An uncanny case of deja va occurred at the MCG on Saturday night as Hawthorn and Collingwood played out a second draw against each other in the same season.
Adding to the eeriness of the result, it was Hawthorn forward Dylan Moore who had a shot after the siren to win the game, as he did in Round 8 when he kicked the major that ensured the tied result.
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Round 23
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However, on this occasion, with scores already level, from 49m out on the boundary, his kick fell short and ensured that both teams came away with two premiership points each again.
The final score of 13.14 (92) was almost identical to what it was 15 weeks ago, when both teams finished deadlocked on 13.15 (93) apiece.
Collingwood made the first move, and their ferocious pressure saw them open up a 22-point lead at half-time on the back of five goals in a row.
The Magpies’ tackle lead grew to 43-19 by that stage and their huge advantage in clearances (21-11) also contributed to their inside-50 domination (35-20).
McCreery in trouble for umpire contact? | 01:39
But Hawthorn lifted dramatically to kick eight of the next nine goals – mostly off turnover – to lead by 21 points early in the final quarter.
They ratcheted up the pressure significantly to put the Pies on the back foot, as they ran in waves, and equalised the tackles, clearances and territory battle.
It appeared as though the Magpies used up all their energy in the first half as their defensive structure disintegrated. But the Magpies were let off by sloppy ball use from the Hawks.
Just as all looked lost for Collingwood, they got up off the canvas with four goals in seven minutes to regain the lead in the final quarter, only for Hawthorn to hit back and get their noses back in front by eight points.
A Roan Steele major with 4:39 to go levelled the scores and two minutes later, Jack Gunston put the Hawks back up by a point.
With 70 seconds to go, Steele had the chance to be the hero, but his kick in the goal square was affected enormously by Karl Amon’s tackle and forced the ball to go off line.
Moore had one last chance to get the win for the Hawks, but ultimately failed.
3. ‘PERCENTAGE MATTERS AGAIN’: SHOCK FINALS TWIST AFTER HISTORIC OUTCOME
“Percentage matters for us again.”
It sure does, Nick Daicos.
Because after Hawthorn and Collingwood drew for the second time this season — the first time in VFL/AFL history that’s happened — there’s ladder parity once more.
Fourth-placed Hawthorn, which was staring down the barrel of a fall outside the top four at half-time, is now level on points but percentage behind Brisbane (third), and percentage ahead of Melbourne (fifth).
The Hawks (60 premiership points) are one game ahead of Geelong and Adelaide (both 56 points), with Collingwood steady in eighth spot (52).
Down 22 points with just three goals to their name at half-time, and with Melbourne dominating Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, the Hawks were looking like finishing the round in fifth.
Instead, they somewhat solidified their top-four spot, with their fate in their hands as a final-round Perth trip to play West Coast awaits.
But Hawthorn, which hasn’t secured a double-chance finish since 2018, would almost certainly drop out of the four with a loss, with Geelong a near certainty to beat Richmond at home.
As for the Magpies, who play Brisbane in Round 24, they are realistically locked into the eight-versus-nine wildcard matchup due to percentage.
Whether they finish above or below the currently-ninth-placed Western Bulldogs, they’ll play in an MCG final in two weekends’ time.
And if Carlton beats the Dogs on Sunday afternoon, there’s every chance it’ll be a Pies-Blues showdown.
The Bulldogs play Melbourne in the last round of the regular season, while Carlton plays Fremantle at Marvel Stadium.
2. COACH’S REACTION SAYS IT ALL AS PIES FLEX BIGGEST STRENGTH
Pies and pressure.
They’re two words that have become almost synonymous this year, with Craig McRae’s side unrelenting in their hunt for the opposition.
And it was the case early and often on Saturday night, with Collingwood ensuring everything was under heat for Hawthorn.
The Pies knew the Hawks were going to come out hot after their subpar effort against Brisbane, and they were ready for it, laying 22 tackles to Hawthorn’s six in the opening stanza.
That differential was the equal-biggest of any two teams in a first quarter this season.
