It was very much a case of ‘Men versus Boys’ as the star studded Collingwood side slowly dismantled the young and inexperienced Cats outfit, eventually running out convincing winners 15.14.(105) to 10.11.(71) at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was the tall forwards on the fringe of AFL selection that did much of the damage for Collingwood with senior spearhead Jack Anthony (14 disposals, 10 marks, 4 goals, 6 behinds) and former Fremantle and North Melbourne utility Leigh Brown (16 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals) giving the Magpies a huge advantage.

A number of players put in strong performances for the Cats with Nathan Djerrkura (32 disposals, 5 marks), Allen Christensen (21 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles), Taylor Hunt (27 disposals, 8 marks, 3 tackles) Matthew Firman (29 disposals, 6 marks) and Jonathon Simpkin (22 disposals, 4 goals) flying the flag for the Cats.

It was a Collingwood side that boasted names such as Tarkyn Lockyer and Simon Prestigiacomo against a Cats side that had only Matthew Stokes (71 AFL games), Ryan Gamble (23), Tom Gillies (6), Nathan Djerrkura (4), Jeremy Laidler (1) and Dawson Simpson (1) as the players with any kind of AFL experience. The Cats side featured 13 players who have played less than 10 VFL senior games.

The first quarter featured the type of contested football that is expected from the AFL counterparts of both sides. A clever snap late in the quarter from Lara midfielder Kane Smith (20 disposals, 5 marks) had the Cats within seven points going into the first break.

The positives from an even first quarter were soon forgotten as the ‘star quality’ of the seasoned players in the Collingwood side came to the fore in the second term as the VFL Pies completely smashed the VFL Cats in every aspect of the contest. It was a performance deserving of the standing ovation the Victoria Park locals gave their side at half time.

With the difference a sizeable 43 points going into the second half, the Cats hierarchy asked for increased accountability and commitment to the team structures, and they were immediately rewarded as second year player Taylor Hunt kicked a crucial team goal early in the third quarter. The fight back was short lived. Anthony’s 4th goal of the game pushed the margin out to 43 points at the 11 minute mark of the quarter before former Geelong Falcon players Allen Christensen and Jonathan Simpkin turned the deficit into just 30 points at three quarter time.

Collingwood kicked the first goal of the final term to dismiss any chance of a miraculous Geelong comeback. The vocal Magpie crowd created plenty of noise as their team controlled the final term and effectively killed off the contest early in the quarter. Late goals to Simpkin and ruckman Dawson Simpson (13 disposals, 5 marks, 33 hitouts) put some respectability back into the scoreboard with Collingwood running out 34 point winners.

The loss puts the Cats record at one win and four losses for the year and the prospects of playing finals seem to be fading fast. The loss of VFL superstar turned AFL cult hero James Podsiadly and experienced regular VFL performers such as David Johnson, Kane Tenace, Shane Mumford and Brodie Moles has left the Cats short on experience and manpower. Combined with an average of 12 AFL players missing through injury each week - 2010 has been a tough one so far for the Cats.

Despite the disappointing win/loss ratio, the young Cats are showing signs of improvement with each performance.

Young midfielder Allen Christensen was one of the better contributors for the Cats and after the loss he identified the areas that let the team down. “In the first, third and fourth quarters our intensity levels were really good but the second quarter was just not up to the standards that we have set ourselves. It was just not good enough”.

The classy young midfielder has settled into the club and has enjoyed his time in the system, “I love the club and I am surrounded by a great bunch of guys who are always willing to help you out”.

A knee injury to first year rookie Jack Weston and a striking report on key defender Jeremy Laidler in the last term will give the Cats a few issues throughout the week.

The Cats travel to Queensland next week to take on the newly formed and winless Gold Coast Football Club at Southport Football Club. The match looms as the first meeting between the Cats and former premiership player Nathan Ablett who missed last week’s clash with Bendigo due a burst blood vessel in his leg.

Collingwood 15-14-(105)
Geelong 10-11-(71)
Goals: Simpkin 4, Simpson, Christensen, Ediriwickrama, Smith, Raidme, Jull 1
Best: Firman, T.Hunt, Simpkin, Djerrkura,Christensen, Vardy
Injuries: Weston (knee)
Reports: Laidler (striking)
@ Victoria Park.