2023 Grand Final
Collingwood 4.4.28 9.9.63 10.15.75 12.18.90
Brisbane Lions 3.0.18 9.3.57 11.5.66 13.8.86
VENUE: MCG
DATE: Saturday 30 September
CROWD: 100,024
UMPIRES: Stevic, Gavine, Meredith, Findlay
PRE MATCH
After a heartbreaking one point loss to the Swans in the 2022 Preliminary Final, Collingwood launched into their 2023 campaign with a barnstorming win over reigning premier Geelong. It was apparent the ‘Pies were a team on a mission, the only stumble to the season’s mid-point being an injury affected loss to Brisbane at their Gabba fortress. Top spot appeared locked in until, at the last turn, poor losses to Carlton and Hawthorn, and a potential season-ending injury to wunderkind Nick Daicos, had many questioning whether the race was already lost.
Strong wins bookended another loss against an ominous Lions outfit with Darcy Moore, Hill and De Goey all notable absentees. There was no questioning the group’s belief and unity, but had they lost their mojo? A critical 7-point Qualifying Final win over Melbourne righted the ship, placing them in the box seat to at least make the decider. It was no plain sailing though, a spirited performance by GWS eliciting flashbacks to the 2019 Preliminary Final disaster. Alas, Collingwood held on by the barest of margins, as is their extraordinary new talent under Craig McRae.
Waiting for the Pies on one of the hottest Grand Final days on record (29 degrees) were the hot Lions, having overrun a gallant Carlton, and thus avoiding what would have been the blockbuster to end all blockbusters. Brisbane entered the day with much at stake, having been thereabouts for several years yet ultimately wilting under he finals flame.
Sometimes likened to fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, Craig McRae would stretch the bounds of artistic license in 2023. Employing Beau McCreery’s mum to deliver a pre-match rev-up prior to a mid-season Giants clash was one thing, winning the Prelim against the same opponent on his 50th birthday another. But becoming a father to a baby girl (called Maggie, no less) on the morning of the Grand Final, and announcing it to his players to kick off the pre-match speech, was next level. Even more surreal than septuagenarian rockers Kiss delivering the pre-match show.
THE GAME
The anti-climactic opening bounce, a sideways shocker demanding a do-over, was no portent of what was to come. Collingwood settled better with Nick Daicos earning a head-high free just 25 meters out in front at the Ponsford Stand end. McCreery then deftly found Bobby Hill on a 45 degree angle to have two on the board in quick time. Bailey slotted a sensational drop punt on the run from the pocket, followed by a long one to McCarthy who’d found space to have Brisbane up and running. Bailey outdid his first from a similar spot, only this time seizing on a smother on Cox, evading he and Murphy before curling it back beautifully. A show of strength ensued, the Magpies now set back on their heels. After an uncharacteristic miss by Cox, Mihocek would provide the answer with an underrated snap deep in the pocket. A turnover in the final seconds resulted in a spearing low Quaynor pass to De Goey, set with the task of a 55 metre shot from a 45 degree angle after the siren. As he did in the 2018 Grand Final, De Goey rose to the occasion, giving the Pies a boost heading into the second.
Statless in the first term, danger man Charlie Cameron made light work of a snap shot to register a major not long after the break (during which John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads played over the speakers). Inspired by ‘his song’, Cameron then set up McCluggage for another successful snap before Hill steadied with an excellent set shot and celebratory kiss to the crowd. Brisbane were in the ascendency though, Cameron winning a foot race to goal. A couple near misses by McCreery were followed by an easy one to Daniher. Then McCarthy blasted a ripper from the pocket. With 20 minutes elapsed the Lions won an ominous 13-point break. It didn’t last long, Crisp repeating his sensational Qualifying Final banger from beyond 50 metres on the boundary. And then the Jesaulenko moment – Bobby Hill launching himself for a screamer over his opponent Starcevich after a perfectly weighted pass by Maynard to Howe in the centre. Hill was ‘on’, five minutes later turning his opponent inside out to snap a career high fourth. There would still be time for Daniher to level the scores and Collingwood to conjure a final opportunity after the siren, again. With 13 seconds remaining and the ball in the shadows of the Members Stand, Daicos put on the after-burners, executed a sublime fake and went inboard with a precision pass to Hosken-Elliott, who quickly found straight shooter Crisp. High scoring, free-flowing and close, not to mention chock-full of highlights, the epic 35-minute second quarter was certainly one for the ages.
As is so often the case, a feast is followed by a famine, goals drying up as the defensive pressure mounts. Just a few behinds were registered in the opening 10 minutes, the unluckiest being Maynard, whose poster was the result of a boundary set shot. Somewhat unluckily, Markov was pinged for incorrectly standing the mark – a technical call that gifted McCluggage his second. Then Robertson was able to sneak out the back for a goal square gimme. Another miss (to Hill), Collingwood’s sixth straight for the quarter, had many wondering if the Pies were kicking themselves out of a flag. Cometh the moment, cometh Pendlebury, set up by a clever, unselfish pass by Hill. The lead restored to five points, (four after a rare Lions’ miss by McCarthy) and the Premiership still rested on a knife’s edge at the last break.
