In a game decided by a kick, two players stood out.
Collingwood champion Nick Daicos played one of the game’s finest last quarters in his 100th match. He single-handedly lifted his side over the line in a game decided by just five points.
But Carlton’s Elijah Hollands finished the game with just one disposal – a kick. He rarely went near the ball, and when he did, he looked lost.
He spent most of the final part of the last term on the bench in a game the Blues once again lead at three-quarter-time but lost.
After the clash, Blues coach Michael Voss said Hollands was “pretty shattered” with his game.
“I spoke to him after the game, and he was really disappointed with how he started the game. You know, really upset,” the Blues coach said.
“He sort of feels like he’s let me down. So I had a good chat with him. He was pretty emotional after the game.
“He didn’t play a great game, and he struggled to get his way into it, and feels obviously, clearly, really disappointed with his performance.
“Obviously with the importance of the night, he sort of feels like he’s let people down, but we’ve just got to keep supporting people through those situations.”
Voss was asked if he was worried about Hollands when he was on the bench at the end of the game.
“He was clearly disappointed with himself, and he was disappointed with how he was playing,” Voss said.
“So, you know, [when] it comes to the last quarter, you have obviously got to work out what mix you’ve got with five minutes to go, about what you want on the field.
“He wasn’t having a great night. So, yeah, [there were] constant conversations with him. But you know, obviously, we thought the best mix was not having him out there.”
As the Blues were left to contemplate yet another win that got away, Josh Daicos was breathing a huge sigh of relief. He almost ruined his younger brother’s script.
After Collingwood overcame an 18-point three-quarter-time deficit – as much about their ability to manufacture a comeback as it was about Carlton’s ability to choke – the elder Daicos gave away a last-minute free kick with his side leading by a goal.
Daicos was ruled to have pushed Talor Byrne in the back, handing the 18-year-old Blue in just his fourth game a shot at goal seconds before the siren sounded. If Byrne could kick truly, the game would end in a draw. He missed to the left.
“I feel sick a little bit talking about it right now,” Josh Daicos told this masthead after the game.
“You know, we worked so hard all night to get back in the game, and unfortunately for me, you know, he gave me one [and] I gave him one back. You just can’t do that in today’s game.”
Josh stood the mark as Byrne took the shot.
“It felt like an eternity,” he said. “I was watching him the whole time, [and] kind of watched his ball drop.
“I thought it was no good, but I thought the wind was going to be left to right, so I had a look, and it just stayed left.”
As Josh was overcome with relief, the Carlton players rushed to console a shattered Byrnes.
“It’s not all on the young man’s shoulders,” Voss said of the missed kick.
“He didn’t quite get the job done, but the boys rallied. You win together, you lose together. In that particular moment, it was good to see the players get around him as strong as what they did.
“He was a pretty upset young man, but he needs to know he doesn’t need to own all that.”
At three-quarter-time, Voss didn’t share the Carlton faithful’s feeling of dread.
He said the Blues were up for the challenge. This night was different.
The Blues had found new ways to score, showing they no longer relied on a stoppage game but could kick goals by moving the ball from defence into attack.
Voss didn’t count on two things: Nick Daicos being spoon-fed silver service by ruckman Oscar Steene to dominate centre clearances, and losing key forward Harry McKay to concussion midway through the final term.
Voss had sent Ollie Hollands to Daicos in the last term after assigning Sam Walsh the task for the first three quarters. Daicos was too clever for his new tag.
The new ploy sparked confusion among the Carlton players during the last term.
As they tried to work out who was playing where in the reshuffle to shut down Daicos, they conceded a crucial centre clearance by breaching the six-six-six rule.
At three-quarter-time, Collingwood coach Craig McRae knew the game was still up for grabs. Like the Carlton faithful, he understood the wonky, last-term Blues were vulnerable.
He told his Magpies to take some risks and ramp up the pressure. It was music to Nick Daicos’ ears.
Collingwood kicked six goals for the first three quarters, and came home with seven in the final term.
“I think our pressure was through the roof in the last quarter, particularly the first half of it,” McRae said.
“It was a good version of us. It’d be nice to get that going again.”
The aggressive approach not only sparked a Magpies revival, but also inspired small forward Jamie Elliott, who returned to form with three goals.
By the end, it was left to Josh Daicos to praise his brother at the end of his milestone game.
“To see him grow as a footy player and then an individual off the field has been the most amazing thing about it,” he said. “I love playing with him every week, and it’s something that I never take for granted.”
Collingwood expect to get Jordan De Goey (concussion) and Steele Sidebottom (hip) back for their annual Anzac Day clash with Essendon.
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