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.

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.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Essendon (Round 5, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 4.2 / 6.6 / 8.10 / 12.16 [88]
Essendon: 1.5 / 6.6 / 9.13 / 13.15 [93]

Goals

Collingwood: Anthony 4, Davis 2, Rocca, Macaffer, Medhurst, Cloke, L. Brown, Pendlebury.
Essendon: Lovett 2, Dyson 2, Winderlich, Lonergan, McPhee, Monfries, Stanton, Davey, Jetta, Zaharakis.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Pendlebury / Davis / Swan / O’Brien

Losing to Essendon is always a bitter pill to swallow, losing in the fashion that played out today is downright unbearable.  For those who didn’t happen to watch the game and might be reading this as their only means of envisioning the events; I extend my pre-emptive apologies for a review that may very well suffer from the loathsome, deflated feeling that I am currently immersed in.

The weather held out for the majority of the match, and as the game kicked off we looked to be switched on as we kicked the first two majors through Rocca and Macaffer — who was a late inclusion for Alan Didak and got his senior career started on the best possible note.  Essendon would work themselves into the game however, as they spent a 10 minute period peppering the goals with only their inaccuracy sparing our ineptitude.

Despite our lightning start to the match, there were signs in the first quarter that forewarned of a possible poor performance.  Our players looked flat and were not clean in contested situations, whilst Essendon dictated a lot of the play and looked a lot more committed and settled.  We managed to withstand the early Essendon push – largely due to their failure to convert – and when Medhurst and Cloke goaled as the quarter wound down we took some scoreboard supremacy in the quarter time break.

It’s important to note that David Hille went down with a suspected ACL injury in the first quarter, leaving Paddy Ryder as Essendon’s only slightly qualified ruckman for the remainder of the match.  Most people would have expected Josh Fraser to seize control of the match, but instead Ryder played an incredible game that whilst deserving of kudos for him, was simultaneously an indictment on Josh Fraser’s eventual performance.

Essendon controlled the second quarter, as Collingwood retreated back to the boundary line and back within themselves to play some ordinary football.  Scott Pendlebury was fantastic in the first quarter but Essendon managed to nullify his influence somewhat during the second.  By the half-time break, we had witnessed Essendon whittle down Collingwood’s 15 point lead to finish the half with scores tied at 42 a piece.  If not for the straight kicking of John Anthony, it could have looked a lot worse for Collingwood.

After the half-time break, Essendon came out a lot more determined whilst our boys struggled to get out of first gear.  With all the talk of premiership intentions during the off-season and after being challenged in the second quarter, it was downright bewildering to witness the football that we offered up during the important third quarter.  Essendon had the opportunity to put the match beyond doubt but once again squandered chances, adding 3.7 for the quarter.

It took until there were only 5 minutes left in the quarter for Collingwood to snap into action, with Leon Davis – who had gone largely unnoticed for most of the match – sparked a late surge out of the middle.  After controlling the last 5 minutes of play, we managed to head into the last quarter only 9 points behind after a quarter that rightfully should have seen us almost out of the contest.

After a quarter of teeth-gritting and fist clenching, I had no idea that things were set to unfold in a manner that would render me incapable of mustering any sort of physical response.

The stage was set and after playing mediocre football all day and being spared through good fortune and poor execution by Essendon.  Collingwood finally gained some ascendancy for most of the last quarter, regaining the lead and managing to extend it to 14 points late in the last quarter.  Leigh Brown and Marty Clarke both had opportunities to ice the match, but failed with Clarke snapping a little too sharply and Leigh Brown kicking way too lazily.

With less than 5 minutes left, we looked poised to escape with a narrow victory.  The heavens opened up as the clouds darkened, the lights came on at the MCG and switched off in the heads of those on the field wearing the black and white.  In the space of 2 minutes, Essendon kicked three goals with Zaharakis floating the match winner through with only seconds remaining.

Just writing it seems all too anti-climactic for what was, in the most disappointing variation, such a surreal conclusion to a game.

In the space of four quarters, we probably pieced together about 30 minutes of football that would achieve an acceptable mark — and I’m probably being generous in saying that.  Considering this, along with the other pieces that fell into place for us, we quite simply didn’t deserve to win and some hard questions need to be asked of everyone currently involved at the club.

Scott Pendlebury is possibly the only silver lining on a very dark cloud, as he found a lot of the football but more importantly used it extremely well.  Leon Davis was the catalyst to getting us in a winning position and gathered very impressive numbers, but it took him a while to really impose himself in any fashion.  Dane Swan picked up 37 disposals and ran hard as always, whilst Harry O’Brien played a good game after a shaky start, winning some crucial contests and winning a fair bit of the ball.

Matches like today are difficult to review, in that it would be easier – with less reluctance involved – to name our worst performers.  Josh Fraser, who has been very good over the last three games, put in an almost unforgivable performance today.  Granted, Fraser may have been fatigued from his heroics over the last three games, but as acting captain and a senior player his attack on the contest really needed to be better.

The man forever under the microscope during times such as this, Alan Toovey, put in a performance that highlighted all the reasons why his detractors have serious doubts over his future.  Similarly, Shannon Cox had probably his worst game for the year and made some glaring mistakes over the course of the match.

