A Dent In The Dream

The expectations for season 2009 have changed so many times throughout the year it is hard to gauge how we should be feeling after yesterday’s disappointing effort against St. Kilda.  Disappointment is definitely an appropriate response, but as has been required several times this year – both in the good and bad times – perspective must be called upon. 

Collingwood let itself down against the Saints, but I don’t think too many people considered the outcome to be all that surprising given the line-up of each side and the respective seasons that we have had.  St. Kilda lost only two games during the home-and-away season, both coming against significantly inferior opposition during a time when motivation was dwindling as finals approached.  Collingwood, whilst having an excellent run in the second half of the year, still finished 5 games adrift from St. Kilda and yesterday that gap was on display.

Our boys definitely didn’t put in their best effort and this lends us some hope heading into our match against Adelaide.  Whilst quite a few of our players underperformed, I don’t know how much solace we can take from this line of thinking given that St. Kilda’s dominance did play a part in the output of our players.  Another concern is that we were once again exposed – seemingly with no backup plan – to a well structured zone defence.  This was evident against Hawthorn (for the third time in recent history) during the season, whilst the Saints also put us to the sword in this fashion in our home-and-away encounter.

Admittedly, we were missing a significant portion of our top end talent the first time we faced the Saints this year; but we were also beaten in a similarly systematic fashion by the Saints in last year’s finals series.  Whilst blame needs to be attributed to our strategy and perhaps our team selection, players also need to be held accountable for what was a lacklustre effort after quarter time.

One of the major problems that was evident from the middle of the second quarter onwards, was our lack of pressure on the ball carrier.  For whatever reason, we didn’t apply the sort of pressure that finals football requires and in many ways played right into St. Kilda’s hands.  It’s all well and good to get back and attempt to block up space, but with the Saints possessing players who use the ball well and an elite key forward in Riewoldt; conceding the ball, time and the middle of the ground is fraught with danger.  We were also reminded that we simply don’t have a defender who can go with the likes of Riewoldt or Franklin, no disrespect to Presti who was done no favours and has otherwise been stellar this year.

We weren’t helped by the early loss of Pendlebury, who has become increasingly important to Collingwood’s midfield and our rotations in particular.  As a consequence, too much was expected from the likes of Beams, Sidebottom and McCarthy; an expectation that was compounded by the poor performances of seasoned players in Fraser, O’Bree, Lockyer, Johnson and Didak.  All things considered, I thought that our young brigade gave a good account of themselves, but they’re understandably not ready to be the driving force behind a premiership tilt.

The selection of McCarthy over a better prepared Wellingham was a little bit perplexing.  McCarthy is going to be a very good player with a full pre-season and match fitness behind him, but he simply didn’t have the required preparation to be called upon in finals football.  The omission of Wood was another move that was surprising given that St. Kilda went into the match with two genuine rucks in King and Gardiner.  A lot will be made of the inclusion of Rocca, but personally I feel that it was inconsequential given the way the game played out.  Rocca gave as good an account of himself as was realistically possible in a match that looks to have been his last for the black and white.  With that said, Brad Dick would have been extremely handy up forward with or without Rocca in the team, as our forward pressure was virtually nonexistent.

If he hadn’t won every doubtful Collingwood supporter over already, Nick Maxwell definitively proved why he was made captain.  In a game where we were smashed out of the middle, Maxwell played a flawless game down back and looked to be one of only a few players who realised the finals had arrived and wanted to be accountable for our fortunes.  As a whole, I feel our backline performed admirably given what they were up against. 

Despite a low possession game, I found some comfort in Dale Thomas’ performance.  He managed to kick two goals and did all the things that many uninformed observers claim are foreign to him.  Despite a few mistakes (that are somewhat characteristic) Heath Shaw also played with some purpose and like Thomas showed a readiness to put his body on the line.  Cloke worked hard up the ground, but struggled to provide us with the target and presence that we required forward of the centre.  I rate Cloke, but his importance looks to be a structural one as we search for match winners elsewhere – I’m not confident that he will become the potent KPF that we once envisioned.

We can pick over the bones of this defeat, but the reality is that St. Kilda are simply further ahead of us on the premiership clock.  We enter every year with expectations of a premiership – as we should – but it’s also important to be realistic and rational when weighing up our prospects.  Most would admit that a premiership this year would have been ahead of schedule given the state of our list, which clearly has deficiencies that we are hoping to address with the maturation of our existing youth.

With that said, our finals hopes are still alive despite coming up against an impressive Adelaide outfit.  We’re going to have to do things the hard way, for if we do get over the Crows then we will face an even more imposing Geelong in the preliminary final – a task made even harder due to the absence of Pendlebury.  We do match up well on Geelong and anything is possible in September, so whilst Sunday’s result has dented the confidence of most Collingwood supporters and acted as a catalyst for pondering beyond this year, let’s just see how the lads respond.

Strolling Into September

I can’t remember too many games that carried a similar feeling as that of Sunday’s twilight match against the Western Bulldogs.  There was a lack of urgency not only from the players of both teams but also from those watching; a subdued atmosphere of supporters who were already thinking a week ahead, merely curious about who would play who. 

Third position had been considered the best result by most, as over the last month Geelong have been looking vulnerable, even ripe for the picking.  Whilst Geelong have shown signs of weakness and have struggled with injuries to key players, St. Kilda has also slowed down after what has been an incredibly impressive season.  I can’t say for sure who I would have preferred to play, although if pressed I would probably say Geelong given that we match up well on them and have struggled against zone based defences such as that employed by the Saints and Hawthorn.

When you break it down though, the simple fact is if we’re to win a premiership this year, we have to beat at least one of Geelong or St. Kilda — and more than likely both.  With that in mind, our opponent in the first week of finals was always unimportant.

The game itself wasn’t enthralling, but a good example of how much football has changed.  It was almost a direct contrast to the Hawthorn Vs. Essendon clash on the day before.  In that match, we witnessed tough, man-on-man contested football – whereas in our game we witnessed conservative circle work and possession football.  With third spot up for grabs, the 22 point margin outlined at the beginning of the match added a new dimension, one that came to the fore in the final quarter.

It was a match played in bursts, with the momentum swaying between both sides.  The Bulldogs had our measure in the centre of the ground for a majority of the match, winning centre square clearances with ease.  We missed Pendlebury and our midfield brigade clearly wasn’t switched on, but you can’t take anything away from the Dogs as they do have an impressive array of midfielders.  Despite their dominance out of the middle, the lead continued to change throughout the game and the margin was never beyond two goals until the final quarter.

