Global News Post Fastest Global News Portal
Related Articles
With 8 mins to head on Saturday night time on the MCG, Collingwood led Geelong by means of a solitary level.
With 4 minute and 40 seconds last, the Cats led by means of 17, courtesy of a withering onslaught of sustained stoppage brilliance led by means of the newest – however almost definitely now not the final – game-turning burst from the ageless Patrick Dangerfield.
And with two seconds left, the Magpies have been left 4 issues in the back of but with the risk to assert essentially the most not going in their lengthy, lengthy listing of miraculous come-from-behind wins, with the ball – and the outcome – within the fingers of Jack Crisp, he of an AFL file 245 consecutive video games, with an Ash McGrath-style second of milestone heroism staring him within the face.
We all know what came about subsequent. But that is the tale of extra than simply that ultimate, fateful kick.
This is the tale of the 8 mins that preceeded it, of 2 footballing heavyweights finishing an epic, seesawing fit with essentially the most seismic momentum swings of all.
This is the tale of the 5 magic moments that clinched this vintage for the Cats … and the 5 extra that, however for one errant set shot, would have pinched it for the Pies.
The story starts at the wing, some 8 mins and 15 seconds at the clock, each fit and ball in fierce dispute.
For the Cats, second one arrives with Mark Blicavs: amassing a unfastened ball after Connor O’Sullivan had spoiled the Sherrin from the clutches of Brody Mihocek, the intuition of a typical guy of his measurement at this degree of the fit could be to sink the slipper into it and hurtle it against objective as rapid as imaginable.
But Blicavs, in spite of an evening of ruckwork pressured upon him by means of Rhys Stanley’s early hamstring harm, isn’t a typical guy of his measurement. With unwavering focus, he goals a mild cross at once into the hall, against the clutches of Mitch Duncan – with Pies converging from far and wide, it’s crisis if the kick is going awry, or if the recalled veteran fumbles.
The wobbling kick reaches Duncan within the nick of time to steer clear of a break from the oncoming Scott Pendlebury, however now not temporarily sufficient not to be pressured out of his fingers; Duncan, even though, with composure borne of 297 video games and two premierships on this caper, regathers on fingers and knees, and scoops a handpass to Max Holmes.
He does likewise to Zach Guthrie, and from a flashpoint second of terror, the Cats are about to have the interior 50 they crave.
Moment two is now handy: as Guthrie bangs the footy lengthy to the recent spot, a scrambling Magpies defence put underneath the pump, the attention is instinctively attracted to the person you’d be expecting to be the Cats’ biggest danger at plucking a mark. Jeremy Cameron.
Subdued for a lot of the night time, and not an excellent overhead mark anyway, the champion is however occupying Brayden Maynard’s complete consideration, the pair grappling for place because the footy reaches the highest of its arc and is derived down.
Neither guy, All-Australians each, have appropriately judged the place the ball will land. You know who has? Ollie Dempsey. The 22-year previous, 40 video games into his fledgling profession, contemporary off a Rising Star win in a breakout 2024 and quietly having a fair higher 2025.
He’s competing one-on-one too. His opponent? Only Crisp himself, 245 consecutive video games of iron will and rock-solid dependability, in each and every position from within midfielder to rebounding defender to the one who now has him stationed on Dempsey: operating wingman.
Yet it’s Dempsey who positions himself the place the ball will land, as Cameron and Maynard watch it transparent their heads. It’s Dempsey who, having taken a number of impressive marks, together with one this very night time, sitting on bloke’s heads, has the great sense this time to stay himself grounded. It’s Dempsey with the power, by hook or by crook made from his still-spindly body, to legally shunt Crisp simply a long way sufficient away in order that his break most effective reveals air.
It’s Dempsey who marks, 20 metres out at once in entrance, for the objective to present the Cats again the lead they perceived to have squandered for just right 1 / 4 previous amid Collingwood’s slow wresting again of keep watch over following a withering burst within the opening mins.
It’s Dempsey who starts the much more withering burst this is to come back.
As temporarily as second two has arrived than second 3 takes its position: from the centre jump, a supply of Magpie power all night time and certainly all season, via comes the velocity of Holmes.
Holmes stands by means of himself on the ball-up: his nominal opponent, Nick Daicos, is a number of metres away, and the tempo at which he enters the body proper because the footy reaches the 2 ruckmen suggests this can be a set play, with the No.35’s plan to hit the pack at complete pace, win the ball, and surge the Pies ahead.
Instead, the other occurs: Holmes, on the foot of the rucks, is in top place to assemble the unfastened ball, burst clear of Jordan De Goey, and run for house.
