Melbourne 4.3 6.6 12.9 15.14 (104) Collingwood 3.2 10.5 12.8 15.10 (100)
GOALS: Melbourne: C Petracca 3 J Watts 3 J Garlett 2 T Bugg 2 C Pedersen J Harmes J Melksham M Hannan T McDonald. Collingwood: A Fasolo 2 D Moore 2 J de Goey 2 L Greenwood 2 S Sidebottom 2 T Phillips 2 A Treloar B Crocker J Aish.
BEST: Collingwood: Sidebottom, Grundy, Howe, Treloar, Maynard, Pendlebury, Broomhead. Melbourne: Petracca, Oliver, Jones, Hibberd, Watts, Garlett, Tyson, Viney
Melbourne are in the eight, Collingwood are not. At six different times during the match, that sentence would have been reversed. At the point in the second term when Collingwood led by 28 points, it certainly appeared likely to be a different arrangement.
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Melbourne thwart Collingwood in thriller
The Demons defeated Collingwood in an exciting finish to move into the top eight.
There was nothing between these teams in ladder position before the game, there was four points separating them on th scoreboard after the siren. There is now also four premiership points separating them on the ladder.
Alex Fasolo goaled after the siren to keep the margin to that four points but the most critical goal was kicked moments earlier when Jack Watts, the emblem of Queen's Birthday misadventure of years past, was the man to seal the game and it came in a manner reflective of the game - a fast rebound from defensive fifty.
It occurred after the most critical play of the day. Collingwood had a last serious final surge forward as they trailed by five points with less than two minutes left. A long kicked found Jordan De Goey on the lead but he was unable to hold the chest mark, a fist snaking in to spoil. If De Goey takes the mark and kicks the goal Collingwood is in front. The mark was spoiled then whisked down the wing for Watts to run in and complete the moment.
It was a moment that appeared unlikely in the first half when Collingwood rollicked ahead yet by stealth Melbourne reigned them back in. At first by capitalising on silly turnovers- twice early Christian Petracca sweated a bad decision and skill into a goal. He kept his side in it.
Tactically early on it was a coaching double bluff with players setting up off the back of the square at the centre bounce.
Collingwood always favours putting one of the forwards to the defensive side of the square while Melbourne liked putting two back so there was a heavy imbalance of defenders to forwards in Collingwood's forward line and both teams trying to exploit the straight line run of a player through the square to the contest.
Collingwood was happy for Steele Sidebottom to be left alone to be loose and while he made a mistake early for a goal he was plainly the most dominant player on the ground. Melbourne had Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones or Dom Tyson running from the back of the square. The plot worked better for Collingwood – they had double the centre clearances.
With Jamie Elliott out, Alex Fasolo back from a week out with depression and a debutant in Callum Brown the Magpies attack looked thin and reliant on a spread of contributors.
Levi Greenwood offered two goals in the first term then a strange thing happened for a Collingwood game this year – they had a seven goal quarter and at half time had kicked twice as many goals as behinds. Unheard of.
Fasolo had a hand in three of those second term goals: a centring kick, a tap on and a run around to boot one of his own, a moment that drew every teammate to him.
To half time Melbourne had kicked six goals; four of them from Collingwood skill errors or bad decisions for turnovers and two from free kicks. They were creating few deliberate meaningful forward attacks of their own a process made even more difficult for the fact they kept players behind the ball and relied on hard running counter attacks.
Melbourne was under siege and finding it difficult not only to get the centre break but find ways out of defence through Collingwood's pressure or over Jeremy Howe's head. They tried sitting the ball on Tom McDonald's head but rediscovered that this was precisely where their former teammate enjoys it most.
Collingwood led by 28 points until turnovers that Petracca cleverly turned into goals kept Melbourne in touch.
Goodwin changed the balance of numbers around the ball after half time with only one loose and Melbourne began to earn more of the ball.
Jack Watts was able to shake loose for a couple of shots at goal and they tightened up on Sidebottom whose influence after the main break was dulled.
Clayton Oliver was superb in the middle in he second half and initiated the change that was the difference in the game. Where Melbourne had been down 3-6 for centre clearances at half time they were suddenly leading 10-8.
Jones was creative behind the ball and Melbourne was running harder in numbers in waves. It was a game of both teams trying to score on the fast counterattack. And in that game Melbourne's small forwards Tom Bugg and Jeff Garlett caused more mayhem.
While several critical decisions favoured melbourne it was Collingwood's turnovers that were the most important difference. And that was the difference of four points. On the scoreboard. On the ladder.
Votes:
Christian Petracca (Mel) 8
Clayton Oliver (Mel) 8
Steele Sidebottom (Coll) 7
Brodie Grundy (Coll) 7
Nathan Jones (Mel) 7