Dane Swan had a quiet match and we can only hope that he’s saving himself for our finals campaign, whilst Alan Didak worked hard all over the ground but was uncharacteristically sloppy with his ball use.  Our disposal in general was well below our usual standard, as players too often opted to finesse the ball by hand or foot, often causing team mates to be flat footed and selling them into trouble.  Considering a fair portion of our young list already have finals experience, I would hope that the lads know by now that when the pressure is on, being cute just isn’t an option.

Brad Dick and Sharrod Wellingham struggled to make any impact and whilst I rate both, I’m not entirely sold on them heading into week one.  I have a suspicion that Wellingham will step up on the big stage at the MCG, whilst Dick is always a dangerous option even when he’s struggling to get involved.  It is the continued struggles of Medhurst that have me worried the most however, as he is the sort of player who – if he gets his act together – could play a big part in our fortunes.

Similarly, Travis Cloke hasn’t been setting the world on fire up forward and his kicking woes, particularly from set shots in what should be easy positions, continue to be a source of frustration.  Watching Cloke in front of the sticks lately has caused many to rightly ponder the possibility of such inaccuracy costing us at a critical stage.  We’ve suffered as Collingwood supporters in this regard, lately I’ve been getting flashbacks of Tarrant during the third quarter in the 2002 Grand Final.  Travis lining them up is to me what a ceiling fan is to Captain Willard – the horror, the horror.

In fairness, it isn’t just Travis who is struggling in front of the sticks – the side at large has been wasteful for a month or more now.  I’m all for sharing the ball around and trying to find players in better positions, but sometimes we just try to be too fancy up forward.  It’s improved somewhat since the Brisbane and Adelaide matches, but it did creep back in during the last quarter against Richmond.  Honestly, we could have had third spot cemented via percentage if we had have kept our heads and been more methodical in the last six weeks.  A heavy dose of set shot kicking and footy fundamentals should be on the agenda in the lead-up to our clash with the Saints.

As for positives, I was impressed by the efforts of Goldsack and Toovey.  Toovey has won me over and lost me, then won me back all throughout the year – but I couldn’t fault his game.  He gives 100% all of the time and he was certainly cleaner and more convincing than some of our more celebrated players on Sunday.  Goldsack, who I have a high opinion of but have been frustrated by at times, performed admirably and would be unlucky to find himself out of the team.  Both Goldsack and Toovey were part of most of our more memorable passages on Sunday, using their pace to good effect.

Maxwell and Heater continued their good form, Heater in particular who was one of our only players who wanted to move the ball and make the play with any sense of purpose.  John Anthony put in a commendable performance despite not troubling the scorers all that much.  I’ve been impressed with Jack’s work ethic over the second half of the year, as he’s worked up the ground and helped out in defence whenever required.  He’s a smart footballer despite some occasional brain fades (that are becoming more infrequent) and when he has it, he generally uses it intelligently and effectively.

When it was up for grabs in the last, it was the Bulldogs who wanted it more and it showed.  We grinded out the last while the Doggies methodically worked their way towards the four goal target.  Despite not playing particularly well, it was encouraging that we stayed in touch for the entire game and even in front for periods.  Whilst I was a little disappointed with our showing at large, I’m not reading too much into this performance.  With just about all of our players down on output and influence, there is definite room for improvement.

At the beginning of the season, my expectation come round 22 was a top four spot and we have managed to achieve that.  This of course is just a preliminary expectation and now that we have achieved that goal we must aim for the premiership.  After our effort on Sunday it may appear that we have strolled into September, but let’s not forget the hard work the lads put in to get there.  People can say what they want about our draw, but in the second half of the year we had an extended period where just about every game was considered a “must win” game – and we passed with flying colours.

I’m never confident when Collingwood is concerned, twenty plus black and white years have taught me that much, but I’m always optimistic and forever hopeful.

21 Down…

I can’t remember a season where I’ve been so needlessly nervous; it feels like I’ve spent the last three months of my life bracing for a let-down that hasn’t eventuated.  It turns out that there is no respite from this fluctuating anxiety, as we now have a top four spot sewn up and the aforementioned pre-emptive nerves have made way for something else, something much bigger.

The anxiety that accompanies the possibility of dreams realised, the anxiety that shadows expectation like a pilot fish.  With only one more round to go, Collingwood are being touted as not only contenders, but perhaps even premiership favourites.

I’m not eager to take on board the favourites tag, even though from a purely statistical vantage point the tag is warranted.  We have been the best performed side in the second half of the year, with Geelong and St. Kilda wavering a little over the last few weeks.  Considering St. Kilda’s streak and Geelong’s recent history, I don’t think we’ve done enough to topple either for the early title of favourite but it’s shaping up to be a compelling finals series all the same.

Last week we took on a fast finishing Sydney, who were making an unlikely charge towards a finals spot as Hawthorn, Port and Essendon fought it out to see who didn’t want the final spot in September.  Sydney had pushed both Geelong and St. Kilda to the very limit and were a lucky bounce or two away from beating both sides.  We’ve had Sydney’s measure for a while, but the manner in which we notched up yet another victory was very encouraging for several reasons.

Sydney play a contested brand of football, regardless of how convincing any of our wins have been against them, we’ve always had to earn them.  If Richmond’s rough house tactics the week before did us a favour by bringing the group together in a militant sense, then the match against Sydney gave our boys a good test run for the tight contested style of play that finals football demands. 

The first half was the typical arm wrestle that most games involving Sydney resemble, with our boys once again being a little wasteful in front of goal.  Whilst we couldn’t break out to more than a three goal lead, we didn’t give Sydney an inch the other way either, with our miserly defence standing up once again.  It was a scrappy first half in all honesty, littered with fumbles and stoppages.  Dane Swan and Pendlebury both struggled to have their usual influence, whilst Brad Dick struggled to find his touch early in the piece.

As has become a habit, it was the third quarter when Collingwood put Sydney to the sword, with Brad Dick snapping a freakish yet fortunate snap that bounced through after being launched from outside 50.  Medhurst presented tirelessly, whilst John Anthony stood up to be our best performed forward, ending the day with four goals.  After racing out to a 5 goal lead by the end of the third term, Collingwood kicked into cruise control for the last quarter, holding out Sydney and winning the quarter by a further 11 points whilst being wasteful once more with a 3.6 return in the last.

Dayne Beams was our best player over the four quarters.  Whilst Beams finished the day as our leading possession getter with 24 disposals, it was his repeated efforts in contested situations that stood out.  Sydney are a great litmus test if you’re looking to gauge a player’s ability to become an inside midfielder and Beams passed with flying colours.  Scott Pendlebury and Brett Kirk cancelled each other out, whilst Dane Swan worked his way into the game in the second half despite a fantastic blanketing performance by ex-Pie Rhyce Shaw.

