JOSH Treacy take a bow.
Two weeks after Jobe Shanahan took a game saving mark on the same patch of Adelaide Oval, the Fremantle key forward ran back in the opposite direction to courageously win the game on Friday night.
MAGPIES v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats
The ball looked set for a signature Jamie Elliott put-me-on-a-poster grab, but Treacy got there first, intercepting in the final minute to help seal a six-point win over Collingwood in pouring rain.
Billy Frampton had nullified him for most of the night, holding the Coleman Medal contender scoreless, but Treacy produced the moment that will be replayed the most.
This game was destined to be close. The past three meetings between these two sides have been decided by a combined total of 15 points. And it delivered a sloppy, dour affair that ended in a 7.3 (45) to 5.9 (39) victory for the Dockers.
Collingwood led for most of the night and should have banked four premiership points, but Dan McStay, Lachie Schultz and Nick Daicos all missed shots early in the last quarter. Nail them and they win, but they didn’t.
In a game that came down to moments, Fremantle made the most of them. First when Jye Amiss calmly slotted a long-range set shot from 50m into swirling breeze and rain to reduce the margin to a point.
Then Matt Johnson made Billy Frampton pay for a costly turnover into the corridor with five minutes to play, putting the Dockers five points in front as rain swept across Adelaide Oval.
Collingwood came again, but Alex Pearce was heroic late, just like he was against Adelaide at this ground a week earlier. Most of the last minute was played in the Magpies’ forward 50 before Fremantle finally got the ball out and ran away with it and the game to move to second on the ladder at 4-1.
The captain finished with five intercept marks in another telling performance that was built from a backline that withstood 61 entries – Fremantle lost territory by 16 – and had plenty stand up like Luke Ryan, Jordan Clark and Karl Worner.
Eight days after being the centre of late drama at the Gabba, Nick Daicos returned to centre stage on Friday night and showed why Collingwood is a different proposition with him out there.
The 22-year-old was almost difference at Adelaide Oval.
While almost everyone else struggled in the wet, Daicos danced through traffic all night, finishing with a game-high 31 disposals and 638 metres gained.
Both sides lost key players midway through the second quarter when Jordan De Goey and Sean Darcy both exited the game due to concussion. Collingwood will be without the midfielder for next Thursday night’s game against Carlton, while Darcy will miss the Western Derby.
Been here before
Angus Anderson looked comfortable out there from the moment he entered the game six minutes into the first quarter. The last time the 22-year-old played here he won the Jack Oatey Medal for best on ground in the SANFL Grand Final last September. Just over six months later and the 190cm midfielder got his hands on the ball early.
Time for Cox?
Sean Darcy exited the game before half-time due after failing a head injury assessment. The ruckman is now in concussion protocols and won’t face Fremantle next Sunday in the Western Derby. Now it opens the door for Mason Cox to play his first game for the Dockers since securing a lifeline out west in November.
Concussion blow for JDG
Jordan De Goey also departed the game midway through the second quarter after hitting his head on the ground. The Magpies ruled him out of the game quickly due to concussion, ruling him out of next Thursday night’s clash against Carlton at the MCG.
COLLINGWOOD 1.2 3.5 5.6 5.9 (39)
FREMANTLE 1.1 2.2 5.2 7.3 (45)
GOALS
Collingwood: Membrey, McStay, Long, Anderson, Crisp
Fremantle: Dudley 2, Amiss 2, Switkowski, Johnson, Bolton
BEST
Collingwood: N.Daicos, Frampton, Crisp, Maynard, Quaynor, Schultz
Fremantle: Ryan, Jackson, Pearce, O’Meara, Reid, Serong, Brayshaw
INJURIES
Collingwood: De Goey (concussion)
Fremantle: Darcy (concussion)