Jumps industry facing more scrutiny

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THE troubled jumps industry has hit another obstacle with four planned hurdles races at Moe in July and August being replaced with flat races.

Problems with the Moe track which was deemed unsuitable for jumps races, led to two jumps races being moved from the country track to last week's midweek Sandown meeting when steeplechaser Show Dancer was involved in a fatal fall.

Two jumps races scheduled for Moe on September 6 will be run at Warrnambool's September 8 meeting and two jumps races at Moe on September 20 will now on Bendigo's September 24 meeting.

Racing Victoria said there were no suitable venues for the July and August jumps races, but said it would divide extra jumps races during that period if there was enough demand.

***

LEADING Hong Kong trainer, the Australian born John Moore has mapped out an ambitious travelling and quarantine plan for his last start Singapore Airlines International Cup winner Dan Excel who will contest the Cox Plate.

He plans to fly the gelding to Sydney in the next few weeks to acclimatise to the Australian conditions.

Martin Kelly riding Show Dancer crashes through the steeple jump and falls to the ground. Source: Getty Images

THE odds-on favourite for Saturday's Group 1 $400,000 Queensland Oaks _ Arabian Gold _ is in doubt for the race after suffering a hoof injury.

Trainer David Vandyke said he wouldn't know for the next 24 to 48 hours whether she would run after a trodding on a shoe which she twisted in track work.

The shoe was removed and although she lost a bit of the wall of the hoof, she wasn't lame.

Vandyke bandaged the hoof and sent her out to work without any problems.

He is confident she will be okay.

***

THREE meetings programmed for Ballarat in July, August and October will be transferred to ensure the newly resurfaced track is not overused when racing returns to the track on Sunday.

In order to reduce the workload on the Ballarat track, the July 3 and August 28 meetings have been transferred to Cranbourne and the October 1 meeting to Sale.

Work at Ballarat included the resurfacing and reshaping the track and the removal of the dip.

22.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Unruffled Ange sticking to plan

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AFTER a brief but thorough preparation and a routine skirmish, the Socceroos board the plane today.

To go to the World Cup in Brazil. Not, as you might assume from the air of gloom that has settled over the team, to fly a combat mission over Pyongyang. Before the Socceroos' bags had hit the luggage carousel, even the game's most ebullient character Mark Bosnich — a man who can see the good side to amoebic dysentery — was hoping they "don't get scarred'' in Brazil.

That is the measure of how greatly one substandard hour against a ­second-string South African team had damaged the already fragile confidence of sceptical critics and a nervous public in an untested line-up.

Since the Socceroos' Serena Williams defeats to Brazil and France — 6-0 6-0 — prompted the sacking of coach Holger Osieck, the appointment of the savvy Ange Postecoglou and the overdue regeneration of the Socceroos has provided reassurance.

Now, however, stark reality. Chile, The Netherlands, Spain. Suddenly Socceroos fans are waking up from nightmares in which they turn up to a stadium in Curitiba or Porto Alegre wearing only their green and gold scarves.

The tone of the media's questions after Monday night's game and at yesterday's final team announcement left Postecoglou in no doubt about the air of trepidation, even sudden mistrust, surrounding his team. He was entitled to bristle when one reporter challenged him about his promise that the Socceroos would excite after the discordant performance against South Africa.

"I didn't say after one game,'' Postecoglou replied evenly. "I said after the World Cup.''

To his credit he has neither raised expectations nor shirked the challenge in Brazil. He has maintained he would strive to maintain high standards and have his team play attractive football from the very start of a devilishly difficult rebuild. But even this causes sleepless nights for some experts. Aren't the Socceroos courting disaster by trying to take the game to the world's best? Should they not park a fleet of buses like the heroically undefeated New Zealanders in South Africa?

Postecoglou, however, is not in the business of reassuring the doubters. If you did not accept his word that the Socceroos were tired after an arduous training block on Monday night and would learn from their moments of over-exuberance and ill-discipline, that's your problem.

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"We'll stick the course,'' he said with reassuring bluntness.

What Postecoglou — or no one else — can provide is a realistic expectation for this newly assembled and partly experimental Socceroos team. Untold glory? Face-saving respectability? A win? A point? A goal?