Tim Watson described Heath Shaw’s performance on the day perfectly when he said that he had been “flawless.”  It’s just about the ideal description for a defender’s game; whilst Heater may not have racked up his usual impressive stats, his numerous one percenters and the fact that he was not beaten once put him up there with Beams vying for best on ground honours.  Maxwell continues to lead by example by putting in a similarly flawless performance marshalling our troops across the back half, whilst Leigh Brown made amends for his last performance by being undoubtedly good down back, even bobbing up with some highlight worthy moments.

We continue to show how evenly spread we are with talent, as in games where our tall timber fails to fire our medium and small forwards bob up with a bag or two.  When our smalls have difficulty getting on the scoreboard, our tall timber emerges.  After the Sydney game, with Swan and Pendlebury contributing just 35 disposals between them, we still ran out comfortable winners as this “share the load” philosophy extends to our midfield. 

We bested Sydney by 41 points, which could have been more with accurate kicking and an absence of the pity rule applied to a few marking contests.  All in all, it was a win that was indicative of the brand of football that the club is playing – a true team effort.

This week we head into a twilight match with the Bulldogs that will decide who finishes third and who faces who out of the Saints and Cats.  The Bulldogs are in pretty good shape as well, despite a recent disappointing loss to an enthusiastic Eagles outfit.  Despite sealing a double chance, I don’t want to see us flirt with form and hope that the boys go in with all guns blazing, a victory could give us the final bit of mental ascendancy required to go all the way.

Before I sign off,  I just have to say that it’s good to be a Collingwood supporter right now.  Bucks is coming home, Beamer has signed up for another two years and has put the Gold Coast speculation to rest.  We’ve also got a crop of good young players performing well in the VFL, who coincidentally also sealed a finals appearance this past weekend. 

We’re nearing the summit and the next part of the journey is undoubtedly the hardest, but right now as I look at the ladder with a sense of relief and achievement warming my innards, I can’t help but dare to dream.

Flying The Flag

Heading into the game against Richmond, I was slightly apprehensive as to how the team would perform.  In previous seasons, we have had a tendency to drop such games against inferior opposition, particularly when backing up after an impressive victory.  With our top four spot not yet cemented, it was imperative that we took the four points away from our encounter with Richmond, along with some all important percentage.

Come Saturday night, we had achieved both of those objectives in a big way.

After kicking two of the first three goals Richmond were simply insipid, putting on a disgraceful display that was disrespectful to both departing son Joel Bowden and the Richmond faithful.  The fireworks aside, the indifference that Richmond displayed when required to at least be competitive made the game something of a comedy, even awkward to watch at times despite the fact that I’m a Collingwood supporter.

The Magpies simply dismantled Richmond and if not for sloppy conversion would have posted one of the more embarrassingly lop-sided scoreboards for the season, with only Fremantle’s effort against Adelaide keeping Richmond away from that shameful achievement.  We played well in what was a one-sided contest, but I would hope that the club would try not to extract or spend too much time on any positives from what was an admittedly forgettable game.

That’s not to say that we weren’t impressive in patches, or that there weren’t any notable individual performances.  Simply put, any side would have beaten Richmond on Saturday and despite being dominant, I feel that matches such as this one carry a risk of potentially manipulating a side’s form in a negative fashion.  The errant kicking for example was a direct result of players becoming a little more relaxed and lazy when executing basic skills; we cannot afford to squander such opportunities against the better teams, particularly during September.

I’m sure the coaches wouldn’t be reading too much into the result aside from the fact that the percentage gained was a most welcome bonus at this time of the year.

The biggest talking point to come out of the game was the melee that ensued during the second quarter, after Jake King struck Alan Didak in an off-the-ball incident while play was stopped.  As Didak received a free kick and attempted to play on and run around the mark, he was dispossessed by King, who then found himself in the unenviable position of being in possession of the football whilst surrounded by a contingent of Magpies out for revenge.

Lockyer was the first to meet King, driving him into the ground before Leigh Brown and Dane Swan piled on, leaving King invisible and vulnerable at the bottom of the pack.  Players swarmed and spot fires broke out everywhere as the umpires completely lost control of the match.  Whilst this is the sort of thing the AFL has attempted to remove from the game, it was good to see a little bit of passion emerge.  As a Collingwood supporter, it was great to see the entire team fly the flag whilst at the same time being mindful not to do anything stupid that would leave them at the mercy of the match review panel.

We’ve been thrown many tests over the last three months and we’ve handled all but one of them in flying colours, the melee with Richmond – whilst not a test – was a good exercise to reinforce the team’s solidarity.  With finals football just around the corner and the intensity set to rise, a little niggle was perhaps just what the doctor ordered.  Because of that, I’m not bitter towards Jake King or even Hislop for that matter, as I think they may have just done us a favour.

But the football is ultimately what is most important and on Saturday we were treated to some very good signs from the likes of Wellingham and Beams in particular.  Beams notched up his first 30 possession game, which given the state of play may have come with an asterisk if not for the manner in which he racked up those numbers.  Dayne ran hard to provide an option and linked up well, but most notably he was in-and-under at every opportunity putting his head over the ball during a match where Richmond had signalled its intentions early.  Not only was Beamer clean at ground level, but he created a lot of opportunities from less than 50-50 contests.  Topping off his game, Dayne showed his class by slotting a difficult shot from 40 metres out tucked up against the boundary line.

Sharrod Wellingham made the most of his opportunity against Richmond, showing class, poise and hardness in several contested situations.  Wellingham has really come along this year and whilst he had a patch where he ran out of spark, the rest he was given in the seconds looks to have been just the medicine.  Wellingham’s work in close has gone up a level this year, at times he has been Pendlebury like in the clenches with his decisive clearance work.  The best part is that despite Wellingham’s performances this year already making a good case for his continual selection, there looks to be ample room for improvement.  Sharrod finished the game with 19 disposals but most likely would have added to that had he not lost game time after cramping up in the third.

As we await the return of Fraser, Cameron Wood continues to cement his name in the senior side.  Whilst not as prominent as last week, Wood put in another good performance against Richmond and continues to work hard around the ground.  Brad Dick’s forward pressure was on show once again, highlighting just how important he is to our side.  In modern football, most clubs like to use the back half as a springboard for attack and having players such as Dick and Thomas continually harassing within our forward 50 severely hinders the opposition from collecting themselves and setting up play.

