The SCG is exactly five metres shorter and five metres narrower than the MCG. For a ground that has been described as akin to a postage stamp, it’s not a lot: the Gabba is very close to the same size. This analysis by the ABC’s Cody Atkinson and Sean Lawson demonstrates that size doesn’t matter as much as we might think.
Yet, watching on TV through the possibly distorting lens of the camera set behind the goals on Sunday, Collingwood’s mission looked so much more difficult. Without a dominant centre square combination, the Magpies’ game is based on rebound and quick ball movement. This was the source of Ed Langdon’s “one-trick pony” jibe.
Last week against Melbourne, the backline found ways to pick its way through or around the Demons’ zone on the larger MCG. Against Sydney, it was more like throwing jelly at a cliff. Paddy McCartin was especially impassable. Good luck to him: his is one of a number of great comeback stories this year.
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