Travis Cloke continues to struggle, whilst Anthony Rocca currently doesn’t look ready for senior football and spent most of the day as the invisible man.  Jaxson Barham tried hard, but his poor disposal by foot – which was forgiven last week in what was an otherwise incredible performance – was horrific for the most part today.  Tyson Goldsack just hasn’t been able to look convincing at senior level since 2007, causing me to have some doubts over a player who I have had a soft spot for since his debut.

With the doubts  about Malthouse and even McGuire doing the rounds amongst some Collingwood supporters and even making their way to the media, today’s performance is not just going to fan the flames of the disenchanted, but douse them in gasoline.  Questions need to be asked about our game plan and I’ve seen a polarised Collingwood fan base become more and more unanimous about their displeasure in our current strategy.

After five rounds of football, any premiership expectations have been well and truly sedated with what we’ve seen so far.  I took a lot of comfort and even pride out of our victory last week, believing that it would instil some wavering belief in the players and supporters; but today’s outcome and the manner in which it occurred obliterated anything gained from last week.

Whilst the coach and the usual suspects amongst the playing group are likely to be the targets for many frustrations; the entire club – and that includes everyone – needs to turn a corner, because if this form continues then a mere finals appearance could become a stretch.  I don’t want to hear any more about umpires, from the club or supporters, because it’s time that the Collingwood Football Club took some ownership of our fortunes.

We’re only five rounds into the season and we’ve already dropped two games that we were expected to win.  This has become an all too familiar pattern since 2006 and whilst rebuilding through that period, it has to be asked why the side can’t get themselves firing for any period of time.

From my perspective, the only way the team can make amends for efforts such as today and in round one, will be through consistent, committed and preferably victorious football from this point on.

As supporters we can stomach losing if the side gives everything it has to give, but performances like today are simply not suitable for digestion.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Brisbane (Round 4, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 2.4 / 7.6 / 9.10 / 13.12 [90]
Brisbane: 6.2 / 9.4 / 10.8 / 10.13 [73]

Goals

Collingwood: Medhurst 4, Davis 3, Lockyer 2, Anthony, Cloke, Swan, Thomas.
Brisbane: Brown 2, Dalziell 2, Selwood 2, Adcock, Clark, Notting, Rischitelli.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Pendlebury / Cox / Medhurst / Lockyer / Prestigiacomo / Barham

Facing the threat of falling to 1-3 after the first month of football, there was a lot more at stake on Friday night than what most supporters would have expected before the start of the season.  With the Lions looking to consolidate upon a good start to the year, both sides had a lot to play for and when the heavens opened up prior to bounce down it was clear that whoever triumphed was going to be made to earn it.

The first surprise of the night was that there were no late surprises at the selection table, as we went with the original team as announced – which was quite top heavy – in what was going to be a wet weather contest.  Given we decided against bringing back one of Wood or Bryan to support Fraser, Leigh Brown was always going to hold his place; but the selection of Anthony Rocca in such conditions had me concerned.

It looked like it was going to be a long night for Collingwood in the first quarter, as Brisbane adjusted to the conditions a lot better and worked as a unit a lot more effectively.  Adcock tore us apart, as the conditions suited players who had a predisposition for the hard stuff.  We also relinquished the corridor and Brisbane made us pay, moving the ball quickly through the centre of the ground and as a result providing some good service to their forwards — namely Brown.

When Brisbane were awarded a 50 metre penalty right on the quarter time siren, Selwood kicked truly to give the Lions a 22 point buffer.  Considering the wet conditions, a four goal deficit was essentially more like six or more and our early inability to move the ball with any potency meant that it was going to be a long way back.

We exchanged goals with the Lions throughout most of the second quarter, but our application over the entire field had improved significantly as we finally began to settle.  We were destroyed in the clearance department in the first term, but finally managed to wrestle back some dominance within the middle through the efforts of Pendlebury and Swan.

Prestigiacomo was moved onto Brown in an effort to curb his early influence, whilst Harry O’Brien was matched up against the dangerous – and often underrated – Daniel Bradshaw.  We got the match-ups right, as neither of Brisbane’s key forwards would kick a goal for the rest of the match.  Shannon Cox was arguably our best player in the first half, getting his hands on the ball regularly and using it well in what were trying conditions.

After exchanging goals for most of the quarter, Collingwood finally managed to string a couple together late in the second quarter through Dane Swan and Travis Cloke — who kicked truly after the half-time siren.  At the major break, we had reduced the lead to just 10 points and the momentum had definitely swung in our favour.

We were only a minute into the third quarter when the Paul Medhurst show commenced.  Medders took a strong contested mark in front of Jason Roe and converted from a difficult angle 40 metres out.  Just over a minute later, Paul Medhurst received the ball in the other pocket and snapped a freakish goal that put Collingwood in front for the first time of the night.

The next 17 minutes were an arm wrestle, with both teams fighting for the ball but receiving little to no reward on the scoreboard.  Brisbane were dealt a cruel blow when Jamie Charman – who was their primary ruckman – was helped from the ground with a knee injury.  They would also lose Jed Adcock not long after with an ankle injury, whilst Collingwood had some injury woes of their own when Medhurst came off with concussion after an unfortunate head clash.

Rischitelli broke the deadlock after marking strongly and converting from virtually point blank range.  The three quarter time siren sounded with Brisbane holding a four point lead, but all the signs suggested that we would run the game out a lot better than the Lions.