John Anthony worked hard all day and is really becoming something more than just a lead-up target.  He has shown willingness over the last month to work as far up the field as our defensive 50, whilst still managing to provide a dangerous option up forward.  His kicking has admittedly been shaky lately, but we’ve seen how good he can be and Jack is still a pup after all.  With a little more maturity and experience, it’s a reasonable expectation for Jack to contribute 50+ goals a season.

Our back line was solid once again, with Heath Shaw back to his best at providing drive from defence.  Leigh Brown had a game he would like to forget, but given that Nathan Brown seems to be struggling with a knee complaint I’m not expecting Leroy to face the axe just yet.  Chris Dawes was serviceable without standing out and as a result may be vulnerable when Fraser becomes available.  Whilst I wouldn’t consider him quite ready yet, I’ve liked what Dawes has shown at senior level as he seems to have improved upon his earlier performances this year, managing to get involved a lot more the past two weeks.

In the end, it was a dominant victory against one of the poorer sides I’ve had the displeasure of watching this year.  You know things are bad when despite the agro that was exhibited during the game, I could feel nothing but pity for Richmond and in particular, their fans.  As for Collingwood, we continue to march on and if we can put away Sydney for the 100^th time in succession this coming weekend, then we could very well have third spot sewn up prior to the final round — a position that could make things interesting at the selection table against the Bulldogs.

True Grit…

Despite our recent performances on the road, particularly in South Australia, Adelaide was always going to be a real test for our boys, particularly with so much at stake.  In many ways, Adelaide are a similar side to us, a well drilled team that doesn’t rely so much on star power as it does on team work and executing a set strategy.  The game played out very much as expected; a low scoring arm wrestle that tested the resolve and fitness of all 44 players who took the field.

Collingwood burst out of the blocks in the first quarter, dominating the first 10 minutes of play despite not getting full reward for effort on the scoreboard.  Brad Dick looked lively early but proved to have a wayward radar in front of the sticks.  It seemed to be a confidence related issue, as he looked to give the ball off more often than not when in scoring positions.  After the first 10 minutes had elapsed, Adelaide dragged their way back into the game and gained ascendancy, clawing the margin back before eventually taking the lead.

The second quarter was very much Adelaide’s term and a quarter in which I would consider Collingwood fortunate.  Adelaide controlled most of the play and could have placed some serious scoreboard pressure on the Magpies if not for errant kicking.  Adelaide added 1.6 for the quarter compared to Collingwood’s 1.2 and changes needed to be made if we were to get on top.  We were having trouble getting it past the middle of the ground and spent a lot of our time being corralled in the back pocket and half-back line.   On our occasional forays forward, Adelaide rebounded the ball out of defence with ease through superior numbers and running.

Despite our excellent record at AAMI, my confidence had been deflated a little by the time halftime arrived.

We started slowly in the third term with Adelaide picking up where they left off, but once again being wasteful in front of goal.  To our credit, the boys stuck to the task at hand in what was a gruelling affair, eventually arresting the momentum by breaking through Adelaide’s zone with some dash and daring.  We managed to kick four consecutive goals to rein Adelaide back in, taking a one goal lead into the final quarter.

Dane Swan was brilliant in the third quarter after being masterfully switched to the half-back line in order to break a close checking tag from Shirley.  Cameron Wood was on course to have his best game for Collingwood, which has been a call that seems to have been made every week since his return to the senior side.  Our defenders proved honest as always, with the usual suspects in O’Brien, Maxwell, Shaw and Presti all continuing on with their excellent form.

The final quarter started well for the Pies with Didak kicking the opening goal to give us a tiny bit of breathing space.  Adelaide answered soon after, but as the quarter progressed Collingwood started to turn the screws.  Didak was brilliant in the last quarter and played a massive role in getting us over the line in the second half.  Dane Swan finished the night with 30 disposals in what some might consider a quieter game by his standards, although it was an equally important performance considering how effective he was across the half-back line.

Maxwell provided the highlight of the night in the last, after killing a contest with a running left handed spoil before running onto the ball, breaking a tackle and finding Didak at half-forward, who in turn setup Dawes for what proved to be the match winning goal.  Cameron Wood covered a lot of ground the entire night and fittingly capped his night off by kicking his second shortly before the final siren.  Wood finished the night 24 disposals, 8 marks, 19 hit outs and 2 goals – a return that is sure to silence his critics in the media.

Chris Dawes provided us with another option up forward and proved to be an important player during the second half, presenting well up the ground and making the most of his opportunities.  Jack Anthony got his kicking boots back on and Travis Cloke – whilst not dominant – also played a serviceable role.  Brad Dick’s return would have been exceptional had he kicked straight, but his defensive work up forward was valuable as usual and he continued to show his ability to get into dangerous positions that result in scoring opportunities.

Dale Thomas had one of his poorer games for the season, which leads me to wonder whether he might be carrying an injury.  He looked disinterested at times and his defensive pressure – which is usually a positive attribute for Daisy – was below his usual standard.  With that said, Thomas is always a valuable asset to have on the field and a player who requires the opposition’s attention at all times.  Medhurst is still yet to hit his straps, but he is showing signs and with three rounds remaining, he may just peak at the perfect time.

We have now won 10 out of our last 11 games, an excellent achievement considering that our last month has seen us front up to some serious tests in the shapes of the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane, Adelaide and traditional rivals Essendon and Carlton.  Despite not playing our best football, last night’s victory showed an impressive amount of perseverance and mental application to stick to the task at hand in front of a mostly hostile crowd and eventually win by a comfortable margin considering the nature of the match.

After an unlikely loss to the Eagles, Collingwood have jumped over the Western Bulldogs to now sit outright third on the AFL ladder with three games remaining.  Our next two matches are against Sydney and Richmond and whilst you would expect that we would win these matches, I’m as apprehensive as ever.  Historically, we’ve had a tendency of losing such games at this point of the season heading into finals.  It’s important that we win both of these games to ensure a top four finish prior to the encounter with the Bulldogs.

Earlier in the year I had some concerns about the brand of football we were playing and some uncertainty as to what direction we were heading in.  Full credit has to be given to the players and coaches for the turning the season around like they have, as we are currently on course to have one of our most successful home-and-away seasons.  Defeating Adelaide last night also provided further credence to our claims as one of the best travelling teams in the competition, with a 4-0 record interstate this year.  Whilst we will – and should – be judged by our performance in September, we can most certainly enjoy the ride.

