Cam Hooke’s Collingwood Life

True Believers,it’s hard to know where to start from. From here, we can’t go backwards, so maybe, just maybe, we should go forwards – win, or at the least give it our best shot.

The Season? Where are we up to with regards to the Season? Can we make the Eight? Do we shut down shop and go for the first Round pick (noting that we’ve already given that pick away to GWS to get Treloar, anyway)? Is the Adelaide experience in the National Soccer

A-League Grand Final applicable (coming from last place 8 rounds into the season to go on to win)? Is the Leicester experience in the UK useful (not sure why, but it is an extraordinary journey)? How about Connolly’s view: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-2016-is-the-final-eight-already-done-and-dusted-20160502-gokd93.html? Do you believe (from ‘Miracle on 34th Street’)? I believe!

The Game:

Saturday afternoon at the G; bounce: 1.45pm. Carlton; the olde enemy.

13th vs 14th (we’re 13th) on the Ladder; 78.7% (us) vs 73.5%; both 2 and 4. Statistically this should be a very close game. We all know that we are a much better side than those figures indicate and much, much better than Carlton. See my prediction below. Betting: $1.31 vs $3.40 in our favour.

Weather? Partly cloudy; 12 – 23 deg. Windy (25 – 40kph), Northerly.

TV (for Canberra residents)? This is hard to believe given the history of this competition and the two teams involved – no Free to Air coverage. Just checking other locations: 90 minute delay replay for Melbourne viewers; no coverage for Sydney; 90 minute delay for Darwin; etc. Find a Friend with Fox. Last week, apart from the actual game (and even up to the start of Q4 was enjoyable), I watched the game at the Eastlake Footy Club in Kingston with a beer, or two, and a plate of wedges and Genevieve. Membership is very cheap, the beer is cold and the screen is large. In fact, the screen design includes a number of smaller screens around the large central screen and means we could watch the Rugby League, the soccer Championship and the other AFL game concurrently (better than watching our Q4). Look forward to catching up with you there. They do decent, and relatively cheap, meals too.

The Teams:

Us? Published tonight.

Legacy from last week: Watch Michael Christian on ‘The Agenda’ – http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/. He picked a critical point at the start of the Q4 (remember we’d fought our way back into the game through Q2 and Q3 to be 12 points down at the final change) as a game turning point (critical point) which led to an easy WCE goal, as a direct consequence of a series of players slipping over (I hate moulded sole boots (as addressed in the past)) and a lack of team support, noting the defensive positioning and absence of defensive pressure in the Backline.

Injury outs – Langdon – likely absence. Gault and Sinclair – maybe okay, but everyone is being very cautious about concussion (maybe through the VFL). A few other Tests: Witts (probably through the VFL, in spite of the fact that we badly need him), Varcoe (can’t be rushed), Adams – maybe an early return.

In’s? What do we need? A bit of speed, a bit of enthusiasm, a bit of endeavour. Who would I like to see in? Potential in’s from the VFL side (two weeks ago – Wills, Broomhead, Marsh and Caff and last week – Caff (again), Trav (a bit), Crocker and ‘American Pie 2’ – Wyatt). So, given Broomhead’s move last week, in the market from: Caff, Goodyear, Phillips, Wills, Marsh and Crocker. Maybe Trav. Others of interest: Witts, Gault (both probably via the VFL side).

Your views?

Game Plan – A couple of suggestions:

There needs to be some semblance of a plan as to where the ball is going to go next – we demonstrated that last week in the Q2 and Q3. We just need to do it for the whole game. The simple starting points can be the Centre bounces and the kick-ins. We should have a plan; we shouldn’t be making it up as we go along. The other key aspect is that the plan is a team plan; it isn’t just one person’s behaviour (even the kick-ins); and

Pies’ zone defence. This doesn’t work. If you need proof go to: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-05-02/the-collingwood-colander-how-to-concede-a-goal-in-17-seconds. It got us into the record books – The equal third fastest coast to coast goal of the season (17 seconds from kick-in to goal). In fact, one of the equal second fastest (14 seconds) was inflicted on us by St Kilda. The Backline looks slow and disorganised. Suggest both manning changes and ‘man-up’. Get away from the zone defence; it doesn’t work!

Oh yeah, the team support between players shown last week should continue. We just need to score more goals so people can have something to celebrate. Well done.

Do you have some ideas?

Them? Carlton. I’m not sure there’s anything more I need to say. Watch for Daisy (Mids, BOG last week and Team of the Week), Gibbs (HF), Simpson (BP), Kreuzer (ruck), Kerridge (ruck rover) and Graham (Interchange – Mid). Curnow (Glandular Fever) and Weitering (shoulder injury) will be out for a few weeks.

Impact on us? Once again we need to dominate the Centre – bring back Witts, plus double team or tag Daisy and / or Kerridge. Your views?

Game Previews?

AFL Match Day Preview – http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2016/7/coll-v-carl – there now;
Pies. Natoli’s ‘Ultimate Preview’ will be on the Pies Home Page at http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/ in the next day or so. Not sure where he is going now;
The Age Preview – Should be at http://www.theage.com.au/afl (eventually); and
Expert Tips – Round 5 Expert Tips will be at http://www.theage.com.au/afl/expert-tipsters in the next day or so. Now I admit to being a bit critical of our Australian political leadership picks. Just to clarify, given his ongoing and totally unreasonable picks of us to win (like most of us), is Mr Shorten a Pies fan? That would explain a lot, actually.

My Picks? This should be a ‘walk in the park’ for a team boasting the talent our list has. Pies by 39; BOG: Pendles – 33 touches @ 89% Disposal Efficiency, 8 Clearances; 4 Tackles. Other: Witts – 39 Hit Outs. Goals: Cox – 4, Fas – 4, Gault – 4.

Your picks?

Other:

VFL. Last week, against Northern Blues (Carlton), a pretty extraordinary game going from a 42 point lead at the final change to win by 9 points. And did you know that Josh Fraser was coaching the Carlton VFL side? I didn’t. This week’s game: Collingwood vs Sandringham; Saturday, 30 April. Bounce 5.15pm. Back at the Holden Centre. Anyone going to that game? Report pls? You could wander over after the Carlton match;
Eddie Watch. Quiet’ish. He’s been accused of using bad language on live TV – ‘our Eddie’? Hard to believe. And http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/forward-jesse-hogans-hero-in-bones-team-of-the-week/news-story/ab4a6bcfb47b71f8470d761568331f63;
Women’s Team.This is worth a look-see: Update at http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/2016-04-29/our-application-2017-womens-team. “Having a Football League without Collingwood would not seem right to me” – Meg Hutchins, Collingwood Football Manager; and
Did you watch the GWS / Hawthorn game on TV? GWS were very impressive. Did anyone notice Maxy in his role as the GWS Leadership Coach, wearing his GWS polo shirt, talking to the GWS team members at Half Time? Now, if we needed someone to explain ‘commitment’ to our team ….? One of my favourite memories of Maxy (apart from holding that cup aloft) is him, when not playing because of injury, screaming at the Backline from the sidelines – motivation.