WHAT THE BANNERS SAID
Collingwood
Week one of the finals, here’s the scoop, the mighty Magpies are ready to swoop

Mighty Magpies, it’s now September, let’s make this one a night to remember

Western Bulldogs
Snarling Dogs out to ruffle Pies’ feathers as we march on in September

HERO
Ryan Griffen looked doubtful in the lead-up to the game with a dodgy knee, but he donned the Superman cape for the Dogs. He was clearly their best player with 34 possessions and two goals. He finished the game on the bench with his knee iced so clearly wasn’t 100 per cent, yet put many of his able-bodied teammates to shame. 

GOAT
Will Minson might have wondered late in the season why Jordan Roughead replaced him in the line-up, but if he needs evidence he should look no further than his performance on Saturday night. He wasn’t bad around the stoppages, but his work around the ground was abysmal.

OVERHEARD
“What’s happening on the rain radar?” - various journalists, press box, throughout the game.

“Dogs have no idea at the moment ... I think the Guide Dogs could play better.” - tigerr1967, Match Centre live chat.

BY NUMBERS
0 - the number of games Tim Callan had played in 2010 before Saturday night.
0 - the number of games he’s likely to play after.
4 - the forecast inches of rain that were supposed to fall on the MCG, but didn’t.
48 - the number of times Nick Maxwell was allowed to go third man up and spoil a Dog

THE DECISION
Barry Hall forced a tough decision out of the umps when he cannoned into the post with the ball in the final term firmly in his grasp. He bounced off the impertinent post and slotted a nice left-footed snap, but had the ball touched the post? An umpires’ conference ensued, but the result was two horizontal fingers.

THE MOMENT THEY'LL REPLAY
Alan Didak’s last-quarter goal was special. He was trying to do the right thing and centre it, but had his hand forced by Tim Callan, who managed to corral him against the boundary deep in the pocket. As only he can, Didak pulled off a left-foot banana that has to be seen to be believed.

THE MOMENT THEY SHOULD REPLAY
Brian Lake showed great courage to run back with the flight and cut off the lead. The only problem was that Tom Williams, who was having a shocker, got in the way. Lake’s legs went from under him and he did a nasty faceplant on the turf. Hurt his shoulder too, but he soldiered on after a brief breather on the bench.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.

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