Geelong Cats 13.13 (91) d Collingwood Magpies 10.11 (71)

 Geelong Cats 13.13 (91) d Collingwood Magpies 10.11 (71)

A NIGHT OF ERRORS

Something dramatic will have to happen across the next six weeks for either Geelong or Collingwood to emerge as a genuine premiership threat. As it is, the Magpies’ season is on life support.

In a game of many mistakes - fumbles, miskicks, balls being thrown, players slipping over - Geelong were able to finish 20 points ahead and momentarily jump into the top four.

But they were not playing finals-winning football, barely doing enough to seal the night. Despite winning in crucial areas, including centre-square dominance, they trailed by a goal at quarter-time, led by four points at the long break and then nine points at three-quarter time.

On paper, they looked like they should have clobbered the injury-plagued Collingwood. Instead, their kicking inside the forward 50 - a poor 45.2 per cent - meant they turned over the ball far too often. Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan and Tom Stewart, at times, were the main offenders.

On the other hand, the loss makes it even harder for reigning premier Collingwood to gain a finals berth. The undermanned Magpies are now 8-7 (two draws) and out of the eight.

Their highlight of the night was Nick Daicos, who was clearly best on ground with 32 disposals. He looked to have pinged a hammy in the second term, but played on and commentators speculated that the injury was instead a corky.

They might get a big forward in Daniel McStay back in coming weeks, but it feels like it will be too little, too late.

WINNING THE BATTLES< LOSING THE WAR

Kudos to Magpies coach Craig McRae who has had to innovate in the face of a growing injury list.

At the beginning of the night, he seemed to have lost his marbles when sending Isaac Quaynor to big Cat Jeremy Cameron, in a size mismatch that saw the Magpie defender concede 16cm in height.

Quaynor, normally a dashing half-back, kept Cameron kickless in the first quarter, but the Geelong forward kicked two in the second term and one in the third to be the leading goalscorer of the night. Still, it was a minor victory for the Magpies who normally concede almost four goals a game to Cameron.

The other head scratcher thrown up by the Collingwood brains trust was sending second gamer and mid-year draftee Ned Long to man up new-look Geelong midfielder Tom Stewart.

Surely, this was sending a boy to do a grown-up’s job? Apparently not. While Stewart was solid, Long was able to stem his opponent’s influence.

But the small wins for McRae probably tell the end story - the Magpies are simply too undermanned to hold out top-quality opponents across four gruelling quarters.

WELCOME BACK, JAMIE

Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott is the Magpies’ talisman. He has been absent for nine weeks while battling a vascular issue, but took little time to reveal his class and show his importance to the Magpies’ forward line.

In the first quarter, he flew back with the flight of the ball to spoil Zach Guthrie, collected the ball on the 50m arc in front of the MCC members, swung right to the boundary line and then threaded an incredible goal.

As it sailed through the big sticks, Elliott raised his hands to the crowd and the Magpie fans stood to their feet and applauded.

His next magic moment came in the third term when he climbed above Cats defender Lawson Humphries at the top of the goal square to pluck the mark of the night. He duly goalled and once again the Magpies army erupted.

Elliott will only get better by the week.