Inevitably it could we be the emergence of a few promising individuals rather than the team performance that is the highlight. A confident ­second-half cameo by Ben Halloran on Monday was something to excite the purists, but not necessarily energise the once-every-four-year fan.

"The only time that is important to me is when we play Chile,'' Postecoglou said when asked for a progress report. ''That will give me an assessment of where we are at.''

The upside? If 2006 was a dream fulfilled and 2010 was a rude awakening, the doomsday forecasts for 2014 will make any accomplishment small or great the more precious.

The Socceroos have, at least, packed their lucky charm. The most pessimistic cite the enduring presence of the 34-year-old Tim Cahill as Australia's main strike weapon as a cause for concern. Surely the next Cahill should have emerged. But, yet again, Cahill's boundless energy and defiance were evident in the first 20 minutes against South Africa. He jumped, he scored, he celebrated with passion.

"I'm buzzing,'' he said. "I can't wait. Maybe the fans are used to it (Australian being in the World Cup). Maybe the media are used to it. You probably need to blow it up a bit more for us.''

Even if Cahill is mistaking the press for publicists, you can see his point. Enthusiasm cannot be faked, but it can be created with the type of effort he puts into the game. It can also be infectious. Then there is the leadership of new captain Mile Jedinak, and the calm organisational skills of Mark Bresciano. Both tested at the highest level. And, for those who can't be shaken from their gloom, the Socceroos will at least have lulled Chile, The Netherlands and Spain into a sense of security. Real or false? That's why they play the games.

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Stradbroke the target for Waller’s mare

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HISTORY will be against Red Tracer when she tries to win the Stradbroke Handicap after nearly a two-month lay-off.

It will be exactly seven weeks between runs when Red Tracer lines up at Eagle Farm for the $1 million Brisbane winter showpiece.

Trainer Chris Waller watched Red Tracer win a Rosehill trial yesterday and nominated Saturday week's Stradbroke as her target, provided the track was ''dead to heavy''. Red Tracer was last spotted finishing behind Diamond Drille in a three-way finish in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes during The Championships.

In the past 30 years, only Crawl went longer between runs when he won the 2001 Stradbroke — he finished fourth in the Doncaster, then tuned up with a Hawkesbury trial. The 1988 winner, Campaign King, had a six-week let-up.

Waller and jockey Nash Rawiller were hardly daunted by the time away from the track for Red Tracer, who remains an $11 Stradbroke chance with TAB Fixed Odds.

Rawiller said the freshen-up had worked wonders for the mare, who wasn't her usual brilliant self after she received a bad check not long after the start in the Canterbury Stakes.

"She seems in a really good frame of mind again,'' said Ra­willer, who piloted Red Tracer to an easy trial win over 1030m.

"The whole time I've been riding her, she's always been one of the most competitive mares you'd ride, but she didn't quite seem herself for a couple of runs in the autumn.

"Whether that had something to do with a bad check in (the Canterbury Stakes), I'm not sure. Judging by the past two trials, I think she's back from the brink.

"She's in quite well at the weights (with 56kg in the Stradbroke), she's still got that residual fitness, so the 1400m will be no problem for her.''

Waller said Red Tracer would only ditch the Stradbroke if Eagle Farm was likely to be a dry track.

If that was the case, Red Tracer would unfortunately clash with stablemate Catkins in the Dane Ripper Stakes on the same day, the feature she won last year.

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You picked them: Maroons’ Team of the ‘Century’

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QUEENSLAND'S team for Wednesday's 100th State of Origin game features four men who have been named among The Courier-Mail's all-time Maroon greats.

Hooker Cameron Smith, halfback Johnathan Thurston, centre Greg Inglis and Billy Slater, named on the wing, earned the honour after more than 5000 readers voted in the couriermail.com.au poll.

With Inglis on one side and Mal Meninga on the other, playmakers Wally Lewis, at five-eighth, Smith and Thurston would have plenty of options if this side could actually run out.

CHECK OUT OUR 100 GREATEST MOMENTS

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Our state's Origin devotees mixed a blend of modern champions and past greats.

The big calls included were:

■ ARTHUR Beetson did not make the 17 on the basis of his one game, but The Courier-Mail readers named him as coach.

■ THURSTON won almost three times the votes as Allan Langer for halfback (3604 to 1350).

