10:10 PM Fri 23 May, 2008

COLLINGWOOD has made the rest of the competition stand up and take notice by thumping premiers Geelong by 86 points in an outstanding performance at the MCG on Friday night.

Collingwood completely outplayed the Cats in running out 20.14 (134) to 7.6 (48) winners.

The Magpies were superb, outscoring Geelong in every term and showing greater intensity and commitment to the contested footy.

Dale Thomas (17 possessions, one goal) provided the icing with a brilliant, bending grubber in the last quarter, but the cake had already been baked and eaten by the Pies, whose unrelenting attack on the football worried the Cats into constant errors and uncharacteristic indecision.

After being completely outpointed in the first half, Geelong came out with a spring after the major break, kicking three goals in lightning time and instilling a belief that an amazing comeback was possible.

Collingwood needed a steadier and Alan Didak (two goals) provided it on the back of Anthony Rocca's (nine marks, one goal) outstanding mark.

When Travis Cloke kicked his fourth only moments later, the Cat surge appeared to have been halted; and after the Pies added the next three to take a 63-point lead into three-quarter time, Geelong's hopes had been completely snuffed out.

Collingwood began the game ferociously, racking up the first 10 tackles of the match and startling the Cats by jumping out to an early 20-point lead. Seventeen minutes had elapsed before Travis Varcoe, a late call-up for the injured Paul Chapman, got Geelong on the board.

David Wojcinski followed up for the Cats but Cloke, who was proving too strong for young Cat Harry Taylor, kicked back-to-back goals before Alan Didak made it a 26-point break in favour of the Pies at quarter time.

When Rocca and Paul Medhurst kicked the first two goals of the second quarter, Collingwood had five in a row and the signs of Geelong's first defeat of the season where there for all to see.

The Pies closed out the half strongly, racking up 55 tackles to the Cats' 27 and leading by a massive 51 points.


Collingwood 6.4 11.6 16.7 20.14 (134)
Geelong 2.2 3.3 6.5 7.6 (48)

GOALS
Collingwood: Cloke 4, Medhurst 3, Didak 2, Davis 2, Shaw, B. Johnson, Rocca, Fraser, Clarke, Lockyer, Pendlebury, Bryan, Thomas
Geelong: Ablett 2, Varcoe, Wojcinski, Gamble, Mooney, Hawkins