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Melbourne v Collingwood: Pies hold off fast-finishing Demons to win King's Birthday thriller at MCG

Melbourne v Collingwood: Pies hold off fast-finishing Demons to win King's Birthday thriller at MCG

West Australian2 hours ago

Collingwood have won a thrilling King's Birthday game by just one point over Melbourne 72-71.
In a gripping contest where the Demons never gave up, Koltyn Tholstrup had a chance to reclaim the lead in the final minutes, but his set shot fell short.
Scores were level at the first break (14–14), before Collingwood led narrowly at halftime (38–30) and three-quarter time (57–50).
Kysaiah Pickett produced a stunning goal in the second quarter when he soccered the ball through a pack of players from 50 metres out. It was one of his three goals for the game.
Demon Bayley Fritsch also had a strong game with two goals, while Daniel McStay kicked two goals for Collingwood.
Josh Daicos was the leading ball-getter with 34 touches, while Clayton Oliver had 30 for Melbourne.
More than 77,000 people packed into the MCG to watch the annual MND fundraiser inspired by former Essendon player and Melbourne coach Neale Daniher.
More to come...

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One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act
One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act

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One down, one up as McRae lauds Daicos double-act

If one Daicos doesn't get you, the other one will. Collingwood star Nick Daicos had his usual sharp impact blunted by a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne wingman Ed Langdon in the King's Birthday thriller. But older brother Josh stepped up in a best-afield display, tallying a game-high 34 disposals from half-back in the Magpies' 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG. "It's a nice duo, isn't it?" Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of his super siblings. "Josh has had an enormous year. He starts on the bench and he just looked like a different player to everyone else when he came on. "Everyone was fumbling, but not Josh. I'm really happy for him. "He's worked really hard on his game, he's never played backline before and he's working really hard to be the best player he can be. "Right now everyone's seeing that." Daicos pounces on the turnover and Long hits the scoreboard 👏#AFLDeesPies AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2025 Langdon wore Nick Daicos like a glove from the outset and frustrated the Pies' Brownlow Medal fancy, who had just seven touches in the first half. Daicos had another seven in the third quarter and almost had a major say in the last, when he kicked one goal from a 50 metre penalty and missed another set shot when Langdon conceded a free kick. Langdon had just four disposals himself and raised eyebrows with some of his close-checking tactics, but McRae conceded the hard-running Demon played his role well. "I thought Nick was well handled today," McRae said. "They did a great job on him and Nick fought through it, but Langdon would've had the honours." The physical battle between Langdon and Daicos sparked a series of spotfires between players from both sides in the first half. McRae felt it was a "nil-all draw" in the way his players looked after Daicos in slippery conditions that made for a hard-fought contest. "There were times when we could've done a few things different, but it's a different game right now," McRae said. Not to be outdone by his sons, Collingwood legend Peter Daicos stood out dressed as Heath Ledger's iconic Joker in the pre-match Big Freeze fundraiser. The Magpies' fifth straight win gave them an 11-2 record on top of the ladder at their mid-season bye.

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