The final quarter kicked off and it was the man of the hour, Paul Medhurst, who put the Pies in front once more after kicking his fourth and best goal from another freakish snap.  The goal was made even more freakish by the fact that he was still suffering from concussion and unsure as to his surroundings.  It was Friday night, Collingwood were a few points in front of Brisbane in the final quarter at the Gabba, everybody knew this except the person who put us into our winning position — after his heroics, Medders was taken from the field.

The tussle between the two sides continued, but Brisbane were visibly running out of puff.  Leon Davis emerged as our new hero, kicking two goals in the final term to take his tally to three for the night, whilst Tarkyn Lockyer chipped in to kick his second.  Brisbane were valiant, but fell victim to fatigue, injuries and the immense pressure that our boys applied from the second quarter onwards.  As the final siren sounded, Collingwood had chalked up a respectable win in a tough encounter interstate, victorious by 17 points.

Scott Pendlebury was a clear best on ground in what was a brilliant performance, finishing the night with 35 possessions, 8 marks, 6 tackles and 10 clearances.  When we were heading into this match, I was fearful of Simon Black playing another blinder against us, but as it turned out it was Pendles who put in a performance that was on par with the efforts we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the Brisbane champion when our two sides meet.

Our first gamer in Jaxson Barham was fantastic and would have been a definite for this week’s rising star award had he have used the ball a bit better.  With that said, given the conditions and the importance of the match, Barham was instrumental in getting us over the line.  His work rate is incredible, his tackling a highlight and his pace a welcome addition to the side.  Barham finished the night with 28 disposals and a game high of 9 tackles.

Anthony Rocca got through the game unscathed and whilst not influential, he got involved in a few passages.  Pebbles certainly needs some more match fitness but I’ll reserve my judgement on where he’s currently at considering it wasn’t a night for key forwards — no better example being Brown only kicking two for the night and Bradshaw being held goalless.

Which brings me to my next chunk of praise: Prestigiacomo and O’Brien.  Whilst O’Brien was perhaps lucky not to be penalised on one or two occasions, both he and Presti were absolutely superb last night, quelling the influence of Brisbane’s formidable forward pair.  Shannon Cox played a vital role in providing rebound out of defence, made even more valuable due to the absence of Heath Shaw.  On top of that, Cox also won quite a few clearances from stoppages, his clean hands being a valuable asset in a night when ball handling was at a premium.

Josh Fraser played a lone hand in the ruck and once again put in an admirable performance.  His job was made a little easier when Charman was taken from the ground, but he deserves an honourable mention all the same.  Leon Davis stood up when required, kicking three vital goals whilst picking up 18 possessions.  Dane Swan was a little quieter than usual, but some of his efforts out of the middle and his strong marking all over the ground went a long way to securing our victory.

Last night could be considered our first real victory for the year, one which we can take some well deserved pride in.  Whilst our performance was not without flaws – most notably another poor start – the grit and determination required to not only claw ourselves back into the game but to win cannot be overlooked.

Brisbane are a side who I rate and you can draw some parallels with where both our sides are currently at in regards to development.  Our matches are never clear cut, always competitive and given the history of the two clubs there is always a sense of pride and extra incentive when we come up against one another.  Coming away from a road trip to Brisbane with a victory is always a good thing.

It wasn’t one of those flawless performances where everything clicks and the percentage sky rockets, but sometimes there is more value in winning a tough, competitive match.  Considering the start we’ve had to the year, a victory like this was just what the doctor ordered.  Hopefully it will instill some more belief within the current side whilst also bringing them closer together.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Geelong (Round 3, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 5.5 / 5.9 / 8.15 / 13.17 [95]
Geelong: 2.3 / 10.6 / 11.11 / 18.14 [122]

Goals

Collingwood: Medhurst 3, Anthony, Beams, Brown, Cox, Davis, Dick, Didak, Fraser, Lockyer, Thomas.
Geelong: Chapman 4, Johnson 3, Hawkins 2, Stokes 2, Varcoe 2, Ablett, Byrnes, Mooney, Rooke, Wojcinski.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Fraser / Beams / Swan / Pendlebury

Bad kicking is bad football; probably the most suitable epitaph for tonight’s defeat.  After bucking our recent trend by getting out to a great start in the first quarter, we fell apart after some poor conversion in the second quarter and Geelong – to their credit – seized control.

It was important that we applied pressure early – both on the field and the scoreboard – and the team succeeded in doing so for the first thirty minutes of the game.  Despite dominating the quarter, we let ourselves down by missing some gettable opportunities — a disappointing trait that would continue throughout the match.

Pendlebury was brilliant early, whilst Beams also impressed providing a good contest in the middle whilst also managing to push forward to kick a goal.  Our pressure all over the field was perfect, our small forwards were looking dangerous and we managed to get the best of Geelong out of the centre and in most contested situations.

The second quarter started much the same, with Collingwood holding sway for the first 5 minutes but failing to convert.  Leigh Brown had an opportunity in the first quarter and a bit to cement himself within the senior line-up, but instead went some way to signing his VFL papers after missing three very gettable set shots; the third of which resulted in Geelong carrying the ball the length of the pitch with Wojcinski finishing truly.

That Geelong goal turned out to be the catalyst, as the Cats put on what could have been a replay performance of their second quarter in our NAB Cup encounter.  Geelong added 8 goals for the quarter, whilst some of their prime movers – who had been well held – began working their way into the match.  On the other hand, we only managed to add 4 behinds for the quarter after having the chance to push our lead beyond 5 goals early in the second.

