Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Everything

Greetings, True Believers.

 

Happy New Year to you all; may 2017 be just a bit better than last year (especially in the context of our beloved Club).

 

A special “hello” to all those currently overseas.  Most will be back soon before (or just after) school starts again.  For Genevieve, who won’t be back for a while, you’ll need to investigate whether any of the Netball or AFLW will be on international TV.

 

The ‘bad times’ (that period between the end of one season and the start of the next) are well on the way to being over, particularly when the new innovations (is that a tautology?) are factored in.  A difficult period given the early disappointment of an underperforming cricket team (though, of late, better; but wait, there’s more – how will we go in India?).

 

This missive is a bit earlier than I’d originally anticipated, but we are spreading our wings; we now have the Pies Netball side to support and the Pies AFLW, similarly, in addition to our AFL and VFL sides.  A bit of a heads-up for the year, starting early and a few dates for your diary below.

 

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Netball.  Go to http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2016-09-21/collingwood-netball-team-takes-flight.

 

You can’t actually get how big these players are until you go to a live game.  They are big; and tough; and it is a very hard game – non-contact sport? Yeah right.

 

The Game?  For all those ‘armchair experts’ on all things related to ‘sport’ but whose experience of netball has focussed principally on Commonwealth Games highlights or the occasional ‘cross-Tasman’ competition (you’ve got to have some belief when the All Blacks keep thrashing us), have a browse at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netball and http://netball.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sd_018-New-Rules-Changes-Detail_Final.pdf.

 

Games?  http://magpiesnetball.com.au/fixture.  Starting from 18 February at 7.00pm EDT at  the Hisense Arena (which I think is Olympic Park). Amongst other things the TV deal is addressed in http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/swoop/netball-league-2017-guide-to-tv-dates-new-clubs-draw-and-player-movements/news-story/15603f139bc01b60926658344a5f8aa5, noting that this is 2 Oct 2016 reporting (also a nice shot of ‘the girls’ in front (I presume) a photo of ‘the boys’).  I am not sure where and when, yet.

 

And the team?  http://magpiesnetball.com.au/team, including Mrs Brown (from WA; wife of former Eagle Brown; sister in law of our Brownie (now of St Kilda) – see more below).

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AFLWhttp://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-01-12/womens-football-pies-coach-admits-pressure-will-be-on.

 

Matches.  http://www.afl.com.au/womens/matches – The competition is based on seven H&A matches plus the GF on 25 March (detail TBA).  The first half, including TV coverage, is:

  1. Collingwood / Carlton                        Friday, 3 Feb             7.40pm EDT                Olympic Park Oval                                              Ch 7 broadcast
  2.    Collingwood / Melbourne                   Saturday, 11 Feb       7.35pm EDT                Olympic Park Oval                                              Ch 7 broadcast
  3. Brisbane / Collingwood                     Saturday, 18 Feb       7.35 EST                     South Pine Sports Complex, Brendale, QLD          Fox Footy broadcast
  4. Western Bulldogs / Collingwood        Saturday, 25 Feb       7.10 EDT                      Whitten Oval                                                       Ch 7 broadcast

Practice Match – Australia Day.  There is reportedly a Practice Match against the Western Bulldogs on 26 January but nothing on the Pies or Dogs websites.  Not sure where or at what time.  Watch out for it.

 

Some detail:

Okay, now you are reasonably informed, take the test at  http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-11/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-the-stars-of-the-afl-womens-league.  (I got 4 out of 10 correct – “Can do better”).

 

 

 

AFLPies for Premiers in 2017.  There! You saw it first here.

Matches. Fixtures at http://www.afl.com.au/fixture.  We start on Friday, 24 March following Carlton vs Richmond the previous night.

The Team.

  • Injuries.  Reid, Wells & Elliott – http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2017-01-11/training-in-photos-reid-wells-and-elliott  plus Fas, Goldsack and others, all recovering;
  • Ins & Outs.  I’m not that happy with the Club regarding the Ins & Outs.  I hope (pray, actually) that Grundy stays fit – we could be in a world of hurt with Witts having departed; same with Reid – having lost Frost.  I see some parallels with Patrick Karnezis’ early retirement at the end of 2014 – I’m not sure any of them have been given a ‘fair go’, particularly the time and opportunities to show what they could do and the time to develop.  If you want to be contrary, how many games did Witts play in the Seniors after he hurt his hand in the pre-season game? Did he ever get to play three games in a row during the season?  Moves from last year include Witts to GC, Frost to Brisbane, Trav to WB, Marley to North and Brownie to St Kilda.  Where did Brownie’s twin end up (delisted from the Weagles), not sure where he has gone (noting that his wife has signed with the Pies Netball side moving from the WA team); and
  • Newbies.  It will be nice to see some of our newbies from a year or two back start to show why they were so high up the list.

