Collingwood gained unexpected bounty in the output of two players:Finlay Macrae and Nathan Kreuger. Macrae,who had hitherto struggled at senior level when given opportunities,finally found the ball in some quantity and played at the level of an AFL midfielder.

And so,despite the names of Gawn,Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney,the Pies belted the Dees at the centre bounces (14-6),where Jack Crisp was formidable and Darcy Cameron did an excellent job against a superstar.Crisp was crowned the Neale Daniher medallist as best afield.

Kreuger,who has had an injury-wracked career at Geelong and Collingwood,booted two goals to half-time – one an improbable boundary shot that was enabled by the ump’s decision to make him take his kick – and provided a viable target.

Kreuger and youngster Harvey Harrison booted three goals each,demonstrating again that McRae’s team has a knack for scrounging goals from unlikely sources. Billy Frampton,a key defender with minimal forward aptitude,reprised his grand final role as a quasi-defensive key forward and contributed one goal. Kreuger also relieved Cameron in the ruck.

“It was pretty simple for me and Bill – it was just bring the ball to ground as best we can because they’ve got some pretty damaging players[in defence],” said Kreuger,who reckoned this was close to his best AFL game. “That was pretty much the game plan.”

One reckoned,too,that the Pies would need yet another stellar effort from Nick Daicos. But Daicos was smothered almost completely by Alex Neal-Bullen for much of the game.

The nullifying of Daicos was more than offset,though,by the injury suffered by Christian Petracca,a player of similar potency,when he was accidentally crunched in a pack-marking contest by Darcy Moore seconds before the quarter-time siren.

While Petracca came back on,he was severely impaired by the body blowand inevitably was subbed out with a suspected rib injury. Daicos was subbed out in the last term,too,with what the Magpies called a corked shin.

Jeremy Howe,a team leader,was outstanding in defence and capped off his work with a trademark speccy in the final term,while Josh Daicos,Pat Lipinski and Melbourne’s bete noir,Brayden Maynard,played with intelligence and desperation.

Maynard was booed for his contentious smother-bump and knockout of the subsequently retired Angus Brayshaw. McRae later revealed the defender had lately been dealing with personal issues. Later in the game,the booing eased somewhat,as the red and blue folk realised they were a lost cause.

Strangely,Steven May copped boos from the Collingwood army inapparent mocking disapproval of his comments at the best and fairest that the Demons were better than the premiers – a comment that was hardly offensive but was contradicted again on this King’s Birthday.

It cannot be said that Melbourne lacked for effort,or that they failed to fight. Simon Goodwin noted that they had won the contested ball (plus 23) and improved on forward entries (minus 3). Rather,their failings were in dismal disposals – kicking to forwards,with a few exceptions,was awful – and in a less functioning system.

Collingwood have North Melbourne and then the bye,after which they will begin regaining Pendlebury,Brody Mihocek,De Goey and others.

In McRae’s time,the Pies have made a truism of their club song. No matter the circumstances,personnel or stakes,this version of Good Old Collingwood genuinely knows how to play the game.

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