We entered the main break trailing by 27 points and things weren’t looking good.  To our credit, the boys worked themselves back into the game by winning the 50/50 contests over the field and breaking even in the centre once more.  Pendlebury and Swan were instrumental, whilst Fraser continued to battle tirelessly in the ruck.  Marty Clarke became more prominent, whilst the rest of our defenders managed to get their direct opponents back into check.

As was the trend though, despite regaining our momentum and having control for most of the quarter, we failed to convert.  We could have realistically been within a kick – perhaps even in front – of the Cats by the end of the third term, but instead we still trailed by 14 points heading into the final term.

As good sides do, Geelong punished us for being wasteful by turning it on in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, adding three quick goals to take the margin out to a game high 32 points.  The contest was effectively ended at that point and the sting left the match.  To our credit, the team battled it out but Geelong had all the answers as we eventually went down by 27 points.

Josh Fraser was our best despite being one of the offenders in the missed opportunity category.  He stood up once again without genuine back-up in the ruck, but I just don’t know how sustainable the plan to have Josh go it alone is.  Pendlebury had a similar game to last week, he wasn’t outstanding throughout but had periods where he stepped it up a notch and was pivotal in getting us back into it.  Some comfort can be taken in the fact that Pendlebury hasn’t been stellar the last two games, but still manages to find the ball.

Our defenders were fairly good despite being exposed a few times due to being under siege.  Harry O’Brien kept Steve Johnson quiet for the first quarter and a bit before Johnson started having a say in proceedings.  Shannon Cox was reasonably good for the entire match, although he did let himself down with some efforts where he was simply too laconic; which Geelong made him pay for.

We lost Ben Johnson early after he broke his fibula — ironically as he was caught out trying to get onto his left side.  Johnson has his detractors and I have been critical of him in the past, but he was sorely missed tonight as he did an excellent job blanketing Ablett early.  On top of this, we also lost some flexibility on the bench in the absence of Johnson and our rotations suffered.

Heath Shaw suffered muscular cramps and was forced from the field.  The reports regarding this injury are sketchy at these early stages, but given that Heater has also been reported for “pushing” an umpire in the second quarter we should probably prepare to be without him for a few games whichever way it goes.

Dayne Beams was once again a shining light, as he backed up his efforts from last week with an even better performance.  Against opposition that was the polar opposite of last week, he amassed even better stats with 21 disposals, 9 marks and 1 goal.  What was even more impressive were his efforts that don’t get recorded on the stat sheet, as he had a real dip from start to finish and was the last player at the bottom of the pack on numerous occasions.

I try to hold off calling things too early, but Beams is something special.  In fact, I don’t know if there is anything to be gained by playing him at VFL level.  I say keep him in the side unless he has a series of absolute ‘mares or begins to noticeably fatigue as the season wears on.  Currently, he looks the goods and at this rate will give the rising star a real shake.

One player who could do with some time in the VFL is Brad Dick.  Similar to last week, he only came into the game during periods where the intensity had dropped.  He did straighten us up and show his more experienced team mates a thing or two by converting an important set shot in the third, but also had some forgettable disposals by foot in general play.  Understandably, he is still trying to find the pace of the game but currently I find it hard to justify his position in the seniors based on his last two performances.

I mentioned Leigh Brown stamping his VFL papers in the second quarter, but to his credit he worked hard in the second half and spotted up a few targets inside 50, along with kicking a good running goal to give us a spark in the third.  I think we all knew that Leroy shaped as a potential source of frustration, but until Wood and Bryan absolutely demand senior selection I don’t have a problem with keeping him in the seniors for the time being.

As for our other Brown, Nathan looks a little lost down back at the moment.  I don’t know whether we should play with the idea of sending Leigh Brown down back and trying Nathan up forward or even pinch hitting in the ruck, but the well seems to have dried up temporarily for Rambo as far as being a key defender.  We desperately need Nate to make it as a key defender, but he’s definitely in a rut and considering we don’t have a replacement waiting in the wings we must find some way to get him involved and rekindle his form.

In the end, we were beaten by the benchmark in the competition whilst also doing ourselves no favours.  Outside of our poor kicking for goal, we still have to work on our consistency throughout the course of a match.  So often when we lose momentum, it stays lost and the siren becomes our only saviour.  With that said, it’s extremely difficult to maintain intensity when being continually deflated by poor goal kicking.  Certainly another aspect we need to work on is our execution during important moments — as it has been lacking so far this year.

Whilst I was pleased that we worked our way back into the contest in the third term (similar to the Adelaide game) we simply can’t afford to have quarters such as our second one tonight and our two previous first quarter efforts.

Our future midfield is slowly shaping with the addition of Beams, but Pendlebury and Swan desperately need some genuine assistance outside of our part-timers.  Sometimes I feel that our extended rotations through the middle hinder any cohesion that we manage to achieve.  The solution won’t be found this year as we’re still rebuilding our midfield, but hopefully we can get a better idea heading forward throughout the course of the season.

We currently stand 1-2 and our next few weeks are going to be extremely important.  We face Brisbane next Friday night at the Gabba, a 50/50 prospect on paper but one that we simply have to win at this point to keep our season afloat and self-belief healthy during these early stages.

