Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Life: Big wins bring smiles

True Believers:

 

What a weekend? A great win by the girls fixing their place in the Super Netball inaugural Finals, a fantastic comeback after an extraordinarily poor start by the AFL team but a poor result, again, by the VFL boys. I didn’t see the AFL game, but following it with Melbourne Radio (3AW) commentary was a good replacement. I think radio commentators are frequently better than their TV counterparts because of the requirement to explain what is happening rather than just ‘making noise’. More on each game below. Go Pies.

 

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Last Weekend?

 

Magpies Netball: Round 13 – second-last H&A game: An away win against the West Coast Fever 49 to 42. The Magpies held on for the win in the face of a huge fightback from the hosts, and in so doing secured their spot in the finals. But they did it the tough way, starting the final quarter under siege from West Coast who had clawed back from an eight-goal deficit in the second quarter to draw level in the third. Well done, Ladies. Match Report at https://supernetball.com.au/2017/05/20/magpies-finals-bound/ and http://magpiesnetball.com.au/news/magpies-clinch-finals-berth/ and another view: http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/super-netball-west-coast-fever-v-collingwood-magpies/ (Worth a quick read).

 

AFL

 

Unbelievable.  So, why do we do this to ourselves? “Let’s let them get a bit ahead and see what we can do?”.  “Instead of playing a four-quarter game let’s try a three-quarter game; we’ll give them a six-goal lead before we start”. I can hugely empathise with Buck’s comment: “(He’d )thought about going home at the 20 minute mark of the First Quarter.”  I’d be telling fibs if I didn’t admit to similar thoughts at that time (except that I was already home).  I probably had a book worth reading; or maybe another rerun of an old movie might be on TV. But, for some obscure reason, I persisted; thankfully.

 

Match Report and comments – http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2017/9/coll-v-haw, and http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/collingwood-v-hawthorn-magpies-soar-back-from-43-points-down-to-stun-hawks-20170520-gw9frq.html; Buck’s comments: http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2017-05-21/buckley-no-ones-throwing-in-the-towel.

 

Our Best: A good listing (noting that I don’t think anyone (not even Pendles, though he did try hard early on) played well over the four quarters) headed deservedly by Pendles. The other regular attendees – Howe, Adams and Treloar had Moore and Smith added. I would add Goldsack (16 Disposals @ 81.3% Disposal Efficiency, 7 Contested Possessions, 1 Tackle and 10 (yep 10) 1%’ers) and Elliott (14 Disposals @ 85.7% DE (plus three Goals) ) to the list – both worked very hard and were great achievers. See Goldsack’s comments after the game at http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/2017-05-20/how-the-players-saw-the-comeback.

 

Check the statistics: Pretty even statistics across the whole game in most areas and difficult to identify much without a breakdown by Quarter.

 

Implications for us? Very positive lessons across the paddock about our generic style of play – fast, flowing, use of the corridor as well as the wings, into the arms of leading Forwards. It worked! Nothing else needs to be said, really.

 

What stood out? The extraordinary difference in our style of play between Q1 and the 2nd half.  Again, a pretty ordinary crowd – 54,000 – C’mon this is a home game in Melbourne between two of the strongest Clubs. Your thoughts?

 

VFL. Round 4 – Another loss (fifth in a row), this one against Box Hill at home. Did anyone get to the game, before the AFL game? Match Report and comments – http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2017-05-20/vfl-magpies-fail-to-convert.  People who performed (amongst others) – http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-05-21/around-the-state-leagues-whos-starring-in-your-clubs-twos – Brown (again), Scharenberg (again), Ramsay, Broomhead and Langdon. Lachlan Howe did well as a ruck in his first game for the season.

 

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Next week?

 

Magpies Netball:

 

Round 13 – Sunday, 28 May. Versus Adelaide Thunderbirds in Adelaide; tip off – 12.30pm (local time).  We are guaranteed Fourth place on the Ladder now and Adelaide are at the bottom of the ladder. We beat them 64 to 45 in Round 4. The finals series starts with games of 1st versus 2nd and 3rd versus 4th the following weekend; locations, times, etc are all TBA. We should use the game as a preparation for the Finals – rest some, work on specific things, etc. Game coverage on Telstra. Go girls.

