The challenge has been issued; Collingwood has officially found a worthy adversary in season 2011. On Friday night the Cats beat the Magpies by just three points, handing the pies their first loss since round 22 last year, when the Hawks upset them at the MCG.
This loss could be a blessing in disguise for the Pies as they appeared slow and sluggish early in the game. Now they know they can no longer waltz through the season in cruise control, dismantling teams at will. They have received a wakeup call and in the process found a worthy adversary in Chris Scott’s Cats.
The Pies were beaten in the clearances, and had no answer to the Cats stunning centre breaks. The Cats, however, struggled to put their dominance into scoreboard pressure, registering eight behinds before scoring a goal, ultimately leaving the door ajar for a Collingwood revival.
To the Pies’ credit they fought back and claimed a three-goal lead before the Cats would eventually grind out a hard fought win.
The Pies were missing inspirational skipper Nick Maxwell and the run-and-carry of defender Ben Johnson, but arguably the most important piece missing from the puzzle was ruckman Darren Jolly.
As mentioned previously, the Pies were smashed in the clearances. This was largely due to the sublime form of Brad Ottens. Ottens worked over Cameron Wood and constantly gave his midfielders first use of the football. Considering Ottens is feeding to quality players such as Joel Selwood, Joel Corey, Steve Johnson and Jimmy Bartel, this is a massive advantage.
Given the presence of Jolly this advantage would not be so distinct if any at all. Jolly is by far a superior ruckman and undoubtedly would have been more competitive than Cameron Wood. Jolly also has the advantage of resting forward, and posing a aerial threat with his height.
Geelong may have beaten the Pies, but they are still inferior against a full-strength Collingwood outfit. However, the premiership race is alive and well. No longer a one horse race, but a two team shoot-out…for now.
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