In the end, I don’t think too many of us would be surprised with a loss tonight; but the manner in which it came about lends itself to disappointment.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Melbourne (Round 2, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 3.1 / 8.3 / 14.7 / 17.15 [117]
Melbourne: 5.2 / 7.2 / 9.4 / 10.4 [64]

Goals

Collingwood: Anthony 4, Didak 3, Lockyer 2, Cloke 2, Swan, Medhurst, Brown, Fraser, Davis, Beams.
Melbourne: Green 3, Miller, Johnson, Morton, Petterd, Bate, Bruce, McLean.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Fraser / Didak / Swan / Davis

Review

After a disappointing result last week, we were perhaps fortunate to have to back-up against last year’s wooden spooners in Melbourne.  Whilst Melbourne gave us an early scare and some of our first quarter play was reminiscent of round one, the boys managed to come good and run over the top of the struggling Demons.

Before the ball had even been bounced, Magpie supporters were given some bitter-sweet news: Dayne Beams would be making his debut, but it would be at the expense of Dale Thomas who fell ill overnight.  We would get to see the promising Beams again, but we would be missing one of our better players from round one.

Our ball movement in the first quarter left a lot to be desired, as we were once again stagnant and haphazard.  On the contrary, Melbourne were moving and using the ball a lot better than us in the early stages — something that surely worried a lot of Collingwood supporters in the opening thirty minutes.

Brad Miller, a player who I don’t particularly rate, proved a headache and got the better of Nathan Brown as our defence fell victim to a lack of pressure all over the ground.  For the Pies, Lockyer was one of our best in the opening quarter and kept us in the contest by pushing forward and kicking a couple of goals.

The teams exchanged goals early in the second quarter, but as the half-time break approached our boys began to settle — largely due to the tireless efforts of Dane Swan.  Ben Johnson collected a lot of the ball and provided us with some drive, whilst Leon Davis and Alan Didak began to work their classy selves into the match.

Didak proved to be the difference as the second quarter neared its conclusion, kicking two goals back-to-back to tie up the scores.  Shortly after, Leon Davis spotted up Paul Medhurst 15 metres out with a scintillating pass.  Medders went back and converted, sending the Pies into the main break with a seven point lead and a healthy dose of momentum.

We carried the momentum into the all-important third term, as the Pies began turning the screws and grinding the Demons down.  Paul Medhurst had been quiet for the most part, but similar to last week began to work himself into some form during the third quarter; setting up John Anthony for his fourth and final goal of the match.

Josh Fraser – who had battled it out all day as our sole ruckman – was absolutely superb, setting the side up with some creative work out of the ruck whilst pushing forward to kick one of his own as the Pies took a 33 point lead into the final quarter.

The last quarter was a formality as it became apparent that Melbourne had ran their race.  We spent most of the final term peppering the goals with little result, adding three goals eight points to our final score.  Travis Cloke, who worked hard as always but received little reward, bobbed up to kick two in the final term; whilst Didak showed the rest of the boys how to kick straight when he added his third from a set shot. As the final siren sounded, Collingwood were victorious by 53 points.

In the wash-up, Scott Pendlebury had what most would consider an off-day, as he didn’t look 100 percent from the get go.  Despite this, he battled on and still amassed 26 disposals whilst generally using the ball well.  Leon Davis was fantastic, working hard to clean up and steady us down back.  Dane Swan finished the game as our leading possession winner with 33 disposals and was instrumental in keeping us thereabouts during our poorer periods.

Shannon Cox played more of a defensive role and despite a couple of forgettable kicks, was good once again.  Heath Shaw started slowly but got better as the match wore on; unfortunately though he was reported for a mid-air collision with Jared Rivers and although I think he should get off, there is no telling with the tribunal.  Nathan Brown struggled early, but was swung forward and provided another target and some good defensive work; kicking a good goal in the third from 40 out on a reasonably tight angle after winning a free kick from an excellent tackle.

Josh Fraser and Alan Didak were our two stand-outs.  Fraser was excellent playing as our lone ruckman, whilst Alan Didak brushed off an uncharacteristic round one performance to return to his classy best; finishing the game with 29 disposals and 3 goals.  Fraser’s performance has sparked talk regarding the possibility of him carrying the ruck responsibility every week, but some perspective is required as Josh was admittedly up against a sub-standard ruck division.

Leigh Brown didn’t do much to suggest he’s a better option than Bryan or Wood, as he looked about as effective as either of those players.  He is admittedly quicker around the ground and even more agile, but much like Wood and Bryan he didn’t have any notable impact on proceedings.  Dayne Beams on the other hand had a fantastic debut, gathering18 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles and 1 goal.  His goal was memorable, kicking truly from 50 metres out on a 45 degree angle.

What has been most impressive about Beams has been his ability to win his own ball.  He looked composed when winning the ball in tight situations and showed decision making beyond his years, playing a part in setting us up out of the centre on more than one occasion.  His defensive work when not in possession is also commendable as evidenced by his six tackles.  Quite simply, we have found a player in Beams.

It was hard to make much out of Brad Dick’s senior return, as he only came into the match when the heat was off.  With that said, it wasn’t a case of Dick being a front-runner, as his application in chasing and applying pressure was excellent, but he clearly just needs to find some touch and adjust to the pace of senior football.  Hopefully he’ll be better for getting more of a sniff in the final term, as I wouldn’t be surprised if we persisted with him for a run of games.

