Sydney Smashed But They Stumble Into September

Sun Herald

Sunday August 24, 2008

By NICK SHERIDAN TELSTRA DOME

COLLINGWOOD 18.10 118

SYDNEY 10.13 73

SYDNEY were humbled by bogy side Collingwood once again last night, but a shock result elsewhere will ensure they play finals this season.

The Magpies dominated from the start at the Telstra Dome and were never seriously challenged in their 45-point win over the slumping Swans, who head towards September a shadow of the side that was firmly entrenched in the top four until a fortnight ago.

Carlton's shock come-from-behind win against Brisbane last night - 18.7 (115) to 16.13 (109) - has ensured the Lions cannot displace the Swans even if they beat them in their final-round clash in Sydney on Saturday night. The Lions need St Kilda to lose to Adelaide today to stay in the race.

On the strength of last night's effort, the Swans will only be making up the numbers in the finals, or as coach Paul Roos put it: "It's unlikely we're going to do much damage over the next few weeks."

Roos must be sick of the sight of Mick Malthouse's men, who have beaten his team the past six times they have met. The Magpies started the rot for the Swans, beating them easily in round 14.

The Swans have won only two of their seven matches since that defeat.

Sydney started the match with their two top ball-winners - Brett Kirk and Adam Goodes - up forward, and it did not take long for them to discover the folly of such a move.

Within 11 minutes, Collingwood had piled on five goals, while the Swans were struggling to even get the ball in their attacking half.

After the Pies' fourth major, through a very promising John Anthony, who nailed a set shot from a tight angle, Kirk was moved to the centre and Goodes pushed up a bit closer to the action. But it was another eight minutes, and another goal the other way, before the Swans managed a score via the good work of Amon Buchanan running off half-back and setting up young Patrick Veszpremi.

But Sydney never looked like challenging, managing only two goals in each of the first three quarters, and having to wait until late in the third before they strung together two in a row for the first time of the night, via Goodes and the theatrically maligned Barry Hall.

While the trained eye would have surmised that without Anthony Rocca, Sean Rusling, Alan Didak and Dale Thomas, Collingwood would be severely challenged for effective options going into attack, newcomers Anthony and John McCarthy were both willing and able to stand up as potent tall options, with two goals a piece in the first half.

Travis Cloke was also extremely dangerous, providing the Swans with so much trouble that he chewed through four opponents - Ted Richards, Leo Barry, Craig Bolton and Lewis Roberts-Thomson - in the first half, putting on three goals in that time and finishing the game with five. The Pies' dominance was such that they ended the game with 12 goal-scorers, double Sydney's.

Hall, whose previous encounter with Collingwood in round 14 resulted in an appointment with the club's psychologist and a stint on the sidelines due to a run-in with Shane Wakelin, looked at one point as though he was about to give a repeat performance. It was midway through the second term when Hall caught Collingwood's Shannon Cox in a high tackle on the wing, but pressed the issue further after the umpire had blown his whistle. The volatile big man looked on the verge of another dramatic "brain snap" when he was dragged to the bench and given a stern word by the unflappable Paul Roos, who was at his now customary post behind the bench.

From the opening burst, it seemed as though the game would become a matter of how big Collingwood could make the victory. In the end, it was plenty: enough to ensure that they, too, had a berth in September.

© 2008 Sun Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home