Collingwood were unable to go two-from-two against the old rivals in Carlton on Friday night, with their VFL side going down by 31 points at IKON Park under lights.
What started as two old clubs flirting with their respective goal posts to open the quarter, it was Carlton who pulled the trigger first, kicking the first major of the match at the 14-minute mark.
Collingwood had plenty of opportunities in front of goal but struggled to convert which saw them finish the first term without a goal to their name.
While the Pies lacked scoreboard impact, a shining light came in the form of 2025 draftee Sam Swadling, who finished the first quarter with a game-high 12 disposals and five intercepts.
Collingwood defender Reef McInnes had strong efforts – most of which went unrewarded on the stat sheet – while Swadling continued to throw himself at the contests to try reigniting the fire that was previously present in the side just two weeks ago after their triumphant win over Coburg.
It wasn’t enough however, with the Blues turning it on in the second quarter and kicking six unanswered goals to bring the margin to 44 points at half time.
Despite their efforts, VFL Senior Coach Matthew Lokan’s men only managed to finish the half with 15 inside 50s compared to Carlton’s 32, not allowing them the opportunity to close the deficit at the break.
Whatever was said in the rooms at half time seemed to get the Pies going in the second half, with ruck Iliro Smit on the receiving end of a 50m penalty to allow the big man to open his side’s account for the night.
The Pies seemed to find their signature brand of footy, moving the ball quickly and with aggression which the Blues struggled to account for. Collingwood dominated the inside 50 count in the third term, but the final piece of the puzzle – conversion – still hampered the Pies’ comeback.
That was until an impressive goal on the run from former SUN Oskar Faulkhead seemed to spur on his teammates, with an onslaught of goals from Max Mahoney, Tyan Prindable and Jack Buller brought the Pies back to a 36-point margin at the final break.
Lokan’s men continued the momentum in the final term, with Charlie West and Buller adding two more majors to the scoreboard.
2025 mid-season draftee and key forward Noah Howes, whose magnet shifted to the backline in the final term made an impact in minimising Carlton’s impact in the fourth quarter.
It wasn’t enough to get the Pies over the line however, going down by 31 points to the Blues at IKON Park.
MATCH CENTRE: CARLTON V COLLINGWOOD
The numbers:
2025 draftee Sam Swadling (27 disposals, 10 intercepts) was impressive, with the West Australian shifting between the midfield and backline in his third VFL outing for the Pies.
In his first game of 2026, VFL livewire Josh Browne had a strong impact in the midfield with 27 disposals (12 contested).
Defender Reef McInnes continues to find his strong form, finishing his night with 19 disposals (90% efficiency) and nine marks, while Harvey Harrison (17 disposals, six tackles) played well in the middle.
Jack Buller (two goals) continued his strong form in front of goals, bringing his VFL total to seven across three games.
Collingwood will now turn their attention to their Anzac Day-eve clash with Essendon, where they’ll return to Victoria Park for the first time in 2026.
CARLTON 1.6 7.8 10.13 11.19 (85)
COLLINGWOOD 0.4 0.6 5.7 7.12 (54)
GOALS:
CARLTON: Flynn Young (2), Ashton Moir (2), Jack Ison (2), Darcy Tucker, Flynn Riley, Hudson O’Keeffe, Lachie Fogarty, Matthew Cottrell
COLLINGWOOD: Jack Buller (2), Charlie West, Iliro Smit, Tyan Prindable, Max Mahoney, Oskar Faulkhead
BEST:
COLLINGWOOD: Harvey Harrison, Reef McInnes, Josh Browne, Sam Swadling, Brady Grey, Jack Buller
