Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Life 2025: Round 12 Review / Round 13 Preview

 

Greetings, True Believers.

 

Getting excited yet? Yeah, okay, but there’s a long way to go. Remember McRae’s stated objective: “to make the Finals”.

 

Remember last year? Following our appalling start to the Season last year, we took half the H&A season to recover to get into the Eight; R10 – 5^thplace. In R12 we dropped to 9^th on the Ladder following our Loss to WB; by R13 we headed to 6^th place following our defeat of Melbourne; by R14, we moved up to 3^rd place following our 1 Point Win over North. Then there was a progressive drop down the Ladder in successive weeks from then: 4^th, 6^th, 9^th, 12^th, 13^th(as bad as it got after Round 19, with a bit of a recovery after that), continuing with 12^th, 11^th, 11^th, 10^th, to our final position after Round 24 – 9^th (outside the Eight). And our Season finished. I’ve said before (and I’ll say it again) if we’d made the Finals there was no reason, given the standard of our play with Four Wins out of the last five games, we couldn’t have gone all the way.

 

This year? Well, we got off to a similar start against GWS, again. I don’t actually understand why – Any views? Then? A suite of Wins, even with a range of absences, some rests under management; some the consequence of injuries. Whatever, we are sitting well placed “to make the Finals”. After that? I’ll give you my views after Round 24, about 25^th August.

 

And who can work out what the other teams in the competition are doing. I ask you: Sydney playing ‘dead’ against Adelaide at the SCG? GWS winning, at home, by a margin of just three Points over Richmond? And Freo, sitting 8^th on the Ladder, beating the GC in the GC’s home ground, sitting 4^th? So, will someone suggest Melbourne might get up over St Kilda in ‘the Alice’ and maybe Geelong will Win over the WCE, later today to finish this Round? Your views? What has this Round done to the Ladder?

 

But, we had a great game; a solid Win against a competent opponent.

 

Go Pies.

Round 12

 

Collingwood 16.11.107 defeated Hawthorn 8.8.56.

 

Scoring shots – 27 (us) / 16 (them). These numbers reflect good goal-kicking by us and moderate goal-kicking by them.

 

Match Report – www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/7065#match-report. In particular, have a look at the Match Timeline at www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/7065 to see the scoring progress during the game.

 

Coach’s comments – www.afl.com.au/video/1332489/mcrae-post-match-r12-it-was-a-really-great-performance-from-us?videoId=1332489&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1748612932001&references=AFL_MATCH:7065. An interesting overview. He made much of the pressure applied by the team, seeking to control the ball movement, acknowledging it frequently started deep in the Backline and the ‘defence of the ground’ again seeking to stop their use of the corridor. He rejected any substantial similarities between the current team and the 2023, Premiership team. Worth watching / listening.

 

Goals scored:

 

Quarter	Goals scored (us) / (them)	Comments	Margin at end of Q (Points)
Q1	4 / 3	Broadly even.	+4
Q2	6 / 3	Similar to Q1 except we added three unanswered goals late to establish the margin.	+24
Q3	4 / 2	Developed further with another three goals early, and one very late, countered by two goals by them about mid-Quarter.	+40
Q4	2 / 0	Slow control of the game with the two goals scored without any counter by them.	+51
Total	16 / 8	The result – a pretty Comprehensive Win.	+51

 

Statistics

 

Some numbers to seek to identify where there was a substantial difference and how this impacted on the game:

 

