I dreamed a dream in time gone by When hope was high And life worth living I dreamed that love would never die I dreamed that God would be forgiving Then I was young and unafraid And dreams were made and used and wasted There was no ransom to be paid No song unsung, no wine untasted.
The Sarah Report The Pics The Action The Winners Circle The Magpie Army March The Quest For Premiership Glory.
Our Greatest Finals Win Ever
The Sarah Report. Finals week two Collingwood V Adelaide MCG.
Finals week two, semi-final Adelaide Crows vs. Collingwood Magpies 09
SarahJ
We are the human trampolines. The football gods throw adversity after adversity at us; so we work harder. We rebound the cynicism, slurs and general Carltonness to grow more gallant, bouncing back after each and every set back. We did it, round 20 last year with the Didak/ Shaw fiasco. We’ve done it time and time again in finals. So, we can do it again. We can win without Fraser, Rocca, Beams and Pendlebury, without a two day advantage, with Leigh Brown. What’s more… I saw a dead crow at school yesterday… and that has to count for something, right?
On this warm Melbourne night (as paradoxical as that may seem) the Pies and the Crows will battle it out at the G for a chance to do something no team could ever rationally want to do… play the Geelong Cats in another knock out final.
Despite the warm and, (I assume) dry conditions, Maxwell trips over twice and manages to give away a goal in the first play of the night. This is just a symptom of what was to become a woeful first quarter of the final; after one goal to Thomas, there are five more goals for the quarter - all of which go the Crows way.
On the sunny side, Thomas is proving yet again to be building his character as a player. He has always been known as a daring footballer; yet since his dry spell throughout the year he has put more effort into developing his maturity and courage. It is showing again tonight.
The next quarter isn’t much better. We’ve stopped the ‘haemorrhage’ as Robert Walls put it, and now nobody’s happy - the game isn’t entertaining at all.
There were three goals in the second; two to us, (O’Brien and Wellingham) and one to them (Burton). The Crows have had nearly one hundred more disposals hence the half time score tally of 3. 5 (23) to 7. 7 (49).
The third quarter begins with a somewhat comforting goal to Dane Swan… maybe the loss wont be quite so embarrassing after all. With this thought, I think back to those games I mentioned earlier. Here we are in our much-loved, familiar ‘backs to the wall’ circumstances, and who’s to say we can’t win?
We are moving much better, and we’ve got options now; we’re running, we’ve got back that Collingwood-dare. Dick gets a goal… followed by Ben Johnson with two successive goals and then Josh Fraser…
We’re in front! I quickly begin to feel rather sheepish about having just jumped off the couch.
Another goal to Dick ensures we head out of the premiership quarter with a ten point advantage. This has been a 36 point turn around.
The Crows attempt to wreck the Trampoline, thrusting two axes into its legs… the sudden goals to Thompson and Tippet would be mentally debilitating to most teams. Yet we rebound once more – MacCaffer kicks a goal and a point to make the scores level half way through the final stanza. A goal to Leigh Brown (yes, Leigh Brown) puts us in front… all seems well… it appears as though we’re going to pull through.
Then… out of the distance emerges Kurt Tippet wielding a chainsaw (A metaphorical chainsaw? I sure hope so… although it would be awesome). He kicks the goal – we’re in time on… Crows lead.
In what ends as the greatest Collingwood win since the semi-final against West Coast, Jack Anthony kicks a goal in the dying minutes of the game to put us in front.
Like so many legendary battles – the Trampoline has won out against evil in the end.
Match Report Collingwood V Adelaide 1st Qualifying Final
ANOTHER addition to the catalogue of great AFL finals. Another epic filled with more drama and controversy than you could scarcely believe. And all out of a game that for most of the first half, seemed destined to be a one-sided romp.
There have been bigger comebacks in finals and from later in the piece than Collingwood's epic five-point win over Adelaide last night, but surely few in which the initial tide had seemed to irretrievable.
Given their injury woes and the red-hot form of their opponent, the Magpies were going to need things going right for them last night. And the first sign they might didn't take long, only about two-and-a-half minutes, when a shot from the Crows' Trent Hentschel bounced back on itself on the goal line when the umpire had all but raised the two flags.
Perhaps the Magpie army might have taken heart and hope from that. Hope that seemed to be extinguished just as quickly. What followed was as dominant a quarter of football as we've seen in 2009. Frankly, Adelaide's 6.3 and 29-point lead at quarter-time scarcely did it justice.
The Crow rampage began with plenty of help from the Magpies, mind you, skipper Nick Maxwell conceding the first two goals from free kicks, the first a tackle too high on Crow spearhead Kurt Tippett, and next a hold on Hentschel.
Sandwiched between those infringements was a goal to Collingwood, after a mark and 50-metre penalty to Tarkyn Lockyer. That was about as much of a sniff as the Pies would get.