■ MENINGA, Inglis, Slater and Dale Shearer are the three-quarters. Darren Lockyer was named fullback by 4325 entrants, with Slater attracting 2756 votes.

■ THE four guns from this year's side are joined by Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva and Steve Price, so the teams from 2006 onwards are well represented. Seven players who featured in the 1980s, Queensland's second most productive era in terms of wins, also make the cut.

■ THE 1980s warhorses Greg Dowling and Martin Bella were overlooked as props in favour of starters Shane Webcke and Civoniceva and interchange forward Price.

■ EIGHT of the 17 played at least some of their careers at the Broncos.

Most votes went to Lewis with 5230, proving he remains the King in the fans' eyes 23 years after his farewell from Origin. A total of 4599 voted for Lewis at No.6, with 578 at lock and a surprising 53 on the bench.

Queensland State of Origin team training. Source: News Corp Australia

The second most wanted Maroon was Inglis, with 4522 votes as a centre.

Lockyer was in the 17-man squad with 5078 votes, with Meninga next at 5069. The most popular forward was Tallis, with 4778 despite having played the fewest games, 17, of any of the men chosen in the team. Tallis did not play Origin in any of the three years after his 1994 debut.

Those who voted for Langer might reflect that it is not the first time the Queensland electorate has seemingly got something badly wrong.

BLUES NOT READY FOR CAULDRON: THURSTON

Queensland's greatest ever Origin squad. Source: News Corp Australia

The champion halfback who won Origin man of the match awards 15 years apart, is named on the bench, just as Bob Fulton used to do on Kangaroo tours.

Mark Murray told The Courier-Mail that Langer was his clear choice.

ButMany voters put more value on Thurston's total package of skills, as exhibited in his remarkable streak of 27 Origins games over nine series.

In two different positions and a bench spot, Bob Lindner attracted 2769 votes, with Trevor Gillmeister's total of 3606 comfortably making them starting backrowers alongside Tallis. Bench spots went to Gary Larson (2429) and Paul Vautin (1881). Shearer held the record of 12 Origin tries for many years and was preferred to names such as Kerry Boustead (six games) and Israel Folau (eight).

SLATER IN HOLE LOT OF PAIN

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On the basis that captain-coaches went out with body shirts and button-up flies, we went away from the idea of Meninga as coach, a role for which we did not call for your votes. But Beetson, the Godfather of Origin, had to be involved somewhere and his win-loss record was better than Wayne Bennett's.

Beetson's 11 wins and five losses came from 1981-84 and 1989-90, taking in five full series.

Bennett teams won 11, lost 10 and drew one.

Unselected players include nine men who played 20 or more games for the Maroons: Bella, Greg Conescu, Gene Miles, Matt Sing, Brent Tate, Darren Smith, Kevin Walters, Sam Thaiday and Nate Myles.

Stars from the 1980s with shorter careers who missed out included Dowling, Boustead and Chris Close, man of the match in the first two Origin games.

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The Mightiest Maroons

1. Darren Lockyer

2. Billy Slater

3. Mal Meninga

4. Greg Inglis

5. Dale Shearer

6. Wally Lewis

7. Johnathan Thurston

8. Shane Webcke

9. Cameron Smith

10. Petero Civoniceva

11. Gorden Tallis

12. Trevor Gillmeister

13. Bob Lindner

Reserves:

14. Allan Langer

15. Gary Larson

16. Paul Vautin

17. Steve Price

Coach: Arthur Beetson.

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NSW hone skills against country battlers

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IF NSW can pull off rugby league's greatest upset on Wednesday night, Laurie Daley owes Hastings Hotel publican Robbie Trembath a phone call.

"They can thank us later, we'll be claiming it for sure if they win,'' Trembath said.

"All that pressure I put on Josh Reynolds out there, it's sharpened him up for the match.''

Trent Merrin attacks during the opposed session. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

It was difficult to gauge who got more out of Sunday morning's opposed training session in Coffs Harbour; Daley's Blues or the best of the Group 3 Country Rugby League ­competition.

PICK YOUR GREATEST EVER ORIGIN SQUAD

A collection of plumbers, electricians, cement renderers and part-time footballers, some of who drove three hours even after "playing yesterday and a few beers last night'', to act as sparring partners for Daley's heavyweights.

