Chloe Molloy’s electric start to the AFLW season has given Collingwood coach Steve Symonds a headache.
Delighted to down arch-rivals Carlton by six points at Ikon Park, the Magpies mentor is still none-the-wiser about where the former Rising Star winner’s best position is.
So versatile is Molloy that she can play forward, back and in the middle and be equally as damaging.
The 22-year-old’s stunning two-goal burst changed the game on Thursday night, allowing Collingwood to capitalise on their first-half dominance in general play on the scoreboard.
She booted her first goal so far the ball cleared the grandstand at the city end and ended up outside the ground.
It was one of her best performances since a foot injury ruled her out for the entire 2019 campaign following her breakout rookie season.
Symonds said Molloy was a natural-born leader who knows when to grab her moment.
“Sometimes it’s not my decision, Chloe’s got great game sense so she picks out when she needs to go up high and when she needs to go deep,” he said.
“She’s dangerous everywhere, but we played her a bit more forward than we did last year.
“She can come through the midfield and play in defence when we need to as well.”
Another utility, former Carlton captain Brianna Davey, joined Molloy in bringing about the Blues’ downfall as she produced an outstanding first game against her former club.
“(Davey’s) the ultimate competitor, you can pick her where you want and know she’s going to do the job,” Symonds said.
Collingwood’s first-up win performance will give them confidence of qualifying for finals for the first time.
The Magpies won just seven games across their first three seasons in the competition but improved dramatically in 2020 to just miss the finals in heartbreaking circumstances.