Cloke equals personal best as Magpies win
Travis Cloke has a day to remember, booting seven goals without a miss as Collingwood defeats Melbourne.
PT1M30S 620 349COLLINGWOOD 7.1 11.3 15.4 17.8 (110) MELBOURNE 3.1 9.1 13.4 13.7 (85)
Goals: Collingwood: T Cloke 7, J Blair 3, J Elliott 3, A Fasolo, D Swan, P Seedsman, T Broomhead. Melbourne: J Howe 3, B Vince 2, J Garlett 2, N Jones 2, A Brayshaw, J Fitzpatrick, J Hogan, J Watts.
BEST: Collingwood: Cloke, Oxley, Pendlebury, Swan, Elliott, Blair, Williams. Melbourne: Jones, Brayshaw, Vince, Viney, Howe.
Umpires: Matt Stevic, Troy Pannell, Chris Kamolins.
Official Crowd: 66,120 at MCG.
It seemed to happen so quickly. Every single time. One minute, Melbourne was finding room to move, kicking into an open forward line, evening up the scores early in the first quarter after Collingwood's quicker start. Then the Magpies started kicking goals. One, then two and then six in a row. Travis Cloke took four marks and kicked four goals. The defenders started plays that the forwards finished with goals. Whichever way a Melbourne player turned, one or two Magpies were there, waiting. By quarter time, Collingwood was four goals up and very much in control.
Nine Entertainment Co is keen on AFL broadcast rights. Photo: Getty Images
Then, it was as if the game was reset. Again, Melbourne began playing like the more urgent side. This time, though, it lasted longer. The Demons cleared out their forward line again, creating even more space than they had in the first term. It worked. Twice, Angus Brayshaw popped the ball into the path of Jeff Garlett, placing his kick perfectly. Once, Garlett ran straight onto it and zoomed into the goal square. The second time he trapped the ball, jumped back up and snapped his second goal.
Brayshaw was desperate, and smart. Jack Viney was tough. Nathan Jones was tough too, and Jimmy Toumpas was able to keep Steele Sidebottom quiet while keeping on the move. The Demons played confidently, with dare and dash. One by one they ticked off the goals between them and the Magpies, hitting the front after Garlett's second goal and getting the lead back after Bernie Vince's quick snap made the most of Max Gawn's ruckwork at a throw in. The Demons had conceded their run accidentally, the ball flying over the boundary line off the inside of Tom McDonald's knee in the back pocket, Tim Broomhead converting the free kick.
The game was back on. But then things changed again. Collingwood's response to Melbourne's momentum included sending Adam Oxley back into defence and the Demons left him there, loose. He was smart enough to get into the right spots and know where the ball was going; he had 10 possessions for the quarter, many of them coming during the second half of it.
Jarryd Blair of the Magpies (left) and Heritier Lumumba of the Demons embrace as Jamie Elliott of the Magpies looks on. Photo: Getty Images
Did his presence spook the Melbourne players? Or was it Collingwood's surge in intensity higher up the ground mean they had less room in which to run and too many other things to worry about ? Either way, their confidence seemed to evaporate very quickly. They stopped attacking, they weren't able to keep kicking as long and they began to look the more reactive, error-prone side. For all their hard work, they went in at half time with two-and-a-half goals still to make up.
They weren't done trying. In fact, the Demons appeared to play with more aggression and adventure when they were behind. For their next trick they kicked four goals in a row at the start of the quarter. Jeremy Howe held onto the ball in good spots and made his kicks count. Hogan was always there if a contest was required. Like they had earlier, they scored quick goals. And like the second quarter, their momentum ended in calamitous fashion, Jack Fitzpatrick throwing the ball between his legs on the goal like as if back at school playing tunnel-ball, and called for the throw.
That said, Collingwood was able to find ways to hold Melbourne up before the Demons could move too far in front. They never lost their head, they never panicked and they kept finding ways to slow the game down, put questions into their opposition's head and create a little more breathing room. They did it all day long.
Cloke couldn't miss, adding two more goals as Collingwood wrested control back late in the third term, and another one in the last. He was generally there when needed. Jarryd Blair, Jamie Elliott and Alex Fasolo all worked hard to create opportunities that they made the most of, Fasolo scoring one of Collingwood's 17 goals, and Blair and Elliott three each. Oxley played his role to perfection, finishing with 30 possessions, taking 14 marks, running for 11 handball receives and playing as part of a backline able to control the ball, share it around until able to put it into places that helped their teammates out.
When Melbourne attacked, they attacked hard and fast. When the Demons looked good they looked very good, and the better side in patches, but when they were slowed up they became unsure, slower and prone to over using the ball and making mistakes with it. Against a more assured and steadier side, the gap between their best and worst was still a little bit too big.
