Round 4 – Essendon v Collingwood: A matter of history

Unless you are a father/son or some kind of zone selection, the chances of winding up at the club you barracked for growing up are quite slim. While it’s great that Melbourne supporting Scott Pendlebury didn’t end up at the Demons, Paul Seedsman became an instant favourite of mine due to his early revelation of being a hardcore, very knowledgeable Pies fan. Apparently he knew more about several players’ careers than they knew themselves upon his arrival at the Westpac Centre. Seedsman’s link to the club goes back to his great-grandfather Jim Sharp, who played for the Magpies after a long career at Fitzroy, before becoming Collingwood President from 1913 to 1924, including filling in for a game in 1917, becoming the only instance of a VFL President pulling on the boots while in office!

ANZAC Day 2015 wasn’t exactly a breakout game for ‘Seeds’ as he had played some very good games in his previous 40 appearances at AFL level, but the number 40 certainly raised the bar to new heights in a standout performance. A couple of kicks that went astray early were rare blemishes in a performance that saw him gain 844m with his run and long kicking, nearly 400m more than second best in the game, Essendon’s Mark Baguley. Jim Sharp’s career metres gained stats are not so easily accessible.

Collingwood dominated play in the first quarter but only ended up 8 points ahead at the first break. Still a nice change from our regular poor first quarters of the past 3 seasons, especially including ANZAC Day of 2014. Jamie Elliot kicked the first goal of the game, a wonderful, on the run kick from 45m out on the boundary. Well maybe a half a metre over the boundary. Still about 3 metres closer to the line than Wayne Harmes was in 1979. I was 3 months old when that Grand Final was played. Still bitter about it.

Cloke drills a goal from 50 out, far more dependable at this distance than closer in. A captain’s goal to Pendles, (often called ‘Dependelbury’ on Twitter) and we are well in control until a Stanton mark with 13 seconds left gives Essendon a late goal that we didn’t need.

The Bombers totally dominate the second term but due to a combination of poor goal kicking and excellent pressure from the developing Magpie defence only manage 2 goals 8 behinds for the term.

It’s the 3rd quarter where the Pies take control. Seedsman bombs one in on the run and it bounces through. Crisp, doing a crisp job on Jobe Watson, bangs a long left footed goal. Swan, not dominant but still contributing well, crumbs off the pack to score another. 14 points up at the last change but momentum seems to be with us.

It’s wet, the player’s skills suffer and the game is tough. Collingwood outscore Essendon in the last quarter and run out 20 point winners. The 64 point win by Essendon over us in Round 17 last season was the most unenjoyable day I’ve ever spent at the footy. But if we continue our record against Essendon on ANZAC Day I’d be more than happy to cop a late season defeat from the Bombers. Maybe. It’s easy to say after an ANZAC Day win.

Extremely happy with Collingwood’s progress. Apart from Swan and maybe Toovey there’s years of footy in the rest of the main players. Loving the work of our backline, led by Frost and Brown, and well supported by Langdon, Tooves, Ramsay and Marley Williams.

How good will this team be when you add Sidebottom, Greenwood, Reid and Witts? Not to mention first round picks Freeman, De Goey, Scharanberg and Moore. We’re not top four this year, but already playing above expectation. As long as we beat Grumpy Mick this Friday night.

COLLINGWOOD 3.2 4.9 7.12 9.15 69
ESSENDON 2.0 4.8 5.10 6.13 49

GOALS:
COLLINGWOOD: Elliot 2, Cloke 2, Swan, Crisp, Pendlebury, Seedsman, Dwyer
ESSENDON: Daniher 2, Stanton 2, Fletcher, Zaharakis

BEST:
COLLINGWOOD: Seedsman, Frost, Crisp, Adams, Pendlebury, Brown, Swan, Williams
ESSENDON: Heppell, Hooker, Baguley, Fletcher, Stanton, Hurley

UMPIRES: Hay, Pannell, Stevic

CROWD: 88,395 at the MCG

MALARKEY MEDAL VOTES:
3. Paul Seedsman (Collingwood)
2. Jack Frost (Collingwood)
1. Jack Crisp (Collingwood)

About Luke Reynolds

Cricket and Collingwood tragic. Twitter: @crackers134

Comments

  1. Dave Nadel says

    Superb report Luke, showing a fine sense of history. Having a player of Seedsman’s background and awareness as our best player in the biggest home and away match is pure gold. You can’t buy that sort of tradition.

    I was there at the MCG in 1979 (aged 32) standing only a few feet from where Harmes ran out of bounds so you can imagine how bitter I am about the matter. I was also in the Ponsford stand on Saturday and saw “Billy” Elliot kick a goal when he was out of bounds. I was thrilled. You can’t call it Karma because it was against Essendon in a home and away rather than Carlton in a Grand Final, but it’s nice to get one back from the footy gods.

