CARLTON Senior Coach Daniel Harford rued a 10-minute spell in the second quarter which ultimately took the season opener away from the Blues last night.
The Game Changers’ perfect record in season openers was brought to a close last night, with a late fightback not enough as Collingwood triumphed by six points.
The damage was well and truly done in the closing stages of the second quarter, where Collingwood piled on four of their five goals in 10 minutes to take the game away from the Blues.
Speaking to media post-match, Harford said the way his team got their way back into it was pleasing but ultimately a missed opportunity.
“I think it’s pretty straightforward to say. They probably controlled the quarter to that point in fairness, but to concede four goals in 8-10 minutes is hard to come back from,” Harford said.
“It was interesting in the first half, the Magpies sat off us a bit and then tried to surge through us and get turnovers that way. We got our hands on the ball, but we got caught in their little trap.
“We restructured a few things at half time and it started to pay dividends which was pleasing. But that 10-minute window destroys the game.”
The Blues piled on the pressure in the second half, emerging from the back as a different team as they threatened to come away with a comeback victory.
It came on the back of what Harford described as a “brutal” opening to the game, where the players featured in their first match of any kind for 300 days.
“We were trying to find a way to win the arm wrestle and get the ball going our way a bit. As a spectator, you caught yourself watching the game and going ‘This is brutal’,” he said.
“I think you’ll find with the energy the girls have got from not playing for so long and the effort they’ve put in over the summer, you’ll find some really physical footy and really physical halves and then [games] will probably open up in the back end.”
Harford also said that All-Australian defender Gab Pound looked likely for selection next week, but Lucy McEvoy (fractured cheekbone) will be unavailable for at least another week.