The Best of Both Worlds…

After crushing Carlton on Friday night I didn’t think it could get any better; nor did I expect any more good news, I was completely content.  Then, when I walked in the door after arriving home from work, there was Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley – side by side – on my television as my partner had uncannily left the television on Sky News before she left for work.

Last night, the strong word was that a Malthouse/Buckley partnership was on the cards, but like many others I refrained from getting my hopes up.  There has never been any reason for us to doubt Buckley’s affection for Collingwood, but anyone who has had the pleasure of reading his book would understand how driven and ambitious he is.  I had my money on him taking up a senior position elsewhere, with the hopeful possibility of him returning home sometime down the track.

The coaching situation at Collingwood has been a hot topic since the beginning of the season.  Pressure was placed on Malthouse, who was entering his 10^th year at the club without delivering a premiership, whilst Nathan Buckley was always going to signal his intentions to re-enter the world of football in a more involved capacity.  Collingwood has been steadfast throughout the entire ordeal, remaining patient and refusing to pander or cave to external pressure in regards to our coaching situation heading forward – and for good reason.

Nathan Buckley is a favourite son and was destined to become available, whilst despite his detractors Michael Malthouse is a respected and admired figure amongst most of the Collingwood faithful and most certainly everyone at the Lexus Centre.  It was always going to be a delicate situation, one that appeared to have only two solutions; either Malthouse or Buckley.

Instead, we have pulled off what so many thought was the impossible; extending Malthouse’s contract for another two years as senior coach, whilst also securing the services of Buckley.

It gets even better, as in an innovative move Collingwood have signed both men up for five years and created a succession plan that will instil stability within our coaching ranks and the club at large.  Malthouse has agreed to a contract that will see him fulfil the role of senior coach until the conclusion of 2011, at which point he will be succeeded by Buckley whilst stepping into the role of Director of Coaching from 2012 to 2014.  Nathan Buckley will be an assistant coach for the 2010 and 2011 seasons prior to taking over the top job from 2012 onwards.

It seems we’ve covered all bases with this ground breaking arrangement.  Those who felt that having Buckley as assistant would lead to Malthouse feeling vulnerable in the event the side didn’t perform, as well as causing a general sense of unease within the coaching box, can now put that theory to rest with the succession arrangement in place and agreed upon by both parties.  The fact that the contract extends for five years and has Malthouse remaining with the club after handing over the reins further debunks this theory.  In the event that the side does struggle in 2010 or 2011, Collingwood will stick to its guns and honour the agreement – this year is a good example of how little influence the media or anything emanating from outside the Magpie nest has on the decisions we make.

Buckley has long been considered a prime coaching candidate, with his well-respected knowledge and insight into the modern game being on show throughout his post-football media career.  Despite his lack of experience in an AFL coaching capacity, he has been the most talked about prospect since hanging up the boots.  Whether Buckley succeeds in a coaching position is yet to be seen, but nobody could question the value that someone of his experience and character will bring to the table.

Outside of what we are gaining off-field, the professionalism and stability that such an arrangement shall bring to the club for the next five years at least, it is the uplifting nature of today’s news that has warmed the hearts of many Collingwood supporters.

Full credit has to be given to both Malthouse and Buckley for what they have achieved and what they have given to the club by seeking each other out and making this possible.  Nathan Buckley – who realistically could have had his pick of any of the lucrative coaching roles available – has displayed his love and loyalty for the black and white by returning to the place he calls home.

Michael Malthouse has also made it clear where his loyalties reside, deciding to remain a Collingwood man for a further five years despite not being in the position that has immortalized him within the football world for over half of that duration.  With the speculation about the possibility of a romantic return to Richmond, Malthouse is now almost certain to be remembered as a Collingwood man – much to the chagrin of some I’m sure, names need not be mentioned.

I think there is no better way to end this article than by quoting the men themselves.

“I’ve been able to come back to a club that I have enormous emotional ties to, I believe I owe this club so much… I feel very fortunate to come back.” - Nathan Buckley

““One of the things that we pride ourselves on here … is the word side-by-side.” – Michael Malthouse

It’s a good day to be a Collingwood supporter.

On Harmony and Revenge…

After last week’s debacle, I couldn’t help but sense some undertones of disharmony creeping back into the Magpie nest.  None of them were radiating from the Lexus Centre of course, but instead were once again fueled by the media and elements of our supporters who have – understandably – been growing increasingly impatient and confused as to where our team stands.  In many ways, Collingwood has been an enigma in recent seasons.  We have shown glimpses of scintillating football worthy of the final stage in September, whilst at times putting in second-rate efforts or simply looking out of our depth.  The end result is that nobody – Collingwood supporters included – knows exactly how to rate us.

With all of this in mind, I took last week’s performance against Hawthorn in stride and decided to place more importance in how we bounced back after such a let down; especially since we were facing our traditional rival in Carlton.

The match against Carlton was important for more reasons than one.  Firstly, it was an opportunity for us supporters to gauge how the team is travelling based on their ability, focus and fortitude to bounce back.  Secondly, matches against Carlton always carry that extra element of importance because of tradition and sentiment – ill as it might be.  We had failed in our previous three encounters against Carlton and it’s no secret that losing to the Blues carries with it a lot more pain than defeat at the hands of any other club.  Because of this – along with the emotion and build-up involved with such matches – we have a tendency to use such games to judge the team’s ability to perform when it counts.

Regardless of where we stand on the ladder and whether or not anything is at stake, there aren’t too many things in the mind of a Collingwood supporter that count more than beating Carlton.  So it was that on Friday night the Magpies faced off against the Blues with each side’s top four ambitions at stake.  Suddenly there was meaning beyond tradition and resentment — the stakes couldn’t have been higher.

With so much on the line, is it any wonder that we have forgotten the disappointment of last week and taken up residency on cloud nine after Malthouse and his men delivered Carlton’s heart to us on a silver platter – or was that the Dick Pratt cup?

It wasn’t a flawless performance, but it was the performance of a quality team; blowing the game apart in patches and then doing what was required to ensure the victory.  This has become a fairly familiar trait with Collingwood recently, as we have a tendency to break the game open within the space of a quarter or two and then go about our business in a very blue collar manner.  In many ways, this is an accurate representation of our side; we have a variety of mid-tier players who combine well as a unit and perform their roles dutifully, whilst at the glory end of the ground we possess some certified match winners in Leon Davis, Alan Didak and Paul Medhurst.

It was Leon Davis who applied the blow torch on Friday night, notching up two contenders for goal of the year before the match had even reached the halfway point.  After a dominant first term, Carlton pushed numbers back and managed to arrest our momentum as the second quarter wore on.  What ensued was circle work, as the ball travelled from one end of the ground to the other with little consequence on the scoreboard.  Our skill level deteriorated, but the state that the game had degenerated to was conducive to fatigue and lazy errors.  What was important was that despite our momentum dissipating during this patch, we didn’t allow the opposition to gain any ascendancy.

