Stats that mattered – Inside 50s
On a cold and wet night, Collingwood made the most of their time with the ball and provided forward line pressure throughout the night. This was reflected in a lopsided inside 50 count of 65 to 37, and despite adverse weather conditions, the Magpies were able to take 13 marks inside 50 compared to Freo’s six.
While Freo posed a threat during the third and start of the fourth quarter, the difference in time spent in the forward half was too much to overcome on a low scoring night.
Pies’ talls a big challenge
Collingwood’s big men proved to be a challenge on Friday night, both in the ruck and around the ground. Ruckman Brodie Grundy finished with 18 disposals as the Pies’ won the hit out count 44 to 35. This gave them first use to the ball as reflected by their 36 to 30 advantage in the clearances.
American recruit Mason Cox was a handful in the forward line as well, with a number of deft touches and a strong marking presence close to goal, finishing with 10 touches and two goals.
Match report: Freo fall to Magpies
Defence under pressure
Despite solid performances from Freo’s key defenders such as Sam Collins, Zac Dawson and Cam Sutcliffe, their effectiveness waned at times due to the sheer number of Collingwood’s forward entries. The Magpies finished with 65 inside 50s compared to Freo’s 37 and their constant forward line pressure prevented clean rebounding opportunities out of defence.
Sam Collins steady down back
Freo’s Sam Collins was playing in only his fifth game of AFL football and the defender wasn’t overawed by the big stage of Friday night football at the MCG. He performed admirably on Collingwood key forward Travis Cloke. Collins acquitted himself well in one-on-one contests against Cloke and found the ball as well, finishing with 18 disposals.
Pies’ second tier steps up
Collingwood didn’t rely as much on their prolific ball winners against Fremantle on Friday night, with Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom having 26 and 25 touches respectively. The Magpies halfbacks were busy as Marley Williams, Ben Reid and Jeremy Howe had more than 18 disposals each, and tall targets Mason Cox and Jesse White made the most of their limited touches with two goals each.
