FOR a while, the Anzac Day game had the semblance of a contest. After an even first quarter, Kyle Reimers put Essendon a goal ahead when he squeezed between the Matthew Lloyd-Shane Wakelin contest and then squeezed past the behind post to run in and score his side's sixth.

If you were an Essendon supporter, it was a goal to savour, cling to even. Because Collingwood kicked the next eight goals to blow the game away. Then the Magpies kept right on going, careering away to a 73-point victory over the hapless Dons.

The Pies' win was their biggest against Essendon in 37 years, since they won by 147 points, 30.20 (200) to 7.11 (53), in round 14, 1971.

The win gave the Magpies an edge in the 14 Anzac Day encounters — seven wins to six, with one draw — and what a way to do it, with 23 goals and a record-winning margin for the big day.

Even while Essendon was in the game, there were ominous signs. Matthew Knights has been all about attack. In case anyone hadn't been paying attention, he underlined it by starting All-Australian defender Dustin Fletcher at full-forward with Lloyd freed up for a more mobile attacking role.

It paid off for a while, with Lloyd kicking two goals and Fletcher one of Essendon's five in the opening quarter. (Fletcher also missed shots either side of quarter-time, the first of them very gettable.)

Already, though, a price was being paid down back, with Courtney Johns, who most assumed had been chosen to bolster the forward line, looking at sea in a key defensive role on Scott Pendlebury, and Jason Winderlich looking uncomfortable against Paul Medhurst. Then there was what appeared to be an out-and-out mismatch with Mal Michael lining up on Tarkyn Lockyer.

Medhurst had two goals to quarter-time, Lockyer one, and already the entries into the forward 50 were telling a worrying tale. Collingwood led by a point, but it had been inside 50 on 16 occasions, Essendon just 11.

Both patterns remained unchanged. Medhurst continued to befuddle whomever Essendon put on him, and ended the game with six goals and the Anzac Medal for his best performance in black and white.

So, too, did the forward entries continue to mount in the Magpies' favour. In the second term it was 21 to 11, pretty much two-to-one; in the third 15 to 6 and in the final term, 15 to 12 for a total of 67 to 40 in Collingwood's favour. On those figures, the wonder was not that Essendon got walloped, but that it stayed in the game for as long as it did.

With Fletcher up forward, Essendon often struggled to clear the ball from its defensive 50 when kicking in after a behind. Fletcher has been the architect in this aspect of Essendon's game for as long as the Anzac Day game has been going.

The other compelling statistic was that Essendon had a kick to handball ratio of close to 1:1, while Collingwood used the ball almost 100 times more by foot than by hand. The Dons kept running into walls and seeking a way to handball out of trouble. Collingwood ran into space and then kicked long.

Collingwood wore down Essendon's better players and treated the rest with disdain. The middle two quarters brought the Pies 10 goals, the Dons just two. Even in the final term, when Essendon mounted some sort of response, it was ultimately outscored eight goals to five. If Collingwood is underdone, heaven help us when its team is fully fit.

Medhurst was outstanding, while Travis Cloke kicked three late goals to end up with 5.4 as Collingwood scarcely missed the injured Anthony Rocca. Pendlebury, quiet in the first half, exploded in the second to end up the game's highest possession-getter, with 33. Last year's Anzac medallist, Heath Shaw, marshalled the defence well, although his usual sure touch in disposal seems to have gone missing. Harry O'Brien blanketed Adam McPhee, cutting off one of Essendon's attacking options. O'Brien was helped by McPhee's insistence that he could eventually overcome his opponent.

Brent Stanton, Jay Nash and Jobe Watson battled hard for Essendon, while David Hille won the greatest share of ruck contests. Patrick Ryder arguably deserved better than having Cloke bag a handful of goals against him. Far too often Ryder was trying to plug holes on a back line missing Fletcher's contribution. Nathan Lovett-Murray started on the bench but was on early and did a solid defensive job on the dangerous Leon Davis.

In the end, it was a reality check for Essendon. It has won twice, and looked competitive at stages in losing to the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda. But the gulf to the teams that finished in last year's top four is reflected in a 99-point losing margin to Geelong in round two and yesterday's 73-point deficit.

Adding to the gloom, Fletcher strained an adductor muscle in the third quarter and Alwyn Davey is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Even if things ultimately get better, it won't be an enjoyable wait for the red-and-black faithful.

COLLINGWOOD 5.3 11.7 15.12 23.16 (154)
ESSENDON 5.2 6.6 7.7 12.9 (81)
GOALS — Collingwood: Medhurst 6, Cloke 5, Davis 3, Lockyer 3, Didak, Thomas, Wood, Johnson, Swan, Goldsack. Essendon: Lloyd 3, Dyson, Stanton, Welsh, Nash, Johns, Michael, Laycock, Fletcher, Reimers.
BEST — Collingwood: Medhurst, Pendlebury, H Shaw, Cloke, O'Brien, Swan, Johnson. Essendon: Watson, Stanton, Lovett-Murray, Slattery, Nash, Fletcher.
INJURIES — Collingwood: Rocca (soreness) replaced in selected side by Wellingham. Essendon: Davey (knee) replaced in selected side by Lovett-Murray. Fletcher (adductor).
REPORTS — Essendon: Johns by umpire McInerney for alleged rough conduct against Pendlebury in first quarter.
UMPIRES: Vozzo, Rosebury, McInerney.
CROWD: 88,999 at the MCG.

THE UPSHOT
A theory relating to team tiredness that was gaining momentum only five weeks into the season after two Magpie losses was rubbished yesterday. Pre-season international jaunts appeared to have no bearing on the Pies' round-six form.

TALKING POINT
Romantics may have seen it as a tribute to Kevin Sheedy. His greenhorn replacement Matthew Knights made a major positional change with Dustin Fletcher switching ends and starting forward. The move provided early return, but by day's end Fletcher was off injured.

HOT AND COLD
Essendon was a study in hot and cold. The Bombers were six points up and smoking early in the second term before Collingwood inflicted an eight-goal onslaught that not only dampened spirits but extinguished the prospect of a contest.