Statistic	Numbers (us / them)	Comment
Disposals	354 / 343	A small advantage to them, but with Handballs, a notable strength of ours, an advantage to us – 147 / 140. We sought to push them out to the Wings rather than allowing them to move the ball more directly through the corridor.
Hit Outs (HO)	37 / 42	A particularly not-useful number decided by whichever ruck touches the ball first. A better assessment is ‘HO to advantage’, which I don’t have. And a much, much better measure is under Clearances, below. This number surprised me – I thought it was about even. The disadvantage to us here, should have affected the flow-on in Clearances and Inside 50s and scores. It did and it didn’t. See more, below.
Clearances	30 / 40	It certainly did here, though only marginally, we reduced the advantage they had from the HO. As such, you’d credit our Midfield as winning the Midfield Battle, perhaps less dominant around the paddock at stoppages. Centre clearance – 8 / 13; and Stoppage clearance – 22 / 27. This is a much better measure than the HO but still indicates a dominance by NM. It should have indicated a substantial advantage to NM’s next step – Inside 50s and, ultimately, their scoring. This failure to exploit this advantage highlights the incredible performance by our Backline to blunt their Clearance dominance.
Inside 50s	44 / 45	This is the next step in the heading to Goal and should broadly reflect the Clearance numbers. And it did, but only marginally, in their favour. Next? Well; Clearance advantage, should be reflected in an Inside 50 advantage, which it was but with a much reduced margin, which should be the basis of a scoring advantage.
Disposal Efficiency (DE)	75.1% / 72.3%	Close enough. See next, somewhat more significant.
DE Inside 50	63.6% / 42.2%	This is the really extraordinary difference – here the numbers reflect the significant team advantage by us getting the ball into a scoring position. Then? This reflects hugely on both our Forwards using the ball effectively and our Backs denying Hawthorn the same. This represents the game-Winning achievement.
Goals scored	16 / 8	And it did.
Player numbers with DE > 80%	9 / 8	Not hugely different. I think this represents maybe a willingness to take chances with adverse consequences. I think the numbers reflect risk-taking in the game, something encouraged by the coaches.
Free Kicks	19 / 20	I thought the umpiring was okay, though my Standard comment still applies: The approximate equivalence of the Frees amazed me. What I saw that was critical was the failure to penalise, what I thought were obvious, incidents. Inconsistencies are still widespread – incorrect disposal, caught with the ball, in the back, etc.
Contested Possession (CP)	107 / 119	Combined to 337 / 331. The difference in the two measures usually reflects the team style of play. The winning of the CP is less significant than control of the ball through UCP domination. Our team tended to use a much more direct approach to goal, compared with their use of the Wings. Both teams were successful for periods, and our accuracy gave greater effect to our use of the ball. I like it when the ball is locked in our attacking half.
Uncontested Possession (UCP)	230 / 212
Turn-overs (TO)	48 / 62	Again, I think the willingness to take risks, encouraged, is also part of this, as identified above.
Possession	44% / 39%	Across the game.
Marks	102 / 91	Marks inside 50 – 18 / 10; and Contested marks – 3 / 9. Our domination of the Marks inside 50 is the most important of these differences and contributed positively to our scoring.
Tackles	82 / 38	Tackles inside 50 – 13 / 4. This, pretty much, reflected application. This statistic gives this emphasis very clearly to our boys. It reflected my view of the game, even towards the end when the outcome was clear. The multiple tacklers were impressive, again.
1%’ers	32 / 31	Basically, the same. Spoils and defensive actions. I haven’t gone back to add up the numbers but the general equivalence supports the contention that both sides were working hard.

 

Best:

The AFL website identifies Collingwood’s Best as:

 

• NickD;
• Elliott;
• Sidebottom;
• Crisp;
• Allan; and
• Houston.

 

I don’t disagree with any of those identified, though might regarding the order. I’d be tempted to add a couple – Long ( 24 Disposals, 11 Tackles, 4 Marks, 245 mGained, 2 Goal Assists, 3 Clearances, 2 Intercept Possessions and 10 (not a typo) Score Involvements) and Perryman (13 D, 4 T, 7 M, 417mG and 3 SI). Both had very solid days at the office. Additionally, Mihocek, Cameron, Howe and JoshD each had very busy days.

 

Your thoughts?

 

Crowd:      83, 706. You could hear the supporters, though I do think pushing the ‘Collingwooood’ chant early in Q3 was a trifle early.

 

Crowd numbers haven’t always been available, until some time later. In response to these absences, the following apply:

 

• R9 – 47,780;
• R10 – 67,697; and
• R11 – 40,479.