The third quarter was much of the same, with both teams only managing to add one goal each, a slow grind that opened up in the final term with Collingwood once again asserting its dominance by piling on six goals to Carlton’s single major.  Carlton finished the game with only four goals on the board, all credit due to our backline.  Maxwell continued his fantastic form, whilst Prestigiacomo once again did a job on Fevola.  Heath Shaw has been brilliant over the last month, regaining his form to once again come into consideration as one of the best rebounding defenders in the business.  Despite kicking two goals, Harry O’Brien had the better of Betts and remains an extremely important player in the Collingwood line-up.

Dane Swan may have earned himself another three votes come Brownlow time and you would imagine that his odds are shortening by the minute.  Scott Pendlebury is working his way back to his best, whilst Dale Thomas and Ben Johnson both played a significant role when the match was there to be won by curtailing the influence of Judd.  Dale Thomas continues to tease the Collingwood faithful, as whilst I couldn’t fault his endeavour he just can’t seem to string together four quarters of football just yet.

It’s not as clear cut as many suspect though, as he is something of a puzzle within our structure at the moment and as a result he seems to be getting the odd-jobs.  He’s not as reliable or consistent up forward as some of our other options and there is a logical reluctance to leave a player possessing his natural flair sitting cold in the forward line, whilst he’s not quite ready for full-time duties in the midfield.  What results is a mixed bag from Thomas; streaming down a wing, mopping up down back, breaking away from the occasional centre clearance, bobbing up for an important goal here or there.  It’s very much a sample platter, more than enough to keep him in the side and make opposition coaches wary of him, but not yet the complete package that we’re hoping for.

Chris Dawes and Steele Sidebottom came into the side this week and whilst not standing out, contributed to the overall objective.  Dawes played his most useful senior game for the season, managing to get involved and provide a target when needed.  He’s still a way off from becoming a regular player, but I wouldn’t be opposed to giving him some time at the top level for the sake of development.  One thing I’ve come to like about the way Dawes goes about his game is that he does a good job of remaining in the contest when the ball comes to ground, whilst also having a preference to keep his feet in ground level contests.  Dawes has some mobility about him, whilst he still needs to work on his aerial ability.  If he can become a more prominent target in the air, a lot of our prayers will have been answered.

Sidebottom is a reliable footballer and applies himself well, particularly when not in possession.  He hasn’t quite had the standout games that Dayne Beams has managed to notch up in his first year, but you imagine that with opportunity and more game time it should be a natural progression.  Speaking of Dayne Beams, he notched up another impressive game on Friday night, racking up 21 possessions, 8 marks and 2 goals.  Beams has been a revelation for a second round pick and is destined to become a vital cog within our midfield brigade heading forward.  Not that it matters, but he would be downright stiff not to receive a rising star nomination this year.

In the absence of Josh Fraser, Cameron Wood has shown enough so far to remain in the side upon Fraser’s return.  Let’s be honest, Fraser is our best ruck option at the moment but Cameron Wood is the player that all and sundry are hoping becomes our number one ruckman.  In order for this to happen, he needs to be given opportunity at the highest level, perhaps even carried occasionally so long as his form doesn’t wane for too long.  On Friday night, Wood committed himself well in the ruck and also worked hard around the ground, finishing the night with 14 disposals, 18 hitouts and 8 marks.  He’s still very much a work in progress, but one that I’m hopeful will come to fruition.

Of our other big men, Travis Cloke exhibited his customary high work rate and was rewarded by the statistician.  He had one of his better games, although I would like his good games to reflect more on the scoreboard rather than dream team points.  I love the way Travis goes about his football and he is extremely important to our structure as a formidable unit up forward, but there is some credibility in the doubts of some supporters who aren’t sold on him as our key target.  His kicking continues to be erratic and at this stage of his career, it’s more likely than not that it will remain so.  He works extremely hard up the ground to present an option on the wing and more often than not has his leads honoured, but most opposition would be happy to have our centre half forward performing this role as opposed to getting dangerous in front of the big sticks.  With that said, it’s too late in the game for experimentation in such a critical position and Travis will – and should – remain our centre half-forward for the foreseeable future.

July was always pencilled in as exam month for Collingwood and at the conclusion we have passed three out of four tests, most would consider that a good return.  Essendon and Carlton shaped as important tests in the minds of Magpie fans not only because of the state of the top eight, but also – maybe mostly – due to the intangible element of tradition and mental fortitude surrounding such games.  After knocking both of our rivals off in emphatic fashion, a harmony has been restored.  Defeating Essendon righted a horrible wrong from earlier in the season, whilst toppling Carlton at the business end of the year was a sweet slice of long awaited revenge.

It’s not over yet though and whilst I fully intend on basking in the glory of such a victory, we still need to keep things in perspective.  This Saturday night we face Brisbane at the MCG and then we travel to face Adelaide over at AAMI stadium; both games being eight point matches that could very well shape the top four.  Once again, we find ourselves in control of our own destiny when it comes to the double chance.  We’ve been here more than once over the last few seasons and have failed on all occasions; our ability to secure a top four spot is truly our biggest test.

And After The Seventh Game, Collingwood Rested…

It has been an exciting two month period for Collingwood supporters, as we have watched the team put together a winning streak the likes we haven’t seen in some time.  Some would say that our draw for a majority of the last eight weeks has been favourable, but the streak was nonetheless enjoyable and most importantly refreshing considering our trend in recent seasons (including this one) of dropping winnable games.

Prior to the Essendon game, most of us decided that our coming month was going to be the real test.  Matches against Essendon are never clear cut and both sides had a lot to play for, whilst following that game (which resulted in a comfortable victory) we faced the equally in form Western Bulldogs.  For three quarters against the Bulldogs we played some of the best football I have seen us put together in as long as I can remember, before losing the plot in the last and nearly being overrun.

Hanging on by a thread to beat the Bulldogs by a solitary point took a bit of the gloss off of the victory, but regardless we had proven that we could match it against a genuine top four contender.

Also, during our winning streak we managed to topple the Eagles and Swans interstate, which despite their current standing on the ladder still ranks as something of an accomplishment.  Further to this, we were comprehensive winners against the likes of Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Fremantle, finally going for the kill against inferior sides that we historically would have cruised to three or four goal victories against.

