily disgruntled, but starved of opportunity, and then go out and pick the eyes out of it. That’s exactly what Collingwood have done here with Lipinski,” Riewoldt said.
Not to be outdone was debutant Nick Daicos, perhaps the Magpies’ most-hyped first-gamer in a decade. Despite a wayward first kick that saw him sent a clearing kick straight to Mason Wood for the first goal of the night, the young star found composure as the night went on, finished with 27 disposals.
To put that in perspective, his famous father managed 26 in his own debut, 42 years ago. A handy start indeed.
But for Riewoldt, Daicos was only one of a series of Pies young stars that swung the game in their favour.
“When you think about Collingwood coming into this season, I think the reason they were pretty hard to get a read on was because you looked at their elite talent, and they were really top-heavy with some absolute stars – Pendlebury and Taylor Adams and De Goey and all these boys,” Riewoldt said.
“I thought tonight, we saw a lot from the younger players. The Daicos boys clearly played really well, Ginnivan, McCreery, Henry had really good moments. You saw a bit of a glimpse into the future from this group.”
For the Saints, despite defeat, a star was unearthed in pre-season supplementary pick Jack Hayes.
After years of dominance in the SANFL, including best-afield honours in last year’s grand final, the versatile big man was the catalyst for the Saints’ barnstorming finish to the third term, finishing with 18 disposals, three goals and a game-high 10 marks.