Match result
Collingwood 15.12.102 defeated Werribee 11.4.70
In action
Jed Anderson (22 disposals, 5 tackles, 2 goals)
Ben McKay (16 disposals, 11 marks)
Matthew Taylor (14 disposals, 5 tackles)
Lachlan Hansen (9 disposals, 3 goals)
Will Fordham (15 disposals)
Lindsay Thomas (8 disposals, 5 tackles)
Story of the game
In a day reminiscent of the late-eighties, Werribee hosted Collingwood in a curtain-raiser at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Two early goals to Lachlan Hansen had the Tigers off to a flyer, and two minutes into the second quarter their lead was 20 points.
Collingwood hit back though, booting the next four, before Hansen hit the scoreboard again. The teams went in almost level at the main break.
Jed Anderson kicked the first goal of the third term, but from there the Magpies took control. Five goals from Kayle Kirby helped Collingwood to a comprehensive 32-point victory.
Best of the VFL
Tom Gribble
The Werribee midfielder had 30 disposals and laid 4 tackles, notching up another impressive performance for 2017.
Talking points
Hansen impacts at either end
Playing in attack, Hansen kicked three first half goals and had a hand in several others.
After the main break as Collingwood took control of the game, Hansen spent time in defence to help stem the flow, easing the load on youngsters Ben McKay and Matt Taylor.
“Lachie looked really damaging forward and then went back into defence in the second half when we started losing some soldiers,” North Development Coach David Loader said.
“He took a couple of great contested marks and arguably could have had four or five goals at half-time.
“He played the team game as always, and gave a couple off, but looked really damaging up forward.”
Ben backs up
Ben McKay has played in the back half in recent weeks, and had another big job against Lachlan Keefe on Saturday.
He finished with 16 disposals and 11 marks in another valuable learning experience.
“Ben really set himself up this week to play a whole game in defence and saw some real improvement,” Loader said.
“Ben competed pretty well and positioned himself well to take a couple of marks.”
Taylor stands tall
Rookie-listed player Matt Taylor was important deep in defence, setting up Werribee’s attack from the back.
“He’s put together two or three games where he’s become pretty reliable in the way he defends,” Loader said.
“He’s another one that’s had a little bit of good form at the minute.
“The offensive side of his game, when he gets the ball in his hand, he’s able to use his leg-speed and open the game up a little bit and challenge them with the ball.”
Anderson finds form
Jed Anderson put in another solid performance to put himself in selection contention.
“Jed played mainly as a mid-forward but did go into some stoppages and did a little bit of clearance work,” Loader said.
“His last couple of games have been a real step forward. He’s certainly playing with more energy."
