Collingwood has crashed Footscray’s 100-year party, claiming a thrilling six-point victory at the MCG to land its second win on the bounce.
The Bulldogs, fuelled by emotion and star turns from famous Footscray names in Sam Darcy and Tom Liberatore, jumped to an early 22-point lead, before Collingwood got into the game.
Adopting their old name for the evening, the Bulldogs hung in until Steele Sidebottom’s late snap sealed a 10.16 (76) to 10.10 (70) win.
The crowd of 78,027 was an all-time home attendance record for the Bulldogs, celebrating a century in the VFL/AFL.
Defender Reef McInnes was substituted inside the opening 10 minutes with a suspected ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Sam Darcy started on fire against Collingwood. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
Mason Cox came off in the fourth quarter after Rory Lobb caught him flush in the face with a late spoil.
Collingwood midfielder Jack Crisp could come under match review officer scrutiny for a first-quarter sling tackle on Bulldog Rhylee West.
Nick Daicos (39 disposals) was magnificent, while Pendlebury (26 touches) and Josh Daicos (25) were busy.
With Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Cody Weightman, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Liam Jones sidelined, it was another gallant effort from Luke Beveridge’s Bulldogs.
Look back at how the action unfolded in our live blog.
Key Events
Bulldogs vs Magpies scoreboard
That’s all she wrote from Friday night footbal
Can you feel the love at the MCG? It’s been an emotional night, but most importantly we got a game of footy befitting the occasion.
If we get many better games than this year, we’ll be lucky footy fans indeed. Thanks for keeping me company tonight, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow arvo as we get Saturday’s action up and running. See you then!
Picking the Pies in 2025
Based on tonight’s performance do you think Collingwood will feature in September?
– Mick
Three weeks ago, Collingwood was my tip for the flag.
I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that pick at the moment, but I would certainly be very surprised if they didn’t figure in September, and the Pies are the sort of team that can catch fire for a month and blow the league away. Might be all about timing.
Pendles and Sidey lead the Magpies off
For the 308th time in the AFL, Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury leave the field together. Importantly for them, they do so as winners.
These two actually switched jerseys after the game too, which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen two teammates do before. SP22 just doesn’t look right.
Pendlebury chatted to Fox Footy to talk through their relationship.
“It was nice to see Steele kick the sealer.
“I’m the nerd. I think everyone knows that, but as Sidey says I’ve loosened up a bit in the last few years.
“It was a really enjoyable contest, and we found ourselves on the right side of the result.
“Any time we can run in numbers and try to get the ball past their zone and attack their last line, it looked dangerous for us.”
A tough result for Footscray to swallow
I’m not sure how Bulldogs fans will be feeling tonight, but I hope pride is underpinning all of it. The Dogs are missing a handful of genuine star players, not least their captain Marcus Bontempelli, but tonight found other ways to take it up to another very good team.
Not sure there’s much else I can say about Sam Darcy. He’ll be the best player in the league within two or three years, there is not way any other human being can stop him when he’s in full flight. I thought Ed Richards was really good, Joel Freijah too, and Rory Lobb played an excellent game in defence (until he left one on Mason Cox).
Buku Khamis was good, Sam Davidson was good, Ryley Sanders and Harvey Gallagher were decent. It’s going to be a slog for a few more weeks while the injury list remains long, but if these Dogs can hang in there until the guns come back the future is bright.
Steele Sidebottom’s match-winning moment
In case there was every any doubt (there wasn’t), Steele Sidebottom has still got it. This here was the match-winning goal.
FT: Collingwood 10.16 (76) def Footscray 10.10 (70)
It’s a seismic Collingwood win, the kind the Magpies built their rise to the 2023 premiership around. Full of guts, full of class and with those same champion players stepping up with the game on the line.
Steele Sidebottom is the match-winner, Nick Daicos and Scott Pendlebury were tremendous. It took them right until the final despairing moments, but the Magpies emerged victorious.
