In all likelihood, Nathan Buckley and his match committee will probably have to choose between Cox and Reid in September - when Stephenson will be available - since the Magpies lost more at ground level than they gained in the air against a Bulldogs team that is expert in running the ball out of defence. Collingwood's decision to experiment with three talls was based on a few factors. One was that they were playing under the roof, with no threat of a wet ball. Another was the Dogs' lack of size in defence and well-established struggle to restrict opposition key forwards. Finally, Buckley prefers, if possible, to maintain what clubs call "selection integrity" - promoting those who are performing well in the twos and dropping prolonged non-performers - and Reid had been excellent at VFL level lately. The risk of playing Reid alongside Cox was always that it would reduce Collingwood's capacity to hold the ball in their attacking territory, allowing the Dogs to slingshot the ball from defence and launch scores.

That is precisely what the Dogs did, scoring five of their 10 goals from chains that began in their defensive 50m arc, as Caleb Daniel played his customary quarterback-type role from behind the ball with aplomb. While Collingwood's poor ball use did not help the forwards in their defensive efforts, the Magpies were smashed in the groundballs in their scoring territory, collecting just eight compared to the opposition's 25. No less damning was Collingwood's utter failure to lay tackles in their forward 50m, where they managed an embarrassing four tackles for the duration of the game. Marcus Bontempelli alone exceeded that count with five tackles in the Dogs' scoring area. One argument in favour of Reid and Cox together was that while they lack leg speed and can't harass and apply front half pressure like Stephenson, De Goey, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Jamie Elliott (also absent), the medium and smaller players didn't lay forward line tackles either. Compounding the problem, the small hunter-pressurers in the forward half, Travis Varcoe and Josh Thomas, failed to lay a tackle or impact on the game. It's conceivable that one of that pair could be dropped for Josh Daicos soon.

One of Collingwood's specific problems is that they are struggling to get sufficient stoppages in their forward line. On Sunday, Grundy drove a major ascendancy in the clearances but the sluggish Pies couldn't scrounge the necessary ball-ups or throw-ins in their front half. Mihocek, meanwhile, had one of his least productive games this season. Did the Cox-Reid combination stymie the centre half-forward? Unclear. What is clear is that Mihocek's position should not be in jeopardy, given that he's superior on the deck and in pressuring, plays a necessary role higher up the ground and is extremely durable. If the Pies revert back to two talls, plus a host of quick mediums, as they should, Mihocek must be one of them. It's possible Buckley will continue with three talls for another week, since the Pies are drawn to play North Melbourne under the roof. North have more height than the Dogs in defence and less run.