Steve Johnson and Jimmy Bartel celebrate a goal during the AFL Round 08 match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at the MCG, Melbourne.

Geelong and Collingwood have squared off in a number of epic contests over the years, but the round eight clash in 2011 might have been one of the most anticipated games in recent history.  

The Cats and Magpies had both started the year off perfectly, recording six consecutive wins to sit in first and second position on the ladder. 

Collingwood offensively had a great start to the year, winning their first six games by an average of 57 points while scoring over 100 points in every game.  

They had dismantled three separate teams by 70 points or more, with Carlton’s 28-point margin the closest any side had got to the Pies in the opening six weeks.  

Dane Swan of Collingwood is tackled by Mitch Duncan of Geelong during the AFL Round 08 match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at the MCG, Melbourne.

The Round 8 clash saw the Cats and Pies clash on Friday night, with inaccurate kicking plaguing the Cats in the opening stages of the match.   

Despite controlling all the play, the Cats kicked 2.9 to lead by 14 points at the first change.  

Collingwood then mounted their charge, kicking four goals to none in the second term to take an 11-point lead into the main break.  

The game went back and forth after half time, with the Magpies still holding an 11-point lead nearly 10 minutes into the last quarter.  

07:28

Time Cat-Sule Round 8, 2011 | Cats Match Pies In Thriller

Ahead of the big game under Friday Night Lights, look back to a classic clash from 2011 in the storied Cats-Pies rivalry!

But as the Cats did so often in the 2010 era, they wrestled back momentum booting three goals in a seven-minute span to take a 10 point lead late in the game, before hanging on to record a three point win.  

Joel Corey was a standout collecting 31 disposals (17 contested), nine inside 50’s and six clearances while Joel Selwood (29 disposals & seven clearances) and Steve Johnson (25 disposals & nine tackles) both rose to the challenge.  

Geelong was the only team to beat Collingwood in the entire 2011 season, knocking them off in Round eight, Round 24 (96 points) and in the Grand Final.  

ROUND 8 2011 – Geelong v Collingwood @ MCG 

GOALS: Bartel 2, Johnson, Podsiadly, Varcoe, Stokes, Kelly, Christensen 1 

DISPOSALS: Corey 31, Selwood 29, Johnson 25, Kelly 22, Chapman 20 

BROWNLOW VOTES: Dane Swan (3), Joel Selwood (2), Joel Corey (1)  

GEELONG STARTING 22 
3. Jimmy Bartel 
4. Andrew Mackie 
5, Travis Varcoe 
6. Brad Ottens 
7. Harry Taylor 
8. Josh Hunt 
9. James Kelly 
10. Daniel Menzel 
11. Joel Corey 
13. Tom Lonergan 
14. Joel Selwood 
20. Steve Johnson 
22. Mitch Duncan 
26. Tom Hawkins 
27. Mathew Stokes 
28. Allen Christensen 
30. Matthew Scarlett 
31. James Podsiadly 
35. Paul Chapman 
40. David Wojcinski 
44. Corey Enright 
45. Cameron Ling