Sidebottom subbed out of game 300 with knee injury as Pies prove ...

28 May 2023

The Age

Jordan De Goey has heightened his Brownlow Medal claims with another dominant performance, but Collingwood’s latest win was marred by milestone man Steele Sidebottom’s knee injury.

Sidebottom lasted only 12 minutes in his 300th game before leaving the ground and being subbed out before quarter-time, moments after he tackled North Melbourne rival Cam Zurhaar.

Steele Sidebottom watches from the sidelines after being subbed out of his milestone match with a knee injury.Credit: AFL Photos

The Magpies, who remain on top after a 35-point victory at Marvel Stadium, confirmed soon after that the 32-year-old – replaced by Will Hoskin-Elliott – had suffered a medial collateral ligament setback, which is set to sideline him for a month or more.

“He’s done an MCL and will miss the rest of the game, unfortunately. His 300th game, so we were disappointed, but we’ll get the job done without him,” general manager of football Graham Wright said during the clash.

About 100 friends and family, including mother Linda, were in the stands to watch Sidebottom, and at one stage, after his injury, unsuccessfully urged him to join them in the stands.

Sidebottom’s teammates quickly set aside any lingering disappointment to put the Brett Ratten-coached Kangaroos to the sword, kicking the only four goals of the first term and cruising unthreatened to the final siren.

If anything, Collingwood coach Craig McRae might be slightly disappointed that for the second straight week his team took the foot off the pedal mid-match after jumping out to a commanding early lead.

But any thoughts that the Kangaroos had of eating into the deficit soon dissipated, as the Magpies piled on four quick goals to end the third term – three from close range, and the other a 50-metre Josh Daicos bomb that bounced through – and blow the margin out beyond 50 points.

Collingwood continue to take all before them ahead of trip west to take on the bottom-placed Eagles, where they will be favoured to win an 11th match from 12 to start the season.

De Goey’s strong solo campaign has gone slightly under the radar because of second-year phenom Nick Daicos’ spectacular form, but he was already averaging career-best numbers before his gaudy performance on Sunday.

Jordan De Goey starred for the Magpies.Credit: Getty Images

He finished with an equal career-high 35 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 10 inside 50s, five clearances, and a third-quarter goal at a time that North Melbourne were providing pesky resistance and had closed within 22 points.

As for the younger Daicos, McRae gave him more time in the centre, and he responded with 32 disposals and seven clearances of his own to be a wonderful foil for De Goey’s brilliance.

Isaac Quaynor was also excellent from the outset with 11 intercept possessions, while Tom Mitchell, Josh Daicos, Jack Crisp, Scott Pendlebury and Taylor Adams also did their bit.

Steele Sidebottom is chaired off.Credit: Getty Images

There were positives for the Kangaroos. Will Phillips – the No.3 selection in the 2020 draft – gathered a career-best 29 disposals, after never having more than 19 in any of his previous 22 matches. He missed all of last season after twice contracting glandular fever.

Nick Larkey played a lone hand in attack with five goals, but Hugh Greenwood and Jy Simpkin tried hard in the middle.

The other milestone men

Sidebottom became just the fourth Magpie to play 300 games for the club – behind Pendlebury, Tony Shaw and Gordon Coventry – but two other players should not be forgotten.

Mason Cox became the first American to play 100 AFL matches on the same day, while former Pie-turned-Roo Jaidyn Stephenson also brought up his century. They both kicked two goals.

Cox’s extraordinary journey from Texas is well told but should never get old because it is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon – and possibly never.

His oh-so-American personality has been a welcome addition to the league landscape, as have his parents, who flew in to watch from the stands. Dad Phil raised his arms in triumph after spotting himself on the big screen following Cox’s first goal.

Stephenson is an interesting case himself, having beaten a heart condition to be the No.6 pick in the 2017 draft before winning the Rising Star award after a 38-goal debut season.

The 24-year-old has never reached those heights again and served a 10-game ban and was fined $20,000 in 2019 for placing $36 worth of Collingwood-related bets, before being traded to North Melbourne the next year.

Sunday’s match was his sixth multi-goal effort of the year, so maybe Stephenson has turned the corner.

COLLINGWOOD 4.3 7.5 13.8 16.9 (105)
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.3 2.8 4.9 10.10 (70)

GOALS
Collingwood: Mihocek 3, Daicos 3, Hoskin-Elliott 2, Ginnivan 2, Cox 2, Daicos, Adams, Johnson, De Goey.
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Stephenson 2, Zurhaar, Scott, Howe.
BEST
Collingwood: De Goey, Daicos, Pendlebury, Daicos.
North Melbourne: Greenwood, Goldstein, Phillips, McDonald.
UMPIRES Deboy, Broadbent, Strybos, Power.
CROWD 39,467 at Marvel Stadium.