Magpies shame shaky Tigers ROHAN CONNOLLY
July 25, 2010 THE last time Collingwood played Richmond, almost a year ago, the Tigers suffered one of their greatest humiliations of recent times, thrashed by 93 points, and by the end, resorting to cheap shots and false bravado that did them little credit.
Things are looking a lot healthier at Punt Road these days: the Tigers have a clear vision for the future and a host of exciting young kids beginning to make their mark. But for all intents and purposes, yesterday's clash was very reminiscent of that hiding late last season, thankfully for Richmond at least without the pseudo tough-guy stuff.
Richmond was always going to have a downer at some point from the highs it had scaled over five or six weeks, and last week's reversal at the hands of North Melbourne was certainly that. But it didn't take long at all yesterday to work out that the mojo wasn't going to return in the space of the next four quarters, either.
Chances were coming thick and fast for Collingwood only seconds after the start. Leigh Brown managed to hit the post from 15 metres out only a minute in, but the Pies didn't have to wait too long to put something more serious on the scoreboard, Brent Macaffer booting the first from a mark only 20 metres out.
By then, the statistics were alarming, even if the scoreboard still wasn't, Collingwood having touched the ball 35 times to the Tigers' pitiful 15 after nearly seven minutes of play. To underline the point about how switched off Richmond was, consider the evidence of the Magpies' second goal, a coast-to-coast affair from a kick-in.
Tyson Goldsack roosted a massive torpedo punt from the defensive goal square that landed near the centre circle. With the numbers in their favour, the Pies dished the ball out to Tarkyn Lockyer, who popped it over to Brown, who strolled into the open goal. The height of simplicity, unencumbered by any sort of defensive pressure, it was a goal from end to end in just 12 seconds.
Two minutes later, Macaffer had his second and a couple of minutes after that Dane Swan made it four-zip, the grateful recipient of a couple more Richmond clangers. By now, the Pies had racked up nine inside 50s to just three, were ahead 18-8 in contested possession, while Richmond's kicking efficiency was running at a tick over 30 per cent. In short, they couldn't hit the side of a barn.
Collingwood was clinical, serial chains of handballs through midfield ripping Richmond to shreds; the fifth goal to Chris Dawes a classic example.
It took a free kick to Andrew Collins to hand the Tiges their first, and another paid down field gave Jack Riewoldt, who was having to cope with the clutches of Simon Prestigiacomo, their second.
That the brace of Richmond goals might spark a revival was a lot more hope than expectation. And the reality didn't take too long to present itself once more, Leon Davis strolling into an open goal shortly before quarter-time, the Pies then booting the first five of the second quarter. Macaffer kicked his third, Davis his second, Darren Jolly, Alan Didak and Scott Pendlebury jumped on the goalkicking bandwagon, and by then it had blown out to 53 points, all the usual suspects inflicting the damage, most significantly, Swan.
Seriously, does the guy ever play a bad game? Yesterday, he managed to make Shane Tuck look silly at times, amassing 21 disposals by half-time, the sort of returns many midfielders wouldn't turn their nose up at for four quarters, and finished with 37.
Didak was all class around midfield and sneaking forward, Macaffer continued to make the most of his selection reprieve last week, aided by Daniel Connors - an opponent who refused to go within viewing, let alone touching, distance, of Macaffer. Pendlebury did as Pendlebury does, and Luke Ball just looks better and better with each passing week in black and white.
What rare forays Richmond did make into its attacking zone were more than matched by Collingwood's watertight yet creative defence, Ben Reid tremendous again, and Goldsack helping set the tone with those big barrels from the defensive goal square. Kudos, too, to Ben Johnson, who had 26 touches, three score assists and pumped the ball inside 50 six times.
Brown, meanwhile, continues to bounce around the forward line or on the ball, breathing extra spark into the Magpie mix with his enthusiasm and team ethos. Three goals, 10 hitouts, 19 disposals and 10 marks were no less a reward than his afternoon deserved. He's another Collingwood acquisition to have been questioned at times, yet looks more and more like a bargain.
Richmond could take little, if anything positive out of yesterday, the second half essentially a waste of everybody's time, yielding another eight goals to Collingwood against the Tigers' two.
Ben Cousins gave those tossing up the matter of his future next year more food for thought with a gut-busting running effort. It seems these days that the Brownlow-winning veteran stands out most when his side is really up against it, which should at least prove the level of his commitment to the cause.
Shane Edwards managed to at least restore the imbalance of possession out of the middle early on when thrown into the centre-square mix, and Jeromey Webberley, Alex Rance and David Astbury had a crack.
The rest would be best forgotten, as, for Richmond, is the result. There's no doubt the Tigers are a long away ahead of where they were this time a year ago, but there will still be times in their rebuild, like yesterday, that you need to look a long, long way past the scoreboard to convince yourself of that.
PLAYER WATCH
TYSON GOLDSACK (Collingwood)He hasn't always been a favourite of the Collingwood fans, but they're warming to Goldsack these days, and performances like yesterday's help. Goldsack was strong in the air, creative on the rebound, and let loose with a couple of vintage torpedo punts from kick-ins which would have endeared him even more to the traditionalists.
BEN COUSINS (Richmond)There are doubts about whether the Tiges are going to persist with the veteran Brownlow medallist in 2011, but efforts in adversity like yesterday's help strengthen his case. Cousins was one of the few Richmond players prepared to work and run hard enough to keep pace with the Pies, and kept his head high even as his side was being flogged.
WHERE THE MATCH WAS WONCollingwood had the greater appetite for the hard stuff, but also used the ball much, much smarter than its beleaguered opponent. The Pies were able to pick their way through some very loose checking to kick easy goal after easy goal.
WHERE THE MATCH WAS LOSTRichmond needed to start well if it was to have any chance of upsetting the ladder leader. It didn't. The Tigers were unwilling to work hard enough, routinely left their opponents unchecked, and were already effectively out of the game before it had even started about correcting the initial wrongs.
BEST Collingwood: Swan, Didak, Johnson, L Brown, Goldsack, Reid, Ball, Pendlebury.
Richmond: Cousins, Edwards, Webberley, Rance, Astbury.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/magpies-shame-shaky-tigers-20100724-10psi.html
