Substitute Lachie Sullivan soon had a goal, with his first AFL kick. He caught a handball while running at full speed and broke through his body, instantly looking like a player from the Collingwood McRae era. Crew cut helps; makes him look like a Collingwood player from any era. McRae said her goal became an inspiration.
Carlton had more possessions, too much said Voss, who thought his team overplayed. Collingwood made more tackles, the margin eventually extended to 31, and their play grew from there as Carlton suffocated. “31 innings – hard to play against, isn't it?” McRae said.
Surprisingly, they squared up the Blues for clearances and contested possession, the Blues' recent strength. Curnow and McKay became as the Whitlam government, denied them supply. Driving the ball forward like a sheepdog drives a flock, Collingwood kicked five straight and led by two. Only one was from a package brand, Mason Cox's.
Carlton's challenge was and is to make the most of its riches, a powerful midfield and two titans in the forward line. As the last month has shown, they still haven't handled it reliably. They don't really have a plan B.
But the Magpies have their own Achilles heel, and it showed in the third quarter. It's just that without a Curnow or McKay of your own, scoring is laborious and laborious at times. Jamie Elliott would kick just one goal tonight, Brodie Mihocek none. His 12 goals were scored by 11 different players; McRae chose to count this as a strength. “They're Collingwood goals, and we don't really care who kicks them,” he said.
But he would have cared when no one else did. The Magpies led the game overall, but from six shots on goal in the third quarter they kicked four behind. From five overs, Carlton bowled 3.2, two to opportunist Matthew Owies, then a Carlton classic, Curnow edged Moore and hit long-on to McKay, who edged past Billy Frampton. At three-quarter time, they led, and everything was possible again.
Patrick Cripps is chased by Scott Pendlebury.Credit: Getty Images
So Collingwood did what the Magpies do, they doubled down. You could say they won in the only way they know how; making such a physical presence wherever the ball goes that opponents eventually, and mostly, wilt. The way the ball sat for Daicos in that crucial last stop, it's almost as if the ball itself surrendered to the Collingwood fan.
In the final quarter, they won the inside 50 count 21-8, but the Blues kicked two on the counterattack and another from a mark by Tom de Koning, and so it still came down to the last blow , to a Daicos special. It's a tough way to play football, but it works for the Magpies and draws the crowds.
