Saturday morning in Melbourne felt like an entire city emerging from its winter burrow. By sundown, there was an end-of-days feel on the MCG concourse. Collingwood’s third flag in 65 years wasn’t like the previous two. The last one, the replay at least, was a jolly romp. The one before that exorcised the demons of Neil Crompton, Barry Breen, Ted Hopkins and Wayne Harmes, but wasn’t a great spectacle. This was a classic. This was still live with seconds to go. This will go down as one of the great grand finals of the modern era.
They won it with a mix of role players, discards, begoggled Texans, old hands and generational superstars. They all had a distinct role, and they all executed it to perfection. But more than anything, it was a premiership won with canny trading. They bought in Bobby Hill, Tom Mitchell, Oleg Markov and Billy Frampton and they all played significant roles. The club identified gaps last year. They needed someone to get their hands dirty (Mitchell), to gain territory off half back (Markov), to give them an x-factor up forward (Hill) and to be a spare parts man (Frampton). All thrived at their new club. “I’m feeling valued and wanted,” Markov says. Hill, in particular, was so important on Saturday, especially in the opening half. Every time Collingwood needed a spark, and every time Brisbane’s small forwards threatened to rip the game away, Hill bobbed up.
