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Collingwood thrash West Coast Eagles at the MCG to ruin former captain Shannon Hurn’s 300th game

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Braden QuartermaineThe West Australian
Andrew Gaff consoles a dejected Shannon Hurn in his 300th game.
Camera IconAndrew Gaff consoles a dejected Shannon Hurn in his 300th game. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Nobody was there to see it, but it did happen as West Coast added to their catalogue of 2021 stinkers with an insipid collapse against Collingwood at an empty MCG to sour Shannon Hurn’s 300th game.

Not for the first time this season, the Eagles had been humiliated by half-time and while there were some late goals, they counted for little as Robert Harvey’s new-look Magpies prevailed by 45 points, 14.6 (90) to 6.9 (45) on Saturday.

Having entered the game in 16th position, the Pies had the four points in the bag by the major break after kicking 10 goals to one to lead by 50 points.

West Coast wingman Andrew Gaff had an equal game high 21 touches by that stage, but he was the only player wearing blue and gold among the top seven ball getters as the home side ran rampant.

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It remarkably happened despite West Coast having had 25 inside-50 entries to 22 to that point, finishing 45-42 to the good.

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This was a ball movement shellacking rather than one that started at the source. Another version of the Sydney debacle as opposed to an out-muscling like the Western Bulldogs handed them.

Though it’s hard to know which is more concerning, and being smashed on the spread will only heighten calls for a game plan overhaul.

Adam Simpson tries to inspire his troops.
Camera IconAdam Simpson tries to inspire his troops. Credit: Darrian Traynor/via AFL Photos

The Magpies had the ball on a string, finishing with 155 uncontested marks to West Coast’s 93.

The Eagles won the clearance and contested ball counts in the first-half but had no answer to Collingwood’s devastating dash and dare.

The Pies’ ability to run and handball through the corridor — combined with some neat foot skills — set them up, with three of their four goals in the opening term starting from defensive half chains.

When West Coast had the ball, they looked powerless to find a way through a disciplined black and white zone and often butchered the ball when they did.

There was no response from the visitors in the second stanza, as Collingwood piled on six goals to one to kill the contest.

Jamie Cripps saved his side from the ignominy of going to half-time goalless for just the fourth time in their history, trapping Will Hoskin-Elliott holding the ball and slotting his shot from the 50m arc early in time-on of the second term.

It was a day the Eagles could make the easy look hard and turn the promising into pathetic.

Andrew Gaff kicks the ball in an empty MCG.
Camera IconAndrew Gaff kicks the ball in an empty MCG. Credit: Darrian Traynor/via AFL Photos

There was no better illustration than in the third term when Zac Langdon and Jack Petruccelle streaming through the middle of the ground with the ball somehow went so horribly wrong it ended in the arms of Brody Mihocek at the other end.

Jake Waterman, a good trier throughout, opted to give up a huge amount of ground with a long handball before Hurn coughed up the turnover to John Noble. Of course, Mihocek didn’t miss.

The Eagles’ three-quarter time score of 2.7 was their lowest at the final change since 2004. They managed to paper over the cracks a little with four of the first five goals of the last quarter but it was little consolation.

MILESTONE MILLSTONE

After a week of acknowledgement as he prepared to become the first Eagle to play 300 games, Hurn said before the match all he wanted was a win.

By half-time he would have taken a bit of respectability as West Coast sunk on yet another milestone occasion.

At the ground where he had his finest moment by lifting the premiership trophy with coach Adam Simpson against the same opponent in 2018, Hurn completed a dirty double.

Having lost against Greater Western Sydney in round 10 as he replaced Dean Cox as the club’s games record holder, here was an even worse showing from his teammates to salute his 300th.

Hurn was carried off by teammates Josh Kennedy and Jeremy McGovern as the teams formed a guard of honour in front of 100,000 empty seats.

The Eagles also lost this season in Brad Sheppard’s 200th and Josh Kennedy’s 250th club game, but won in Nic Naitanui’s 200th.

WHAT IT MEANS

While this was a debacle for the Eagles, it doesn’t really change a whole lot in terms of their ladder situation.

Entering this round two games and more than 20 percentage points adrift of sixth, a home final already looked out of the equation.

And with 11 wins potentially enough to play finals for a rare occasion in 2021, 10-9 West Coast might have only needed to win one of their last four games to remain in the eight.

With testing matches against Melbourne (home) next weekend and Brisbane (Gabba) to finish, the round 22 western derby against Fremantle could decide whether the Eagles’ run of six consecutive finals series is over.

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