Pies fall to Bulldogs in VFL curtain-raiser

Collingwood has gone down by 38 points in its Round 10 VFL clash against the Footscray Bulldogs.

Collingwood has gone down by 38 points in its Round 10 VFL clash against the Footscray Bulldogs.

The Pies took the ascendancy early with a goal to Ben Crocker in just the second minute of the game, set up by Ed Allan and Nathan Krueger through the centre of the ground.

Nathan Krueger kicked the second of the game to give the Pies an early two-goal buffer, however Footscray responded quickly with four goals.

The margin was just eight points at the first change however, as the Pies stayed right in the contest throughout the opening stages of the game.

Just one goal through Krueger came in the second quarter, however the side’s defence was holding strong and repelling many entries by the Bulldogs.

A four-goal to one third term in favour of the Bulldgos strengthened their hold on the game in the third quarter, with the Pies not able to go inside fifty as regularly as they had earlier in the match.

Footscray ran out the game strong to confirm the more than six-goal win.

Schreiber returns like he’d never left

As a much loved and respected member of the Pies VFL program, the return of defender Kaden Schreiber on Friday gave the team a major boost.

Having injured his knee in the early stages of 2023 and sat on the sidelines for over 12 months, the 22-year-old returned for his first game in the black and white since Round Four, 2023, and looked like he’d never left.

The tall had six intercept possessions from his 10 first half touches and was typically diligent in defence.

He finished with six marks and 12 disposals in a positive return to VFL football.

Krueger finds the big sticks

Key forward Nathan Krueger was a powerful figure in attack for the Pies on Friday afternoon, kicking three goals.

He started his day off with a set shot early in the opening term following setting up Ben Crocker for the first goal of the day.

He then capitalised on an advantage call in the second term to dribble home another, before a big contested mark in the third term earned him a treble for the day.

Sparkes continues fantastic 2024

While it was his Wonthaggi teammates and best mate Jack Hutchinson that earned himself a spot on an AFL list on Wednesday night, midfield star Ryan Sparkes continued his brilliant maiden season at Collingwood on Friday.

Quickly becoming one of the team’s most consistent and unforgiving players, Sparkes was a force in the middle of the ground all night.

He regularly got first hands to the ball with his contest work typically a feature of his game, while his work rate around the ground was also on show.

The big-bodied mid finished with 29 disposals and six clearances in his ninth game for the Club.

Farrant soars for three screamers in four quarters

There’s absolutely no doubting Patrick Farrant’s human-highlight reel status now, with the high-flying forward taking three fantastic marks on Friday.

The first was followed by an goal as he soared high just inside the fifty metre line, while his second came on the wing in the fourth quarter.

But he topped them both with a huge fly just minutes after his jump on the wing, taking to the sky one-on-one with his opponent.

In just five games for the Club, the WA product has shown significant promise in the forward fifty and is working well under the guidance of Ben Crocker and Tom Wilson.

Farrant finished with two goals for the day.