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.