COLLINGWOOD 15.13 (103) d MELBOURNE 8.9 (57)

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BRIGHT LIGHT ON A DARK NIGHT
The heavens gave the MCG clash between Collingwood and Melbourne one of its brightest moments on Friday night - a bolt of lightning that stopped play in the last quarter.
Bizarrely, it was not an immediate reaction. Play was allowed to continue on for a number of minutes after the flash lit up the sky.
But when Magpie Jack Crisp kicked the game’s next goal, with little more than nine minutes remaining on the clock, emergency umpire Chelsea Roffey called the players and umpires from the ground.
Surprisingly at least a quarter of the 53,957 crowd stuck around waiting for play to resume.
That happened almost 40 minutes later, the players having to keep warm and occupied in the change rooms waiting for the skies to clear. The last-term clock kept ticking over for 65 minutes and 47 seconds, making it one of the longest quarters in history.
Which is a pity, because apart from wondering how many possessions the magnificent Daicos boys were going to amass - Nick and Josh had 40 each - the game needed to be put out of its misery.
Until then, it had been a bruise-free, low-voltage contest. Sadly, only Collingwood turned up to play.
The crowd could have only stuck around knowing it was going to be a long time between drinks - both sides will be locked away now until next year’s pre-season.
How the mighty have fallen. Like last year, Collingwood finished with a win - this time in round 24. Like last year, Melbourne lost its last game - this time in round 24.

PICKETT FACING SUSPENSION
Kozzie Pickett is looking at a late start to next year. The dynamic Melbourne forward collected Darcy Moore in the face with his right arm just minutes before half-time at the MCG. Moore took the kick but was subbed out of the game at half-time with concussion. Both players were chasing a loose ball to the boundary line and as the Magpie defender dropped to his knees to collect the ground ball, Pickett went low with a bump. But at the last second, Picket lifted his right forearm and hit Moore flush on the cheek. Hard to see the MRO forgiving Pickett for this one. He was rubbed out for a week at the start of this season for a bump on Adelaide’s Jake Soligo. It’s a pity Pickett allows these indiscretions to creep into his game because he looked dangerous all night, booting twio against Collingwood and setting up a number of others.
In Pickett’s defence, Channel 7 commentator Luke Hodge said Moore probably did not need to go to ground: “I hope they (MRO) look if Moore should have gone to ground. I hope they take that into consideration.” Hodge said
The Magpie Army naturally booed Pickett for the action, but it was nothing compared to the treatment copped by Brayden Maynard from an unforgiving Melbourne crowd. The Demons supporters have clearly not forgiven the Collingwood No.4 for his career-ending bump on Angus Brayshaw during last year’s final series. He was loudly jeered twice during the opening term and twice again during the second quarter.

NEW SIDE TO OLD STEELE
Necessity is often the mother of invention in the coaching game and Craig McRae has hit on a winner after losing Jordan De Goey a couple of weeks back. To help bolster the midfield, McRae started using evergreen winger Steele Sidebottom in a run-with tagging role. Across the past three weeks, the dual premiership champion has shut down Sydney’s Errol Gulden, Brisbane’s Lachie Neale and against Melbourne he kept Jack Viney quiet. He has also been able to win plenty of his own ball. Another area that McRae has been able to use to great effect has been a mosquito fleet forward line in the absence of the injured Brody Mihocek and Daniel McStay. At times against Melbourne, the Pies had six small, mobile forwards: Jamie Elliott, Bobby Hill, Beau McCreery, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Lachie Schultz and Joe Richards. It allowed the Pies to give their second ruckman - either Mason Cox or Darcy Cameron - time off the ground. It also helped that the Demons were without key defenders Steven May and Jake Lever, who withdrew in the pre-match warm-up with illness.

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