COLLINGWOOD has climbed into the top eight after completely dominating the second half against the Western Bulldogs to win by 35 points at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
The Magpies trailed by 26 points early in the second quarter and struggled to find a target in attack for much of the first half as the Bulldogs defenders ruled the air inside their forward 50.
However, the Pies seized control of the game with a four-goal-to-none third quarter and then put the Dogs to the sword with another four goals in the final term to power to a 13.12 (90) to 8.7 (55) victory.
MAGPIES FLY HOME Full match coverage and stats
After kicking eight goals in the first half to lead by 18 points at the main break, the Dogs went goalless in the second half, kicking just four behinds.
Brodie Grundy (26 possessions, 38 hit-outs, seven marks and seven clearances) was outstanding for Collingwood, dominating the ruck contests against Jordan Roughead and Tom Boyd and providing a hard-running target around the ground all night.
The Magpies' win broke a string of five consecutive losses against the Bulldogs – entering Friday night's game they had not defeated them since round 12, 2013 – and took them to sixth on the ladder, although they will slide out of the top eight by the end of round 10 if North Melbourne, Geelong and Hawthorn win.
The tireless run of Adam Treloar (40 possessions, six inside 50s and two goals) and Tom Phillips (36 possessions and one goal) was vital to the Pies' comeback win, while the composure of skipper Scott Pendlebury (32 possessions and six clearances) was important all night.
Scott Pendlebury.
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2018
No words, only emojis. ⭐️⭐️⭐️#AFLPiesDogs pic.twitter.com/Or62uNf5Xq
Will Hoskin-Elliott (two goals) was a lively performer in attack, while Tom Langdon, Matthew Scharenberg and Lynden Dunn kept things tight in defence.
There were a couple of sour notes late in the game for Collingwood, with big man Mason Cox reported for a bump on Jason Johannisen and Travis Varcoe sitting out the last quarter with a hamstring injury.
Although Johannisen appeared to emerge unhurt from the incident, Cox will still have concerns after cannoning into the Bulldog speedster with his hip while Johannisen had his head over the ball, a potentially dangerous action that is unlikely to sit well with Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was pleased with his team's response after its slow start.
"It was a pretty impressive last three quarters. The gap in the first quarter was always going to be hard to peg back but we did it bit by bit, and the last half in particular was a really strong example of the brand we want to play more often," Buckley said.
"Hopefully we’re improving and getting closer to it and doing it better week by week.”
Mason Cox has been put on report for this bump on Jason Johannisen.#AFLPiesDogs pic.twitter.com/QYEsPSJ0b2
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2018
On a disappointing night for the Dogs, captain Easton Wood (15 possessions and 10 marks) worked tirelessly in defence, while Toby McLean (35 possessions) and Jack Macrae (30) fought hard in the midfield.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said the game changed so markedly after quarter-time it was as if "two completely different sides" had taken the field.
"They lifted their intensity and they challenged us on a number of fronts and we came up well short. Put that down to Collingwood's ferocity around the ball (and) our lack of scope to maintain it in our front half – the ball came out of our forward half way too easily," Beveridge said.
"It felt like for most of the game our backend held it together pretty well, but backmen can't defend those open plays.
"So the 12 through the middle of the ground and forward of the ball just became complacent, and as much as that's disappointing and deflating, at least we know what it is and we can fix it."
The Magpies did all the attacking at the start of the game, but struggled to find targets inside their forward 50.
Finally, from their ninth inside 50, Tom Phillips kicked the game's opening goal – and score – but after that breakthrough the Bulldogs seized the momentum and, unlike Collingwood, made the most of their control of general play.
The Dogs piled on the next five goals, two of them through Tory Dickson, who was returning from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since round five, and two of them courtesy of 50m penalties given away by the Pies.
PIES ARE BACK IN TOWN Five talking points
The Bulldogs went into quarter-time with a 25-point lead, but Collingwood suddenly found a spark early in the second term with two goals in less than two minutes through Treloar and Josh Thomas.
The Pies still hadn't taken a mark inside their forward 50 at that stage, but they managed to cut the Bulldogs' lead to six points at the 24-minute mark after consecutive goals from Langdon and Jaidyn Stephenson.
However, when Billy Gowers goaled after taking a strong pack mark close to goal and former No.2 draft pick Josh Schache, in his first game in Bulldogs colours, converted a 35m set shot, the Dogs extended their lead back out to 18 points at half-time.
His first goal in the red, white and blue!
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2018
Josh Schache is on the board for his new club. #AFLPiesDogs pic.twitter.com/kzEqbyLm1e
At that stage, the Bulldogs had taken nine marks inside their forward 50 to Collingwood's two.
