AFL: Sidebottom & Elliott lead Collingwood past Essendon

In front of a drenched but defiant MCG crowd of 92,044, Nick and Josh Daicos turned it on in the Anzac Day blockbuster as Collingwood powered past Essendon by 41 points, 16.11 (107) to 10.6 (66).

Nick, captaining Collingwood for the first time and the youngest to do so in 57 years, set the tone with a stunning opening goal. He finished with 31 disposals and 11 clearances. Josh wasn’t to be outdone, racking up 36 touches and nine marks in another polished outing.

But it was Steele Sidebottom who claimed Anzac Day Medal honours after amassing 35 disposals and 15 clearances in a vintage display, supported by the evergreen Scott Pendlebury who notched up 31 of his own.

The Pies got out of the blocks quickly, their slick ball movement and signature handball chains carving up Essendon early. The only thing keeping Essendon in touch was Collingwood’s wayward goalkicking, posting 3.4 from 18 inside 50s in the first quarter.

Essendon eventually hit back, stringing together four straight goals either side of quarter time through Durham, Perkins, and young guns Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako. A lifting Zach Merrett tackle on Nick Daicos sparked the Bombers’ revival, and a tactical move to assign Sam Durham to the Collingwood skipper helped level the contest.

But it wasn’t to last. Collingwood’s senior core wrestled back control in the third term, with Sidebottom and Pendlebury leading a five-goal surge. Bobby Hill bounced back from a quiet start to kick a boundary stunner, while Jamie Elliott rose above the soggy conditions to bag five goals – including his 300th career major.

When the rain returned, so did Collingwood’s class. Despite a mini fightback from the Bombers in the last, the Magpies steadied, finishing with five goals to two in the final term to seal a statement win and extend their winning streak to six.

Essendon was left to rue a missed opportunity – both in execution and strategy.

Their decision not to assign a hard tag to Nick Daicos from the outset proved costly, with commentators labelling it a “flawed plan.”

They were also hampered by third-quarter communication issues, with rain interfering with interchange and vision access, prompting the AFL to allow temporary use of mobile devices in coaches’ boxes.

In the end, the polished Pies were simply too much. From the Daicos brothers’ dominance to Sidebottom’s ageless midfield mastery, Collingwood showed why they remain among the AFL premiership front-runners.

Collingwood v Essendon final score

Collingwood 16.11 (107)
Essendon 10.6 (66)

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