James Tamou against the Group 3 repesentive team. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

The 65-minute hit-out before the Blues left Coffs for Brisbane was never about the scoreline. It was about NSW finding their rhythm against 17 moving targets.

FULL ORIGIN SQUADS AND MATCH INFO

NSW had spent the previous five days in Camp Coffs perfecting their attacking plays, their line speed and goal-line defence.

With the players earning a day off on Monday before a final field session at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday, Sunday was a crucial opportunity for Daley and his coaching stuff to analyse every player under fatigue.

Aaron Woods takes a hit-up. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

The "soft contact" was nothing new for Daley's Blues, having used the same Sunday session last year to run through their Origin I tactics against the best under-20 players available.

And while the standard wasn't of NRL quality, it would be naive to think that despite the drop in class of their opposition that the intensity or motivation wasn't there.

"Smith, Smith, Smith,'' NSW's Trent Merrin barked as Country's hooker took off from dummy-half.

"Let's make this count, maintain the pressure,'' Trent Hodkinson screamed after pouncing on a loose ball.

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NSW tyro Anthony Watmough has been around rugby league long enough to know what works and what doesn't when it comes to preparing for big matches.

And he was in no doubt that the session was invaluable practice just three days out from the all-important State of Origin opener.

"We can run through our plays as much as we want with no defenders, but until you actually run through them with defenders and see what you need to work on, you're just going through the motions,'' Watmough said. "We got a lot out of today."

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Vandyke shooting for Gold at Oaks

Trainer David Vandyke Source: Mitch Cameron Photography.com.au / Supplied

TRAINER David Vandyke rattled off the reasons why Arabian Gold would again stretch out to 2400m in a bid to win Saturday's Queensland Oaks over the distance.

"It's a Group 1,'' Vandyke said. "She's reaching the end of her three-year-old career and as a four-year-old she'll be up against a different level of horse.

"She'll be up against Europeans, so the difference between Saturday's 2400m and any other 2400m she runs in the rest of her career will be fairly significant.

"Her run in the VRC Oaks last spring was fair. She was beaten just over four lengths, and that performance would make her hard to beat in the Queensland Oaks.

"I think on form she'll be hard to beat (on Saturday), despite the fact she can't get a strong 2400m in my opinion.''

Arabian Gold is the even-money Oaks favourite with TAB Fixed Odds, and goes into the $400,000 feature at Eagle Farm on the back of wins in the Adrian Knox Stakes, Frank Packer Plate and a powerhouse effort in the Doomben Roses.

Vandyke said the Doomben Roses was his grey's main winter target, but she had not put a foot wrong since.

"The Roses was the race we set her for, and the Oaks was only a consideration if she won the Roses,'' said Vandyke, who will add the Queensland Derby to the filly's Brisbane hit-list if she wins on Saturday.

Arabian Gold has rumbled with some of the best fillies in the country, something most of her rivals on Saturday haven't done. That fact wasn't lost on Vandyke.

"She has raced against some of the best like Guelph, she beat Solicit in Melbourne, she raced against May's Dream, who came out and won an Australasian Oaks,'' he said.

"She's raced against some fair horses in the Adrian Knox and more so in the Frank Packer Plate. She hasn't sidestepped any of the better three-year-olds. (What beats her) will be luck in running.''

Vandyke has saddled up several horses at skinny odds in big majors, but is yet to win one. There was Constant Flight in the 1994 AJC Oaks, Lamasery in the 2012 The Metropolitan, and Prince Cheri a year later in the same race.

"I can tell you I'm sick of getting beaten in them,'' Vandyke said before he hopped in the car for the Nowra races yesterday. "I don't know what it would mean because I've never won one, but I'm certainly keen to find out.''

Arabian Gold will be a feel-good story should she win a first major for Vandyke because it will also continue the wonderful success of big-time owner Nick Moraitis — whose pink and white colours were made famous by Might And Power — and jockey Blake Shinn, who farewelled good mate Guy Walter on Thursday.

Arabian Gold will work on the Doomben course proper tomorrow morning, with Vandyke pointing out that Eagle Farm was made off-limits.

