Two night games kicked off Round 20 action in the VFL, with Geelong and Collingwood getting the points.
Finals for Collingwood, farewell for Gold
The fairytale finale was not to be for Bendigo Gold, suffering a 46-point defeat against Collingwood in their final VFL game.
The dream finish to the clubs 17 year stay in the competition looked like a possibility at half time with the Gold leading by three points.
But the Magpies showed why they would be competing in the 2014 VFL Legendairy Finals Series, locking in fifth spot with a 10 goal to three third term to set up a match winning 37-point lead. Kyle Martin kicked three goals in the quarter, as Collingwood had multiple options to goal.
Paul Seedsman kicked the first goal of the final term, and when Quinten Lynch kicked his fifth goal, the Magpie lead was quickly 49 points.
While the Gold continued to fight, as they had done for the last two years as a stand alone club, then were unable to dent the Collingwood lead, falling short by seven goals.
Geelong still a chance
Geelong has kept its finals hopes alive with a 56-point win over Essendon. The Cats have joined Werribee on 36 points, and now trail the Tigers by just 0.96%. The fate of the Cats sits squarely with the performance of Frankston against Werribee, with a Frankston win providing the Cats a spot in the finals, but a Frankston loss will see Werribee remain in the top 8 at the end of the final round. Werribee could still makes the finals if they are defeated by Frankston, but would need the Dolphins to score no more than 70 points, and the Tigers would need to lose by only a point.
Geelong stated its intentions early in the game, piling on the first four goals to jump out to an early 25-point lead. They continued to put the foot down in the second term again with a four goal to one quarter to lead by 39 points at half time. While the visitors challenged in the third term with a run of goals, the Cats continued to have all the answers as they tried to boost their percentage for the upcoming race with Werribee.
Lincoln McCarthy continued to highlight his ability with three goals to be among the best for Geelong, along with Jackson Hollmer (3 goals), Jackson Sheringham and Jordan Schroder.
For Essendon, they were unable to farewell captain Ben Duscher on a high, with Cory Dell’Olio their leading goal kicker with three, and was in the best with Tom Bellchambers and Aaron Heppell.
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SATURDAY GAMES
Box Hill Hawks v Northern Blues (ABC TV & 3WBC)
Port Melbourne v North Ballarat
Sandringham v Williamstown
Last Modified on 23/08/2014 00:36