Collingwood has gone down by 12 points at Victoria Park in their ANZAC week clash against Essendon.

It was a tense last quarter with the Pies leading at stages, however

The Pies started well with a three-goal third term, two of which came courtesy of Josh Carmichael.

Ben Crocker kicked his side’s third late in the opening quarter, however the second term was a different story for the Pies.

The Bombers piled on four unanswered goals through the second quarter to take the ascendancy, with Collingwood only managing five points.

Three goals to open the second half got the Pies back on track, with the side kicking five for the quarter including two from Jack Hutchinson.

The game was in the balance with the Pies only trailing by seven points at the final change,  however it wasn’t to be as the Pies fell by two goals.

Johnson impresses at both ends

In a new look for Ash Johnson, the tall started in defence on Saturday and was strong from the outset, taking four first-quarter marks. Johnson was entrusted with the kick outs at times and looked ensured when flying for the ball in the air. He then moved to the forward line in the second half and immediately had an impact, kicking a goal in the first ten minutes. He kicked another late in the final quarter to keep the team in the game and showed his skillset all around the ground.

Macrae and Sullivan star through the centre

While still early in both of their careers, Fin Macrae and Lachie Sullivan stand as two of the most experienced players in the Pies’ VFL side and showed why on Saturday as a fantastic pairing through the midfield. Macrae showed how damaging he has become at stoppages all day and was consistently weaving out of traffic, recording six clearances. Sullivan was similar, while both found the big sticks at crucial points during the second half. The pair shared 49 disposals between them for the day in a strong showing.

Hutchinson and Carmichael find the goals

 Josh Carmichael continued his love for Victoria Park with two early goals on Saturday. The midfielder had six goals from four games at the venue coming into the game and averages 25 disposals at the Pies’ traditional home. It was Jack Hutchinson’s turn in the third quarter, with the first-year Pie kicking two impressive goals. The first was a brilliant roving goal to keep the home side’s momentum rolling, before he brought the margin into single digits with a near 50-metre set shot. Johnson was the other multiple goal-kicker with two for the day.

The Pies’ ledger now sits at two and three, with their next match a trip to Southport to play the standalone side.