Magpies' Finals Hopes Hang By A Thread

The Age

Saturday August 2, 2008

Michael Gleeson

COLLINGWOOD wakes this morning still in the eight but, in all likelihood, it will not end the weekend there. This should not surprise - the Magpies are a long way from contention after last night again being outplayed, this time by Hawthorn.

The Magpies were comprehensively beaten, going down by 54 points in front of 58,317 people at the MCG to record their third straight loss and further suggest that any slide from the eight may not be a momentary thing. While only a fortnight ago, Collingwood still harboured desires for fourth spot, now even eighth appears optimistic.

Theoretically, this should always have been the case - the favourite wins, the lesser side (which has lost its past two matches to lower sides) is easily accounted for. But Collingwood often performs counterintuitively, finding its best game against the best sides to win when not expected to - and to lose when it is. This was not one of those nights.

From the outset, Hawthorn dictated how this game would be played. There was no Collingwood harassment to choke and cough the ball up like a bad oyster. But for a rally in the third quarter, when Collingwood crept up on Hawthorn's early 39-point lead to nudge to within 10 points, the Magpies never really threatened. They were not allowed to. Whenever a rally arose, Sam Mitchell cleared the ball, or ran with it. Lance Franklin finished with the goals, but the work had been done by his captain.

Hawthorn played the game on its terms and if there was a fear it would be flattened by the intensity of last week's game against Geelong, it didn't show.

It was a match that ended as it began. The Hawks had two goals in the first two minutes, the first to Stuart Dew, the next to Jarryd Roughead in a period of play that was not dissimilar to Collingwood's games against Adelaide and Essendon, when the Magpies also failed to touch the ball for the first 10 or 15 minutes.

Hawthorn played through its zone, which is only effective because it has the talent to win a contested ball when one presents and because it has the running to ensure the zone holds. The Hawks also have a forward they can isolate, which therefore affords the luxury of greater numbers up-field.

You say "forward", because although Roughead finished the match with four goals - he didn't seem to do a whole lot, yet still finished with a few and could have scored more - this game was not about him.

The forward to trouble Collingwood was Franklin - as ever. He kicked eight goals six and might have had 15 - as ever.

Collingwood chose the somewhat surprising option of Nick Maxwell for football's worst job. It was an ambitious choice given Maxwell's limitations, but he does not lack for endeavour.

Maxwell was moved away after Franklin kicked his third goal early in the second quarter, by which time Collingwood was already trailing by six goals and confronting a humiliating blowout. But the switch was a brief one, for Harry O'Brien proved less equipped for the task at his height and weight than Maxwell, so Maxwell returned. In fact, he was good in the third term. But the final quarter was a reprise of the first time these sides met this year, when the Hawks won by 65 points, as Franklin peppered the goals, kicking three in six minutes.

Collingwood, in contrast, had no forward line to speak of. Travis Cloke was beaten by Trent Croad, and his own teammates. Where he led, they didn't kick, and if they did, it went high and wide. The ball was put over his head or at his feet but never before his eyes. He was forced to the wing and beyond.

In the absence of anyone to threaten for a goal, Collingwood kept Dale Thomas forward and did not rotate him through the middle, which robbed Peter to pay Paul. Coach Mick Malthouse might have been better served to try a switch with Alan Didak. Heath Shaw, at least, was this week moved further afield - into the centre and forward - having been drawn out of the game in defence in recent weeks.

Collingwood's game again fell apart the moment the ball left the umpire's hands. As has often become the case, Collingwood seldom got first hands on it or cleared it. Hawthorn cleared the ball from the centre 21 times to Collingwood's seven last night. If you allow your opponents that much first possession, you will always struggle.

DETAILS

HAWTHORN

6.3 8.8 12.11 17.14 (116)

COLLINGWOOD

1.2 3.8 6.13 8.14 (62)

GOALS

Hawthorn: Franklin 8, Roughead 4, Williams, Bateman, Sewell, Gilham, Dew.

Collingwood: Pendlebury 2, H Shaw 2, Davis, Didak, Medhurst, Anthony.

BEST

Hawthorn: Mitchell, Franklin, Lewis, Hodge, Croad, Campbell.

Collingwood: Pendlebury, H Shaw, Brown, Burns, Swan.

INJURIES

Hawthorn: Croad (knee).

REPORTS

Nil.

UMPIRES

James, McLaren, Jeffery.

CROWD

58,307 at the MCG.

THE UPSHOT

The Magpies have lost three in a row and could slip out of the top eight by tomorrow night, having reached the halfway mark of the season with seven wins and threatening to finish inside the top four.

TALKING POINT

Hawthorn's stars shone brightly under the big Friday night lights, with Lance Franklin, skipper Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Jarryd Roughead and Chance Bateman leading the charge towards September action.

HOT AND COLD

Franklin started the night leading the Coleman medal with 77 goals and went to bed with 85. He had an amazing 14 scoring shots for his eight goals, while up the other end, Collingwood forward Travis Cloke failed to register a score.

© 2008 The Age

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