The Pies have claimed an impressive win over the Demons.
Collingwood has defeated Melbourne by 37-points at the MCG.
The Demons couldn’t produce a sustained response, despite the Magpies missing six premiership players – Jordan De Goey, Scott Pendlebury, Tom Mitchell, Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox – falling by 38 points at the MCG.
The Demons lost star Christian Petracca at half-time after he was kneed in the ribs late in the first quarter and was significantly hampered in the second quarter before being replaced.
Collingwood star Nick Daicos also didn’t finish the contest after being substituted out of the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, after being clamped by Alex Neal-Bullen, who restricted the Brownlow Medal contender to a season-low 15 touches in a tagging masterclass.
Josh Daicos and Jack Crisp stepped up in the middle to lead the way, Nathan Kreuger and Harvey Harrison kicked three goals each, while Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard and John Noble were brilliant behind the ball.
The Magpies led from the moment Will Hoskin-Elliott kicked the first just 50 seconds into the game and never relinquished the advantage, swatting away every challenge in the second half.
Melbourne wasted its first four chances, hitting the post twice before Daniel Turner pulled a gettable shot across the face and out on the full. Then Kysaiah Pickett appeared to have finally got some reward but it was overturned a minute later in the ARC. Kreuger made Melbourne pay for its inaccuracy when Bobby Hill centred a ball from the boundary to bank a third goal against the flow and hold the Demons goalless.
By the time Petracca went down, Jacob van Rooyen had finally put the Demons on the board after taking a big mark at the Ponsford End before slotting the goal from 45m. He added a second minutes later after taking a contested grab over Darcy Moore to give the Demons a kickstart.
Neal-Bullen followed Nick Daicos around like a caravan, with a moment halfway through the second quarter summing up the match-up when the Demon went stride for stride all the way from the centre circle to the goalsquare to prevent a goal.
After the Pies defended a barrage of Melbourne entries, Harrison kicked an important goal against momentum. Kreuger threaded the needle from the pocket for his second, before Hoskin-Elliott kicked a goal after the siren to extend the Magpies’ lead to 27 points at half-time.
Forward van Rooyen made the most of his next chance a minute into the second half, again getting off Moore to kick his third. But it didn’t last. Billy Frampton responded almost immediately, before Darcy Cameron nailed a set shot from outside the boundary to almost put the game beyond reach at that point.
Luckless tall back in business
Nathan Kreuger has endured a nightmare injury run since moving from Geelong to Collingwood, managing only seven appearances across two seasons at the club and most recently suffering a serious hamstring strain in the pre-season. The 25-year-old hadn’t played for Craig McRae’s side since round seven last year, but after three games in the VFL, Kreuger made a strong return on Monday, kicking two goals from five marks to make the most of a rare opportunity at AFL level.
COLLINGWOOD 3.1 7.3 11.3 14.5 (89)
MELBOURNE 0.4 2.6 4.11 6.15 (51)
GOALS
Collingwood: Kreuger 3, Harrison 3, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Schultz, Macrae, Lipinski, Frampton, N.Daicos, Cameron
Melbourne: van Rooyen 3, Pickett 2, Fritsch
INJURIES
Collingwood: N.Daicos (leg)
Melbourne: Petracca (ribs)
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Jack Bytel (replaced Nick Daicos in the fourth quarter)
Melbourne: Jack Billings (replaced Christian Petracca in the third quarter)
Crowd: 84,659 at the MCG