Meanwhile, Randwick trainer John Sargent said Elusive Runner, a tragedy beaten at Randwick on Saturday, will push on to Saturday week's Queensland Derby. A decision on whether jockey Jason Collett is retained will be made today.

Collett dropped the reins and admitted he feared he had cost himself the Derby ride. Sargent said he would have a better idea once he spoke with connections in Hong Kong.

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Wally’s king hit on battling Blues

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MAROONS icon Wally Lewis has blasted Paul Gallen as disrespectful and questioned the selection strategy of a NSW team he claims will never understand the meaning of Origin.

Gallen's "two-heads" jibe carried more promotional than malicious intent but it has incensed Maroons pioneers like Lewis, who believes it denigrates Queensland's record dynasty.

The Blues arrived in Brisbane on Sunday night from their Coffs Harbour base and Gallen is set to face a hostile reception from 50,000 Maroons fans in Origin I on Wednesday night.

Wally Lewis has blasted Laurie Daley's (L) choice of halves Josh Reynolds (C) and Trent Hodkinson. Source: Getty Images

The NSW skipper has never won an Origin series since his 2006 debut and Lewis says Gallen's record illustrates why the Blues cannot grasp Queensland's passion.

"I don't think NSW ever did get Origin. If this (run of losses) continues for NSW, they might eventually get it," said The King, a veteran of 31 Origin matches.

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"That (Gallen's comment) was an indication of a long-held disrespect for Queensland.

"For NSW, it was a waste of f***ing time playing Queensland for decades and then I hear Gallen joking about the two-headed people up north.

PICK YOUR GREATEST EVER ORIGIN SIDE

"Paul Gallen was obviously trying to make a painful memory amusing, but show me a current Queenslander who has been insulting to NSW and their players.

"Mal Meninga (Queensland coach) is big on respect. When has a Queensland player in this team put s*** on the Blues and ridiculed them?

FULL ORIGIN SQUADS AND MATCH INFO

"Public humiliation is not a part of this Queensland squad and that's why they have class. Mal's men don't have to resort to ridiculing NSW to enjoy their victories.

"You can quote me on this ... I'd rather be in our position than to be in Gallen's shoes and have to suffer the embarrassment of eight straight Origin losses."

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Lewis is equally dismayed by the Blues' selection methodology.

NSW mentor Laurie Daley has taken the biggest gamble of his embryonic Origin coaching career, pitchforking debutant halves Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson into the Suncorp furnace.

Daley is banking on their successful club combination to orchestrate an Origin I boilover, but Lewis is puzzled by the Blues' boom-or-bust strategy.

Paul Gallen arrives in Brisbane on Sunday. Picture: Darren England Source: News Corp Australia

"When did we start choosing blokes in rep sides only because they play alongside their teammate. That seems like a mercy dash to me," he said.

"There seems to be a belief you have to pick club players who understand each other's games well enough and that's why they picked the two Canterbury guys.

"But when you are playing Origin football, you should just pick your best players.

"If the players are good enough, they will perform whether they have played beside each other in the NRL or not."

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Rosberg takes Monaco GP, Ricciardo third

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NICO Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to take the overall championship lead from his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second to give Mercedes a fifth straight 1-2 finish.

The German driver clinched his second victory of the season and fifth of his career, making a strong start and holding off Hamilton to repeat his maiden GP win from pole here in Monaco last year.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Infiniti Red Bull Racing finished third. Source: Getty Images

"The pressure was on all the way but I kept it cool and was able to win," said Rosberg, who celebrated by hugging his team engineers.

Rosberg finished 9.2 seconds ahead of Hamilton, who was just 0.4 faster than Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver was unable to get past Hamilton on a track that is the most difficult to overtake on in Formula One.

Four-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel's frustrating season with Red Bull continued as he abandoned early with a power unit failure.

Mercedes has also taken every pole position so far this season: four for Hamilton and two for Rosberg, who won the season's opening race in Australia.

"I felt I was very strong today," said Hamilton, who complained that his visibility was impaired by some dirt in his left eye.

But Hamilton snapped back at his team when told that Ricciardo was closing the gap on him.

"I don't care about Ricciardo, what's the gap to Nico?" said Hamilton, who earlier complained about the timing of a pit stop to underline what has been a tense weekend within Mercedes.

