David Wojcinski evades Tarkyn Lockyer
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10:31 PM
Fri 21 September, 2007
GEELONG
has reached its first AFL Grand Final in 12 years, but the Cats had to survive
an almighty scare from a Collingwood side that repeatedly climbed off the
canvas.
Gary Ablett kicked the goal on the cusp of time-on to keep
the Cats 11 points clear, but Paul Medhurst kicked a goal with 70 seconds
remaining to close the gap to just five points.
The siren sounded with the ball on Collingwood’s 50m arc to
end a classic preliminary final in front of 98,002 fans at the MCG, with Geelong
emerging victorious 13.14 (92) to 13.9 (87).
The Pies fought back in every quarter, and in the final term
surged back to within a goal after looking buried with 10 minutes to play.
Travis Cloke and Alan Didak capped excellent evenings with
two crucial goals which broke a run of three straight Geelong goals.
But with the sides equally desperate, the Cats had too many
big guns, and arguably their most brilliant, Gary Ablett, snapped a crucial
goal from 45m to provide breathing space on the tick of time-on.
The Pies broke even in the third quarter, kicking 3.1 to 2.7
to trail at three quarter-time by just five points.
Rushed delivery into the forward line and wayward
goalkicking cost Geelong,
but the blame for much of that can be laid at the feet of Collingwood’s 22,
which chased and hassled the Cats in a relentless quarter of football.
The Cats had all the running at the start of the third term,
but wasted a couple of chances and Leon Davis pinched the half’s opening goal.
James Kelly threaded a 40m goal on the run, but Travis Cloke
responded for the Pies and then Paul Medhurst put Collingwood in front with a
shot from 50m that might have been shot from a cannon.
Cameron Mooney kicked his only goal for the night in the
dying seconds to restore Geelong’s
lead, after James Clement had been penalised for handballing deliberately out
of bounds.
The Pies fought back superbly in the first half after
looking likely to be overrun at times in each of the first two quarters.
The Cats slipped into top gear midway through the second
term, kicking three goals in a minute to open up a 17-point gap.
But a goal minted from nothing by Alan Didak stopped the
rot, and Sean Rusling added his second goal of the game to slash the gap to
five points at half time.
The Pies outplayed the premiership favourites for 10
minutes, wiping out an 11-point quarter-time deficit to snatch the lead at the
eight-minute mark.
But when the Cats hit back, they did so in a fashion that
made it appear as though the game was about to be blown open.
Two contrasting goals to Steve Johnson inside a minute
restored Geelong’s
lead; the first a booming 50m set shot and the other a poacher’s goal from a
ball-up.
And Jimmy Bartel and Gary Ablett were both involved as Max
Rooke kicked the Cats’ seventh.
Ruckman Josh Fraser was a late omission for Collingwood, and
Brad Ottens was making the most of his absence, thoroughly outpointing Chris
Bryan at the taps.
But unlike the Kangaroos in week one of the Toyota AFL
finals series, Collingwood was able to punch its way off the ropes – helped a
little by some Didak magic.
Finding himself forced off the ball by Corey Enright in the
forward pocket, Didak palmed the ball into space and volleyed the goal over his
shoulder while falling to the turf.
Small Cats forward Mathew Stokes was quiet after kicking
three goals in the opening quarter.
In the first term, the Cats seemed to be kicking away after
running off a nervous opening, and it took a 50m penalty paid to Shane O’Bree
against Joel Corey to keep the Pies in touch. Mathew Stokes and Brad Ottens
kicked early goals, and when Stokes snapped another after a scramble that left
Cameron Mooney wrapped around a goal post, Geelong led by 13 points.
The Pies were tackling hard but struggling to breach their
half-forward line, and O’Bree’s goal came as a welcome respite.
The Pies had very early running as Geelong made a nervy opening. Skipper Tom Harley
dropped several overhead marks in slippery conditions, and Scott Burns had a
goal on the board and Anthony Rocca a behind before Geelong had a possession in its forward half.
Bryan
was a late inclusion after Josh Fraser pulled out with a back injury for the
second consecutive week.
Geelong 4.4 7.6 9.13 13.14
(92)
Collingwood 2.5 6.7 9.8 13.9
(87)
GOALS
Geelong: S
Johnson 3, Stokes 3, Mooney 2, G Ablett, Chapman, Kelly, Ottens, Rooke
Collingwood: Cloke 3, Medhurst 3, Rusling
2, Didak 2, Burns, Davis, O’Bree
BEST
Collingwood: H. Shaw, Clement,
Lockyer, Clarke, O'Bree, O'Brien, Buckley, Cloke
Geelong: G Ablett, Ottens, Corey,
Bartel, S Johnson, Scarlett, Milburn, Hunt
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Collingwood: A Rocca (ankle), Fraser
(back), replaced in selected side by Bryan
Reports: Nil
Umpires: S
McBurney, S McLaren, S McInerney.
Official crowd:
98,002
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