 

To know more about the team and the game go to: http://magpiesnetball.com.au/ and https://supernetball.com.au/teams/magpies-netball/. And latest: http://magpiesnetball.com.au/news/two-young-magpies-selected-for-botswana/.

 

 

AFL:

 

Our Game? Round 10 – Collingwood vs Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Sunday, 28 May; bounce 1.10pm. If we want to get into the Finals, every game is critical to us, every week.

 

Teams. Selections on Thursday evening. Go to http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/.

 

Them

 

Brisbane. Brisbane is having a shocker of a season – One win from nine games and that was eight games ago; they are sitting as the wooden spoon (likely) on a percentage of 63.9%. But they have produced good quarters – 1st Quarter last week against Adelaide, most of the 1st Half against Hawthorn the week before, the 3rd Quarter against the Bulldogs in Round 5, their 3rd Quarter against St Kilda in Round 3, their 3rd Quarter in Round 2 against Essendon and their 2nd half in their solitary win over the Gold Coast in Round 1, leading to their Ladder place of 9th after that Round. So we should not go into this game too over-confident – confident, yes; not over-confident.

 

Things & People to watch for? Beams. While his younger brother is injured (last week) D. Beams has been amongst the best each week (when he has played). Other mids worth watching are Martin in the ruck and Zorko at centre.  It’s hard to find too much potential elsewhere on the field, as regular best.

 

Implications? We need to watch and shut down Beams and Grundy should have fun dominating Martin. I don’t really rate either their forward line or backline,so if you wanted to experiment (or rest people), now is the time. What to try? See below. Your thoughts?

 

Us

 

Sitting in 13th place on the Ladder with a percentage of 94.5% (which is pretty extraordinary given our position). And coming off that Win against Hawthorn. But the two losses before that – Carlton (a disgrace) and GWS (disappointing) were poor.

 

Potential changes? As above, I’d suggest we use the game to rest some and give the opportunity to some to come up. Remember we’ve got Freo the week following, before our Bye. Pendles – rest; replace with Brown; Darcy – rest; replace with Howe; Backs – Scharenberg and Ramsay in to replace Howe and Maynard (?); and someone to replace Aish. I’d love to rest Grundy but don’t want that to happen without a decent replacement – not Cox and certainly not White; maybe Keeffe or Lachlan Howe (see above; eventually).

 

Game Plan.  A couple of suggestions:

  1. Communication. Let’s see greater on-field control with the leadership group directing traffic, players letting each other know when they are clear, or at risk.
  2. Kick-ins. The same as last week, and the week before, etc, etc, etc.

 

Other ideas or changes?  What do you think?

 

We should win this comfortably.

 

 

Weather? Melbourne – Later shower; 11-18deg. Expect the ball and ground to be slippery – avoid the moulded sole boots; consider long sleeves.

 

 

Game Previews:

 

 

My PicksPies by 59 points. BOG: Treloar – 39 touches.  Darcy – four Goals; Howe – four goals; Crocker – two goals.  Crowd: 53,000 (including about 1000 Fitzroy and Brisbane fans). Best competition: D. Beams vs Treloar.

 

TV?  No Free to Air coverage. Find a friend with Foxtel or, for Canberrans, head to Eastlake – see you there?

 

VFL: This weekend – Bye for most teams (including us) – State game: Victoria versus WA.

 

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Other Things:

 

 

The Future? 

 

Okay, I floated the idea of what might happen if Sydney or Hawthorn (or if the Pies start winning regularly). Can they make the finals?  If they get into the Finals it is a totally different ‘ballgame (pun intended). Check: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-05-21/after-the-siren-watch-your-backs-the-swans-are-coming-. So, watch. It’s never over till it’s over.

 

Reporting.  C’mon – your Reports? 

 

Footy Almanac. Remember our little brief gets lodged on-line at the Footy Almanac site at http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/. Worth a quick look-see.

 

Go Pies.

 

Cam.

 

 

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