Frankston Outmuscles Collingwood in Surprise VFL Upset
Well, if you were expecting a fairytale return for some of Collingwood’s AFL stars, it didn’t quite play out that way last night. In what was one of the more anticipated VFL clashes of the season, the Pies went down to Frankston by 36 points at Kinetic Stadium—and yes, the local crowd absolutely loved it.
The buzz leading into this Round 18 game was massive. With names like Jordan De Goey, Bobby Hill, Billy Frampton, Finlay Macrae, and Mason Cox all returning for the Magpies, fans packed the grandstands, hoping to see a show. And early on, it looked like that might actually happen. Collingwood came out firing, with Ash Johnson hitting the scoreboard first and Bobby Hill following up with two electric goals—one of them a beauty on the quarter-time siren, finished with his trademark celebration.
But after that opening term, the game flipped. Completely.
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Frankston took over from the second quarter and never really looked back. Their pressure around the contest was relentless, and by halftime, the tide had already turned. In the second and third quarters alone, Frankston was +16 in contested possessions. That’s a massive stat, and it tells you everything about how they controlled the guts of the game.
By three-quarter time, the Dolphins had pushed the margin out to 50 points. Collingwood did manage to claw a bit back late, with goals from Josh Bennetts, Fin Macrae, Oscar Steene, and Sam Glover, but it was far too little, far too late.
As for individual performances, Bobby Hill was solid in his return with three goals and 13 disposals. De Goey looked sharp in bursts despite playing limited minutes—he finished with 19 touches and five tackles, which is a good sign coming off Achilles and concussion issues. Macrae also impressed with 25 disposals and a goal in his first game back since a shoulder injury.
Oscar Steene was dominant in the ruck, leading the game with 36 hit outs. And VFL-listed forward Josh Bennetts also chipped in with two majors.
But at the end of the day, the scoreboard told the story: Frankston 16.10 (106) to Collingwood 10.10 (70). A strong crowd of 5,561 turned out to see the Dolphins put on a show and take down a talent-stacked Magpies outfit.
Collingwood now sits sixth on the VFL ladder and will turn its focus to next week’s clash against Williamstown. No doubt they’ll be looking to regroup quickly after this one.
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