Hamilton was made to care about Ricciardo by the end and spent the final four laps blocking the Australian. It was a second straight third-place finish for the impressive Ricciardo, who is now ahead of Vettel, his more illustrious teammate.

"It is thrilling to be on the podium here in Monaco," Ricciardo said.

Mercedes' German driver Nico Rosberg celebrates with team members after winning the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Source: AFP

Hamilton did pressure Rosberg at times, even trimming his lead back to 0.8 seconds and would certainly have attacked more on another track. But Monaco's 78-lap circuit - which has the slowest average speed on the F1 calendar -meant Rosberg's position was relatively safe throughout, unless Hamilton tried a risky move that could have made him crash.

Overtaking is so tough that 10 of the past 11 winners have done so from pole, the exception being Hamilton in 2008, the year he won the title.

Qualifying first for the race came amid controversial circumstances for Rosberg, who was cleared by stewards of any wrongdoing after making a late error that led to a yellow flag and curtailed Hamilton's chances of beating his time with less than one minute remaining in Saturday's session.

It was an incident that fueled the growing rivalry between the two runaway leaders in the overall standings, with Hamilton insinuating afterward that he would get revenge and evoking memories of the bitter rivalry between the late Ayrton Senna of Brazil and Frenchman Alain Prost when they raced for McLaren in the late 1980s.

Hamilton, who three days ago had taken the astonishing step of questioning his own teammate's hunger with somewhat disparaging comments, even intimated that he would "take a page out of his book" when referring to how Senna dealt with his conflict with Prost.

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Gutsy Magpies notch famous win

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THERE have been plenty of brave ones over the years, but this Collingwood win was right up there.

Down two men in the second half, lacking cohesion in the first half, and without significant contributions from their key forwards, the Pies somehow cobbled together a courageous eight-point win over West Coast at the MCG.

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Last week the Pies fumbled and bumbled their way to a 21-point loss in Adelaide. Their ball use had been atrocious against the Crows, but the jury was out on whether the Crows were that good or the Pies just had a horribly off day.

Travis Cloke and Dane Swan celebrate the winning goal. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

In the opening half against West Coast, it seemed that there were legitimate questions about the Pies' ability to cope with the ferocity the Eagles brought to the contest.

West Coast's midfield was on top of its more vaunted opposition, initially at the centre bounces, but also in general play. The exemplar was Matt Priddis, who won his normal mountain of contested possession and chipped in with two goals.

Nathan Brown injured his shoulder in the first term and was subbed from the ground. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

Scott Selwood was equally impressive, countering Pies skipper Scott Pendlebury and winning mounds of possessions in his own right.

In the rooms before the match, West Coast coach Adam Simpson had sought to spur on his charges by asking for a show of hands from all of those involved in the Eagles' previous win over Collingwood at the MCG. Reportedly only one hand went up: that of assistant coach Don Pyke, who played in that four-point win in Round 2, 1995.

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The ploy seemed to work early. The first quarter began with both teams producing free-flowing football reminiscent of the mid-'90s: the lead changed five times and ten goals were kicked as the ball pinged from end to end.

The key difference between the teams early in the match was that West Coast's disposal efficiency was at 68 per cent, while the Pies were hitting targets about half of the time.

Jamie Elliott couldn't complete this Mark of the Year nomination. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

West Coast was prepared to switch play to stretch Collingwood and counter its attempts to apply pressure through the midfield.

The match remained in the balance through the second and third quarters, and it looked as though the Eagles might run away with it.

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But Collingwood dug deep, and it was the team leaders who had their hands on the shovels.

Pendlebury, who had flashed in and out of the contest in the opening half with touches of class, was enormous in the last quarter, creating scoring opportunities and producing a crucial running goal. He had 11 disposals, while midfield mates Dayne Beams (9) and Dan Swan (8) also lifted.

Elliot Yeo had two teeth knocked out on the halftime siren. Photo by Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

But the greatest Pies contributor throughout was Jamie Elliott, who only had 17 possessions but set the example by scrapping, chasing, tackling, handballing and doing all of the team aspects of the match throughout. He chipped in with two vitals goals in the final term and came close to taking mark of the year I the opening term.

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Collingwood's backmen were also incredibly brave throughout. The Pies had to patch together a backline after it lost key defenders Nathan Brown (shoulder) and Jack Frost (concussion).

