CATS GO DOWN AT HOME TO MAGPIES BUT HAPPY WITH DEBUTS
Ben Jensen 29 February 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, and happy season 2016 for Geelong fans. On Friday night the Cats hosted the Magpies at home but despite a good start, conceded eleven goals in the third quarter. While Geelong had a fair old crack in the final term it was too much to overcome, Collingwood winning by eight points, less than one super goal. The good news was the first games of Patrick Dangerfield and Zac Smith who were particularly successful, while Lachie Henderson and Sam Menegola had not as good nights; Menegola unfortunately appeared to suffer a knee injury and may face yet more time on the sidelines.

Alex Fasolo, like he did in round 22 last season, had a fair old night out against the Cats booting five goals. Likewise Dangerfield enjoyed himself, kicking three goals. Big men Nathan Vardy and Tom Hawkins kicked two apiece. Smith and Daniel Menzel kicked a super goal apiece, while no Magpies managed the feat. It was good to see the newbies get a hit out, and the perennially injured Menzel and Vardy get through unscathed but the worry is the third-quarter fadeout that was a feature of last season too.

Next Saturday the Cats travel to Shepparton to play the down but not quite out Bombers, Essendon of course missing a third of their squad due to the drug scandal and have drafted in reinforcements including club greats James Kelly and Mathew Stokes.

COLLINGWOOD: 0.3.1 0.6.3 0.17.5 0.21.5 (131) DEFEATED
GEELONG: 0.3.1 1.9.3 1.12.5 2.16.9 (123)

GOALS
COLLINGWOOD: Fasolo 5, Swan 3, Gault 3, Blair 2, Cox 2, Grundy 2, Macaffer, Greenwood, Sidebottom, Witts
GEELONG: Supergoals: Smith, Menzel; Goals: Dangerfield 3, Vardy 2, Hawkins 2, Duncan, McCarthy, Menegola, Cockatoo, Gregson, Menzel, Kersten, Murdoch, Stanley

BEST
COLLINGWOOD: Sidebottom, Cox, De Goey, Fasolo, Swan
GEELONG: Dangerfield, Duncan, Horlin-Smith, Cockatoo

INJURIES
COLLINGWOOD: Menegola (knee meniscus), Bews (shoulder)
GEELONG: Smith (ankle), Broomhead (arm)

UMPIRES: R. Chamberlain, D. Harris, A.Mitchell, S.Ryan

CROWD: around 20,000 at Simonds Stadium, Geelong