The numbers that show the Thursday night draw should never have been close
It was a Thursday night thriller that really shouldn’t have happened.
An unbeatable Collingwood team on paper had little right to compete with Hawthorn, let alone beat them; but it almost made it, despite missing most of the key metrics in a big loss.
Coach Craig McRae even assumed no one was giving his team a chance.
They led for most of the night in front of 76,632 fans at the MCG, only for Pies captain Darcy Moore to lay down a mark that he would otherwise have swallowed and then give up a sloppy high free-kick to Dylan Moore, who found goal after the siren and left the side to settle for a draw.
Moore’s pinpoint finish from inside 30 meters was a rare highlight for the Hawks, who amassed more goals (15) than goals (13) as Collingwood struck 15.3 to make up for losing away and in the competition.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell described it as an “outstanding” performance, given his players have generally had strong opportunities this season.
Of those left behind, the 15th was very important; He missed Massimo D’Ambrosio’s left foot, extending the Magpies’ lead to six points with about 40 seconds remaining. A goal from Tom Barrass a few minutes later brought Sherrin back for the Hawks, bringing a dramatic climax.
“I told the kids, ‘We didn’t win tonight, but we definitely didn’t lose,'” McRae said.
“I think it’s important to recognize that we played really good football against arguably the best team in the competition… [glass] It’s half full and pour me some more because there’s a little more coming.”
The result was a statistical improbability.
The Magpies had 75 fewer disposals and fell woefully behind in inside 50s (34-62), clearances (23-39, including 5-19 from centre) and contested positions (105-134), but still made the most of their scoring opportunities.
Take the final quarter: Hawk Josh Weddle fired a fierce shot straight in front from barely 20 meters out, but Jamie Elliott scored superbly from the right at the other end of the 50-metre arc after getting as close to his crosshairs as possible to make sure he covered the distance.
The opening scenes of the second half set the stage for a strange night of football.
Hawthorn failed to score eight consecutive goals inside the 50s to start the third term, before the ruthlessly effective Collingwood scored back-to-back goals from the next two chances through Elliott and Will Hayes.
“I don’t know what to call the feeling; it was definitely weird,” Mitchell said.
“There’s a part of me that thinks you look at the numbers and say, ‘How do we get away with just two points?’ you think, and then with two minutes left in the game, [you think]’How did we get the two points?’. I’m not sure how to feel. “To me, this is one of the greatest beauties of sports.”
There were also discussions in the last minutes.
A 50-metre penalty awarded to Hawk Cam Mackenzie gifted Steele Sidebottom a crucial goal; Shortly afterwards, Nick Watson was somehow unrewarded for chasing down Billy Frampton in Hawthorn’s attacking 50.
Mitchell refrained from giving his opinion on them, but Connor Macdonald, who had 28 disposals and three goals, was surprised Watson did not get a free kick.
“I hit it there and thought, ‘How good is this? We’ve just had a free kick; we could score there,’ but I guess the referees didn’t see it that way and we had to move on quickly,” Macdonald said. Age.
“A lot happened and it was another good experience for us. In situations like this you just have to try to stay calm. I think we did a good job drawing it but it’s a weird feeling.”
Collingwood champion Nick Daicos played under pressure, earning a match-high 34 disposals, and Dan Houston excelled with 32 touches of his own, while Hawks co-captain Jai Newcombe collected 28 disposals and earned nine clearances to top the field.
Elliott finished the game with three goals, while Watson was a blockbuster as always.
In an incredible burst of pace in the first half, Watson pounced on the loose ball, flicked it forward, picked up the pace, evaded Jack Crisp’s diving attempt and scored from point-blank range. He also installed afterburners and was similarly opportunistic, installing the second one a quarter later.
Then, with the three-quarter siren fast approaching, Watson created something from nothing along the byline to help Calsher Dear beat the buzzer and give the Hawks a two-point lead at the final break.
“When he made that handball thing just before three quarters, I thought, ‘I’m happy he’s playing away for our team,'” Mitchell said of Watson. “I don’t know how to stop him.”
Collingwood defender Harry Perryman’s night ended late in the first half due to a hamstring injury, while Sidebottom (hand), Darcy Cameron (ankle), Elliott (back) and Daicos were substituted at different stages.
Hawthorn prop James Sicily also nursed a sore ankle in the final quarter, but Mitchell was optimistic he could make the trip west to face Fremantle next Thursday night.
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