Pies swarm over Richmond
Len Johnson | April 14, 2007
The Age
COLLINGWOOD swamped Richmond in the second half of their match at the MCG last night, recording its second win of the season by 25 points.
Collingwood had gambled by selecting three debutants for the match against its old rival. Fittingly the win was iced by one of them Alan Toovey when he kicked his third goal late in the final term. Brad Dick also contributed two goals from limited game time.
Collingwood reeled in a 22-point deficit to level the scores with a seven goals to four third quarter, and then went on with the job in the first part of the final term.
Paul Medhurst, Anthony Rocca and Rocca again added three more goals before the Tigers scored again. At that stage the Magpies led by 20 points and it had been a 42-point swing since half-time.
Medhurst and Rocca both had three goals to that stage, with the two forwards finally capitalising on mismatches in the Richmond defence.
Rocca had been opposed by Joel Bowden and although the Richmond man did well in the first half, eventually the height and strength imbalance started to take effect. Rocca out-muscled Bowden to mark right on three-quarter-time. He missed everything then, but kicked accurately when he twice out-marked Bowden early in the final term.
Medhurst, who spent time off the ground in the first half after twisting his foot in a marking contest, was picked up by Darren Gaspar. He was too mobile for the Richmond key defender and eventually ended up with four goals himself, three in the final term.
The two teams went to the last change on 76 points apiece after a third term in which Collingwood turned the game on its head.
With Richmond's Troy Simmonds starting the second half on the bench, acting captain Josh Fraser dominated the opening ruck contests for the Magpies.
Dick, Rocca and Dan Swan all added goals as Collingwood slammed on 3.2 to nothing. All but two points of Richmond's half-time edge of 22 had evaporated before the Tigers had a chance to draw breath.
From then on it was goal-for-goal as the game opened up. Each time Richmond added a steadying goal, Collingwood came back at it again.
Scott Pendlebury kicked the Pies' 11th to put them in front for the first time since he had scored the opening goal of the game.
Not to be outdone, Richmond pushed forward again for Jay Schulz to mark and kick his third. Tied up again. Collingwood got a lucky free kick for holding the ball in the middle of the ground and the ball wound up with Rocca in the left forward pocket. His shot, taken after the siren, went right across the face of goal and out of bounds. It was level with a quarter to play.
James Clement was a late withdrawal from Collingwood, his place being taken by Shane Wakelin. Clement was vomiting in the rooms after the on-ground warm-up and was replaced 20 minutes before the start after match officials and Richmond were notified of the late change.
Simmonds, who had not yet played this season after fracturing an ankle during pre-season, took his place. He did not start on the ground but was on after the first goal and played most of the first half.
Richmond would have been disappointed not to have enjoyed a bigger advantage at half-time. Despite having 17 scoring shots mostly from favourable positions the Tigers kicked only seven goals.
Matthew Richardson was one offender, missing three "gettable" shots at goal, though he had converted two from longer range.
The Magpies, whose use of the ball was criticised by coach Mick Malthouse after the 12-point loss to West Coast last week, were little better. The Magpies had a conversion rate of four goals from 10 scoring shots, but it was their general field kicking that was more at fault.
Those four goals did include the mandatory piece of magic from Leon Davis. The mercurial small forward may have been a little lucky to have got away with nudging Gaspar under the ball, but he more than repaid any indulgence with an exquisite right foot shot which he bent through from the forward-pocket boundary line.
The Tigers needed a goal then, and Andrew Krakouer obliged, breaking a run of five consecutive behinds. Richardson added his second to give them a solid advantage at half-time.
Collingwood got the first goal of the game when Pendlebury wheeled onto his left foot and snapped truly after taking the ball at the foot of a marking contest.
COLLINGWOOD 2.3 4.6 11.10 17.13(115)
RICHMOND 5.5 7.10 11.10 13.12 (90)
Goals: Collingwood: Medhurst 4, Rocca 3, Toovey 3, Dick 2, Davis 2, Pendlebury 2, Swan.
Richmond: Schulz 3, Richardson 3, Krakouer 3, Tivendale 2, Pettifer, Johnson.
Best: Collingwood: Licuria, Fraser, O'Bree, Lockyer, Medhurst, Burns, Rocca.
Richmond: Schulz, Foley, Johnson, Krakouer, Richardson.
Injuries: Collingwood: Clement (ill) replaced in selected side by Wakelin.
Umpires: Stevic, Grun, McInerney.
Crowd: 70,569 at the MCG.
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