Pies hold on in King's Birthday thriller against Dees
Collingwood held on for a tense one-point win over Melbourne in an epic finish to their King's Birthday blockbuster as Demons stars Max Gawn and Steven May clashed on the final siren.
The Magpies led by 20 points in the third quarter but fell behind early in the last term, before Dan McStay kicked the final goal of an 11.6 (72) to 10.11 (71) victory at the MCG.
Both sides had further chances to score but Gawn's snap at a boundary throw-in narrowly missed and a set shot by Koltyn Tholstrup fell short as the Demons fell agonisingly short.
Melbourne captain Gawn's shanked kick from the back pocket with 30 seconds left fell in the lap of Collingwood's Will Hoskin-Elliott, and the Pies iced the game.
Gawn and May were then involved in a heated conversation on the siren, with the captain pushing his teammate away.
Almost a year to the day since last season's injury nightmare, Demons star Christian Petracca returned to the same stage with 26 disposals and five clearances.
But it was some of Collingwood's stars who shone brightest as the ladder leaders made it five wins on the bounce and improved their record to 11-2 ahead of a mid-season bye.
Jeremy Howe (26 disposals) was brilliant in defence, Josh Daicos (34) stood up in the middle and McStay kicked two important goals.
Pendles' candy 🤝 McCreery's rocket #AFLDeesPies pic.twitter.com/nqijk0y7B1
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2025
Nick Daicos kicked one goal from 19 disposals as he dealt with a tight tag from rebadged Melbourne winger Ed Langdon.
The Demons (5-8) had their chances as Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett kicked three goals each.
Pickett put Melbourne in front briefly in the final quarter and Clayton Oliver (30 disposals, nine clearances) worked hard.
The Demons dominated centre clearances (16-7) and overall clearances (39-29), and had a 54-45 advantage in forward entries, but couldn't make it count.
Langdon wore Daicos like a glove from the outset and their tussle was central to multiple spotfires throughout a tight first half.
Two Pickett goals bookended three straight Collingwood majors in the second quarter, his first a fortuitous hack off the deck from 45 metres.
But the Demons managed just 2.4 for the term - to Collingwood's 4.0 - despite dominating the inside-50 count (21-9).
The Magpies, who enjoyed an 18-11 advantage in free kicks in the first half, led by eight points at the main break after Tim Membrey slotted a set shot on the siren.
Fritsch twice trimmed the margin to a solitary point with brilliant snaps in the final term, either side of a Nick Daicos goal on the end of a 50m penalty.
And Pickett put Melbourne in front with another snap before McStay sent the Magpies ahead for the last time.
Collingwood's victory extended their recent dominance of Melbourne to 11 wins in 13 meetings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bullish Conrad backs South Africa to stun Australia
South Africa's coach Shukri Conrad speaks during a press conference at Lord's cricket ground in London, on June 9, 2025, ahead of the ICC World Test Championship cricket final match between Australia and South Africa. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images) By Charlie Bennett at Lord's South Africa might be the underdogs in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 but head coach Shukri Conrad is quietly confident of an upset. The Proteas face defending champions and the world number ones Australia at Lord's this week, chasing a first ICC men's global trophy since 1998. Advertisement The size of the task ahead of them is significant. Australia have retained the Ashes and beaten India in a thrilling five-match series on the road to Lord's, a ground at which they have traditionally excelled. Batters Steve Smith, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja are all ranked inside the world's top 10, while bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are numbers three, four and five respectively. However, Conrad believes his team have what it takes to stop the Australian juggernaut and spring a surprise. 'We are here, that is all that matters,' Conrad said. 'It doesn't get bigger than playing Australia, and we are quietly confident going into this game that we can pull one over on them. Advertisement 'If there are any weaknesses amongst them, we will be able to exploit it.' His confidence is well-founded. South Africa have won seven Tests in a row to reach this point and have a bowling attack that is the envy of the world. Last year, Kagiso Rabada became the fastest quick bowler to take 300 Test wickets in terms of deliveries bowled – his 11,817 balls coming in 785 fewer than Pakistan great Waqar Younis. He leads an attack that also features the lively Marco Jansen, speedy Wiaan Mulder and crafty spinner Keshav Maharaj. It is an attack more than capable of taking 20 wickets, but you don't win seven Test matches in a row without some runs being scored – and that is where South Africa face questions. Advertisement Of the top seven that played their last Test against Pakistan, only Ryan Rickelton has a Test average above 40. Yet Conrad has full confidence they can stand up and deliver. 'The inexperience of the batters is apparent in terms of Tests played, and rankings,' he said. 'It is normal to chat about bowlers when you have KG Rabada, who is one of the best in the world, and Keshav Maharaj. 'But there is a confidence in the batters, while they might not have the superstar names among them, they are very confident. 