As in the 3rd term, it felt like Collingwood had the upper hand but couldn’t land a decisive blow. Noticeably throughout the game the Magpies were banging the contested ball forward at all costs, whether it be Cox in the ruck or around the ground by fist or foot. A few minutes in Pendlebury toyed with defenders deep in the forward pocket, alas Nick Daicos’ subsequent attempt to thread the needle (ala his miracle-working father) was touched on the goal line. A minute later Hill hooked a set shot wide of the target. He made amends with a team-lifting run-down tackle, but Brisbane persisted. Wide open, Howe was met heavily by Cameron after disposing of the ball. With underrated bravery he saw out the game with three busted ribs knowing that with Murphy subbed out he just had to stay on. Gettable goals by Daniher, Coleman and Hipwood only registered minor scores and suddenly there was little more than five minutes remaining. Enter Charlie Cameron, who in classic fashion pounced on a ground ball and kept his feet under extreme pressure, leaving Maynard and Quaynor grasping at air. Cameron’s snap from the top of the goal square put Brisbane two points to the good, his celebration amid wild scenes in the shadows of the Ponsford stand sending a shiver through black and white hearts. Although there was still plenty of time, the next centre bounce promised to be a critical one.
The Cox-N Daicos-Pendlebury-spoil-N Daicos-De Goey-goal sequence to follow promises to be one of the most replayed clips in grand final history. From the boundary McRae was orchestrating the mode of play in concert with Pendlebury conducting. Too early to shut up shop with four-and-a-bit minutes and a four point lead, McRae rolled the dice on ‘Rocca’ as the coded instruction sign said. There was still a final act to a ‘Collywood’ ending to trump most Hollywood endings. Enter Steele Sidebottom, tasked with a 55 metre journey to cover himself in glory, should his 33 year old knees and hamstrings allow. With no short options on offer, and the unlikelihood of a mark at the top of the square, it was worth a throw at the stumps. When the ball sailed inconceivably over the goal umpires head, short lived pandemonium ensued. The Champagne could almost be tasted, alas there was still four minutes for an evil twist in the tail so familiar to the Army. And sure enough Brisbane manufactured a foray which resulted in Daniher accepting a remarkable McCluggage cross to bring the margin back to four points with 93 seconds left to endure. As they had done on numerous occasions under McRae’s watch, the players maintained their composure to play the minutes, and seconds, until Mitchell’s pass to Mihocek on half back required just one mighty hoof down the line to secure an unforgettable victory, and a day etched into Collingwood folklore.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
In a game that saw 10 lead changes, with the scores drawing level an additional four times and a margin never extending beyond 13 points, every moment mattered. Within that, there was certainly a collection of ‘what-if’ moments upon which the result may have turned.
For instance, what if the first and second quarters had ended a few seconds earlier and the Magpies not headed into those breaks with their tails up? Mid-way through the second quarter, with the Lions on a roll, what if Crisp hadn’t pulled out one of his mightiest drop punts on goal to arrest their momentum? And how badly did Murphy’s absence (due to a head knock in the first quarter) upset the balance of the side?
Fast forward to Pendlebury’s goal deep into the third term, what if Collingwood trailed at the final change on the back of a cluster of missed opportunities. Old demons die hard.
Then of course, when the game was on the line, the De Goey and Sidebottom responses to Cameron’s lead-grabbing goal would surely be the images accompanying the definition of clutch in any illustrated dictionary. And if the broadcast commentary was any guide then the advantage paid to Brisbane at centre half forward after Sidebottom’s goal, which basically provided no advantage, might have cost the Lions an opportunity to win (notwithstanding the free was a bold call in the first place).
But arguably the moment that mattered most occurred on 1 September 2021, the day when Craig McRae was appointed coach of the Collingwood Football Club.
AFTERMATCH
On and off the ground, the scenes of jubilation after the final siren have few parallels. The nature of the game, what was at stake and the enormous feeling within, and towards this team, and the entertainment they’d provided over two seasons, stoked a cauldron of emotions. Throw in the lingering hurt from 2018 and the historical significance of a 16th AFL/VFL flag, there’s no surprise tears flowed so freely.
Everything about 2023 was epic and the celebrations were no exception. The sight of the Daicos brothers embracing their famous father Peter and proud mum Colleen, equaled by Peter Moore handing his son Darcy the cup – in fact the involvement of partners, parents and children on-field was unprecedented and added significantly to the moment. The team also paid homage to the 19th man, the supporters, with probably the longest and most interactive lap of honour in the game’s history.
The club’s home base across the train tracks and Swan Street down the road were the next party destinations. The next day the old Olympic Park facility was again abuzz with a sea of black and white chanting ‘Coooll-iiiiinggg-wooooood’ until they were hoarse.
