THE BLOWTORCH being applied to Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has been doused - momentarily at least - with his Magpies opening their season’s account with an astonishing one-point win over Sydney at the SCG.

Facing their first 0-3 start since 1999, Collingwood looked to have relented when the Swans hit the lead in the 20th minute of the final term for the first time in the match.

However, a magnificent set-shot goal from the pocket by Will Hoskin-Elliott put the Magpies up again and they stretched their lead to seven points with two behinds, before second-game player Nic Newman scored a goal to make it the solitary point again.

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In a frantic final confrontation, the Magpies held on to secure a pressure-relieving win in front of a breathless crowd of 35,310.

“You can’t get anything from the first two weeks back, but it’s a lot better feeling when you’re on this side of the ledger. We had to fight pretty hard for it,” Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said.

“Once again tonight we had some periods of dominance, as we had through the first couple of weeks. It’ll be our job to make sure that we’re more consistent in the application of that.

“[The belief] has been there. We worked really hard through pre-season, but it was important for us to open the ledger on the season. We put ourselves in a little bit of a hole the first couple of weeks. So, to be able to get that results, as narrow as it was, it’s a positive one for us.”

The Magpies’ triumph ruined Lance Franklin’s 250th match celebrations - the superstar forward went goalless, too - and leaves the Swans winless from their first three matches of 2017.

The Swans have been hit hard by early season injuries, forced to field five debutants already, but coach John Longmire made no excuses.

"We always try to be competitive no matter how many young players we have in the team, or who we're playing,” he said.

"There's been a number of them that have been pretty good over the last couple of weeks, and a couple were good again tonight.”

 

Collingwood’s victory was built on a superb opening quarter, Alex Fasolo’s four first-half goals and a remarkable tackle count of 113 that will quieten critics of their defensive efforts so far this season.

WATCH The thrilling last two minutes

The Swans midfield got moving as the game progressed but gave up too much early. Youngster Will Hayward was a bright spot, scoring three goals in an energetic display.

Collingwood made an explosive start, clobbering Sydney’s lethargic midfield and piling on 23 inside 50s to just two to earn a 21-point quarter-time lead.

Fasolo made the most of his three scoring opportunities and Jack Crisp added another, though the Pies’ dominance might have earned even more on the scoreboard.

Remarkably, it took until the 18th minute for Sydney to enter their attacking 50 and it resulted in second-gamer Robbie Fox’s first AFL goal. It was one of just two entries for the term.

A furious spray from coach John Longmire must have resonated because by half-time Sydney had narrowed the gap to just nine points, edging Collingwood’s advantage in contested possession and clearances.

Talking points: Sydney v Collingwood 

Hayward and Kieren Jack kicked two goals each, as Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery started getting more of the ball and the Swans’ intensity rose noticeably.

Yet the Magpies’ defensive effort absorbed well, yielding a goal to Fasolo and two neat set shot goals from the pocket by Jesse White and Levi Greenwood, who was  back from injury.

In the third, Travis Varcoe, Collingwood’s other inclusion, scored early and Adam Treloar’s super effort on the run from outside the arc was one for the highlights reel, but Sydney got back to within nine points with majors to Hannebery and Kennedy, as the midfield arm-wrestle began to bite.

Sam Reid potted a free kick from beyond 50 metres to start the final term and get the Swans to within a kick.

Varcoe and Hayward swapped their second and third, respectively, before a pin-point centering kick by Franklin found Oliver Florent, whose resulting goal made it a one-point game.

From there it was anyone’s to win and Collingwood were able to hang on in a thriller.

MEDICAL ROOM
Remarkably, after such a torrid contest, both sides appear to have emerged without injury. 

NEXT UP
The Swans face a six-day turnaround and a trip across the continent for their round four clash with West Coast in Perth before hosting the derby the following round. Collingwood heads back to Melbourne for a Sunday afternoon meeting with St Kilda.


SYDNEY               1.1   5.7   7.11  11.13 (79)
COLLINGWOOD   4.4   7.4    9.8   11.14 (80)

GOALS
Sydney: Hayward 3, Jack 2, Fox, Hannebery, Kennedy, S. Reid, Florent, Newman
Collingwood: Fasolo 4, Varcoe 2, Crisp, White, Greenwood, Treloar, Hoskin-Elliott 

BEST 
Sydney: Hannebery, Lloyd, Jones, Kennedy, Mills, Marsh
Collingwood: Adams, Grundy, Sidebottom, Fasolo, Treloar, Crisp 

INJURIES 
Sydney: Nil
Collingwood: Nil 

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Stevic, Nicholls, Hay

Official crowd: 35,310 at the SCG

Cheersquad leader Joffa Corfe embraces Will Hoskin-Elliott after the match. Picture: AFL Photos