Much like last week, John Anthony looked to be our most dangerous forward throughout the game, as Cloke did most of his work further up field.  I wasn’t sold on Anthony’s prospects as a forward heading into 2009, but after the NAB Cup and our two games thus far I have been converted.  I will still say that he has something to offer down back if required, but we would be silly to move him from our forward line any time soon.  He got caught behind a couple of times, but admittedly on those occasions the delivery to the forward line left a lot to be desired.

I’m a little bit torn about the result, as whilst the scoreboard would show us to be convincing winners; I’m not sold on how convincing we actually were.  Our first quarter was poor once again and better opposition would have made us pay a heavier price.  Whilst we applied ourselves and wore the Demons down, we still suffered from poor execution in patches throughout the game.

It is clear however that some of our better players are still finding form, so there is improvement to be had.  Our ruck situation is still a concern and there were several periods of play where we looked impotent when it came to winning centre clearances.  Whilst we could never question Travis Cloke’s work ethic, he needs to have more of an influence on the game and make himself a target in more dangerous positions.

We still need to revise the game plan I believe, or at the very least improve our execution of the current one.  Our defence has looked extremely vulnerable when we have allowed the opposition to carry the ball with little pressure.  Melbourne are probably the worst outfit going around at the moment, yet they still looked to have our measure and worried our defenders when our intensity wasn’t switched on.  It’s a concern that we rely so heavily on intensity, as it’s arguably the hardest quality to sustain throughout the course of a match — let alone throughout a season.  The bottom line is, regardless of the opposition’s quality, sides will always find a way to score if they’re provided with a free run through the corridor.

We performed well enough to secure the four points and some important percentage, but we’ll need to find something more if we’re to be competitive against the better sides in the competition.  I’m not too concerned as our season is still in its infancy and I’m hopeful that a lot of our weaknesses will be ironed out through basic match fitness and a few players finding the form we know they’re capable of.  The side is yet to find the right balance and the chemistry has suffered as a result, hopefully with a few more rounds team selection will become less of an experiment and the side will settle in turn.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Adelaide (Round 1, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 2.0 / 7.1 / 12.3 / 13.8 [86]
Adelaide: 5.5 / 8.8 / 11.9 / 13.12 [90]

Goals

Collingwood: Clarke 2, Anthony 2, Cloke 2, Medhurst 2, Maxwell 2, Pendlebury, Swan, Davis.
Adelaide: Stevens 3, Porplyzia 2, Van Berlo 2, Petrenko, Walker, Dangerfield, Douglas, Knights, Bock.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Pendlebury / O’Bree / Cox

Review

After the debacle that was the NAB Cup Grand Final, I had hoped that the Pies would make amends by kicking our 2009 campaign off on the right foot.  On paper and according to the bookmakers, it was a game that we were expected to win.  For many, it was a game that we needed to win to show that we had made some steps from our past tendencies of dropping matches we entered as favourites.

Despite the favouritism, I wasn’t as confident as some others and always expected this match to be a real contest — but all the same this was a game that, when looking at the fixture over the off-season, I had expected a win from.

Unfortunately, it seems like an all too familiar story; with the slow-starting Pies going down by four points in what – I imagine – was an entertaining match to watch if you were a neutral supporter.

Adelaide burst out of the blocks whilst our boys looked like they were yet to arrive at the MCG.  Whilst Adelaide controlled the corridor and rebounded the ball with ease, Collingwood struggled heading forward with stagnant movement around the wings.  The result was a 23 point lead to Adelaide at the end of the first quarter; with McLeod doing a lot of damage out of defence.

Collingwood fought their way back into the match in the second quarter, looking a lot better after what was a forgettable performance in the first.  Shannon Cox continued his good form whilst the likes of Pendlebury, Swan and Thomas started working their way into the game.  We started hitting more targets and moving the ball with a bit more purpose, but still headed into the main break trailing by 13 points.

The first 10 minutes of the third quarter promised a lot for the Collingwood faithful and almost had us forgetting our first quarter efforts, with Collingwood kicking the first five goals to dash out to an 18 point lead.  Maxwell stood up, kicking two goals for the quarter whilst Medhurst got dangerous after finding his feet in the first half, adding 2 of his own.

The momentum ended however, as Adelaide capitalised on three dubious umpiring decisions which resulted in three goals, leaving the teams deadlocked at the final change.  Regardless of the umpiring decisions – which were infuriating – we seemed to lose our spark and retreated back within our shells, battening down the hatches until the three quarter time siren came.

The final quarter was poised to be a real fight, as both teams were looking tired by the end of the third quarter.  A battle of wills ensued as scores remained tied for the first five minutes of play.  We managed to gain some ascendancy for a five minute period, with most of the play unfolding in our forward half of the ground.  Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalise and claim ownership of our fortunes; with Anthony opting to pass instead of taking a shot most would have backed him to kick and Swan fumbling an opportunity after a great defensive effort opened up the goals.

Adelaide managed to kick the first for the quarter after Knights converted from outside 50.  After a few more minutes of tug-of-war and a reprieve thanks to a shanked kick from Adelaide’s Myke Cook, Porplyzia marked and converted from 40 metres out.  There was still time if we were good enough and Pendlebury managed to restore some hope to the masses after marking in the goal square and quickly converting.

In the end, after one more genuine foray forward, time ran out for Collingwood; the siren sounding with Adelaide collecting four points after winning by the same amount.