  2. Nice one Luke, I’d suggest metres gained would have been a lot better in Jim Sharp’s day when going any way but forward was the order of the day.

    If only we could have recruited all our players over the years based on who they barracked for. Dermie, Dipper & Archer a just a few that come to mind. Even Norm Smith was a Pie supporter. But then we would have missed on Daics. It’s certainly extra special when a Gav Brown, Ben Johnson and now Seedy lives the dream. I’m hoping Karnezis gets a better crack to do the same.

  3. Good job Luke.

    After 2014 many thought Collingwood might be out of contention for a while. Seems that may have been a hasty judgement.

    Friday will be interesting. Is the Wayne Harms “incident” the most replayed grand final moment ever?

  4. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Thanks Luke interesting historical point re Seedsman and what I like about the pies is they have recruited and drafted to have a crack in 3 yrs if as I suspect the pies pick up a huge recruit for next season , 2016 suddenly becomes a realistic possibility

  5. Peter Fuller says

    At the risk of provoking a hornets’ nest or more likely a flock of swooping magpies, I want to interpose an alternative view about the seminal incident of the 1979 GF.

    Since I was seated high in the (then) open Ponsford Stand, I can’t call on a personal visual memory to contradict Dave N. However I take some comfort from research which suggests that not only do our biases influence our interpretation of evidence, but that sport spectators actually “see” (that is they perceive) an event differently from each other and differently again from an impartial observer.

    Some years ago, an Age journalist (Warwick Green ?) ran the film and noted that the boundary umpire was too far behind the play to make a call. However, he also noticed that the goal umpire, who was much closer to the action, remained impassive. Umpires always operate as a team, note boundary umpires indicating to their goal colleagues whether a ball is inside or outside the behind post. So the fact that the goalie did not signal is not conclusive evidence, but it is indicative that the ball was not OOB.

    Luke, I fear that you have been brainwashed, perhaps time to let it go – offered in the spirit of goodwill that is the mutual mark of my exchanges with Collingwood supporters, never more so than in the run-up to this Friday night. Acceptance is the ultimate means of achieving mental equilibrium.

    Btw, good win, and quite satisfying to this observer whose hostility to Essendon far exceeds any animosity towards the pies.

  6. Dave Nadel says

    Nice try Peter, but Goal Umpires do not call whether a ball is out of bounds. I was standing in the then standing room space behind the point post. My eyesight was much better in 1979 than it is today. I have no doubt that Wayne Harmes was out of bounds.

  7. i just love reading you comments & stories keep up great writing

  8. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Luke, your theme would have been dealt a blow if the former Richmond supporter Jack Frost had snagged the medal.

  9. Luke Reynolds says

    Thanks Dave, the footy gods still owe us a few

    Thanks Jeff, I hope Karnezis gets a good run at it too, from what I’ve seen I think he can really play

    Thanks Mickey and Malcolm, very happy with our drafting of young players the past few years. Malcolm are you referring to one of your Crows or the former Norwood player from a northern club?

    Cheers Peter, interesting theory regarding our biases influencing what we see. My hostility towards Essendon also far exceeds anything I feel for Carlton.

    Thanks Lizzie

    Swish, Frost not far off the medal in my opinion. Turning into a very, very good defender.

  10. Phillip Dimitriadis says

    Great report Luke.
    Seedsman, Frost, Crisp as your best? Maybe the young leaders are starting to emerge at Pieland. Enjoying the development of Grundy, Elliott, Adams and Williams, too. Cheers

  11. Luke Reynolds says

    Cheers Phil. Exciting isn’t it! Very much Buckley’s team now.

  12. E.regnans says

    Round 4 down.
    exciting times, Luke.
    I like this idea of having no nominated ceiling on expectations.
    You never know with these young uns…

  13. Luke Reynolds says

    Exactly right ER. You never know….There will be games that aren’t so good, but we’re on the way back up. It feels good.

  14. Nice summary of the game Luke with interesting historical info. I thought Adams was in our best three. I’m not so upbeat about our team this year; far too much inexperience all at once if Adelaide’s pantsing of our boys is any indication. We have yet to play a top side who, incidentally, all have a good spread of experience in both attack and defence. Of course if Reid could string together more than a few minutes on the field it would help our defence immeasurably. What I’d give for a player in our backline to have Neon Leon’s disposal.

  15. Interesting article. The Bombers seemed to struggle with adjusting their game to wet weather conditions.

    The Pies may well be better then most though especially those journalists who predicted that Buckley’s tenure would be a major topic of discussion this year.

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