![\"Fitness](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/109edab9df93aba59d340ad65c0835411b9c8325.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019ll wait and see. It didn\u2019t look good and, obviously, he couldn\u2019t continue the game, but, again, the risk will be, if he plays, will it pop out again? [There\u2019s] lots to talk about there,\u201d Fagan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut one thing I do is that you can\u2019t take unfit players into grand finals. It just doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fitness test: Jarrod Berry was helped from the field on Saturday night.Credit: AFL Photos<\/p>\n
Berry later told Seven when asked about his chances of playing: \u201cMight not even scan it, just strap it up and go for it\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Lions were crunched by the Cats in their qualifying final a fortnight ago, with star midfielder Hugh McCluggage tagged and held to only 14 disposals. McCluggage was not tagged by Gold Coast last week, and had Steele Sidebottom go to him, at times, on Saturday night, but responded with 37 disposals in a best-on-ground performance.<\/p>\n
Fagan said the Lions had learnt their lessons from that defeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, obviously, have already had a close look at what happened in that game, and we\u2019ll have another close look as a coaching group to what Geelong did to us,\u201d Fagan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty obvious they tagged a couple of our better players, and they will probably want to do that again. They tried to tag McCluggage tonight, and he played a magnificent game. So, a part of the response to that is going to be the blokes that got tagged have got to do a better job last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collingwood coach Craig McRae said Scott Pendlebury\u2019s calf injury minutes into the first term had hurt his team\u2019s set up, but did not think the 425-game veteran had experienced a leg problem in the warm-ups.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t help when you have one of your most experienced players, who just organises things, and he did a calf early. It\u2019s really strange. This is what happens at this time of the year,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n
Asked if Pendlebury, 37, had experienced any issues in the warm-ups, McRae said: \u201cNo, not that I am aware of. I haven\u2019t spoken to him, but not that I am aware of\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pendlebury has been given a one-year contract to play on next year.<\/p>\n
While the injury-hit Lions were brilliantly led by McCluggage (37 touches, 10 clearances) and full-back Harris Andrews, there was a moment of controversy with about 10 minutes remaining in the final term when umpires opted not to pay Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott a free kick, having taken front-on contact from Brandon Starcevich in a marking contest in the forward pocket. The Magpies trailed by two goals at that point.<\/p>\n
McRae said \u201cit looked like that, yeah\u201d when asked whether the incident should have warranted a free kick.<\/p>\n
Loading<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s no guarantee that he kicks the goal. This is the world I live in \u2013 I never make excuses. I don\u2019t want our fans to see a coach that leads our group through excuses, because it just doesn\u2019t get you anywhere. I think losers make excuses, we don\u2019t. We are winners, and we didn\u2019t win today. [We were] clearly beaten by a better team \u2013 I think they would have beaten us anyway, the way they were playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dual-premiership player David King said during commentary on Fox Footy that a free kick should have been paid.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo doubt, this is a free kick every day of the week \u2013 that\u2019s chopping of the arms, front on contact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lions great Alastair Lynch also said in commentary: \u201cThat was a free kick every day of the week\u201d.<\/p>\n
Given a reprieve, the Lions all but locked up the game minutes later when Charlie Cameron converted a set shot. The floodgates opened from that point, the Lions finishing in a blaze of goals.<\/p>\n