Saints coach Ross Lyon was able to laugh about the moment Ben Paton went ice cold on Jack Ginnivan during Collingwood’s thrilling win on Sunday night in Adelaide.
The veteran was upbeat as he faced the press despite his side suffering a painful six-point defeat that went down to the wire.
Three goals in three minutes brought the Adelaide Oval crowd to life as the margin came crashing down with less than a minute to play before Collingwood held on to claim a 10.10 (70) to 9.10 (64) win.
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‘Welcome back Jack!’: Ginnivan returns | 00:40
Lyon has brought a hard-edge to his team since returning to the club last year — and it was on show in the third quarter when Paton blatantly refused to help Ginnivan back to his feet despite the Magpies forward reaching out with his hand.
Ginnivan was left on the turf after tackling Paton before the umpires had called for the ball.
Paton stared him down and left Ginnivan hanging before Collingwood teammates eventually rushed in to help him back to his feet.
Lyon was able to smile with reporters when asked about it in the post-match press conference.
“I hadn’t thought about it. Would you have helped him up?” Lyon said with a grin.
“There’s a time for sportsmanship. I liked what Dimma (Damien Hardwick) said, it’s OK to push and shove, but there’s a time to put your head over the ball.
“I think we’ve all evolved a bit haven’t we. A lot gets said out there. A lot gets said and done. Who knows.”
Magpies ruckman Mason Cox was also seeing the funny side of it.
Ginnivan had the last laugh in his first game back after serving a suspension.
He popped up early in the last quarter to kick a crucial goal as Collingwood got a roll on booting four straight goals to lead by 22-points in the fourth quarter.
Nick Daicos continued his masterful start to his second season as he once again brought his own ball to the game.
The 20-year-old, who is currently the Brownlow Medal favourite, finished the contest with a career-high 42 disposals.
It makes it five straight games with 30 plus disposals for Daicos to start the season, he’s currently averaging an absurd 36 disposals per game.
The win launches Collingwood into third spot on the ladder, joining St Kilda and Essendon at 4-1 with the three teams only separated by percentage.
Collingwood and Essendon will duke it out on Anzac Day in front of what is expected to be a sold out MCG.
For the first time since 2000, both clubs will square off one of the AFL’s biggest days while sitting inside the top four on the ladder.
St Kilda will look to get back on the winners list when they take on Carlton at Marvel Stadium next Sunday.
It means the top four teams on the ladder will all be facing off when round six gets underway next week.
