Jordan de Goey and Adam Treloar, two of Collingwood’s best in a 44-point win over Richmond. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Five minutes before half-time on Thursday night, Collingwood seemed to have all but iced another bumper clash with its great rivals from the Punt Road strip.

The Magpies had dominated this game with an intelligent brand of football which was essentially a sophisticated brand of keepings-off.

The Pies found space everywhere, raking up the uncontested possessions and uncontested marks, as Richmond couldn’t get close enough to apply its special brand of physical pressure.

Collingwood was four goals up and looking for the kill. Instead, it walked off somehow just six points up after Richmond kicked the last three goals of the half.

That could have been a morale-sapping little period for the Pies. But not this version. As they demonstrated all last season, through injury, through bowling over a series of seemingly better-credentialed opponents, and in so nearly snagging a premiership, these Pies just won’t quit.

And so the second half continued the way most of the first had panned out. Quick goals, plenty of run and the tables being turned on the Tigers in terms of the application of pressure. Last week, Collingwood was a little sloppy. This week, it was, to say the least, slick.

And eventually it was the opponent which broke, the Pies’ eventual 44-point win probably a fitting reflection of just how good they were.

The writing was on the wall early, too. This game started as ominously for Richmond as the previous meeting with the same opponent, Mason Cox channelling memories of the preliminary final with a strong mark in front and the first goal of the game.

Collingwood could have had a couple more besides, a Jamie Elliott “goal” disallowed after a free kick had already been conceded and Brody Mihocek missing a sitter.

The Pies would pay in the short term with Daniel Rioli goalling on the turnover for the Tigers.

But Josh Thomas restored the ledger, and Collingwood looked the superior side in general play, its modus operandi to keep spreading the ball, kicking laterally, denying Richmond the merest opportunity to apply its famed pressure.

By half-time, the Magpies had racked up an incredible 99 marks to 36 and 180 uncontested possessions to Richmond’s 99 as they played a game of patience. And in the second term, it paid off on the scoreboard.

A costly turnover from Nick Vlastuin gifted the Pies an open goal put away by Mihocek. Enter Jordan de Goey to stamp his brilliance on the contest, first with a checkside snap, five minutes later with a proverbial “screamer” over Oleg Markov and another snap around the corner.

In between was another gift to Adam Treloar after Jack Riewoldt misjudged his length kicking into the centre square. The Pies were four goals clear, dominating the key stats and looking set to, if anything, pull further in front.

Richmond these days, though, like all sides having played near a peak for an extended length of time, knows how to simply hang in a contest.

That’s all the Tigers were doing, but suddenly, it reaped rewards with the final three goals of the half.

Jack Higgins got the first after a nice pass from an increasingly comfortable-looking Tom Lynch. The spearhead himself then got on the end of one from Trent Cotchin and dobbed his second.

And right on the bell, Kamdyn McIntosh jolted the ball out of Steele Sidebottom’s hands in a tackle. Somehow the resultant free ended up in the hands of Shane Edwards, who from a tight angle, made no mistake.
The Tigers went into the rooms for the long break with the momentum. But it didn’t last long. Collingwood won the first bounce of the third term and Chris Mayne slammed it home a mere 25 seconds in. De Goey, by now putting on a clinic of sheer class, dobbed his third.

Then came one of those symbolic moments. Dustin Martin, well held all night by Levi Greenwood, marked on a 45-degree angle close to goal. Forsaking the obvious drop punt for the checkside, he missed. Sure enough, the ball traversed the length of the field from the kick-in, Mihocek running into an open goal.

That wasn’t the game in scoreboard terms, the Tigers still sneak an answering goal for the remainder of the term. But it came soon enough.

Cox made it four goals the difference again just 17 seconds into the final quarter. And five goals to one in the last rammed Collingwood’s advantage home for good.

De Goey finished with five. In a midfield already brimming with talent, Dayne Beams showed just how valuable is the cream he adds to the top of the cake. Jack Crisp and Jeremy Howe were safe in defence, tall backmen Darcy Moore and Jordan Roughead terrific.

Richmond, in contrast, looked pedestrian by comparison. Martin, whom you can’t help but wonder might be carrying something, lacked his normal spark. Skipper Cotchin was just OK. In fact, it was Tiger second-gamer Lynch who waved the flag as anyone.

But on this night at least, collectively they were no match for an opponent which had a plan and executed it to perfection.

In the end, the Pies won the inside battle comprehensively, and simply smashed it on the outside with 174 marks, close to the most ever recorded, to 78, and no fewer than 340 uncontested possessions, an incredible 154 more than the Tigers.

If it was keepings-off, it was a pretty attractive version. And one which, like Collingwood as a whole these days, is pretty hard to stop.

RICHMOND 2.2 6.3 9.4 10.6 (66)
COLLINGWOOD 3.2 7.3 12.4 17.8 (110)
GOALS – Richmond: Lynch 3, Higgins 2, Short 2, Edwards 2, Rioli. Collingwood: De Goey 5, Mihocek 2, Cox 2, Stephenson 2, Thomas, Treloar, Phillips, Mayne, Pendlebury, Elliott.
BEST – Richmond: Lynch, Edwards, Cotchin, Short, Martin. Collingwood: De Goey, Treloar, Pendlebury, Beams, Howe, Crisp, Moore, Roughead.
INJURIES – Richmond: Riewoldt (wrist)
UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Foot, Gianfagna
CROWD: 70,699 at the MCG