Season Prognosis (no specific enemy yet, so just some general points):

  • My 2016 Season assessment is attached.  It includes a bunch of things I’d like to see this year (along with a bit of an explanation as to what happened last year).  Always welcome your comments, particularly relating to the future.  Why should we be looking positively about the future?  The last five games of the 2016 Season are illustrative.  We won two and lost three, the losses including to the Bulldogs (a few weeks later Premiers) and Hawks (extant Premiers then) by 3 points and 1 point, respectively.  Importantly, the commitment by the players was outstanding in spite of the fact that ‘our season’ was over.  This commitment is one key area of our performance that concerned me last year – we lost games we should have won and got slaughtered when a respectable loss was achievable.  Solution: Coach – motivation before the game; Leadership Group – leadership on the ground during the game.  I’m pretty happy with the Game Plan, though the manning in both the Back 6 and the Forwards warrants watching and being prepared to adjust it, when needed.  For the Back 6 I’d like to see greater flexibility (including the extra man); amongst the Forwards I’d like to see variety and multiple options on the way to goal;
  • From 2016, the experts picked our Best Win – against GWS in Round 16 – http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-01-15/best-2016-win-collingwoodYour views?  There were better Quarters (including the First Quarter against Geelong in Round 9, for example) but certainly, judged against each team’s standing and their effort this was a goody; and
  • Trying to get a better start than last year, the experts picked on our defensive structure, and the resultant statistics, in the first half of 2016.  Don’t disagree.

Practice Matches are at http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/season/2017-fixture/2017-preseason-fixture.  We are the first game of the series at Etihad against Essendon on 16 February; bounce – 7.40 EDT.  Other games at Mandurah, WA and Moe, Vic – is anyone going?  Reports pls?

 

Intra-Club Match.  Not sure when this is but is always a great occasion.  Keep an eye out for it.  I’d love to hear from one of our Melbourne-based roving reporters to provide some feedback for that?

 

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Other Topics:

  • Eddie Watch.  Eddie McGuire: “Young girls can dream to play for Collingwood“.  Says it all, actually (however he did say it at the launch of the Pies Netball team) .  Go Mr McGuire, you sensitive soul;
  • Harry’s retirement (Heritier; he’ll always be Harry to me) (223 games (199 for us), All Australian and Premiership player) and Trav’s transfer – both notable moves.  I loved Harry’s approach to life, the universe and everything, including his on-field game with his interaction with both teammates and opponents.  He’s probably the only player / ex-player with the Dalai Lama’s mobile phone number in his phone (and the reverse, most likely – has the DL taken up FootyPix?  We wish Harry well, particularly in the face of the potentially serious impact of  concussion. And Trav?  I still think the assessment of his performance was seriously flawed both by the Club and the media (and some of us, occasionally).  My criticism relates to how the ball was delivered to him rather than his actual (and occasionally shocking) kicking.  I wish them both well for the future except when the Dogs are playing us.  Who would you put on Trav?  Goldsack? Or maybe work further up the field to stop the ball getting to him?
  • 12 February 2017We turn 125 years oldCelebrate;
  • Official Supporter.  You can sign up for the Collingwood Club newsletter at no cost.  Go to: https://membership.collingwoodfc.com.au/ (bottom of the page).  An interesting video background at the same site; and
  • Odds & Ends.  Other bits and pieces relating to (or completely unrelated to) our Club and its (now) four teams.  Your contributions are always welcome.  I know many of you have seen it previously, but I’ve attached a little (true) story about my family’s engagement with stalwart Pies supporters.  I hope you enjoy it.  John, you are welcome to include it in the FA.

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Footy Almanac.  Remember the Footy Almanac at www.footyalmanac.com.au.  If you want to check the past, type ‘Hooke’ into the Search engine and watch what happens.  I’ll continue supporting them this year.  Ned / John, are you still managing input to FA? [Yes, I am – JTH]

 

Address List.  If you know of people who should be included on our Address List feel free to let me know (obviously after having consulted them)?  Actually, I know there are a few who have moved jobs and their emails will no longer reach them (this leads to the obvious question as to what happens to emails that are never opened?) – if you know of any who fall under this category pls advise me of an alternative email address (again after consulting them)?

 

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Go Pies in 2017; netball, AFLW, AFL and VFL.

 

Cam

 

Cam. Hooke

 

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Comments

  1. Peter Fuller says

    Cam,
    I had been wondering about the Collingwood – Carlton AFLW match and how the crowd might fit. I was thinking new season, new comp., inaugural game, and limited spectator space at OP. My email today advised that it’s been shifted to Princes Park.
    Btw Hisense Arena is part ofthe Tennis Centre complex, so Olympic Park is near enough. It’s the building facing the Westpac Centre on the street I know as Swan Street, although its official name now is Olympic Boulevard.

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