McRae impressed by mid-season draftee in Collingwood triumph

Collingwood coach Craig McRae was pleased with how his team played in last night’s win against Sydney.

The Magpies were victors against the Swans by 31 points on Friday night at Adelaide Oval.

This now sees the Magpies extend their winning streak at Adelaide Oval to ten games which sees the club boast the highest win percentage at the ground among all 18 teams.

Both teams had times when they led in the first quarter.

But a 27 to 1 point run by Collingwood between the 5th minute and 15th minute in the second quarter saw them get out to an unassailable lead.

Collingwood was also able to keep Sydney scoreless from centre bounces with the Magpies beating out the Swans in centre clearances 18-10.

Speaking in the post-game press conference, McRae marvelled at his team’s ability to play exciting football, particularly after having three outs in Jordan De Goey, Dan Houston and Lachie Schultz for Gather Round.

“We want to put a show on for them (the fans), we want to entertain,” McRae exclaimed.

“This is Gather Round, everyone in the footy industry has come to Adelaide to watch footy and be entertained.

“So, we want to entertain, and I loved how we played a system that allowed us to move the ball and defend the ground.

“It’s something we want to be known for.”

McRae would rave about the performance of Ned Long in his press conference.

The 2024 mid-season draftee for Collingwood had been the medical sub last week, but Long found himself as a starting as an inside midfielder this week.

And he did not disappoint as collected 29 disposals, nine clearances and 515 meters gained to help the Magpies to victory.

“I don’t think he will be a sub for a while,” McRae chuckled.

“His game was remarkable right from the start, his contest work is so strong.

“He looks (like) such a beast at the contest and if he’s not winning himself, he’s getting it back.

“We just rewarded him inside. It was hard to tell him a couple weeks in a row that he was the sub but tonight I said just enjoy it, mate.

“He’s elevated our midfield.

“He’s going to be hard to stop when he plays like that.”

Collingwood will next take on Brisbane as part of their traditional Easter Thursday clash at the Gabba.