He doesn’t run ahead to start with, however reasonably sideways, out to the vacant expanses of the wing, with each Patrick Lipinski and Jhye Clark chickening out from their spots there against the Cats’ ahead 50. It approach Holmes can start to straighten up, proper at the outer fringe of the centre sq., and by the point Scott Pendlebury arrives to power him to kick, he’s at the Cats’ aspect of the centre circle and will pressure the ball within 50.
But that isn’t second 3 – the kick, a checkside at the proper foot, is sloppy, lacks penetration, and falls about 20 metres in need of the place it used to be meant.
Moment 3 is Patrick Dangerfield, expecting the drop of the ball faster than any individual else with 35-year previous eyes, accelerating to it sooner than any individual else on 35-year previous legs, and safely clutching the Sherrin to his 35-year previous chest, with Maynard’s last-second lunge coming to naught however a temporary fracas led to by means of the Pie dragging the Cat again onto him within the aftermath.
As used to be the case so continuously in his heyday, this ultimate quarter has been Dangerfield’s area: he’d end it with 13 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 5 rating involvements and 8 floor ball will get – the latter simply two fewer than the Pies’ whole crew would muster for the time period.
And, maximum crucially of all, one objective: by no means a selected strong point, Dangerfield’s set shot from 45 metres out by no means seems like lacking.
Most delicate of the 5 Cats moments, however no much less vital for it, comes a number of mins later; the margin 11 issues, the time last 5 mins and 48 seconds.
From half-back, Darcy Moore fanatics a cross out to the wing, aiming at Patrick Lipinski. It’s a powerful kick, however hangs within the air a fragment longer than very best, leaving Lipinski to attend underneath the prime ball because the Pies make place forward of him. If he marks, even though, they’re going to be away.
But he doesn’t mark. Because Jhye Clark, a few of the maximum maligned of Cats, he in his 3rd yr after being touted as the following Joel Selwood as a draftee, he who’s but to make just right at the predictions of greatness that noticed him inquisitive about a top-10 pick out a junior, can execute an excellent break from a difficult place to execute one with out gifting away a loose kick.
It permits Guthrie to reach, escort the ball over the boundary line, and neutralise the Pies’ ahead foray for a throw-in. It would possibly simply be Clark’s most important act but as an AFL footballer.
Normal carrier resumes for second 5, even though; through which I imply, it’s time for Dangerfield to all over again wrest this fit from the Magpies’ grab.
The degree is a boundary throw-in within the Cats’ ahead 50, the clock now with not up to 5 mins on it. Dangerfield, bizarrely, is Geelong’s ruckman, squaring off with an impressive, in-form opponent in Darcy Cameron.
Naturally, Cameron wins the faucet; however with the Cats forcing the ball into dispute with heavy force after he tried to lace out Scott Pendlebury, it turns into immaterial.
It’s Shaun Mannagh at floor stage who will get crucial fingers to the ball, firing out a handy guide a rough cross to Dangerfield; however it’s his captain who, with Magpies to either side, stops for the briefest fraction of a moment to evaluate his choices, powers right into a hollow within the black and white web final in, wrests his frame freed from a Crisp take on to permit him to get fingers loose for a cross whilst he’s being taken to floor, and completely discover a unfastened Jack Bowes to snap what turns out, and what is going to ultimately turn out to be, the sealing objective.
Dangerfield has completed such things as this so continuously that we once in a while disregard how outstanding it’s: the elite footy IQ to select the easiest hole to run via, the power to attract after which shrug the take on of a feisty competitor comparable to Crisp, and to even nail the handball on peak of it all so Bowes doesn’t have to wreck stride, bend down or soar to win the ball, is what elevates the nice into the pantheon of champions.
Four mins and 40 seconds stay. The Cats lead by means of 17. They are, for all intents and functions, house.
But this can be a tale of 2 portions. And it’s now time to listen to what the Magpies have to mention about all of it.
Moment one for the Pies encapsulates all their never-say-die spirit, the zest which has stolen them victory upon victory since Craig McRae took the reins.
From half-back, after a loose kick towards – who else? – Dangerfield, the Pies surge into rapid assault mode. Racing down the wing with a series of handballs, Harry Perryman dishes to Steele Sidebottom, who, with utter calm and composure, runs measuredly alongside the boundary line, indulges in a jump, all of the whilst looking forward to Bailey Smith to near in on him and make allowance the risk at an overlap.
Eventually, he does; Sidebottom duly, at the easiest time, handballs away, releasing up Maynard to run an extra 15 metres and centre inboard with an excellent cross to De Goey at the fringe of 50. With the Cats’ defence scrambling, frantically moving again against objectives, his kick catches them out – it’s now not lengthy to the recent spot, however reasonably huge to house 40 metres out from objective, the place Lachie Schultz is loose to mark.
His kick, relying on who you ask, both floats via for a objective, or used to be grazed by means of Blicavs on its well past him within the goalsquare.
