1. Lions brave but De Goey class the difference
It was an old-fashioned shootout at the Gabba but in the end Collingwood continued its recent run of dominance over the Lions with a hard fought seven-point win. Scores were level with two minutes to go but the class of Jordan De Goey was the ultimate difference, with five goals and a smart handball to set up Jaidyn Stephenson for the match-sealing goal. Collingwood fans will be happy with the strong team effort, while Lions fans will again leave the Gabba broken-hearted after another close home loss, having come back strong but ultimately failing against Melbourne and Gold Coast.
WATCH: De Goey the five-star difference
2. Goals galore at the Gabba
Maybe other teams should look at what boots both sides were wearing. Goalkicking inaccuracy has been a massive talking point across the competition this season, but it wasn’t evident at the Gabba on Sunday night. On the back of a massive 13-goal second quarter, the half-time scoreboard showed 20 goals were scored between both teams with only three behinds, with both teams on 10 goals each. The Lions' first point was a rushed behind early in the third quarter. Their first kicked behind came 17 minutes in. In the end 37 goals were kicked with only 13 behinds.
3. Collingwood’s big guns step up
The Collingwood engine-room has been in impressive form of late and its stars stood up again. Steele Sidebottom (34), Tom Phillips (28) and Adam Treloar (26) found plenty of the football and made their possessions count. Collingwood’s midfield potency was highlighted in the first minute of the second quarter, when a string of handballs from Sidebottom to Pendlebury to a running Treloar resulted in a goal. While Pendlebury’s ankle injury in the third quarter was a sour note, Sidebottom in particular picked up the slack for his skipper.
WATCH: The last two minutes
4. The two Dayne’s back in good form
Dayne Zorko’s struggle with the hard tag this year has been well-documented, but the All Australian was paid less attention by Collingwood and the Brisbane star took full advantage. He finished with four goals – the third after a great mark close to the goalsquare – and 34 disposals in his best performance for the year. Skipper Dayne Beams led from the front for the Lions against his old team, racking up 31 touches and kicking two goals in a strong game.
5. 'The Recruit' makes his debut
It’s been an unusual path to the big stage for Matt Eagles but the 28-year-old Lion realised every footballer’s dream with an AFL debut at the Gabba. From amateur footy to the Lions via Foxtel’s reality program ‘The Recruit’ in 2016 as a rookie, Eagles impressed coach Chris Fagan enough with his recent NEAFL form to earn a game in the seniors. It was a tough start for Eagles, who gave away two free kicks early in the first quarter and missed a spoil which led to Collingwood’s second goal of the game. However, he steadied his way into the game, including a nice baulk and a good defensive mark in the third quarter to finish with 11 possessions and four marks.
PIES PUT AWAY LIONS: Full match coverage and stats
