The drama on the football field during Friday night’s game between two AFL teams, Collingwood and Geelong, was unfortunately marred by a few social media trolls. After a thrilling match that saw Collingwood make a comeback and win, Herald Sun writer Sam Landsberger shares his likes and dislikes from round 1. From the impressive partnership between Tom Mitchell and Jordan De Goey, to the high-performance game of the Collingwood Magpies, Landsberger details the standout moments of the game. However, he also points out the negative behavior of some fans towards 20-year-old Ollie Henry, who was booed and subjected to online abuse.
Important Details about Early Tackle: Richmond v Carlton; Collingwood v Geelong –
– Fans booed Ollie Henry during the game, but he inflamed emotions on Instagram after the game.
– The Magpies kicked the last eight goals of the game to win by 22 points.
– Tom Mitchell and Jordan De Goey had a great partnership during the game, with De Goey scoring three goals and Mitchell assisting him.
– Collingwood has a fun, high-speed style of play.
– Esava Ratugolea was a highlight of the game for Geelong with his flying intercept marks.
– Dion Prestia mouthed off at an umpire, resulting in a 50m penalty that gave Carlton a needless behind.
– Some fans unfairly targeted Ollie Henry online after the game.
– The Cats may face difficulties with their backline due to injuries.
– Patrick Dangerfield only had 62% game time for Geelong.
– Brisbane and Melbourne hit round 1 at top speed.
Likes and Dislikes from Round 1: Ollie Henry, Tom Mitchell, and more
The opening round of the 2021 AFL season was full of twists and turns, as fans witnessed some majestic performances from their favourite players. However, a few social media trolls tried to take away the excitement from the fans by spewing hate towards young players like Ollie Henry. Despite this, the games provided enough thrills to keep fans happy till the next round.
LIKES
THE FEEDER AND THE FINISHER
Tom Mitchell, the 2018 Brownlow Medal winner, was at his best in the first round of the season. Playing for Collingwood, Mitchell worked in tandem with Jordan De Goey, who was the flashy finisher. The two players attended 26 centre bounces each, the highest for Collingwood in the game. Mitchell was the feeder, and De Goey converted those passes into three goals. De Goey’s 25 disposals and 11 score involvements made him the man of the match. This is De Goey’s formline: 26 and 2 in last year’s qualifying final, 24 and 1 in the semi-final, 31 and 0.2 in the practice match and 25 and 3 last night. De Goey has been transformed from a full-time forward to a midfielder.
PERKY PIES
Collingwood put on a show on the first night of the season, with an electrifying performance against the Western Bulldogs. The Pies trailed by 22 points early in the game, but they came back with a vengeance in the final quarter, scoring eight unanswered goals to win the match by 22 points. High performance boss Jarrod Wade, a Horsham man recruited from South Sydney Rabbitohs, should hold his head high because these energised Magpies seemed to touch just about every blade of grass in their runaway rout. Captain Darcy Moore summed up the spellbinding surge football up perfectly: “We’re not gonna die wondering. And I think the coach is pretty open about saying we want to be fun to watch.”
FROM SOCCER TO STOPPER FOR ‘SAV’
Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea was perhaps the team’s standout player in the first round. The defender displayed good judgement in flying for intercepts, and his positioning was also excellent. Ratugolea was a soccer player in his junior days, and he believes his experience in that sport has helped him become a better AFL defender. The Cats will face Carlton next week without Jack Henry and most likely Tom Stewart (knee). However, Chris Scott is not too worried about the team’s first-round loss or the depleted backline since his players have a lot of experience.
DISLIKES
PRESTIA HELPS PROVE CARLTON’S POINT
Dion Prestia’s performance against Carlton was not up to the mark, as he was kept to just one disposal in the fourth quarter by tagger Ed Curnow. In a moment of frustration, Prestia vented his anger on the umpire with just 10 seconds left in the first half. The umpire penalised him 50 metres, allowing Carlton’s Mitch McGovern to score a behind. Toby Nankervis spoiled Saad’s entry backwards and then Nathan Broad couldn’t stop the Sherrin crossing the line. Prestia’s outburst cost Richmond a point, but it also demonstrated that players can lose their cool under pressure.
HENRY HATE
Ollie Henry’s Instagram post from January, a birthday shout-out, was inundated with hate messages after Collingwood’s game against the Western Bulldogs. Henry faced the wrath of Collingwood fans inside the stadium, as they booed him. The 60-plus peanuts who then jumped on Henry’s most recent Instagram post to kick him again was pathetic. Hope there weren’t countless direct messages fired off too. This is a 20-year-old who changed footy teams, helping the Pies secure Tom Mitchell. On Henry, word from the Cats is expect him to push up to a wing or even halfback despite playing forward on Friday.
Conclusion
The first round of the 2021 AFL season had its fair share of likes and dislikes. While players like Tom Mitchell and Jordan De Goey displayed excellent teamwork and skills, young players like Ollie Henry faced unnecessary hate from social media trolls. Overall, the games provided enough excitement to keep fans eagerly anticipating the next round.