Cats crush Magpies in NAB Cup GF

13/03/2009 10:08 PM

Paul Gough at Etihad Stadium

Sportal

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New AFL season - same old order!

That was the emphatic message from Friday night's NAB Cup Grand Final as the Cats showed the gulf between themselves and the Hawks and then the rest of the competition is as wide as ever.

Collingwood headed into the pre-season decider widely tipped as the team most likely to challenge the all-conquering Cats and Hawthorn, the team that shocked them in last year's grand final, this season.

But the Pies were brutally exposed at Etihad Stadium as the Cats won in a canter 0.18.19 (127) to 1.6.6 (51) despite being without skipper Tom Harley and key forward Cameron Mooney.

As the Cats claimed their second pre-season trophy in four seasons - to go with their drought-breaking 2007 premiership win - the Pies' long wait for a trophy goes on.

It is 19 years since Collingwood's 1990 premiership win and 30 years since their last pre-season/night premiership success in 1979 and that drought never looked like breaking on Friday night after an even first term.

The only major setback for a Geelong side that collected its third trophy in four years - after not having won one for 43 years prior to 2006 - was a knee injury sustained by experienced defender Josh Hunt late in the first term.

Hunt will have scans on Saturday but after the game Geelong coach Mark Thompson confirmed the defender had suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the entire season.

The Cats showed just why they lost only one game all of last season - prior to that shock grand final loss - and also proved the Pies certainly don't hold any psychological edge on them after inflicting their only home-and-away loss of 2008 and running them so close in that memorable 2007 preliminary final.

Yet again it was Geelong's devastating midfield that proved the difference as gifted youngster Joel Selwood showed he is on course for a huge third season to go with his 2007 Rising Star-winning debut season and stellar 2008, when he finished fifth in the Cats' best-and-fairest and polled 19 votes in the Brownlow, by winning the Michael Tuck Medal for best afield.

Selwood had 19 disposals in the first half alone but it was his early second-quarter burst that set up the win after he bravely got to his feet after being collected heavily by a late bump from Collingwood ruckman Chris Bryan in the opening minutes of the term.

That

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Comments

Posted by Stephanie at

13/03/2009 11:17 PM

Collingwood weren't exposed. They beat this same team by 86 points last season, they got within 5 points of them in the 2007 Preliminary Final, and they beat them by 102 points in 2006. Once they fell behind they clearly put the cue in the rack in the second half because the aim then was to get the players through unscathed of course. Collingwood had a good pre-season with three good wins, and one bad loss, and will finish in the top-4 where they will have a chance to thump Geelong again as they have done recently when it counts. Geelong may have won the match but they were the losers. Josh Hunt will probably miss the season which unbalances a team and uses up depth before the season has even started. A loss with no injuries is far more important.

Posted by Michael at

14/03/2009 12:12 AM

Stephanie, your comments are no further from the truth. "Collingwood making top four", they will be lucky to make the finals. No forwardline and a "spineless" list. Your coach is useless and your squad matches his incapabilities. Collingwood once again got the case of the "Colliwobbles". p.s "They know we're coming!!"

Posted by Stuart at

14/03/2009 05:20 AM

Paul Gough said the NAB Cup is a joke. How can a team be exposed in a competition that is a joke? That doesn't make sense. Geelong knew that if they were able to get a good lead early, then Collingwood weren't going to risk injuries by trying to fight their way back into the match. Geelong were able to do that with five goals in nine minutes in the second quarter and then it was all over.

Posted by Mick at

14/03/2009 09:42 AM

I'm a Carlton supporter and Stephanie is right. Collingwood definitely put the cue in the rack to avoid injuries in the second half and I don't blame them after watching Hunt of Geelong do his knee and I am sure that Collingwood will finish top-4. As for Michael. Zip it up mate. We (Carlton) have collected 3 wooden spoons to give us high draft picks so we should be coming. I don't think that Carlton will finish higher than 6th or 7th though.

Posted by Nick at

14/03/2009 02:26 PM

The pies didn't put the cue in the rack, unfortunately the 8 ball was sunk in the first quarter. Best wishes Josh, were all behind you. Wishing you a speedy recovery mate.

Posted by Mark at

14/03/2009 03:34 PM

Let's not get too carried away, it is only preseason but can you imagine the headlines if Geelong lost? This was an almost full strength Pies outfit and they were smashed! Even though they might have put the "cue in the rack" as some say (which is just a load rubbish), after talking it up and saying they want to win the premiership this year, they're not only a long way off the pace and class of the Cats but the mental scars from such a belting will haunt them throughout the season.

Posted by Bill at

14/03/2009 04:34 PM

The Magpies definitely eased up in the second half as any team would. The strategy to win NAB games is simple. Get off to an early lead and the opposition won't risk injuries and the effort it takes to fight back. The reward is not great enough as it is for 4 points. Geelong ended the game with 6 goals in 9 minutes in the 2nd term and Collingwood then played to simply preserve players. Josh Hunt's injury is huge. No team can afford to lose a player for the year before the season has even started because it puts an early strain on depth. If Geelong suffer a couple more long term injuries then they're in trouble because they're already one player down and they don't have many players with his precise kicking.

Posted by Diane at

15/03/2009 07:51 AM

I'm an Essendon supporter but I realise it makes sense that the Pies put the cue in the rack early. To lose and sustain injuries by trying to fight back is too risky when 4 points aren't the reward. I actually put a few quid on the Pies to make the Grand Final and I think they will beat Geelong in Round 3.

Posted by Daniel Bonney at

15/03/2009 05:01 PM

ha ha ha geel are gonna show the entire league what were made of.coll wont get close this year.Geel are in a different league,for coll own good,sack malthouse hes useless

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