Hawk Dylan Moore’s goal after the siren has ensured Thursday night’s blockbuster with Collingwood ends in a draw.
When Pies skipper Darcy Moore put down the mark in the final seconds, his subsequent tackle slipped high on namesake Moore – and the Hawk’s set shot sailed through for the 15.3 (93) to 13.15 (93) result at the MCG.
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It’s the first ever draw between the two teams in AFL history.
“They had them! They’ll feel like they dropped two points here,” David King said of Collingwood.
“Get out of jail free card for us,” Jack Ginnivan then told Fox Footy.
“We’ll take the two points.”
It was a brave effort from Collingwood who, already without veteran superstar Scott Pendlebury and a host of fellow big names, bravely shrugged off multiple injury concerns.
Without Harry Perryman (hamstring) after half time, Darcy Cameron (knee and ankle), Steele Sidebottom (hand) and Dan Houston (lip) all spent lengthy periods on the bench.
But it was Collingwood’s remarkable efficiency in attack that secured them two points – with 18 scoring shots from just 34 inside 50s.
“F**k. It feels pretty raw mate,” Darcy Moore told Fox Footy’s Cam Mooney.
“It feels like we did so much right to win that game and get the four points – instead we walk away with two. That’s footy sometimes.
“It stings.”
Collingwood were seven points up after Steele Sidebottom cashed in on a 50m penalty against Cam Mackenzie late in the final term.
Mackenzie had come cruising by after a horror advantage call for Jack Ginnivan – but there was no advantage and he coughed up the turnover.
And when Sidebottom was marched inside 50 and goaled, the Pies almost looked home with just four minutes to play.
Collingwood just had to clear their defensive 50 in the dying seconds – but couldn’t do it as Tom Barrass took the big contested mark.
He sent it inside 50, it was put down by Darcy Moore and the rest is history.
THE 3-2-1…
3. EFFICIENT PIES PUT IT TO ‘NAPPING’ HAWKS
Talk about making the most of your opportunities.
To suggest Collingwood’s conversion rate was extraordinary on Thursday night is an understatement, with the Magpies ability to turn forward 50m entries into goals phenomenal.
The Magpies managed to boot five goals from seven forward forays in both the first and third terms and midway through the last quarter had kicked 13 goals from 25 attacking arc entries.
This, according to Fox Footy’s expert pundit David King, was unmatched going back at least 15 years. It had echoes of their output against the Dockers about this time last year in Perth when they managed 15.7 from 34 forward 50m entries.
Collingwood was helped by Hawthorn’s waywardness and inaccuracy, which was stark in contrast to the Magpies’ efficiency.
Most glaring was the disparity in the first term, with the Hawks kicking 1.7 from 15 inside 50m entries in the first term. Convert any of those chances and the win is theirs.
Another big factor in the draw was Collingwood’s ability to stymie the Hawks rebound and transition from defence, which enabled them to kick several goals from ground balls.
Before the match Collingwood coach Craig McRae noted Hawthorn’s strength when it came to intercept marks led by Tom Barrass, Josh Battle, James Sicily and Jack Scrimshaw.
But with Daniel McStay and Jack Buller working extremely hard, the Magpies did their best to deny Hawthorn this strength by bringing the footy to the ground as much as possible.
“This is (good) coaching. Put it to the hot spot. Get it to the ground. Go to work. Take Barrass and Battle out of the game and away we go,” former North Melbourne premiership defender David King said.
The Magpies also opted against bombing the ball into their attack, instead chipping the ball around the wings to open up angles, with the tactic helping them stymie the air supremacy.
“No doubt it is a focus against Hawthorn now and teams are scouting it,” Fox Footy expert analyst Leigh Montagna said.
“You can’t let them take their intercept marks. That is how they get their rebound game and their transition game working.”
The tactic of chipping the ball around to each other had the added bonus of denying the Hawks another of their strengths, namely the pressure they apply in contests.
It was evident early on that Hawthorn, which has the highest pressure rating this year, was
not at their usual intensity as the Magpies played a form of keepings off.
2. WIZARD DAZZLES IN INCREDIBLE FIGHTBACK
Former West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson marvelled at the ethic of Hawthorn spearhead Jack Gunston during the week and the veteran has been superb this year.
But the Magpies were able to deny Gunston the space he has revelled by, according to David King, guarding the “nought to 30m” range in the corridor from the goal line.
Instead it was the sizzling running patterns of Nick Watson which caught the eye at the MCG as he dragged the Hawks back into the contest either side of the half-time break.
And Watson’s ability to shark marking contests drew the highest of praise from Richmond great Jack Riewoldt, who likened his ability to time his arrival to the brilliant Eddie Betts.
The “Wizard” created an important goal for his side with a perfectly timed dash midway through the second quarter, snared another important one after half-time to halt the Magpies momentum and then set the goal up that gave Hawthorn the lead at three-quarter time.
“What is incredible is how fast he is and how good he is when he hits a pack,” Riewoldt said. “I don’t think I have seen a player crumb the ball like this since Eddie Betts, with the amount of times he gets to the right spot at the right pace.”
There was a moment in the forward pocket late in the second term which demonstrated just how difficult it is for opponents to stop Watson, with Fox Footy pundit David King declaring “he is fast becoming the most watchable player in the competition”.
At a boundary throw-in, it took three Magpies to stymie his bid to steal the footy from the pack as Watson weaved in and out of traffic in a frenzied bid to cast a spell.
The ball did not fall his way but, Riewoldt said, Watson’s work off the ball proved effective and ended up securing a goal for his team after Jai Newcombe converted a free kick.
“Movement creates opportunities,” Riewoldt said.
“Every Magpie is on Nick Watson alert (which meant that) Ned Long is left on an island against one of the best stoppage players in the competition in Jai Newcombe.”
His ingenuity came to the fore in the dying stages of the third term on the half-forward flank when, after gathering the footy, he handballed to himself over the top of Billy Frampton before setting up Calsher Dear for a goal gave the Hawks the lead at the final change.
1. INJURY HINDERS PIES CHARGE
The Magpies played with dash and dare, with their exceptional efficiency and bravery allowing them to stretch Hawthorn in a highly competitive, entertaining thriller.
While they will lament being denied an exceptional triumph, making the result even more extraordinary is the fact Collingwood was smashed at the centre clearances.
Adding insult to the injury that comes with falling out of the eight – that will almost certainly happen by the end of the round – is the fact many Magpies finished battered and bruised.
The biggest concern surrounds Copeland Medallist Darcy Cameron, who limped from the ground in the third term after a clash of knees at a ruck contest.
He returned in the last quarter but was clearly hindered, as noted by Fox Footy’s boundary line pundit Cameron Mooney.
“He is in all sorts. He is sore. Very sore,” he said.
Harry Perryman was an earlier casualty, coming from the ground with a hamstring problem in the infancy of the match. But there are concerns with other key personnel.
Nick Daicos enjoyed some brilliant moments, none better than the outstanding goal from outside 50m in the third term, but he looked proppy at stages.
Mooney reported the champion received a lot of treatment to his hops through the quarter.
Steele Sidebottom, too, will be a watch this week after his hand was accidentally stomped on in the first quarter, while Dan Houston required treatment for an injury to his face.
The Hawks also have some concerns, with skipper James Sicily coming from the ground in the last quarter with an ankle issue, though he was able to return with the joint strapped.
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Originally published as Skipper’s major errors cost Pies in thriller as Hawks seal last-gasp draw
