An injury-depleted Collingwood have ended St Kilda’s unbeaten run in a thriller winning by just six points with the ball in the Saints’ forward line.
It took until the final quarter before Collingwood broke clear through goals to Jack Ginnivan – in his first AFL match since being suspended for the first two rounds – Ash Johnson and Bobby Hill, to defeat St Kilda, who have also been decimated by injury to key players.
But just when the game was petering out the Saints came to life, kicking the final three goals of the game to draw within a goal with 51 seconds remaining. It took a match-saving mark from Brayden Maynard inside 50 to ensure the Magpies won.
Jack Ginnivan celebrates a a goal with teammate Taylor Adams. Credit: Dylan Burns, Getty
Winning was always going to be a battle as events seemed to be conspiring against Collingwood before a ball had been bounced when Jordan De Goey – who nearly joined the Saints at the end of last year – woke up crook and withdrew.
Then key forward Dan McStay, who was earmarked to quell Callum Wilkie, injured a tendon in his finger and was forced from the ground in the first quarter. It was unfortunate for both Collingwood and McStay as he had been relieved of ruck duties with Billy Frampton shifting from defence to the centre bounce as the Magpies tried to cover a glaring weakness.
Darcy Moore tackles Mattaes Phillipou. Credit: James Elsby, Getty
In the first half that weakness was exploited to gain territory, but the Saints weren’t able to convert their clearance work into scores with the Magpies applying pressure throughout.
The game was being played between the 50-metre arcs with St Kilda’s Wilkie and Josh Battle controlling their end of the ground, his brilliant intercept marking a feature of the game, while Collingwood pair Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy made it hard for the young Saints’ forwards.
Collingwood was attempting to crash through the Saints’ defence and crashing while St Kilda were hitting targets as regularly as a drunken archer.
Scott Pendlebury handballs past Sebastian Ross. Credit: Mark Brake, Getty
After half-time, however, the match began to be played in the Magpies’ half of the ground as Collingwood slowed the game down, picking and choosing their options rather than kicking indiscriminately. The only issue was finding an avenue to goal with the Magpies like lost bushwalkers following dead-end tracks when they went inside 50.
Collingwood kept pushing and pushing, but the Saints did not yield and when they finally won a crucial contest in the middle of the ground midway through the third quarter and goaled through Anthony Caminiti to keep the margin within a goal it was clear the game had turned into a tug-of-war with defences holding the rope.
It took the sharp shooting opportunist Ginnivan to break the deadlock at the start of the final quarter, which gave the Magpies a lead of two goals, the biggest lead of the match.
The Saints were brave and hard to play against but after finding a way to win their first four games with an inexperienced forward line, they could not find enough ways to score after half-time to threaten the Magpies.
Collingwood 2.2 4.4 6.10 10.10 (70)
St Kilda 2.2 4.3 6.4 9.10 (64)
GOALS
Collingwood: Hill 3, Mihocek 2, Ginnivan 2, Mitchell, McCreery, Elliott
St Kilda: Caminiti 2, Higgins 2, Crouch 2, Clark, Phillipou, Byrnes
BEST
Collingwood: Moore, Nick Daicos, Josh Daicos, Sidebottom, Maynard, Hill
St Kilda: Wilkie, Crouch, Battle, Sinclair, Owens
