World News – AU – Grundy uninjured, Magpies coach says

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is adamant Brodie Grundy is uninjured despite all-star ruckman benching for key moments in Saturday night’s playoff win on the West Coast

Grundy was the competition’s first ruckman last year and was duly awarded All-Australian honors, but question marks have been raised about his fitness this season after declining performance

In the final one-point elimination win over the Eagles, Grundy was benched early in the third and fourth quarters

This left 10-man Darcy Cameron to fight Nic Naitanui’s might in crucial center rebounds

And when the Eagles scored two late goals to close the lead to one point with just 77 seconds left in the game, Cameron was once again the man of choice for the center’s final rebound.

Naitanui finished the game with 17 assignments, 24 hitouts and seven clearances in a dominant display, helping the West Coast score five goals on center clearances

Grundy recorded 12 assignments, 19 misdemeanors and two discharges, while Cameron finished with seven assignments and nine misdemeanors

Buckley said his use of Cameron in important moments was tactical and he was adamant that Grundy was not wearing an injury

« Brodie is a team man He is ready to do whatever it takes to get the team together and play

« He always had high expectations of him and elite artists will always set the bar high. And that can be debilitating at times

Collingwood’s win on the west coast set up a semi-final with Geelong at Gabba on Saturday night

Cat advocates will be on their toes after Collingwood big man Mason Cox tears the West Coast to shreds in the first quarter

Cox hit three contested marks and really kicked each time to give the Magpies the early momentum

The American was retired earlier this season after poor form, but he appears as a major wildcard in the final

Buckley was also delighted with the display of forward Brody Mihocek, who scored two goals in the last quarter and also took an important mark in defense

« Our line of attack has been maligned, we haven’t been able to hit the scoreboard as much this year, » Buckley said

« The score overall is down 25 percent from last year, and we’re about 30 percent lower than ours

« We’ve made some adjustments and think we’re going to come up with better alternatives for our forwards, and they came to the party tonight. The competition was good »

Collingwood Football Club, Brodie Grundy, Nathan Buckley, West Coast Eagles, Nic Naitanui, Geelong Football Club, Ruckman