Football is a funny game though and whilst we were able to extract countless positives over the last two months, so much of that seems to have been forgotten or rendered irrelevant after a dismal second half showing against Hawthorn.

The Hawks had our measure last year and it seems not much has changed.  Our game plan has again been called into question after failing once more against the zone/cluster defence.  We do have a well publicised preoccupation with the boundary line, although over the last two months we looked to be playing a lot more direct and as a result, found ourselves piecing together some exciting passages through the corridor.  Unfortunately that all unravelled on Saturday night, with Hawthorn’s zone preventing us from spotting up targets; leaving us to flounder against the boundary line.

I’ve expressed my distaste for the boundary line game plan before and Saturday night was a reminder of just how frustrating it is to witness, but I don’t think Saturday’s effort can be entirely attributed to the game plan.  The signs were ominous in the first quarter as Franklin looked threatening and our boys – quite frankly – looked flat.  We play our best football when we pressure the ball-carrier and make the opposition pay when they turn it over, but on Saturday night our pressure was lacking from the get go.  All year our midfielders and even forwards on occasion have worked hard to get back and assist our defenders, but on Saturday night we seemed content to merely flood the defensive fifty without really locking things down or generating any rebound.

Alan Didak was perhaps our barometer, as he was visibly annoyed at being tagged closely and decided to busy himself with pointless pushing and shoving.  Didak has been brilliant for roughly a month, but he had his colours lowered against Hawthorn and hopefully for our sake he can bounce back strongly against Carlton this week.  Brad Dick has found it difficult to influence the match in recent weeks, but I’m not sure whether he requires a spell in the VFL as opportunistic forwards – which he is at this stage – generally shine or go unsighted.

Paul Medhurst is still struggling to find form, whilst our forward line in general hasn’t been as settled as we would like.  We were also reminded on Saturday night that we are yet to find an answer for Franklin, but then we are yet to find an answer for Hawthorn at large.  Their midfield tends to bully ours at this stage, as besides O’Bree and Swan we don’t have enough players with grunt to match the likes of Mitchell, Sewell, Lewis and Hodge.  Compounding this is the fact that our ruck division suffers from the same deficiency in body strength, whilst as laden with grunt as the Hawks midfield might be, they are still very damaging with the ball in hand.

I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t shared some of the qualms other supporters have about our game plan and some of the decisions made at the selection table, but I am still surprised at how fast the knives come out when such losses occur.  The loss was disappointing as we barely gave a yelp after half-time and aside from Heath Shaw and Nathan Brown there weren’t too many positives to take away from the match.  With that said, even after our form over the last seven weeks most logical supporters would have realised that we are not yet amongst the ilk of Geelong or St. Kilda and despite their wayward season, when they have their act together Hawthorn rank alongside those outfits.

It’s not accepting mediocrity, but rather being realistic.  We are still developing the list and have been treated to some promising signs from our younger brigade as well as our maturing players.  We simply lack the seasoned class and perpetual hardness that the upper echelon possesses; which isn’t to say that it’s not on the horizon.

We have passed a few tests over recent weeks, but we failed this one.  It’s easy to get carried away when Collingwood are up and running, even the media are just as susceptible as the average Collingwood supporter when it comes to riding the wave.  Whilst the wave has come crashing down, I like to think that after seven consecutive wins – a rarity from recent Collingwood sides – the watermark has been set a little higher on the shores of our desired destination.

Returning Thoughts…

Finally the end of financial year rush at work has subsided and I’ve been left with enough time and energy to return to doing something I love – talking about Collingwood.

Given the timing, this piece will serve as something of a belated mid-season review, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it degenerates into a collection of random thoughts that I’ve had whilst watching the team go about their business over the last month or so.  Considering how we were travelling prior to my hiatus and our reversal in form during my absence, I’ve regretted even more so not being able to keep this site active during a period where positives were presenting themselves thick and fast.

It’s time to make up for lost time…

I’m keeping perspective in regards to our five game winning streak; although I do think some people are being overly conservative when it comes to assessing our recent form.  There is a valid argument in pointing out the teams we have beaten and how those sides have been travelling during the time we faced them, but we can only beat the teams we are presented with and so far we have done so in convincing fashion.

The match against Sydney was the one that probably hung in doubt for the longest period of game time, however we extracted something completely different to a percentage boost – yet equally as valuable – from our victory in that game.  At three quarter time, we had our backs against the wall and I’m embarrassed to admit that I had resigned myself to the boys getting overrun in the last.  Admittedly, I had cause for such resignation; we were two players short on the bench at the time and we looked to be running on empty.

Sydney on the other hand had rallied, snatching the lead from us until Dane Swan plucked it back in the dying moments of the third term.  What transpired in the last quarter evoked some of the proudest feelings I’ve had for Collingwood in quite some time, as with their backs against the wall the lads gutsed it out and driven by the brilliance of Alan Didak and Leon Davis, sunk the Swans once more.

Leon Davis has continued on with his emergence as an elite level player last year and Alan Didak has hit his straps over the last couple of weeks, laying the ground work for repaying the faith shown to him.  Paul Medhurst returned to the side last week against Fremantle and whilst he was not at his best and will take a couple more weeks to regain match fitness and touch, he did enough to remind us of just how big an asset he is.

After being understandably patchy at the beginning of the year, Harry O’Brien has once again found form.  Nick Maxwell has played some of the best football I’ve ever seen him play over the last month, whilst Prestigiacomo continues to remind us of just how much we missed him. Heath Shaw has also run himself into some form after being in the wilderness and the result of all of the aforementioned positives is that our defence finally looks settled.

I sang the praises of Sharrod Wellingham after his game against Port Adelaide and he has continued to contribute since then.  He still has a tendency to drift in and out of games, but that could have as much to do with game time and rotations as it does with his mental application.  What has been noticeable is that when Wellingham is switched on and involved, he is having a decisive impact by either winning effective clearances or receiving on the outside and using the ball well.

Dane Swan has been his usual workhorse self and with Scott Pendlebury taking yet another step this year, our midfield woes are beginning to subside.  Speaking of Pendles, we lost his services at the beginning of the Sydney game and have still managed to chalk up two victories without an important cog in our machine.  Pendles absence was noticeable against Sydney, where his silky hands in the clenches were missed as we were smashed out of the middle for large periods of the match.

It hasn’t been an entirely dominant month, as our form during matches has been patchy.  What has been comforting though is that over the last month this fluctuation in form throughout games has become less of an issue, whilst we’ve rediscovered the ability – largely through our match winners – to turn it on.  Watching us dismantle Fremantle with a 10 goal final term last week was one of the most refreshing displays I’ve seen from Collingwood in a while; it seems we have remembered how to go for the jugular.