'Our strength is the collective, we will go out and fight for every run and every wicket. 'You look at a guy like Tristan Stubbs, he doesn't bowl but look at the way he celebrates when we take a wicket. As we go on, we want more names on honours boards around the world.' Advertisement Whenever South Africa play in an ICC final, it is not long for their record in finals to crop up. They have not won an ICC event since the first Champions Trophy in 1998, and lost last summer's ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final. 'Our ICC finals record doesn't weigh heavy on us, it is unfair to burden our players with that,' Conrad added. 'We don't want to wish this experience away, whatever tags come along, we don't wear that. 'It is just another occasion to set the record straight. You can only win it if you play finals, and the more you play, the better your chances. 'We always take a 'let's embrace' it approach. We will be enjoying the majority of the support, and it is a huge day. Advertisement 'We can't wish it away, these are some of the conversations we had last night. Rathet than wish it away, we talked through it. There will be nerves but it is a great occasion, I'd rather be part of it than not.' © ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2025
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Tottenham asked to reinstate Ange Postecoglou as head coach by Melbourne mayor
The mayor of one of Australia's biggest cities has asked Tottenham Hotspur to 'reconsider' their decision to sack head coach Ange Postecoglou, adding they risk being 'known as the team that is allergic to silverware'. The 59-year-old Postecoglou, who was born in Greece but grew up in Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria, was relieved of his duties by Tottenham on Friday after two seasons at the helm. Advertisement He led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years when they won the Europa League on May 21 but oversaw a league campaign that ended with a 17th-place finish and 22 losses, both record lows for the club in the Premier League era. Postecoglou spent the majority of his playing career with South Melbourne FC — a club founded by Greek immigrants and originally known as South Melbourne Hellas — and was head coach of the team between 1996 and 2000. After leading Australia at the 2014 World Cup and winning the 2015 Asian Cup as head coach of the national team, Postecoglou remains popular in his home city and nation, with Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece even taking the step to publicly urge Tottenham to reverse their decision. 'On behalf of the people of Melbourne, and Premier League fans around the world, I call on Tottenham Hotspur to reconsider its decision to sack coach Ange Postecoglou,' said Mr Reece in a post on Instagram. 'In Melbourne we have followed Ange's career closely for decades. 'Never underestimate Ange's determination to win, and his ability to carry teams to greatness. We have seen this time again over his career. This year Tottenham made history by winning the Europa League trophy — its first such win in 17 years. We will see further trophies if Ange is given the chance. 'Don't let Tottenham be known as the team that is allergic to silverware. Let Ange lead the players onto greatness in next year's Premier League campaign.' Mr Reece is a member of Australia's Labor Party and assumed his role in July 2024, before retaining it in the 2024 Melbourne City Council election. Tottenham are yet to confirm Postecoglou's replacement. The Athletic reported on Monday that the club had contacted Brentford as they seek to reach an agreement to appoint Thomas Frank as head coach. ()
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Summer McIntosh shatters two more swimming world records at Canadian trials
Three-time Olympic champion Summer McIntosh has done it again. The teenage swimmer set her second world record in three days at the Canadian trials on Monday night in Victoria, British Columbia. McIntosh swam the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 5.7 seconds, breaking the record of 2:06.12 set by Katinka Hosszu of Hungary in 2015. McIntosh is the first female swimmer to finish under 2:06. SUMMER MCINTOSH EARNS HER SECOND WORLD RECORD AT THE CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS 🤯👏 She breaks Katinka Hosszu's 200m individual medley world record with a time of 2:05.70. — CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) June 10, 2025 The 18-year-old from Toronto had already broken the world mark in the 400 freestyle on Saturday, completing the race in 3:54.18 and winning by more than 13 seconds. McIntosh took more than a second off the old record of 3:55.38 set by Ariarne Titmus of Australia in 2023. McIntosh broke her Canadian record in the 800 free on Sunday with a time of 8:05.07, which was just 0.95 of a second off the world record set by Katie Ledecky in May. Advertisement 'I knew that my training has been really good these past few months, and I knew that I could do something special,' McIntosh told the CBC. McIntosh also holds the 400 IM world record, as well as the 400 free, 200 butterfly and 400 IM records in the short-course pool. McIntosh and Ledecky are likely to meet in the 400 freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore on July 27. They also could battle in the 800 freestyle if McIntosh decides to swim in that race after bypassing it at the Paris Olympics. (Photo of Summer McIntosh: Joris Verwijst / BSR Agency / Getty Images)
