Collingwood has gone by by 52 points in its Round 11 clash with the Casey Demons on Sunday afternoon.
Casey started well with the opening two goals of the game, with Collingwood unable to find the big sticks until the 23-minute mark of the first term when Co-Captain Campbell Lane kicked truly.
A brilliant snap from Ryan Sparkes got things going in the second term, however Casey responded with the next three goals of the quarter.
A 31-point deficit greeted the Pies at the main break, and Casey would extend their lead through a four-goal to two third term.
The game opened up in the final quarter with both teams finding the bog sticks frequently, as the final margin ended in almost nine goals.
Glover continues his brilliant season
Co-Captain Sam Glover’s 2024 has been a shining light, with the tall utility spending the majority of the season in defence after playing mostly as a forward throughout his career.
Playing deep in the defensive 50, the 27-year-old has patrolled along the last line of defence and did so again on Sunday, taking mark after mark.
19 touches and seven marks at half time signified another impressive game was on the cards, with Glover ending his day with 30 touches.
He also took 10 marks throughout the day as he lead a young backline.
Sparkes snaps and stays consistent
One of the bright sparks of the first half of the 2024 season, Wonthaggi recruit Ryan Sparkes continued his strong year on Sunday.
Beginning things with a brilliant snap in the wrong pocket for a right-footer that got the Pies their second goal of the day, the midfielder continued to win the ball all day.
Sparkes finished with another day of more than 20 disposals and had nine clearances and seven tackles to go with it.
DeMattia impresses with balance
The Club’s first pick in last year’s national draft, Harry DeMattia played one of his best games if his six so far in 2024 on Sunday.
Showing good balance between defence and attack as he lined up across the half back line, the 18-year-old was one of the Pies’ best players at Casey Fields as the Demons attacked hard.
The left-footer continued to run hard all day and recorded 22 disposals on the day – the highest tally of his career to date – and also found the big sticks for the first time in Collingwood colours.
Smit begins his Collingwood strongly
Having arrived at the Club only late last month via the mid-season draft, 200cm ruckman Iliro Smit produced a positive display on Club debut.
Playing the majority of the day in the ruck, the tall frequently got first hands to the ball and finished with 22 hit outs in tandem with Liam Purcell.
The 18-year-old showed impressive agility around the ground too, running and jumping hard right until the end.
Having come from the Eastern Rangers in the Coates League, the teenager will look to build his base over the second half of the season.
CASEY DEMONS 3.4 8.8 12.11 18.14. (70)
COLLINGWOOD 1.1. 4.1. 6.2. 11.4. (122)
GOALS: Campbell Lane 2, Patrick Farrant 2, Harry Mahoney 2, Tom Wilson, Ryan Sparkes, Jakob Ryan, Ash Johnson, Harry DeMattia
BEST: DeMattia, Glover, Lane, McInnes, Sparkes, Mahoney