With our improvement in form, the speculation over the future of Malthouse has come to a grinding halt, which has been another positive for the club.  You cannot underestimate the effect that such uncertainty, especially when highlighted on a public and regular basis, can have on a football club.  With that said, I would hope that any decisions in this regard are made at the conclusion of the season when we have the complete picture of where we currently stand.

Whilst our last month has been good to excellent, it is our next month that will paint a more accurate picture of how we’re travelling.  We face Essendon on Friday night, followed by games against the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Carlton.  The current ladder adds even more importance to these games, as they all shape as potential eight point games.  We have been presented with an excellent opportunity to consolidate our current top four position as the season rounds the bend for the home straight.

After a rough start to the season, we’ve managed to turn things around somewhat by mid-year.  Form can be fleeting and we’re set to find out a lot more about the list over the next month, but given how dire our position could have been we can be pleased with how the club has gone about their football for the past 5 weeks.  On paper, they were sides we should have beaten, but as Collingwood supporters we know all too well just how precarious that statement can be.

Consecutive Wins, Some Concerns Remain…

It seems like an eternity since we last managed to string two wins together, but we have finally broken the pattern this year after defeating West Coast and Port Adelaide in consecutive weeks.  Whilst both wins were eventually comfortable, you would need to combine both matches in order to say we put in a good four quarter performance.  In fairness though, our third quarter against Port Adelaide was something to behold.

Against West Coast, it was our top-liners who did the damage with Leon Davis a clear standout as he once again displayed how much he enjoys playing in front of his family.  Against Port Adelaide, despite an incredible 48 disposal game from Dane Swan, it was our up-and-coming players in Wellingham, Anthony and Dick who played a major role in turning the tide our way whilst the maligned Leigh Brown played far and away his best game for Collingwood.

I have been critical of Leigh Brown in recent times, but his performance on the weekend was excellent.  One thing I have noticed about Leroy over the last two weeks in particular, is that he can be remarkably clean at ground level for someone his size.  Whilst his latest performance was his best, Leigh Brown made a habit of putting in a blinder every so often only to return to extended mediocrity at the Kangaroos.  If the Anvil wants to endear himself to the Collingwood masses, he’ll have to show form resembling that of Sunday on a consistent basis.

Sharrod Wellingham was sensational on Sunday, also playing what could be considered his best game.  Wellingham had very good outings against Essendon and Geelong last year, but his performance against Port Adelaide had a touch of authority about it.  Wellingham has been good since stepping back into the side and what separates his latest performance from his previous noteworthy matches was that he played a pivotal role in our success, as opposed to simply playing a part or benefiting from overall team dominance.

After a reasonably slow start, Wellingham’s work in the centre played a major role in our third quarter dominance — not just winning clearances but winning clean and constructive clearances.  Along with his impressive work in the clenches, Wellingham also made himself dangerous around the ground and if not for an inch or two of goal post, would have finished the day with two very good goals.  His performance on Sunday was testament to the fact that when Sharrod keeps his head in the game, he has the ability to be a genuine weapon both inside and out.

Another brilliant and telling performance came via Brad Dick, who whilst not as prolific on the stat sheet, also played a very serviceable game against West Coast the week before.  Dick’s defensive pressure up forward and creativity has been a bonus the past two weeks and whilst two of his three goals on Sunday showed that he has what it takes to be an opportunistic forward, it was his 22 other disposals and his work at pushing up the field to provide us with dash heading forward that was most impressive.

The best thing about Brad Dick however is his passion and enthusiasm for the game, something that has been sorely lacking in the Collingwood side so far this year.  There isn’t another player who celebrates a goal with more genuine delight than Brad Dick and it’s refreshing and uplifting to see.

Our third quarter on Sunday was about the best football I’ve seen Collingwood play in a long time.  It came about through direct attacking play which created space and opportunity for our forwards.  The faster ball movement afforded us the opportunity to send the ball forward from better positions, whilst also allowing our midfielders to run into space and make themselves dangerous.  John Anthony was prominent during this period, whilst the likes of Leon Davis, Alan Didak and Brad Dick became an ever-present threat as opportunities became more frequent.

It’s important to remember however how inept Port Adelaide were during this period of the game, whilst also being mindful of how poor our first quarter was.  Whilst Port Adelaide’s performance can be attributed to our lift in intensity, it’s safe to say that better sides would have offered a lot more resistance.  Our first quarter, along with our early signs against West Coast the week before, showed that we still have a lot to work on.  Our ball movement was stagnant and focused along the boundary line and we also had periods where we were completely smashed out of the middle.

We’ve been fortunate in some ways this year, whilst we ultimately should have beaten Essendon, we were also lucky to be spared by their poor kicking — something that was repeated by Port Adelaide on Sunday.  The better sides in the competition will make us pay severely if we aren’t switched on from the get go, which has become something of a trait of our side this year.  I’m yet to see a four quarter performance from the side and until this happens, along with consistency from week-to-week, I’ll have my reservations.

Back to some more positives to finish off this piece; Cameron Wood has impressed me the last two weeks as he has shown a willingness to work harder around the ground whilst showing more intent in everything he does.  He started to show some of these signs at VFL level prior to being selected and it’s a good sign that he has brought it with him into the seniors.  Nick Maxwell has been fantastic the last few weeks and has also looked good streaming out of defence, providing some genuine rebound that was usually left for the likes of Shaw, Cox and Clarke.

Speaking of Heater, whilst still being a little rusty we’re starting to see the early signs of him running back into some form.  John Anthony continues to ridicule my pre-season comments about the benefits of trying him down back by continually proving how much of an asset he is up forward.  Whilst I stand by my comments and think we should always be open minded, Anthony has looked more and more like a genuine key forward this year and I can’t remember the last time we had a player who had us celebrating a goal before they’d even put the ball on their boot.

With automatic selections in Travis Cloke and Paul Medhurst to return over the coming week or two and McCarthy, Beams, Reid, Dawes and Barham all looming in the seconds; things do look a bit better at the moment.  Anthony Rocca and Sean Rusling are also noteworthy players, however I have them residing within the bonus category considering their respective situations.

The jury is still very much out on how we’re travelling, but there have been some good signs over the last two weeks despite bearing in mind the quality of our opposition and the resistance they offered.  We face four very winnable games over the coming month and if we can win those matches and gain some momentum, maybe a few perceptions will be changed.  However, it will be our performances against genuine top teams that will carry the most weight and therefore we’ll have to wait a little longer for the opportunity to reconsider our reservations.