As for our players, Shannon Cox was composed and hit targets more often than not throughout the day.  Whilst a lot of our players looked unsure and rattled – particularly early on – Cox brought a steady presence when he had the ball in hand.  Pendlebury worked his way into the match and along with Swan provided a spark for us in the middle during our third term resurgence.  Similar to Cox, in a day riddled with errors or poor decision making, he used the ball well and straightened us up.

It was quite difficult naming our best players, as whilst quite a few of them racked up what would appear to be good numbers; a lot of those disposals were largely ineffective.  In today’s game, most stats simply don’t tell the story.  In hindsight, we probably carried too many half-back flankers into this game, with both Toovey and Goldsack being largely ineffective.

Both Fraser and Bryan were quiet on the day, with neither providing much around the ground.  John Anthony continued his straight kicking and also held some strong marks, but as has been the story in his early career he simply couldn’t get on the end of enough opportunities.  This wasn’t entirely his fault, as for large portions of play we didn’t move the ball forward with any sort of fluency and Adelaide did well in pushing numbers back.

There has been a lot of focus on our wing dependant game plan during the off-season, with many people growing increasingly frustrated by the stop-start ball movement that results.  Whilst the strategy has served us well at times, the game is evolving and this method of offence is looking more and more redundant.

What frustrates fans so much isn’t the use of the wings solely, but more critically that we completely relinquish the corridor to the opposition.  Adelaide were able to stroll through the centre square, casually sharing the ball around in the middle of the ground.  It’s quite simply infuriating to watch as a supporter, when not only do the opposition have the ball in a dangerous part of the ground but also have little pressure applied in the process.

Some changes definitely have to be made in regards to how we go about it, as with Hawthorn’s success last year more sides are likely to employ a rolling zone that we have proven vulnerable to.  The logic behind using the wings as a method of minimising the cost of skill errors seems less and less credible; as when we turn the ball over, even wide on a wing, opposition teams have a variety of options queueing up in the corridor.

Whilst the game plan is worthy of discussion and most fans would agree they would prefer that we hit the drawing board and tried something new; it wasn’t entirely at fault for today’s loss.  Quite simply, the players did not look switched on until the second quarter and in any game of football, you simply cannot afford to give the opposition that sort of head start.

The same applies for any complaints about the umpiring.  Whilst I was as frustrated as any other Collingwood supporter as some terrible decisions were made, the fact still remains that we gave the opposition a 23 point head start – which arguably could have been more if not for poor conversion – and as such the team has nobody to blame but themselves.

I like to finish on a positive note at times like this, so despite all the disappointment we can still take something from the game played by Cox and also by some pieces of play from Daisy, who got involved and provided some spark in the middle during the third term.  Thomas also had some forgettable efforts – borne out of trying to do too much or be too flashy – but despite this he also provided us with some of our more convincing passages heading forward and was directly responsible for a few of our goals.

On days like this, perhaps the only positive to take away from the match is that there is definitely improvement to come.  Didak had an off-day despite picking up reasonably good numbers, whilst Medhurst still looks rusty at these early stages.  The return of Heath Shaw will be valuable and with our improvement in depth, we have options waiting in the wings.

It’s never a good way to start the season and some questions need to be asked along with some changes made; but we must remember that there are 21 rounds remaining.  Our current form is not our best form, so we should expect an improvement on that as the season progresses.  Whilst performances such as today should not be tolerated, it’s way too premature to worry about the sky falling.

Match Review: Collingwood Vs. Geelong

NAB CUP GRAND FINAL: COLLINGWOOD VS. GEELONG

The Scores

Collingwood: 1.2.2 / 1.2.3 / 1.4.5 / 1.6.6 [51]
Geelong: 0.3.5 / 0.9.10 / 0.13.17 / 0.18.19 [127]

Goals

Collingwood: Thomas 2, Bryan, Clarke, O’Bree, Beams, Cloke.
Geelong: Ablett 3, S. Johnson 3, Selwood 2, Chapman 2, Lonergan 2, Stokes 2, Gamble, Varcoe, Tenace, Bartel.

The 10th Letter’s Best: Thomas / Cox / Lockyer / Toovey

Review

It’s always difficult writing a review after such a demoralising performance, but I’ll suck it up and type through gritted teeth.

The first quarter showed a bit of promise in regards to the match being a close contest, with the teams exchanging goals throughout and ending the quarter with 23 points a piece.  Geelong had more of the ball but missed a couple of gettable opportunities, whilst Collingwood managed to manufacture two early goals through Clarke and O’Bree.

It would be as close as Collingwood got for the evening however, as Geelong turned it on with a dominant ten minute display in the second after Chris Bryan flattened star midfielder Joel Selwood.  Selwood was dominant throughout the game, particularly for a patch after being flattened by Bryan, where he won the next three consecutive centre clearances which resulted in three quick goals to the Cats.

Geelong reversed the tables on Collingwood, replicating the brand of pressure that we applied on them last year and in the process reversing the result.  With Geelong relentless when not in possession, Collingwood made skill error after skill error and were reduced to kicking in desperation in attempts to merely scramble the ball out of the hot zone, heading forward with no purpose or fluency.

The second quarter was littered with demoralizing errors; players missing targets even when finding a rare amount of space.  Ben Johnson streamed through the centre square, only to kick into a Geelong player and turn the ball over once more.  Shannon Cox, who had shown some poise despite the pressure in the first quarter, made some forgettable disposal errors deep in defence — a crime he was hardly alone in committing.