Jordan De Goey, fresh off a match-winning six goal performance against St Kilda last week, started as the Magpies' deepest forward, but he was held scoreless and to just five possessions by Zaine Cordy in the opening two terms, before Cordy was ruled out with concussion after half-time.
De Goey was moved into the midfield at the start of the second half, from which time his night and, particularly, the Magpies' took a big turn for the better.
Pies. In. Front!
— AFL (@AFL) May 25, 2018
End-to-end stuff and Collingwood hit the lead for the first time since the opening goal of the game!#AFLPiesDogs pic.twitter.com/FMAbmsUtbN
MEDICAL ROOM
Collingwood: Travis Varcoe's night ended early when he came off the ground in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said after the game Varcoe had suffered a "likely strain".
Western Bulldogs: Zaine Cordy spent the entire second half on the bench after suffering a delayed concussion from a head knock in the second quarter.
NEXT UP
The Magpies host Fremantle at the MCG next Sunday, having won their past five games against the Dockers at the home of football. The Bulldogs play Melbourne next Saturday at Etihad Stadium, where they lost to the Demons by 57 points in round 13, 2017.
COLLINGWOOD 1.1 5.3 9.8 13.12 (90)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.2 8.3 8.5 8.7 (55)
GOALS
Collingwood: Treloar 2, Thomas 2, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Phillips, Stephenson, Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Daicos, Adams, Langdon
Western Bulldogs: Dickson 2, Roughead 2, Boyd, Gowers, Schache, Suckling
BEST
Collingwood: Treloar, Phillips, Grundy, Pendlebury, Crisp, Scharenberg, Dunn, Greenwood
Western Bulldogs: McLean, Hunter, Macrae, Roughead, Dahlhaus
INJURIES
Collingwood: Varcoe (hamstring), Cox (knee)
Western Bulldogs: Cordy (concussion)
Reports: Mason Cox reported for rough conduct on Jason Johannisen in the fourth quarter
Umpires: Meredith, Findlay, Gianfagna
Official crowd: 37,985 at Etihad Stadium
The siren has sounded to end Q4.
Collingwood applied 36 tackles at 77 per cent efficiency and a pressure factor of 1.83 in the second half.
GOALMagpies (Josh Daicos)
The Dogs are losing the contested possession by 30, their worst result in a game this season.
BEHINDBulldogs (Rushed)
Will HoskinElliott has recorded two goal assists as well as kicking two goals. His scoreboard impact is 164 points for the season, ranked No.1 at the club.
GOALMagpies (Will Hoskin-Elliott)
BEHINDBulldogs (Rushed)
BEHINDMagpies (Rushed)
Western Bulldogs has failed to kick a goal from its last 15 inside 50s.
BEHINDMagpies (Jordan De Goey)
BEHINDMagpies (Rushed)
BEHINDMagpies (Rushed)
The Pies lead the hitoutto-advantage count 13-0 with Brodie Grundy winning 12 of these.
Collingwood has generated two inside 50s this term and kicked a goal from both. The Dogs are yet to record a score from five inside 50s.
GOALMagpies (Scott Pendlebury)
GOALMagpies (Adam Treloar)
The Pies have grabbed two marks inside 50 early in the fourth quarter. They grabbed just three forward 50 marks to threequarter time.
Q4 is now underway.
The siren has sounded to end Q3.
Collingwood dominated the third term. They won the time in forward half differential by five minutes and eight seconds, recording 40 more disposals in this zone, and the inside 50 count by eight.
BEHINDMagpies (Taylor Adams)
The Pies have recorded a tackle efficiency of 71 per cent in the third quarter, 19 per cent higher than the first half.
Collingwood has launched two goals from defensive 50 this quarter, and it has launched five scores from this zone for the game.
GOALMagpies (Will Hoskin-Elliott)
BEHINDMagpies (Tom Phillips)
Josh Thomas has recorded a scoreboard impact of 117 points this season, ranked third at the club.
GOALMagpies (Josh Thomas)
BEHINDMagpies (Steele Sidebottom)
Magpies InterchangeTravis Varcoe and is possibly out for the game.
BEHINDBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)
The Dogs have recorded just one effective forward half disposal in the third quarter.
BEHINDBulldogs (Luke Dahlhaus)
The Pies lead the inside 50 count 80 this quarter.
GOALMagpies (Taylor Adams)
Bulldogs InterchangeMarcus Bontempelli off due to an injury.
