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Collingwood are through to their third preliminary final in five years on the back of a 20-point win over Fremantle at the MCG.
The Magpies booked a massive showdown with Sydney at the SCG next weekend, with a 11.13 (79) to 9.5 (59) win on Saturday night in front of more than 90,000 fans.
Youngster Jack Ginnivan was a danger all night, kicking three goals and pressuring the Dockers defence into errors all match.
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While Jack Crisp enjoyed one of his best matches in the black and white, with 24 disposals and two goals as he tore the Dockers apart through the corridor.
While Collingwood were committed to the contest, Fremantle’s forward line woes were once again laid bare as they hit a season-low to half time.
Goalless in the opening term, the Dockers kicked just two goals to half time as only the Magpies’ inaccuracy kept them in the contest.
They added some respectability to the scoreboard late in the contest with five last quarter goals – after scoring just four in the previous three quarters.
But the match was effectively over minutes into the final term when ruckman Mason Cox strode into goal and pushed the margin out to a game-high 38 points.
It was a brutal finish to the career of Fremantle veteran David Mundy, who bowed out after 376 games in purple.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT
Young Magpie Jack Ginnivan gave his side the perfect start in their semi final against Fremantle, kicking the opener from the goal square.
Ginnivan got to the back of the pack after a brilliant transition from defence and made the Dockers pay.
“Unlikely looking forward,” commentator Luke Darcy said.
“But he’s got the ability to find the footy. What a season he’s had.”
It was a “frenetic” opening minutes as David Mundy laid a brilliant chase down tackle but Rory Lobb couldn’t convert with his first set shot of the day.
Jack Crisp took the game on through the corridor, trying to burn Michael Frederick, but like Fremantle at one end, the Magpies couldn’t capitalise.
A brilliant Beau McCreery tackle saw Steele Sidebottom send the Pies inside 50, and Brody Mihocek delivered.
Docker Brennan Cox saved two goals in the space of a few minutes – first with a big tackle on the smaller McCreery and the second by denying Ash Johnson with a brilliant one-on-one effort.
But when he coughed up a free kick against Johnson, Jordan De Goey took the advantage to add the Pies’ third.
“That epitomises the aggressive ball use of Collingwood in the centre of the ground.”
Jamie Elliott added Collingwood’s fourth goal as Fremantle found themselves once again staring down a big quarter time deficit – like they did in the elimination final against the Dogs.
For the second successive week, Fremantle failed to find a goal in the opening term in worrying signs for coach Justin Longmuir.
It took less than a minute for Lachie Schultz to get the Dockers on the board in the second term, after catching John Noble holding the ball.
Griffin Logue couldn’t hang on in the square to add a second for Freo but there were finally some positive signs for the West Aussies.
But Elliott pushed the Pies’ lead back out to four goals when Heath Chapman turned the footy over trying to go corridor as Pat Lipinski cut it off.
Brandon Walker had three moments he’d like back in the second term – putting it out on the full under pressure from Ginnivan, conceding a goal to Jack Crisp and dropping a routine mark that saw the Magpies march downfield – let off by only Mihocek’s inaccuracy.
But once again it was Schultz who provided the spark for Fremantle to keep them in the contest.
There was a massive cheer for Ginnivan when he was rewarded with a high tackle free kick as the Pies had 10 inside 50s to just one in a 10-minute patch.
Six straight behinds ensured the Dockers were still in the contest at the main change – despite their lowest half time score this season.
With Freo’s best on ground Blake Acres hobbled by a knee clash with teammate Andy Brayshaw, the Dockers just couldn’t find a runner through the centre of the ground.
Jeremy Howe showed brilliant desperation with his diving tackle denying Schultz his third for the night, but he couldn’t stop the agile Docker moments later.
Schultz had to spoil on Nathan Murphy and won the ball on the ground to get it out to Logue and narrow Collingwood’s lead to four goals.
A second miss to Johnson in the third term – this time as his shot crashed into the woodwork, continued to build the pressure on the Pies.
But up stepped young Ginnivan once again as he nailed a brilliant quick snap when Docker Rory Lobb failed to pull down a defensive mark.
A big Mihocek grab with just 90 seconds to play in the third pushed Collingwood’s lead out to a game-high 38 points as the Dockers looked dead and buried.
Michael Walters gave Freo one final shot heading into three quarter time with his first of the night – but it was a mountain to climb facing a 32-point deficit.
Mason Cox effectively put the match out of Freo’s reach early in the final term with a brilliant goal on the run.
Crisp added his second for the night as Fremantle were simply “suffocated” by the brilliant Pies pressure.
Late goals to Logue, Walters and Michael Frederick added some respectability to the Dockers’ score, but their forward woes were once again an issue in their biggest match of the year.
Collingwood will now meet Sydney in next week’s preliminary final at the SCG, for a place in the 2022 AFL grand final.
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