Collingwood wasn’t supposed to win tonight. This was supposed to be the recruit-laden Saints’ chance to make a statement against an aging and weakened Magpies team.
It was supposed to be $2 million man Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera’s chance to prove former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley right that he was better than Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos.
Main man: Nick Daicos had a magnificent night.Credit: fake images
But this was not a night for change as Dad’s Army Feet survived St Kilda’s fierce comeback attempt to start the season with a 12-point victory without captain Darcy Moore and fellow injured star defender Jeremy Howe.
Daicos produced another best-in-field performance with 41 disposals and 11 scoring involvements to immediately demonstrate why he is once again the favorite for the Brownlow Medal after finishing runners-up in the last two years.
Charging
As for Wanganeen-Milera, he had his moments but spent the night moving around different areas of the ground in a desperate attempt to shake off the Harry Perryman tag. His 19 disposals and one goal were hardly a patch on Daicos’ sublime performance, where he repeatedly escaped trouble and used the ball with outrageous precision under immense pressure.
Jordan De Goey played the best role with 19 touches of his own but three key goals, while his renowned teammate Jamie Elliott scored the most stable goal to secure the victory for the black and white.
Elliott juggled a mark and scored the Pies’ only goal in the final quarter after St Kilda dominated territory for most of the quarter but wasted chances.
Saints recruit Liam Ryan produced a superb finish to open the final period, but his miss from a set-piece late in the game proved to be a huge wasted opportunity for Ross Lyon’s men.
FT: Collingwood 11.12 (78) defeated St Kilda 9.12 (66)