It’s going to be so tough for the Bulldogs to swallow, carrying with them all the history of Footscray and the collective will of every player and person who made the club what it is today. It wasn’t to be, but not through any lack of spirit or quality. With so many stars on the sidelines, another in Sam Darcy soared higher than anyone else on the field tonight.
The Dogs were brave, the Magpies were too good. It was a truly wonderful game of football, a joy to watch.
Eighteen seconds to play
The Pies have survived one attack, but can the Dogs force one more? Now or never.
Collngwood kill some clock
The ball is chipped around as the Magpies take some time off the clock.
Dogs need to win and take off. Maybe one last chance for Footscray.
A Bulldogs rushed behind gives them hope
The draw is a live result now as a Dogs behind makes it a six-point margin. Two minutes to play.
Steele Sidebottom makes amends! That could be the matchwinner!
He had a moment he’d like to forget a few moments ago, but all is forgiven now as the veteran bobs up in a forward 50 stoppage to gather and snap an enormous Collingwood goal.
It’s seven points now for the Pies with only 3:25 on the clock. Is that that?
Jordan De Goey misses a big chance
Every look on goal going to be critical now, and that one has gone begging for Jordan De Goey. From 30 out on a tight angle he misses to the near side.
One point margin, Collingwood leads.
Joel Freijah! The kid! Brings the house down!
Oh boy, you haven’t heard a bigger Bulldogs roar since Tom Boyd dobbed one from just about the same spot nine years ago!
Steele Sidebottom heard the traffic coming and bailed out of the contest in a moment he will never want to see again, and from that Freijah took off. He scythed through the centre square, got to the top of the 50 and nailed it.
It’s a tie game. It feels like September in the middle of March.
Bailey Williams with the defensive effort of the year!
First the spoil with the flight to deny Dan McStay the mark, and then the full-length dive to get a fingernail on McStay’s kick off the ground.
That is inspirational from the Bulldogs defender. They are a team possessed, but still six points down and under attack.
Rory Lobb has absolutely laid Mason Cox out
I think that was a genuine attempt at a spoil on the ball as Cox marked, but Lobb has absolutely flushed Cox in the jaw with as clean a jab as you will ever see.
Accidental or not, that is nasty. Cox is bleeding and off the field, but hopefully that is the full extent of it.
Libba! Liberatore snaps another! Here comes the Scray!
It’s Darcy, West and Liberatore, leading the Bulldogs like it’s the 1990s all over again!
Sam Davidson was so composed in the centre to get the ball forward, then those three famous names combined to get Libba a telling snap on goal.
They’re coming! The Bulldogs are on the charge at the MCG!
Sam Darcy lifts Footscray again!
He’s their only way home, but with the Bulldogs fighting like hell just to stay alive in this one, Sam Darcy might yet prove a matchwinner.
The ball movement was laboured from the Dogs that time, eventually ending in a pretty speculative kick forward in Darcy’s general direction. That’s all it takes right now, he can mark anything. He’s a phenom.
Bobby Hill is fast as lightning! They can’t catch him!
There is the first goal of the quarter, and it comes for Collingwood in blistering fashion.
A turnover at half-forward proved devastating for the Bulldogs, as Mason Cox set up a chip-and-chase opportunity for Hill into an open 50. Davidson put everything he had into the chase but couldn’t make up an inch.
Hill dribbles through the goal and the Pies lead by 14.
First goal a big one in the last quarter
We’re off and running for the final term of what has been an engrossing game, about as good as we’ve seen so far this season.
First goal is critical. The Bulldogs have subbed Artie Jones out for Oskar Baker.
3QT: Collingwood leads Footscray 8.11 (59) to 7.9 (51)
That was Collingwood’s quarter, but not to the extent that game has been taken away from Footscray. For that reason you’d have to thing the Bulldogs are pretty happy going into the last turn.
But the Pies did look to have more running in that quarter which is cause for Bulldogs concern. As the game opens up, Collingwood is finding an advantage. But if it remains a contested, straight-line, keep it in the air clash in the last then the Dogs have the weapons to run over the top.
Impossible to tip from here. Big last quarter awaits.
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