Alan Toovey was superb on Jack Darling, while Tyson Goldsack — having scrapped manfully in the forward line in the first half — was sent to back to counter Josh Kennedy.

Nic Naitanui flies high and falls hard. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

Nick Maxwell played the third-man-up to a tee, and Heritier Lumumba dropped back from his wing to constantly help run the ball out of defence.

At the other end of the ground the Pies had headaches. Travis Cloke continued his wretched run of form, managing just two disposals in the first half. Admittedly Collingwood's delivery into the forward 50 was often haphazard, but it did not excuse the fact that he looked woefully out of touch and horribly slow.

Dayne Swan salutes a last quarter goal. Picture: Wayne Ludbey AFLR1014 Source: News Corp Australia

Cloke has spoken about how his first touch impacts on his overall mindset: his first possession came seven minutes into the match, after he gathered a loose ball on his defensive 50, and was a tentative short kick to a nest of three Eagles that led to a West Coast shot on goal.

He had a game to forget --- until the 28th minute mark of the final quarter, when a scrubby Elliott snap hit him on the chest. Cloke's first touch may have been a shocker, but his last sealed the match for Collingwood.

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WARWICK GREEN'S BEST

COLLINGWOOD: Elliott, Pendlebury, Lumumba, Blair, Goldsack, Sidebottom, Macaffer, Toovey.

WEST COAST: Priddis, Selwood, Glass, Yeo, Gaff, Rosa, Naitanui.

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Brave Magpies need fine tuning

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TRAVIS Cloke's dad David was right about one thing this week—- Collingwood's use of the ball and its forward 50m entries still needs some work.

Yes, the Magpies were brave in running down the Eagles, despite losing key defenders Nathan Brown and Jack Frost during the game, but that shouldn't disguise the fact that Nathan Buckley's team still has a bit of work to do.

GUTSY MAGPIES NOTCH FAMOUS WIN

Part of that comes back to Collingwood's big forwards, who couldn't get warm for so much of yesterday's match.

Jamie Elliott couldn't hang onto this big marking attempt. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

It was left to a batch of small forwards—- Jarryd Blair kicked three goals and Jamie Elliott scored two in the last term—- and a brave yet patched up back-line to somehow drag the Magpies across the line when the game looked in doubt.

Buckley forecast during the week that Cloke was just about ready to tear a game apart. This wasn't the game, and that will have to at least wait until next week against St Kilda.

But Cloke did managed to secure a solitary—– and important—– goal in yesterday's eight-point victory, the club's sixth of the season.

It's just that it took him the best part of two hours to nail it. That goal came at the 27-minute-mark of the final term, which gave the Magpies the breathing space it needed to hold on.

For much of yesterday, the man who almost won a Coleman Medal last year—- only inaccuracy and Jarryd Roughead beat him in 2013—- struggled to get his hands on the Sherrin, let alone look like scoring a goal.

Scott Pendlebury had 11 final-term possessions. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

For 56 minutes—- yes, that's almost a half of footy—- Cloke went without a possession.

His first touch came at the eight-minute-mark of the opening term, almost at half back, and then his second came from a mark taken at the 19-minute-mark of the same term.

Blanketed by Eagles defender Eric Mackenzie, Cloke had to wait until almost the 19-minute-mark of the third term before he again disposed of the ball.

In between that time, 3AW special comments man and former Essendon forward Matthew Lloyd mused: "Travis Cloke is running away from the footy at the moment."

Cloke's teammate Jesse White was one of Collingwood's 13 individual goalkickers yesterday.

Dayne Beams salutes a final-term goal. Picture: Wayne Ludbey AFLR1014 Source: News Corp Australia

That major came after he took in a grab 18 seconds after the first bounce.

White casually slotted it through the goal with such ease that it must have had Eagles coach Adam Simpson thinking the former Swan might be in line to cause him some grief.

He didn't. His next touch wouldn't come until the early minutes of the final term—– 72 minutes to be exact—- the best part of three quarters without an impact.

The Pies battled through most of the match, yet when it mattered their midfielders managed to step up and their defenders did a superb job in the absence of Frost and Reid.

It wasn't always pretty, but it was four points that was so desperately required when it could so easily have gone the other way.

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