Collingwood have pulled off another miracle win with their 15th victory from 17 games where the match has been decided by less than 14 points.
Remarkably, the Magpies need just 124 seconds to steal victory from Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon.
“You never kill off the ‘Pies – no matter the score,” Fox Footy’s David King said.
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“They should never have been in that game. It’s remarkable.
“They just found a way.”
The First Crack panel breaks down the final plays that mattered.
Crows Press Conference | 08:20
HOW THEY WON IT
Adelaide lead 58-57 – 2.04 on the clock
At the boundary throw in inside Collingwood’s attack end, Jordan Dawson is the spare man for Adelaide and Steele Sidebottom the spare for the Pies.
Dawson camped in front of the square, while Sidebottom set himself up near the congestion.
The spare Pie was able to get a quick kick forward that bounced over Dawson’s head and into Ash Johnson’s hands.
Johnson then knocked the ball through for a behind, instead of trying to bring the ball back to where Dawson was.
“This is incredibly intelligent from a young player to say, ‘OK, we need a point’. If he tries to keep that in, Dawson will swoop,” King praised.
“The discussion with Jamie Elliott (who gestured asking why Johnson knocked it through), he goes ‘hey, hey’ hey, we’ve got this covered’. It’s all square.”
Scores level 58-58 – 1.31 on the clock
Adelaide get the ball forward after a bullet pass from Izak Rankine.
But Magpie Will Hoskin-Elliott breaks up the passage of play at half back, and Tom Mitchell ensures the ball goes over the boundary for a stoppage.
“This effort by Hoskin-Elliott to get back and not give away a free kick for front-on contact and get the spoil in, coming from half forward where he was – incredible,” Fox Footy’s Leigh Montagna said.
“And look at the numbers … swarming back, looking to outnumber,” King added.
Scores level 58-58 – 1.24 on the clock
From the boundary throw in, Collingwood win the ball and go forward.
Jamie Elliott and Jack Crisp ensures the ball gets out and the kick forward finds Steele Sidebottom inside 50.
“Look at them! The outnumber (at the contest). Four v three,” Montagna praised.
“(They say) ‘we’re an outnumber team who take risks by rolling up. You either beat us playing our game or we beat you playing our game’,” King said.
“The fourth person is Crisp – that’s significant.”
“He (Crisp) was the one to spread from that stoppage,” Montagna said.
King said it was the “gut running” from the Magpies that ensured Sidebottom had the shot on goal.
“It’s awesome play … they’ve trained this every session throughout pre-season,” King said.
Sidebottom pushes the shot as Collingwood lead 59-58.
Statistics show teams are able to go from kick in to goal just 11% of the time this season.
Collingwood lead 59-58 – 0.21 on the clock
Crows skipper Jordan Dawson forgoes the kick down the middle and heads out to the wing.
Josh Rachele wins the footy, but coughs it up under pressure to Darcy Moore – despite having Lachlan Murphy over the top by hand.
“If you go back to Anzac Day last year … (Collingwood) didn’t go down the middle because every one thinks it’s going down the middle,” Montagna explained.
“I think Jordan Dawson has done the right thing here – he’s seen the player and it gets to him.
“But look at Collingwood still swarm – they outnumber.”
A long camera angle showed five Collingwood players in the middle of the ground waiting for the long kick in.
King said he had no doubt young Rachele would learn from the experience after his final play option.
“If he hits that handball (Rachele to Murphy) … you can see what’s going to happen – it’s going to be a pure entry and you’ll get an opportunity to hit those guys (streaming downfield) inside 50,” King said.
“Adelaide maybe leaving an opportunity on the deck.”
Montagna said he believed “Adelaide probably get the last shot at goal” had Murphy had the chance to send the footy inside 50.
“They haven’t been in that situation and didn’t quite have the same composure that Collingwood had and that’s why the Pies got it done again.”
