What do you mean by tackles? Soon after arriving in England, Pep Guardiola inquired. He was not interested in playing the rough and tumble of the Premier League. But on Thursday night, Collinswood relied heavily on tackles. In the three weeks before, they had hardly managed a good tackle. They talked about fixing it all week.
They had 32 tackles to Brisbane’s twelve by the beginning of the second quarter at the Gabba, and at the end of the game, the score was 84 to 52. The difference in the grand final rematch was the Pies’ tackling, despite all the ups and downs and changes in momentum. Chris Fagan stated after the game, “We need to get more tackles and we need to get more effective with them.” Brisbane’s propensity for excessive handball,
Sometimes winning the tackle count merely drums home the fact that you were second to too many contests. But not on this occasion. Collingwood’s tackles came with interest, they came from all angles and they led to so many scoring opportunities. None was more important than Jamie Elliott’s bone rattler on Dayne Zorko in the final term, which sealed the win that kickstarted Collingwood’s season.
This was a strange match. Grand final rematches rarely live up to the hype and offer little in the way of revenge. For the losing grand finalist, a win in the rematch can be hollow. For both clubs however, the stakes in Thursday night’s game were greater than usual. This was Brisbane’s marquee home and away game. Their opponent was on the ropes. The Lions had to win it.
They certainly dominated proceedings in the second term. There were shades of last year’s preliminary final. As is so often the case, it was Lachie Neale who ignited them. His clean hands, his hard head, his fast feet and what boxing fans call his “ring geometry” were all standouts. He was the one who got his hands on the football first, who distributed and who got them moving. They absorbed everything the Pies threw at them and then knuckled down to what they do best – crisp ball movement, with bold, line-breaking, angle-changing forward forays. They switched from dinky little 15 metre spot-ups to 60 metre thumpers. They had 21 inside 50s to Collingwood’s two.
But ultimately, it netted just four goals. Their tall forwards spilt everything that came their way. And they left the door ajar for Collingwood. Every time they were challenged, the Pies responded. They had an even spread of contributors. They were far more efficient in attack. And their defence was far better organised and resolute than in previous weeks, particularly during the second term onslaught.
A special mention to John Noble, who was desperately unlucky to miss out on last year’s premiership. Prior to the finals, he’d played 83 games in a row, and every game of the Craig McRae era. When he was told at training he’d be missing out, his fellow defenders huddled around him and consoled him. He’s a head-down, bum-up type footballer and he provided the dash and dare that’s been conspicuously absent at Collingwood so far this year. “It’s been tough for him,” McRae said. “He’s done all the work and he’s come back bigger and stronger.”
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