Round 10 – Collingwood v Adelaide: Floreat Pica Society match report

 

First off, I just want to say how sad and tragic it is for the Selwood family. Commiserations to the family and friends of the Selwoods. Peter Butler and I had just left Crossways, the Hare Krishna café in the CBD where we had lunch and were heading to the ‘G’ when my wife called me in disbelief with the tragic news. It put me off writing yesterday. I was tired and emotional as they say but just couldn’t bring myself to write yesterday. Especially so after watching Craig McRae’s interview with Fox Footy (Kayo) followed by his press conference. It’s just so sad.

 

 

 

Round 10:  The Sir Douglas Nicholls Round. 17 May 2025

 

The AFL Indigenous Round, Collingwood v Kuwarna (Adelaide)

 

The Kuarna people are the Aboriginal inhabitants of the Adelaide Plains in South Australia, Australia. They are the traditional owners and custodians of the land, with a strong connection to the area stretching from Cape Jervis to Crystal Brook

 

Sir Douglas Nicholls (SDN) was a ‘Yorta Yorta’ man who played footy for Northcote and Fitzroy in late 1920s to the late 1930s. I was fortunate to meet SDN in the late 1960’s when he spoke to our class at East Brunswick Primary School. SDN was then head of the ‘Aboriginal Advancement League’ which he also founded. He was the first Aboriginal person I’d encountered, which left an impression. SDN later became the first indigenous Governor of South Australia (and remains the only indigenous person to be appointed to that role). SDN was a church pastor and a significant player in advancing reconciliation. In short, (not only because he was only 5’2” tall) SDN was a remarkable man.

 

The other connection for me with respect to the Aboriginal Advancement League was my first share house in the late 1970s. This was a large house in Brunswick West. Amongst the community of people – about eight or more of us lived there, were two ex-Monash Uni Students. They were, in a former guise, members of the DLF that is, the Dairy Liberation Front. the DLF used to ‘pinch’ milk (when it was home delivered) from politicians and leave messages about Aboriginal inequality then donate the milk to the Aboriginal Advancement League, but I digress.

 

Stats

 

Collingwood and Adelaide have played each other 50 times.

 

Collingwood have won 34 times. Adelaide have won 15 times and there’s been 1 draw.

 

Collingwood have won all three times we have played Adelaide in Finals.

 

Adelaide joined the AFL in 1990; a marvellous year of course as I got to experience two premierships: Collingwood and the birth of my oldest Lucy who is also a Collingwood supporter. Sadly, in some ways I’m in a mixed marriage in more ways than one as my partner Gaye is an Essendon supporter as is my youngest Ruby (coincidentally born in 1993) when Dons won it.

 

Speaking of Dons, Adelaide has a progressive past. In my living memory, the ex-premier Don Dunstan (DD) was years ahead of his time in many respects. For example, he was responsible for South Australia being the first state in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality (1975) Tasmania was as recent as 1997, for goodness sake.

 

 

 

DD relaxed the dress code for parliament sporting the famous ‘hot pants’. Dunstan was also responsible for setting up the Adelaide Arts Festival, heritage protection and a host of social reforms including the elimination of racist polices against Aboriginal people; This isn’t a hagiography as he made many mistakes too. However, amongst DD’s achievements is that he appointed Doug Nicholls to the post of Governor-General of South Australia.

 

Adelaide has some marvellous sounding Aboriginal place names like Noarlunga, Stirling and Hahndorf. In the late 1970s Stephen Goddard and another friend Peter MacMillan and moi drove in Peter’s Kombi van to Adelaide to attend the Adelaide Arts Festival. Driving down the ranges / hills at night we were greeted by the city of lights, the city at night stunning after 8 hours of driving with The Doors accompanying us along the way.

 

I have fond memories of Adelaide including the Adelaide football club as they have contributed in a positive way to Collingwood’s overall winning percentage. Hopefully this will continue.

 

Mind your language

 

I’m learning new words as I get older which isn’t always a good thing.  In the last 10 years or more, learnings has become a new word or its use in conversation has.  After a loss players and coaches talk about learnings. Earlier this year I saw a pretty good political film called Conclave a new word for me, about the election of a new Pope; prescient given the recent actual conclave. Life imitating art.

 

The collective noun for a group of Crows is a murder of Crows; quite apt in South Australia really what with Snowtown and the Beaumont children. There could be I submit a new term for a group of Crows: a malevolence of Crows. Bear with me here. The rationale indeed the motivation for Adelaide’s entry into the AFL was based on preventing Port Adelaide joining the AFL which was more or less, underway at the time.

 

The collective noun for a group of Magpies is a conventicle of magpies. Conventicle means a secret or unlawful religious meeting typically of non-conformists.  Not too bad although a bit clunky. Other words as collective nouns for a group of Magpies include mischief, tribe, gulp, tittering, congregation and charm. I prefer a premiership of Magpies.

 

Palooka is a word I first learnt from watching too many 1940s and 1950s gangster midday films on TV. Films with George Raft, James Cagney and the like. Indeed, there was film called The Palooka. I used to think it meant a big oafish like character. Other meanings include an incompetent boxer.

 

Collingwood’s problem with Adelaide is not just Isaac Rankine and their captain Jordan Dawson but the fact that Adelaide has three big Palookas in their forward line which has been challenging for most teams this year. My pre-match anxiety is concerned with Collingwood’s relatively lilliputian backline, Billy Frampton excluded. A Collingwood player of course can never be a Palooka.