Chris Knights made it three goals to one and sent Magpie hearts sinking further when he managed to outmark Cameron Wood, the Collingwood ruckman failing to punch from behind.
It was four after Patrick Dangerfield took a handball from Tyson Edwards and snapped truly, then five when he goaled again, a goal that said everything about the way the Crows were playing.
A long ball into the teeth of goal hit the deck, but Tippett fought and scrapped to lock it in the Adelaide scoring zone, eventually dishing off a handball to Scott Thompson, who handballed again to the exciting young Crow. It was reflective, Adelaide consistently harder and certainly sharper with its skills.
And by the time Thompson ran into an open goal after the prolific Bernie Vince popped a handball over the top, it was six goals to one, the margin 28 points, the tide seemingly unstoppable. The quarter-time siren was merciful for Collingwood, but the story told at that point was, for the Pies, excruciating.
Adelaide had all but doubled Collingwood's possession tally, 148-79. It had clearly run harder, 76 handball receives to just 29. Vince had racked up 14 disposals, Simon Goodwin 13 and Edwards and Brad Symes a dozen each.
The Magpie stats sheet was incredibly sparse by comparison. Brad Dick and Wood hadn't touched it at all, Paul Medhurst and Jack Anthony just once each. But the change was coming. First, in the pattern of play. And then, dramatically, on the scoreboard.
The Collingwood heartbeat was stirred by a long bomb from defender Harry O'Brien, which brought the margin back to 24 points. Brett Burton made it five goals again. But Sharrod Wellingham, who unbridled enthusiasm around the ground was starting to make a big difference, ran into an open goal and it was back to 26.
The Magpies had evened the ledger statistically. And when the second half started, were about to more than even it on the scoreboard as well. The Pies picked up Adelaide's spare man in defence. Another unheralded youngster, Steele Sidebottom, moved on to the rampant Vince and immediately quietened him.
And the Pies started to run. Hard. Dane Swan started the rollback operation with a right foot snap two minutes in. Suddenly, the Crows were looking shaky. Even Andrew McLeod started to miss the odd target. And Collingwood kept coming. Brad Dick brought it back to 15 points.
Then a brace of goals from Ben Johnson, thrashed by Vince early on, but now making the stands rock with noise. And, incredibly, when Travis Cloke converted a free kick for holding, Collingwood was in front, a lead it even extended to 11 points after another goal from Dick.
Thus began a final quarter which will be replayed in ''Football Marathons'' for years to come. Adelaide wasn't done with. Thompson, winning the clearances, brought it back to a kick, and Tippett put the Crows back in front again after getting on the end of a brilliant Dangerfield pick-up and handball.
Then, Tippett again, from a free kick conceded by Tyson Goldsack.
Now fourth-gamer Brent Macaffer bobbed up to bounce once through for the Pies. Collingwood behind by a point. And ahead by six after Leigh Brown, who'd barely touched the ball all evening, goaled from 50 metres with under three minutes to play.
The final two, dramatic acts in this game were goals from free kicks. First Tippett put Adelaide up by a point after converting a free for too high conceded by Simon Prestigiacomo. About one minute 15 left.
In the unbearable tension, Collingwood had one last effort left to give. The Pies went forward one last time, where Andy Otten marked cleanly for the Crows. Unfortunately, for them Ben Rutten had in the meantime held John Anthony.
The Pie forward had had just three touches. But there will never be another more important than his fourth. From 45 metres, Anthony put Collingwood into a preliminary final and sent an entire supporter base into ecstasy. And, after one of the more amazing comebacks and wins in recent memory, whatever happens to the Pies now, they'll never be able to take this one away.
MAGGOTS 18 Ray Chamberlain, 8 Brett Rosebury, 30 Shane McInerney.
CROWD 62,184 at The 'G
MAIN MEN Crow Bernie Vince could not be stopped all night, while in the first half teammates Simon Goodwin and Brad Symes ran riot streaming out of defence. Travis Cloke was a vital cog in Collingwood's stunning third-quarter comeback, but the Magpies' most consistent player was one of the club's most unsung: first-year midfielder Steele Sidebottom, who finished with 25 possessions. Brent Macaffer and Sharrod Wellingham were the other young Magpies to impress.
TURNING POINT Just one? There were half a dozen - including three last-quarter goals, each of them seemingly match-winners. First came maligned Magpie Leigh Brown's 50-metre set shot that allowed the Magpies to wrest back the lead into time-on, then Kirk Tippett's magnificent 50-metre shot from the boundary. The Crows were preliminary final-bound until the last 15 seconds. Crow Andy Otten thought he had taken a saving mark, only for umpire Shane McInerney to give a free-kick against his teammate Ben Rutten for holding. Magpie John Anthony had not been sighted all night, but fired through from 45 metres when it mattered most.
THE UPSHOT Collingwood's premiership dream is alive - at least until Saturday night when it returns to the MCG to face Geelong. The Cats will have had the luxury of a week's break, but it's arguable what is better for a team: rest, or the type of team-lifting buzz created by a win like last night's. For the Crows, everyone's second-team for the past month, it is another finals failure - although it could so easily have been them progressing.
