Collingwood downed the Brisbane Lions in the 2023 AFL Grand Final at the MCG on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Of course, with the Pies involved, it had to be a tight finish to rule them all.
It couldn't be a close finish without a little bit of controversy, though, with a late play-on-to-advantage call by the umpires potentially drawing the ire of Brisbane fans.
It's a moot point, though, as Collingwood once again showcased its calmness under pressure with a close lead in hand to secure its 16th VFL/AFL flag.
While the Magpies started the game quickly, they had a considerable issue to contend with early on, though, as they were marred by Nathan Murphy's removal from the contest after he sustained a concussion.
The key defender was met by Brisbane forward Lincoln McCarthy in a collision in the Lions' forward line in the first quarter, as Murphy's head was collected by McCarthy's shoulder in the forward's apparent attempt at winning the ball.
Murphy was immediately taken from the ground, assessed by club doctors, and ruled out of the remainder of the game; consequently inserting sub Patrick Lipinski into the action.
While many expected Brisbane's electric small forward Charlie Cameron to take the game by storm, it was Collingwood's Bobby Hill who was Saturday's game-breaker and later named the 2023 Norm Smith medallist.
Hill kicked a career-high four goals in the first half alone, flying high for marks and evading tacklers to hit the scoreboard. Hill had two more opportunities for goals in the third quarter, though he instead played an instrumental role in setting up his teammates for shots.
Despite a quick start to the game by the Magpies, the Lions battled back and the two sides were largely neck-and-neck in the first half, with Collingwood holding just a six-point half-time lead.
Brisbane half-back-flanker Keidean Coleman (26 disposals, eight marks, six tackles, 761 metres gained, and four score involvements) was incredibly influential for the Lions, pulling off difficult corridor kicks in addition to providing tackling pressure, backing up his enormous effort in last weekend's preliminary final win against Carlton.
High-marking, long-kicking Lion Joe Daniher (three goals, 16 disposals, and eight marks) worked into the contest after a few shaky moments in the first quarter, progressively building a very solid performance as he consistently competed in the air and kicked a critical goal to pull the margin to four points late in the final stanza.
Tom Mitchell (24 possessions, 13 tackles), meanwhile, was also important to Collingwood's cause, providing in-and-under release handballs to the likes of Jordan De Goey and Nick Daicos, as well as key defensive pressure.
Speaking of Daicos (29 disposals and one goal), the father-son prodigy had a number of good moments, particularly in the first half, though was paid close attention by the opposing Lions and didn't have the astronomical impact some expected in the second.
The Magpies led by a goal at the main change, thanks to a post-siren goal by Jack Crisp, which capped a high-scoring first half of Grand Final football. However, the scoring dried up in the second half, as Brisbane narrowed the margin again.
Collingwood's inaccurate kicking would have made Pies supporters very nervous in their seats as they blew numerous opportunities in front of the sticks, finishing on 12.18 for the game to Brisbane's more efficient 13.8.
Scott Pendlebury (23 possessions and a goal) put the Magpies up late in the third term, with Collingwood taking a slender four-point lead into three-quarter-time. We knew we were going down to the wire.
Enter a tense final term, with minimal scoring in the first half of the quarter.
Charlie Cameron broke the deadlock, scoring a crucial goal after a great one-on-one win against Magpie Brayden Maynard. The Lions' jubilation was short-lived, though, as Jordan De Goey (18 disposals and two goals) dobbed a brilliant long-range major to put Collingwood back in front with minutes remaining.
Perhaps the key turning point in the final term was when Brisbane midfielder Jarrod Berry gave away a costly 50-metre penalty to set up a monumental set shot at goal by Steele Sidebottom, who subsequently put the Pies up by ten points after an enormous kick.
But right when all hope seemed lost for the desperate Lions, Hugh McCluggage incredibly kept the ball in play in Brisbane's forward line and centred it to Daniher, who snapped a lifeline goal to set up a cliff-hanger final minute and a half of play.
However, as we've come to know from 'Fly's Pies over the last couple of years, these blokes just get the job done in these tight affairs, and they did it again on the biggest stage to secure an almighty premiership triumph in front of their raucous faithful.
Final score:ย Collingwood 12.18 (90) def. Brisbane Lions 13.8 (86).