 

Result: A great game that reflected well on Hawthorn, but in reality only for the first Quarter, then we, progressively pressured them into what was a substantial Loss. The game reflectedour ability to stabilise a situation in defence and then reestablish our dominance and turn it around. Hawthorn are an improving side and may still make the Finals. We’ll see how they go in the rest of the Season. They haven’t managed to beat any teams placed higher than them on the Ladder. Other noticeable aspects of the game include:

 

• The team-performance, mentioned above. Everyone was involved, again;

• Clearance numbers and Inside 50 numbers were Won by Hawthorn. This should have been a reflection of an increased flow into goal-scoring positions, and greater scoring. This was not the case. The efficiency difference, reflecting our Forwards’ efficiency and our                      Backline’s negative impact, won us the game;

• We seemed to Lose the Battle of the Midfield, though the shift in the statistics through the game (substantial deficit in HO, deficit in Clearances, marginal deficit in Inside 50s). Even more importantly, related to this, the performance by our Backline and our Forwards was          quite extraordinary;

• A bunch of individual and collective incidents that were both terrific and highly entertaining. It was great to see the spread of collective appreciation, not limited solely to the final goal-kicker. Do we have Bobby’s set up for another MOTY following his GOTY contender last;            week; and

• I thought the umpiring was okay.

 

In summary, the Pies Won because we established control of the game, that we exploited for extended periods, critically Won by our dominant Forwards and Backs. The Margin reflected the difference in team capability.

 

Round 13

 

Monday, 9 June 2025 – Melbourne versus Collingwood (King’s Birthday holiday) at the MCG; bounce at 34.20pm.

 

Betting? $1.32 (a Win by us) / $3.44 (a Win by them).

 

Them:

 

Melbourne finished 2024 in 14^th place, with 11 Wins and 12 Losses. As such it was expected that they would improve on that, given there is not much scope to get worse from that position. However, they’ve gone close to doing just that.

 

Last week I suggested we needed to be at full-strength for the Hawthorn game, but it is critical to recognise and maintain the longer-term future of the team throughout the season. Here, I don’t consider Melbourne a particularly challenging opponent. As above, after their awful ‘no Wins’ from their first five games this season, leading to a pretty consistent 17^th place on the Ladder, they’ve achieved five Wins out of the balance of 6 games leading to their current position of 11^th on the Ladder. Their current percentage of 89.3% has yet to reach their 2024 figure of 98.5%. What is critical to us, currently, is which team their Wins and Losses were against. Melbourne has achieved Wins against Freo, Richmond and WCE (no surprises there) but, more significantly to us, Wins against Brisbane at the Gabba and Sydney, albeit at the MCG, in their most recent games (Round 11 and 12). Their game this Round is against St Kilda in Alice Springs. They are favourites for that game with betting $1.47 (Melbourne Win) / $2.71 (St Kilda Win). Their Losses this season include Hawthorn, Essendon, Geelong, GC, North and GWS.

 

QB / KB games have always been high profile and a big event. We Won last year by 38 Points.

 

Melbourne have a number of very talented footballers: Gawn, Petracca and Viney jump to mind. These may require individual teaming. ‘Watch and Respond’.

 

Players to watch for:

 

• Gawn – Ruck;
• Petracca – Centre / RR – Maybe a tagging role?
• Viney – HF / Rover;
• Oliver – RR / Centre;
• Pickett – HF;
• Bowey – BP; and
• Rivers – HB.

 

This collection from their Best listings is indicative of a focus on the Midfield and selected individuals forward and back,

 

Us:

 

Context?      This game will be followed by a Bye and then games against St Kilda and the WCE before we run into Carlton in Round 17 on 4 July. As such, the “rest rotation program” should continue, but only after this game. I would suggest we be at full-strength for this game too. Apart from a couple of games (R18 – GC in the GC, R21 – Brisbane at the MCG, Hawthorn again in R22 and Adelaide at AO in Round 23) the rest of the journey to the end of the H&A season looks pretty achievable – head for Top 4, then?

 

Changes? Accordingly, the following suggestions are made:

 

• Out:

• Schultz – injured;
• Lipinski – concussion;
• Howe, Cameron and Membrey – managed; and

• In:

• Mitchell;
• Steene;
• De Mattia;
• Parker; and
• Hayes.

 

• Your views?

 

Game Plan –No changes of substance from last week. A couple of points, as usual:

 

• Application. Nothing is more important. Well demonstrated in our last few games. And Attitude is King.

 

• Taggers. Tagging roles might be useful, including an occasional hard lock-down role on their Forwards and / or our Midfield winning the ball early? And protecting our players?

• Midfield Management. Pendles guidance / on-field coaching to the collective Midfield.

