ON A SATURDAY night in the middle of last winter, Jordan De Goey reignited his season in Frankston in a rare but required VFL appearance. Fast forward almost 12 months and the box office star reignited Collingwood’s season with another signature performance.  

Nick Daicos will also poll votes on Brownlow Medal night after the triple All-Australian starred with 41 disposals, 14 contested possessions, nine clearances, 10 score involvements and a goal and goal assist of his own in the 11.12 (78) to 6.15 (51) win over Port Adelaide in front of 40,860 people. 

MAGPIES v POWER Full match coverage and stats

The scoreboard only told part of the tale of the Power's painful night as they lost three key players, all in the third quarter: Jack Lukosius (calf), Ewan Mackinlay (ankle) and Esava Ratugolea who was taken from the ground on a stretcher with what appears to be a serious knee injury.

With rain pouring before the first bounce and then falling at varying levels for almost the entire 120 minutes, De Goey was instrumental again, keeping the Magpies in the hunt for a wildcard spot in the 28-point win at the MCG.

De Goey’s impact has been enormous since Anzac Day. That’s what happens when you can finally bank a full pre-season and don’t enter a campaign with the hip and groin issues that have plagued him since the 2023 premiership.

This time last year De Goey had played just five injury-impacted games lacking any power. The 30-year-old has never been an accumulator, but his burst from stoppage and scoreboard impact across the past eight games is up there with the best two-month block of his almost 200-game career. 

When Collingwood needed a spark on Saturday night, it was De Goey that kept the Magpies’ campaign alive with two crucial goals just before half-time, finishing with three for the game to go with two goal assists from 26 disposals, 11 contested possessions and nine inside 50s in his highest-rated game since the 2023 Grand Final. 

Craig McRae hasn’t had a trump card holding down a key post inside 50 this year, using a range of options, but on Saturday night Tim Membrey converted his chances to finish with three majors in a low-scoring affair. 

Membrey kicked the first goal of the game, via De Goey, before Roan Steele produced a moment out of the World Cup, soccering a cross that was marked by a lunging Lachie Schultz. Mitch Georgiades produced his own volley to put Port Adelaide’s first goal on the board. Both would have been handy in Seattle earlier in the day. 

With no Brayden Maynard or Darcy Moore down back, Collingwood’s defence was under siege for most of the first quarter, but the Power didn’t make them pay. 

Ed Allan was given the job on Zak Butters and restricted the superstar free agent to just four first-quarter touches, but it’s hard to hold one of the best players in the AFL for long. Butters kicked the first of the second quarter and let Allan know all about it. 

Port Adelaide kicked five consecutive goals and looked in complete control until De Goey ended a 40-minute drought for Collingwood. Then he did it again, swooping on the front of a pack at pace before snapping a second on his left in a matter of minutes to continue his rich vein of form. 

Then to continue the soccer theme, Nick Daicos put the ball in the back of the net from deep in the box after tracking the ball all the way to the line. Suddenly, the Pies were within a point after being outplayed for a large chunk of the first half.

They didn’t look back. 

Collingwood kicked all five goals in the third quarter and weren’t troubled from there.

Port Adelaide didn’t kick a goal after half-time, although the Magpies also failed to slot a major in a rare goal-free fourth quarter. 

The Magpies snuck back into the wildcard spots overnight at 10th on the ladder, winning for the first time since the day Scott Pendlebury broke the all-time VFL/AFL games record against West Coast a month ago. 

Brutal blow for the Power
Three Port Adelaide players were injured in the same play late in the third quarter. The game was brought to a standstill for a handful of minutes while Esava Ratugolea was put on a stretcher and carried off in serious distress with a scary knee injury, following a collision with Todd Marshall in a marking contest, who sprained his ankle. Twenty metres away Ewan Mackinlay also injured his ankle and was helped off the ground by two trainers. All that after Jack Lukosius was ruled out earlier in the quarter with a calf injury in a cruel setback after two months on the sidelines. Ratugolea was taken to hospital in an ambulance with a ruptured patella tendon and is expected to be sidelined for up to 12 months in a devastating blow for the in-form backman.

Pies rapt in Swadling debut
Craig McRae finally rewarded Sam Swadling with a debut after weeks on the cusp of selection after dominant form in the VFL. The West Australian exploded in the third quarter with eight disposals and his first goal, before finishing with 18 disposals in an eye-catching maiden appearance at the highest level, much to the enjoyment of his family and friends who chanted his name in the rooms after the game.

COLLINGWOOD      2.2    6.6    11.8    11.12 (78)
PORT ADELAIDE      2.5   6.7     6.10    6.15 (51)
 
GOALS
Collingwood:  De Goey 3, Membrey 3, Schultz 2, N. Daicos, McStay, Swadling
Port Adelaide:  Whitlock 2, Mackinlay, Butters, Georgiades, Bamert

BEST
Collingwood: De Goey, N.Daicos, Howe, J.Daicos, Membrey, Schultz
Port Adelaide: Horne-Francis, Aliir, Byrne-Jones, Butters, Sweet

INJURIES
Collingwood:  Nil
Port Adelaide: Lukosius (calf), Ratugolea (knee), Mackinlay (ankle)

Crowd: 40,860 at the MCG