A in the back of is named, however the Pies have signified two issues: one, they’ve the get to the bottom of and the power left to combat out the rest 212 seconds of this fit proper to the tip; and two, their abilities won’t allow them to down when it issues maximum.
The Cats nonetheless lead by means of 16, however it’s a complete lot extra fearful a bonus than it used to be even a minute previous.
On to second two: a Cats hacked footy down the wing, after territory and up to they are able to get, is intercepted by means of the sturdy fingers of Darcy Moore.
As time ticks down, he assesses his choices, reveals none to his liking, and is going for broke: so long as he can muster, his kick sails to the recent spot, some 40 metres out from objective, hoping for a miracle from a Pies ahead line now not famend for its contested marking.
And as though on cue, Brody Mihocek, sandwiched between two Cats, pulls one down.
How? Who is aware of. This is what Collingwood do, in the end. And naturally, his set shot, after a nervy 2.3 for the night time up to now, is immediately throughout the heart.
Two mins and 26 seconds stay. 10 issues is the margin. And now not a unmarried soul on the MCG thinks the Magpies aren’t on this as much as their eyeballs.
Moment 3 isn’t Bobby Hill mowing down Shaun Mannagh from in the back of with a in point of fact impressive chase that you need to see coming for a complete 5 seconds as he closed with the velocity of a cheetah and the threat of an excellent white shark, for the reason that umpire – fully appropriately – dominated he had taken the Cat down by means of the legs.
It’s now not Jamie Elliott gifting away a loose kick – once more proper – for containing Jack Bowes at half-forward to forestall a Magpies ahead foray with a minute and 20 seconds left, that by means of rights will have to be the tip in their ultimate likelihood.
Instead, it’s what occurs on the clock ticks down beneath 60 seconds; first, Isaac Quaynor’s handball to a loose Harry Perryman, after which his nerveless cross to a loose Schultz at half-forward, in a single transfer opening up a wide variety of black and white possiblities. And then his kick to Elliott, the clutchest Magpie in any respect, some 40 metres out and on a trying out attitude.
If given extra time, he would possibly have nailed it; because it stands, he provides himself a trifling 5 seconds ahead of taking the kick, duly failing to make the space. As it soars huge, that, you think, is that.
But no! Moment 4 is Mihocek, once more launching himself unto the breach, like Dangerfield previous gauging the ball losing quick faster than any individual else, and staining within the goalsquare to stay the sport very a lot alive.
20 seconds are left. Geelong’s lead is 4 issues. Quite actually, all of it comes all the way down to this.
Moment 5 is the place the Cats appear to crack; we all know how the Magpies love to stay the ball as tight as imaginable to run the clock down when keeping slim leads, refusing to let the footy emerge into open house and all of the whilst keeping up simply sufficient momentum on it to prolong a ball-up for so long as imaginable.
Blicavs makes a decision what’s just right for the goose is just right for the gander; after effectively locking up with Cameron for one further ball-up to shave 5 seconds off the clock, he tries it once more, scooping the ball up from the ruck contest and somewhat actually latching himself to his reverse ruckman, placing on extra of a take on than Cameron used to be himself.
If he thinks he can get round making no try to dispose the ball by means of pretending he’s a tackler, it’s a mind fade; the umpire, after letting six extra seconds of time expire, pings him.
It’s at this second that the Cats’ defence breaks as neatly. Almost to a person, they start sprinting again against the objectives, apparently positive that the ball is ready to be coming their approach so long as imaginable.
But Sidebottom, who receives the handpass from Cameron, doesn’t have time to take a look at for run and lift; it’s all he can do to throw the ball onto the boot and wobble it within 50.
For the 3rd time within the ultimate 8 mins, a kick drops quick. And like Dangerfield and Mihoceck ahead of, it’s once more marked – this time by means of Crisp, studying the flight of the footy a fragment of a moment previous than Guthrie, keeping the ball to his chest and showing to ping one thing within the procedure.
Was it the ache of a few unknown ailment that led to him to spray the set shot huge? Was it the force of the instant, compounded by means of a milestone recreation and most likely the burden of being concerned so closely in two of Geelong’s game-breaking 3 objectives previous within the time period?
Answers for all over again, debates for any other day. Now is the time to realize the utter spectacle that used to be a Saturday night time vintage on the MCG, and a last 8 mins as engrossing, charming and sumptuous as any in contemporary soccer reminiscence.
Geelong, and Dangerfield broke the Magpies within the first 1/2 of the ones 8 mins. Then they watched in horror as the best comeback crew our recreation has observed dragged themselves again from oblivion, pieced themselves again in combination, and gave themselves the most productive imaginable likelihood to win the unwinnable recreation.
The Cats emerged because the winners. But the Magpies may just scarcely be stated to have misplaced it.