• Passing. Accuracy of passes by foot and hand much better. Critical – watch the individual DE figures.

• Drive. Drive out of the Backline is a key part of our game plan. Be prepared to cross the field, even to kick backwards to change the direction. Kick-ins are an issue – we need to have a plan that everyone knows.

• Kicking for Goal. This is critical. Ball delivery needs to be to the best goal-kicking position. Be prepared to acknowledge difficult shots on goal and be willing to pass the ball inside the 50 to a better placed teammate. I value GA (goal assists) more highly than actual goals scored. This continues to need improvement – the question should be “Why didn’t you pass it rather than seeking to score the ‘impossible goal’?”.And, to get the best from your Forward ‘talls’, get them to lead to different parts of the 50; don’t compress into packs; and

• Tackles. A major success but still some opponents are spinning out of tackles. Love the multiple tacklers. The perennial complaint: “Hold your tackles!”, “never stop chasing” and be aware of who’s behind you before you ‘play-on’.

 

Our Aim?

 

• Be happy. Our team has been noticeably happier than most other teams (though this was not the case in Sydney in the OR). They usually smile and laugh when things work and, importantly, when they don’t. They actually look like they’re enjoying the game, that they                   are Winners, regardless of the actual score on the scoreboard (thank you, Coach McRae). We should follow their lead and enjoy the game from our perspective, even when things don’t work.

 

Summary? Again, this is our game to Win, if we decide that and implement our Game plan on the game, but note w3hat happened last year and to Brisbane a couple of weeks ago.

 

Winning Selection. Collingwood to Win by 31 Points. BOG – NickD with 39 touches, including 12 Clearances. Goal kickers include Mihocek, Hill and Elliott each with three goals. Other notable action (from last week, too): McCreery tags NickD’s tagger – some very solid tackling but no Reports. Well done to all.

 

TV: FTA on 7+ and 7mate and, of course on Kayo and Fox Footy. Pick your preferred commentator.

 

Weather: Rain is forecast on the day, plus on multiple days in the week leading up to the game. Get rid of the moulded sole boots; get some boots with stops.

 

Ground Reports? Reports please (after or before)? I’d especially like to hear from the armchair warriors watching from afar?

 

Other:

 

• AFLW – Pencil the start date in – Thursday, 14 August, including maybe the competition’s first game: Carlton versus Collingwood at Ikon Park; bounce at 7.15pm. The draw? Go to www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=3&Season=84&Round=1301.
• VFL – Yes, we were hammered by North, losing by 72 Points last week. Don’t know why but beat Box Hill Hawks yesterday by 17 Points. Check the Match Centre Summary at www.afl.com.au/vfl/matches/7360. Next game is on Saturday, 7 June versus Casey Demons at            Mission Whitten Oval; bounce: 7.10pm. If you go,Reports please? I want to know how some of our potential ‘fill-ins’ to the AFL side are going? Looking forward to a good Win, guys.
• VFLW team – A couple of good Wins by 13 Points over North Melbourne and by a lot (61 to 8 Points) over the Sandringham Zebras yesterday. Next is against Essendon (2^nd on the Ladder) on Saturday, 14 June at the AIA Vitality Centre; bounce at 11.35am.
• Discussion about Bucks starting as Senior Coach at the Tasmanian Devils? Well, they pinched our List Manager, now him? Thoughts – I haven’t heard anything back on this?
• US AFL Combine – 20 – 22 June at Dallas, USA. Apparently the principal qualification is to be at least 206 cm tall. Geelong, Hawthorn, GC and St Kilda are joining us at the event. Cox, reflecting his selection at the 2014 Combine at Los Angeles, has very big boots to fill –        211 cm, 135 games, 125 goals, 2023 Premiership and, perhaps most importantly, Australian citizenship.
• Do you favour the return of a State of Origin series? Why?
• Anything else, everyone else?
• Question? I have a question: Could we recruit Grundy back from Sydney. When he played for us he was the All Australian ruck, vying with Gawn to be the best in the competition, His time at Melbourne and at Sydney has been seriously underwhelming.            Might he be prepared to accept a contract change to return home?    

 

Next:

 

• Round 14        Bye.

 

This is our year. Always believe; never, ever give up! Go Pies.

 

Cam

 

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