BEHINDMagpies (Josh Daicos)
BEHINDMagpies (Adam Treloar)
Another goal from a forward half clearance to the Pies. Collingwood has scored 13 points from this source, 12 more than the Dogs.
GOALMagpies (Steele Sidebottom)
Q3 is now underway.
The siren has sounded to end Q2.
Collingwood has applied 67 tackles and a pressure factor of 1.84 per game this season. It has applied just 21 tackles and a pressure factor of 1.65 to halftime.
GOALBulldogs (Josh Schache)
Western Bulldogs lead the centre clearance count 74 and it has generated three scores to none from this source, including that goal to Billy Gowers. The Pies have been outscored by four points per game from this source, the fourth-worst differential.
GOALBulldogs (Billy Gowers)
Bulldogs InterchangeZaine Cordy and is possibly out for the game.
Collingwood has generated an inside 50 from three of its 12 defensive 50 chains this quarter and scored from two of these, including that goal to Jaidyn Stephenson.
GOALMagpies (Jaidyn Stephenson)
GOALMagpies (Tom Langdon)
GOALBulldogs (Jordan Roughead)
Jordan Roughead grabs his team's fifth mark inside 50, four more than the Pies. Western Bulldogs has lost this count by two per game this season, the fifthworst differential of any side.
Magpies InterchangeMason Cox off due to an injury.
That goal to Josh Thomas was sourced from a forward half clearance. The Pies have scored 17 points per game from this source in 2018, ranked No.1 in the competition.
GOALMagpies (Josh Thomas)
Adam Treloar boots his team's second goal from their 19th inside 50 (11 per cent). Collingwood has kicked a goal from 24 per cent of its inside 50s this season, ranked ninth.
GOALMagpies (Adam Treloar)
BEHINDMagpies (Adam Treloar)
Collingwood has applied 13 tackles from 26 attempts (50 per cent). The Pies have recorded a tackle efficiency of 64 per cent in 2018, ranked 10th.
BEHINDMagpies (Will Hoskin-Elliott)
BEHINDBulldogs (Bailey Williams)
Q2 is now underway.
The siren has sounded to end Q1.
Collingwood applied 12 fewer tackles than the Dogs in the opening term. The Pies have applied 10 more tackles per game than their opposition this season, ranked No.1.
The Dogs have kicked three goals from six forward half intercepts. Western Bulldogs has scored 27 points per game from this source in 2018, ranked ninth.
GOALBulldogs (Tom Boyd)
BEHINDBulldogs (Tom Boyd)
Western Bulldogs has now launched two goals from defensive 50. It has launched just 11 points per game from this zone this season, the secondfewest in the AFL.
GOALBulldogs (Tory Dickson)
The Dogs have recorded seven of the last eight inside 50s, kicking three goals to none during this period.
GOALBulldogs (Jordan Roughead)
Tory Dickson boots his team's second goal, sourced from a kickin. The Dogs have launched just 15 per cent of their score from defensive 50 in 2018, the second-lowest percentage of any side.
GOALBulldogs (Tory Dickson)
BEHINDMagpies (Jaidyn Stephenson)
BEHINDBulldogs (Lachie Hunter)
Both teams have sourced their goal from an intercept. Western Bulldogs has been outscored from this source by 16 points per game this season, the thirdworst differential in the competition.
GOALBulldogs (Matthew Suckling)
Tom Phillips boots the first goal for the game, sourced from an intercept won in his team's forward half. Collingwood has won seven intercepts in this zone, six more than the Dogs.
GOALMagpies (Tom Phillips)
The Dogs are absorbing the Pies' attack conceding no score from seven Collingwood entries. Western Bulldogs has conceded a goal from 26 per cent of its opposition inside 50s this season, the thirdhighest percentage in the AFL.
Q1 is now underway.
Collingwood has generated an inside 50 from 24 per cent of chains originating in its defensive 50 in 2018, the fourthhighest percentage of any side, and it has launched 48 scores from these, ranked equal No.1.
Western Bulldogs has won the time in forward half differential by five minutes and nine seconds per game this season, the thirdbest differential in the competition, and it has won 27 intercepts per game in this zone, ranked fourth.
Don't forget to enter your tips for this match, you have until the bounce to make your selection.
Ins for Bulldogs: T.Dickson, J.Schache, R.Smith
Outs for Bulldogs: J.Dunkley, M.Wallis, L.Webb
Ins for Magpies: B.Reid, J.Daicos, L.Greenwood
Outs for Magpies: S.Murray, A.Fasolo, D.Wells
Welcome to Etihad Stadium for the Collingwood v Western Bulldogs Round 10 clash.