And a punishing goal off turnover in the second term epitomised the theme of the first half.
Beau McCreery streamed in and goaled after Josh Weddle’s kick into the middle of the ground was picked off.
“That kick there is a result of the pressure that Collingwood is putting Hawthorn under,” dual premiership player David King said.
“They’re now trying to manufacture things that are not there.
“They’ve been taken out of their comfort zone; they need realignment, there’s no doubt.
“Half-time cannot come quick enough for the Hawks.”
The Magpies sought to play a front-half game from the very outset, forcing repeat entries to create opportunities.
At the main change, they were +15 for inside-50s.
“Collingwood have managed to curb their counterpunch and deny them,” King said on Fox Footy.
And deep in the second half, right as it seemed Hawthorn had the game on its terms after a dominant third quarter, the Pies dug in again.
They kicked four-straight goals in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, before a tantalising finish to proceedings ensued.
McRae: ‘We just don’t give up!’ | 12:20
But it was a post-siren scene that also caught the eye.
While Hawthorn players looked dejected in the immediate aftermath, Craig McRae opted to cut an overtly positive shape.
In what was a stark picture, the Collingwood coach made a clear effort to invigorate the morale of his group, gesturing to his players by pumping his fists and waving his arms.
“I think Craig McRae is a master at finding the shining light,” Jack Riewoldt said later on Fox Footy.
“And the standard that he sets as a coach … he would have said, ‘That is a big step forward for us’.
“The way he behaves publicly and behind the scenes makes sure that they can grab momentum and roll on from this, in what is a really good performance against a side that many believe are going to challenge for the premiership.
“He will always take that silver lining; he knows that is the way to motivate this group.”
King echoed that sentiment.
“I look at this Collingwood lineup, and they were gone. Halfway through the third term, Hawthorn had put five on them in a row,” he said.
“So I think he’ll look at that and say, ‘Well done to fight back and at least give yourself a winning chance. And then, we act like winners — we don’t lay on the ground, no woe is me, you gave your best, we get up, we lick our wounds, we go again’.
“That’s his mantra — ‘we live like winners, we talk like winners, and we act like winners’.”
1. HAWKS RESPONSE WE HAD TO SEE… AFTER WORRYING SIGNS
We’re learning a bit about the Hawks as September beckons.
They certainly didn’t stand up in the face of pressure last Friday against Brisbane, and they were cornered by the Pies in the first half on Saturday night.
The difference between the two? We saw a definitive response against the Pies, even if they didn’t finish the job.
But they had to work hard to get themselves back in the game after a poor start not commensurate with finals standard.
Sam Mitchell’s side managed three first-half goals in pristine conditions as their avenues to goal were shut down by the Pies.
“This is a massive game for Hawthorn, especially off the back of last week — this is a bit of a solidification of where you really sit as a football club,” Jack Riewoldt said at half-time.
“They have been challenged off the back of a poor performance against Brisbane, and they have been beaten up, basically.
“Collingwood have come to play, they have brought the pressure, and at the moment, you’d have to say that Hawthorn have crumbled … crumbled under what is finals-like pressure.”
Collingwood had the upper hand in pressure factor, 191-169, at half-time.
And tackling efficiency is one of the big stats that’s told the Hawthorn tale this season.
When the Hawks record more than 55 tackles for the game, they’ve gone 13-1. When they’ve gone under 55, it’s a 1-1-5 record.
And at half-time, Mitchell’s side had just 25 tackles.
“This is the stat that Sam Mitchell would be looking at … they really do struggle (when it’s sub-55),” Riewoldt said.
And the Hawks delivered precisely the response the coaching staff would’ve been after, booting five goals to one to take a slender lead into the last change.
Noticeably upping their pressure and able to ignite a forward-half game, Hawthorn looked more like the devastating side we’ve come to admire this year.
If only Dylan Moore was able to get just a little bit more sauce on that post-siren kick.
Re-live our coverage of Hawthorn vs Collingwood in the blog below!
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