It’s safe to say that the Collingwood structure fell to pieces and Geelong were prepared to work harder than their opponents and use the ball a lot more effectively.  With Collingwood players shell shocked and confused as to their instructions, Geelong streamed forward and were able to raffle the ball amongst multiple open targets inside 50.

Geelong piled on six goals and five behinds for the quarter, whilst Collingwood barely fired a shot, managing only the solitary point.  Despite the forty point deficit, I hoped that the Pies would show some resolve for the remainder of the match.  Unfortunately it was not to be, as more of the same continued after the half-time break.

The Cats continued to turn the screws throughout the second half of the match, eventually running out 76 point winners.  Joel Selwood rightfully won the Tuck medal for best on ground, whilst Gary Ablett Jnr. proved damaging as usual racking up the disposals and kicking three goals.  With the roof open, fans were treated to a final quarter of rare wet weather football at the only indoor AFL venue in the country — a fitting dreary end to what was a forgettable night for the Magpies.

Geelong were simply dominant from the second quarter onwards, taking the ball from the centre at leisure and winning just about every position across the ground.  In the wash up, the telling point is that Collingwood had no clear winner all night, with the most that could be said about a handful of players simply being that they tried hard and managed to force or break even in a few contests.

Dale Thomas tried hard throughout the night – further dispelling the front running myth – and managed to push forward and kick two goals.  Alan Toovey was solid in his defensive work once more, putting his hand up for a round one start ahead of the likes of Goldsack and possibly Cox as a medium defender.  Whilst Cox may suffer the fate of being a fringe player amongst a side that was comprehensively beaten, I must commend his endeavour, picking up 17 disposals in a match where he historically would have seen little of the ball and been accused of looking disinterested.

Tarkyn Lockyer worked hard all over the ground, ending up as our leading possession getter with 20 disposals.  With the midfield soundly beaten, it’s hard to judge the performance of our forwards.  Jack Anthony was well held by Scarlett and spent a lot of the game working hard but only being rewarded with frustration.  Travis Cloke presented time again as usual, but was unable to find the ball in any dangerous positions.

Out of the young and fringe brigade, Dayne Beams should be a likely starter for round one also.  Despite not being as statistically impressive, he showed a willingness all night to put his head over the ball and do the hard yards — exemplified by a brilliant one minute passage where he forced a ball-up by contesting a loose ball in the midst of an oncoming Cat.  He received recognition from Darren Milburn for his courage, then followed it up a few seconds later by sharking the ball at the throw in and snapping truly from 30 metres out on a 45 degree angle.

Sidebottom had limited game time and despite working hard, found it tough to find the ball or space amongst seasoned Geelong bodies.  Wellingham had a real dip, especially in the first quarter, but was unlucky at times and outclassed by more experienced opposition in others.  John McCarthy looked very underdone and is likely to find some form and fitness in the VFL prior to winning a senior call-up.

Ben Reid persevered throughout the night and had a couple of forgettable moments.  Despite this, I don’t think we can judge the young developing tall by a few skill errors in a night where basic errors were rife throughout the entire team.  Reid spent a lot of time down back and wasn’t beaten on the lead often; also managing to effect a few spoils before the match was done.

Chris Dawes looked lost at sea while on the ground and needs another year of development in the VFL.  I don’t intend on judging Chris too harshly, as it wasn’t a good night for forwards in general; but he does need to work on his positioning and presentation whilst on field.  I wouldn’t be expecting Dawes to crash packs at this early stage in his career, but he does need to provide a target – even further afield – more often and more convincingly than he currently does.

Paul Medhurst had a relatively good return, despite the result and rarely seeing the ball.  He did look a bit rusty, but also provided some reminders of his creativity up forward when the ball was on the deck.  Our ruck combination of Wood and Bryan were soundly beaten both in the ruck and around the ground, but I don’t think there were too many surprises there.

With that said, Bryan tried hard as usual and also had a few brainfades — as usual.  Wood was not as poor as previous efforts, managing to find the ball a tad more often than his last two outings; but he still clearly has a way to go yet.

Davis had a night to forget, yet it was probably a reminder that as good as Davis can be he is not going to impose himself on a game if our midfield is being that soundly beaten.  Swan and Pendlebury endeavoured as usual, but were unable – bar a few pieces of play – to provide any sort of influence in the middle of the ground.

Ultimately, tonight just highlighted weaknesses that we were already aware of.  Our ruck stocks are some of the weakest in the league at this point in time, whilst our midfield is likely to remain a concern throughout this season when matched up against elite combinations.  Beams and Sidebottom have shown very good signs early, but they are at least a year or two away from having any impact in the centre.

Despite our perceived depth up forward and our wealth of dangerous small forwards, our structure is still vulnerable when we are being beaten out of the middle.  Cloke is one of the hardest working young centre half forwards, but he is so often forced to do his work further afield and once we have used him as an option, we desperately need another focal point afterwards.

We were simply given a lesson in football and a reality check as a result.  Hopefully the lads can take this in their stride and learn as much as possible from it, without becoming disillusioned.  Whilst a defeat like last night has dampened what was otherwise a fairly promising pre-season campaign, we can take some solace in such a defeat occurring early and in the pre-season, without four points being at stake.

Congratulations to Geelong, as hard as it is to say it was an awesome and daunting performance by the Cats.  As for our boys, they can take the next two weeks to attend to their wounds and prepare to redeem themselves in round one of the home-and-away season against Adelaide.