Magpies Face Heavy Loss as Injuries Mount
The Collingwood Magpies suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Brisbane Lions, with injuries piling up and the team struggling to cope with the pressure. The loss was a stark reminder of the challenges that come with high-stakes football, as the Lions dominated the game with a score of 17.17 (119) to 10.5 (65). The match could have been even more one-sided if not for some missed chances in the middle two quarters.
The fallout from the loss has sparked some interesting reactions from within the football community, including a notable attempt by former Carlton player Dan Gorringe to stir up some controversy. Known for his work as a podcaster, Gorringe took a bold approach by pretending to be a Collingwood fan on his Dan Does Footy podcast. He even brought Eddie McGuire’s son, Xander, onto the show to call his famous father following the loss.
During the podcast, Xander humorously referred to Gorringe as “your good mate who’s cooked the Pies.” This prompted a reaction from Eddie, who asked, “What’s this? Is Dan Gorringe there?” Gorringe then stepped in, playing along with the joke and offering a tongue-in-cheek commiseration to McGuire.
“I just want to say Ed, as I’ve been a Pies fan now for three days, I know that we stick together,” he said. “Side by side, we stick together.”
Eddie didn’t hold back, taking the bait and returning fire with a sharp response. “Mate, you are the greatest jinx of all time,” he said. “Can you never, ever, ever wear our jumper again and bring the infiltration of Carlton anywhere near beloved club.”
He continued, “You’ve been there three days, we’ve lost Pendlebury, we’ve lost Moore, we lost Daicos, and we lost to the Brisbane Lions by the best part of 10 goals just by you looking towards our magnificent place down there at Olympic Park. I cannot believe it. It was like somebody had vandalised our sacred cloth. You, sitting there. I couldn’t believe it.”
Eddie then turned his attention to his son, jokingly warning him, “Xander, I told you, don’t get in bed with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas.”
Impact on the Team
With the loss weighing heavily on the team, Collingwood will now focus on assessing the extent of their injuries ahead of a crucial showdown against third-placed Fremantle next week. Coach Craig McRae is hoping a three-day break will help Nick Daicos recover from his corked calf injury. Meanwhile, discussions with Nick Pendlebury suggest that the player, who has been battling a ‘grumbly’ Achilles, may be fit to face Fremantle on Friday at Adelaide Oval during Gather Round.
McRae described Daicos’ injury as “a corky, you’d think it starts to move.” He added, “And Pendlebury said ‘I feel good’ … If his word’s anything he’d be hard to leave out.”
Despite the setbacks, McRae refused to blame the injuries for the heavy loss. “Honestly, I felt like we got outplayed for most of the night,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff right in front of us we can fix really quickly and we need to get to work on that.”
He highlighted the team’s struggles in the air, a key strength for Collingwood. “The aerials, normally one of our great strengths … we got exposed. And they were just swarming to the next contest. You win the ball you’re out, you’re gone. You don’t? Good luck.”
As the team looks ahead, the focus will be on addressing these issues and regaining their form before the next big challenge. The path to recovery is clear, but the road ahead remains tough.