THE HERO
Bobby Hill (Collingwood)
The club’s capacity for Cinderella stories knew no limits in 2023. Bobby Hill, recruited from GWS after a season impacted by no less than a cancer diagnosis and recovery, chose the biggest stage to play his greatest game. In the difficult small forward role, Hill signaled he was ‘on’ in the first quarter before truly igniting the black and white horde in the second, almost single handedly dragging his side back from a worrying 13-point deficit. Whilst Hill’s speccy promises to go down in Grand Final legend, his pressure acts proved just as valuable. Though he missed a couple set shots in the second half, his influence was acute, such as his clever pass to Pendlebury for a much needed goal in the throes of three quarter time and a sensational run-down tackle on his opponent Starcevich in the last. There was no argument Hill’s performance warranted the Norm Smith Medal – in fact the voting saw him afforded three votes from every judge.
POSTSCRIPT
It’s difficult to adequately describe just how perfect the 2023 season, and grand final was, especially in context of what it meant to Collingwood supporters burdened by the weight of a history in which good fortune deserted when it really mattered, time upon time upon time again. Whilst the 4-point result won’t erase the ghost’s of grand finals past, as Anthony Rocca said to the luckless Nathan Buckley after the final siren, ‘we got one back’.
For romantics, the sight of former captain Peter Moore, handing the cup to his son and first-season captain Darcy… It was family, it was redemption, it was magic. And speaking of magic, there’s the Daicos trilogy. If watching one son-of the Macedonian Marvel wasn’t enough, now there was two. But not just two ordinary players, two that will, like their father, go down in Magpie history as premiership heroes – one the 2023 Copeland winner (Josh), the other (Nick) a prodigy who, but for injury, would have won the 2023 Brownlow in his second season.
And then there’s Scott Pendlebury and Stele Sidebottom, who endured a record 13 years of ups and downs to add to their Premiership medal collection. Despite their age, these two were by no means passengers, in fact they were the architects in the last quarter who helped wrench the cup back from the Lions.
Given the age profile of the list, and the rapid trajectory under Craig McRae’s watch, there would be no better opportunity. The alternative result doesn’t bear thinking about. All things considered, what transpired in terms of Collingwood’s fabled history can be aptly described, as it was by the coach, ‘the best day ever’.
WHAT THEY SAID
“Mate, do you want to be part of this?”
The master (Scott Pendlebury) wasn’t having a bar of the apprentice (Nick Daicos) opting out of the most important centre bounces of their careers.“Today was already the best day of my life, because my wife gave birth to a little girl this morning at 7:45. So darling, I’m coming home tonight with the cup – I love you!”
Craig McRae drops a whopper in his post match speech in front of 100,000 people.
“The mark? I thought I was Jeremy Howe for a second I didn’t actually see the ball until I was coming down.”
Bobby Hill defied the sun’s glare to emulate his teammate’s renowned aerial artistry.“I just thought I would pretend to cramp to try and just kill a little bit of time. How do you reckon it felt? Unbelievable.”
Steele Sidebottom, who booted 10 goals in a TAC Cup Grand Final and a couple in the 2010 AFL decider, enjoys the biggest of stages.“You come to a country not knowing anything, you’ve reached the pinnacle. It’s incredible how far I’ve come in a short period.”
Another fairytale of 2023 was American Mason Cox playing his 100th game and achieving the ultimate success.“I really wasn’t enjoying my footy last year – I wasn’t happy as a person and, to be honest, this is the happiest I’ve been in my life.”
There was an uncanny synergy between the paths Luke Ball and Tom Mitchell took in 2010 and 2023 respectively – accomplished but out-of-favour senior players who, in very similar roles, found instant success upon leaving their club for Collingwood.“I can’t remember too much of the game, but I’m remembering a lot of this (post match celebration), so that’s all that matters.”
Nathan Murphy ruled himself out with blurry vision despite passing the concussion test.“Standing in the middle of the ground today, after this with Daics on one side and Wrighty on the other, the last time we were here was pretty special. This is pretty good now.”
Club CEO and 1990 premiership hero Craig Kelly takes a trip down memory lane.“Bro, F#@%, I’m on air.”
Nick Daicos advises an interrupting Josh, unaware his younger brother was being interviewed on live television at club headquarters the day after the Grand Final.
COLLINGWOOD
B Maynard Moore Quaynor
HB Howe Murphy Markov
C Sidebottom Mitchell J Daicos
HF Crisp Mihocek N Daicos
F Hill Frampton Elliott
FOLL Cox, Pendlebury, De Goey
INT Hoskin-Elliott, McCreery, Cameron, Ginnivan, Lipinski (sub)
COACH McRae
BRISBANE
B Starcevich Andrews Wilmot
HB McKenna Gardiner Coleman
C McCluggage Dunkley Zorko
HF Robertson Hipwood Ah Chee
F Cameron Daniher Rayner
FOLL McInerney, Neale, Berry
INT Fletcher, Wilmot, Lester, McCarthy, Lyons (sub)
COACH Fagan
BEST
COLLINGWOOD – Hill, N Daicos, Pendlebury, De Goey, Mitchell, Crisp
BRISBANE – Coleman, McCluggage, Daniher, Cameron, Dunkley, Bailey
GOALS:
COLLINGWOOD – Hill 4, Crisp, De Goey 2, N Daicos, Mihocek, Pendlebury, Sidebottom
RICHMOND – Daniher, Cameron 3, Bailey, McCluggage, McCarthy 2, Robertson
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