Victory Kick-starts Magpies' Campaign
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 17, 2008
Collingwood 16.7 (103)
St Kilda 14.10 (94) COLLINGWOOD got their season back on track with a desperate nine-point win over St Kilda in a cracking start to round eight at Telstra Dome last night. The Magpies matched their opponents' efficiency with the ball through great tackling and hard running, and this time ensured there would be no fade-out as they rounded out a nine-point victory. The result was a morale-booster for the Magpies after their last-start thumping to Hawthorn and gave both sides 4-4 win-loss records, although the Pies (fifth) overtook the Saints (sixth) thanks to a superior percentage. It was Collingwood's first win over a side in the top eight this season and it came through sustained physical intensity, having twice been beaten by sides on the back of final-quarter charges. The Saints twice closed to under two goals in the last term on the back of Robert Harvey's run, but Collingwood held firm. Alan Didak's snap around the corner to start the last quarter gave him three goals, while Dane Swan's pass to the inspirational Scott Burns stalled St Kilda after Harvey had booted a major. Defender Harry O'Brien typified Collingwood's desperation when he chased down Charlie Gardiner and laid enough of a tackle to send the Saint's kick astray. O'Brien was part of a defence that still leaked too many goals through bad errors, but he rebounded well after a mediocre start to the season and also kicked one of the goals of the year. Youngster Dale Thomas was another who answered the challenge put to him by coach Mick Malthouse, capping a brilliant first half with a goal which put his side in front at the main break, while Leon Davis shone in the midfield. St Kilda badly missed injured skipper Nick Riewoldt in the forward line but produced a slick start to eke out a 15-point lead by midway through the second term, before Collingwood lifted their intensity. The Saints dominated the clearances in the first half and were well-served by Luke Ball, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo and Leigh Montagna, but that quartet could not lift the Saints over the line in the last term. Although O'Brien was dispossessed a couple of times in defence in the first half, he created one of the season highlights early in the game when he ran forward and spoiled Stephen Milne from marking, paddled the ball forward and then threaded a goal from a tight angle, while Davis also conjured a miracle snap in the third quarter. Last night's was the first game in which the new interchange rules were used, and both sides were careful to ensure their players did not rush on to the field prematurely - to the point where Collingwood had five players off for some time late in the first half.* State of Origin football - or something closely resembling it - will be considered on a rotational basis possibly every three years after the AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the concept could not be killed off. "I think we've got to consider how it can be best used," Demetriou said. "I'll be interested in getting feedback from all our stakeholders to see what ideas they've got. We certainly wouldn't do it every year, we certainly wouldn't do it every second year. What format it takes, we'll wait and see."
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
