In what was one of the best weekends of footy fans will ever see, Geelong’s clash with Collingwood on Saturday evening was the pinnacle.
The 91,525 fans that packed into the MCG represented the biggest crowd of 2022, and few left disappointed as both sides pushed each other all the way.
In terms of stats, the Magpies were never going to match it with Geelong on the inside. The Cats won contested possessions 155-134 after opening a big lead in that stat early, but Craig McRae came with a plan.
From early in the clash, Collingwood was looking to keep the ball off the minor premiers. The Cats had just a couple of marks late in the first quarter and finished with 62 for the game, well shy of Collingwood’s 90.
That saw the Pies convincingly win uncontested possessions (226-182), and the plan paid off in some form. The Magpies also won inside 50s (56-53), marks inside 50 (13-9) and deserved to hold the lead for almost 80 per cent of the clash as they did.
McRae’s men’s pressure was also elite. Geelong hadn’t looked as fumbly in the first quarter since last year’s preliminary final loss to Melbourne.
Collingwood ended up with 85 tackles, 22 more than their season average and 15 more than Geelong, who also rose to the occasion.
The spectacle could have gone either way, but it was the Cats and Gary Rohan who rose to the occasion late in the game.
Thanks to TopSport.
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