The passion for her, The Collingwood Football Club, it lies in all of us, sleeping..unwanted..waiting..unbidden...it will stir.. open it's jaws and howl. It speaks to us..guides us...Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have ? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, The clarity of hatred..and the ecstacy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bare. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow so we'll keep supporting Collingwood without Collingwood passion in our lives, we'd be truly dead.
The Sarah Report:
The most comprehensive match review on the internet. The Sarah Report tells it how it was!
Collingwood vs. St Kilda, finals week one, 2009
SarahJ
I’m inclined to question whether we Collingwood supporters are asking too much of the football gods this weekend. After all, aside from a Collingwood win today, there aren’t too many things better in life than watching both Scum and Essendon get flushed out of finals within 24 hours of one another. In terms of cakes and weekends, Collingwood winning against St Kilda would well and truly be the chocolate sauce and sprinkles on top.
The MCG stands are filling with anticipation as St Kilda awkwardly find themselves heading into a finals series with actual premiership contention. Today they play the Pies who have won twelve of the last fourteen games; the week off is vital for either side in order to become a genuine threat in four weeks time.
For the first time this season, Mick has elected to go with the three big men in L. Brown, Fraser and Rocca – the latter hasn’t played since round seven. It seems a little peculiar to be trying out this new line up (and therefore game plan) at the onset of finals, especially as it usually takes a man of Rocca’s type and age a few weeks to adjust to playing seniors, rather than a younger, more malleable player.
Marking frustratingly easily against Leigh Brown, Justin Koschitzke kicks the first of the night to seemingly get the Saints off to a good start. However, despite St Kilda’s composure the Pies through Jack Anthony and Dale Thomas score one each to result in us being double their score (8-16) by quarter time.
To the relief of the world’s Collingwood supporters, Scott Pendlebury had managed to make it back onto the ground after limping off at the third minute mark of the game. What’s more, Travis Cloke has gathered six marks so far (has only averaged four a game over the last few weeks) accompanied by Anthony Rocca who is asserting his manliness through his bumping, shepherding and tackling.
With our backline standing up and initiating our forward plays, Anthony Rocca marks tremendously against Dawson (déjà vu?) and kicks his first major of the match.
But then, in a chillingly quick space of time, Riewoldt kicks two in succession and Goddard kicks one to put the Saints in front by three points. Just as the Pie’s supporters realise what’s happening, a goal to Medhurst against the flow puts us back in front but initiates a steep rise in intensity for the game. Younguns Thomas and McCarthy with their courage to put their heads over the ball do their part for the Collingwood cause, however we still trudge into half time with a ten point deficit.
Reminiscent of almost all of Fremantle’s season (almost) the second half is a dreadful series of calamities with Saints’ Gwilt, Reiwoldt and Koschitzke kicking the first three. Dale Thomas kicks a goal and is the only shining light for the Pies after coming out brandishing a football in the forward fifty after backing precariously into Zac Dawson.
Anthony Rocca keeps the game alive, kicking a goal on the three quarter time siren to bring the margin down to seventeen.
Even as a Collingwoodite I believe we can get two positives from Carlton this weekend. We can, A. laugh hysterically in fits of schadenfreude – something I have not done since I heard the saying ‘Fremantle Dockers; one dream, one passion, one goal’. But significantly (and something we should be dearly thankful for) we can B. find hope within their hopelessness, – in the realisation that some teams really can be terrible enough to loose from such a position as St Kilda are in now.
Regrettably though, 84,213 people watch on as the rout continues, and whilst I’m in an honest attempt to avoid any more Fremantle remarks let me just say that the last quarter was well, somewhat melancholic. It wasn’t a smashing, but you can’t help but consider all the effort that went into the double-chance prospect, before we let the margin escalate to 28 points as McWalter, Stevey Milne and Reiwoldt kicked the next three goals of the game.
We finish with 7. 10 (52) to 12. 8 (80)
The Magpie Army March to the MCG
The Army Gathers. Jonty's turn to lead the magpie army across the footbridge Maddsion leads the march from the Lexus Centre Check out the size of this army. And you know what ? Out of all the teams in the finals, we're the only ones to do a march like this, It's all about belief and all about chuck whatever you want to at us..We aint goin no-where, infact the more you chuck at us.. The greater the numbers! It's a great life being a Collingwood supporter. Tenesha's turn to don the gold jacket and lead the march. And they flew in from Adelaide as well, Kay and the man who never behaves. Jonty with Tenesha and that bloody good banner. Arriving at the MCG.
You and Me From last week. Meet young Nathan in the gold and in full voice. Well done champ. With Peter Brunt outside the G before the Saints game. With Micael Bull before the Saints game. With Adam Henderson outside the MCG before the Saints match..Thanks mate.
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