 

 

The football match:

 

Match: Collingwood V Kuwana (Adelaide)

Date: Saturday, 17 May 2025

Time: 13:40

Venue: MCG

Crowd: 67,697

 

I’m not go to do into do a kick-by-kick description but make some overall comments with some observations.

 

First quarter:

 

Both backlines are on top. Within the first few minutes Seymour Butts (no adolescent sniggering here, I’ll let you know) walks with ball over the backpocket boundary without pressure, wilfully and against the rules. Throw in results. Not too long later Billy Elliott leads into the half forward wing area to take a great mark turns around and pass the ball to Membrey near the 50 on an acute angle then passes the ball off to an unmarked Houston who kicks one of his trademark long bombs with graceful ease.

 

In the mean-time Nick Daicos was stood on and is limping.

 

Rankin is in everything from a centre clearance pass to a leading Palooka (Thilthorpe) who kicks beautifully for a behind Later a telegraphed and unaware slow handball by Ed Allen was picked off by a fast running and slick Rankin who kicks beautifully for a goal to Adelaide.

 

Walker kicks a good goal which shape shifted from right to left following a dazzling left foot kick from Dawson.

 

Riley O’Brien another Palooka and their ruck takes a contested mark v Cox and yet another Adelaide Palooka (the former Collingwood player Keane) shoves Cox post the event, as players are wont to do to ‘rub it in’ as it were.

 

Two goals to Collingwood where one was from a Bobby Hill pass / kick to a strong contested mark by Membrey at the top of the 10- yard square where Cox played a role. The second was a brain fade by the Adelaide defender Cummings (ex GWS) defender who thought it would be a good idea to kill the ball from 25 metres out giving a nano second for Bobby Hill to do well what Bobby Hill does, a fast run causing a panic attack for opposition defenders, a jump in the air while kicking the ball on the outside of his right foot adjacent to the goal line. Who said men can only do one thing at a time! (just don’t look at me)

 

The first quarter had several lead changes, and not too much rain

 

Nick Daicos was well held having one kick & six handballs. There was a tame defence on him but his handballs were pretty decent some of the time.

 

48 kicks 40 odd handballs, lots if handballs to kicks ratio. I commented to the guy on my left Scott (Dave and Peter were on my right) that it looked like the Pies were instructed to handball to avoid the trap of kicking long to Adelaide’s strengths; their big Palooka contested marking.

 

Last 5-10 minutes there was shift by kicking it into the forward 50 led by Josh Daicos hoping to get contests from the big bodies like Mihocek and Membrey.

 

Both teams looked formidable in the middle, but Jordan Dawson was a standout as he was dangerous with the way uses the ball. Josh Daicos was outstanding as was Howe. A lot of players did their job. A player who goes under the radar is Perryman and I thought he, IQ and Billy Frampton did well

 

6 tackles to quarter time is concerning and not really Collingwood like.

 

Crisp too played very well with 6 contested tackles.

 

I haven’t mentioned McCreery, so I’ll mention him now, hello Beau McCreery!

 

Collingwood: 4.3.27

Adelaide: 3.2.20

 

 

Second quarter

 

The biggest Palooka of all, the dangerous one Fogarty kicked 3 goals in the second quarter and it could easily have been 4. He missed a snap next to the goals thank goodness.

 

Having said that Collingwood kept on doing what Collingwood teams do: pressure, make it hard for the opposition and capitalise on mistakes (turnovers). From the Ponsford stand Pendlebury didn’t seem to be his usual self (too old?, too slow?) after watching the replay he played a great game just I didn’t notice as much.

 

Nick Daicos had 16 possessions, of which 12 were handballs and 4 were kicks. Nick Daicos was still instrumental but not as dangerous as he has been. He certainly puts his body on the line (as do others of course). He wins the ball and gets the ball to the outside that is, to running players; so even when he is being heavily tagged he is still able to play an instrumental role.

 

Mid way through the second quarter Collingwood twice miskicked when entering the forward 50 resulting ultimately in a turnover goal to Fogarty.

 

Long was instrumental too not just through his hard running but linking play best exemplified later in the quarter through his running and receiving then handballing to a hard running and classy finishing Sidebottom. This was immediately followed by a McCreery centre clearance by a process of simply moving the ball forward; not flash, not pretty but superb with Crisp running on to receive a handball and kick one around the corner on his trusty left foot. Contested play by Mihocek allowed this to occur as it did by Membrey earlier on the wing / half forward line. Nick Daicos was again instrumental here.

 

After Fogarty kicks his third goal for the quarter.

 

Winter rain is setting in.

 

A first half was characterised by intercept play. Rain is making the conditions tricky to play in.

 

Pendlebury nullified to some extent the brilliance of Dawson.

 

Collingwood 6.7.43

Adelaide 6.2.38

 

Great team effort, kudos to our backline. Josh Daicos playing a blinder, Nick Daicos very good, Ned Long what a find. McCreery fluffed a few but also was great in centre clearances.

 

 

Third quarter:

 

Tough uncompromising footy with no goals scored in the first 20 minutes. The rain had well and truly set in. Adelaide had 3 opportunities to goal. Some relatively easy ones. Rankin amazingly missed 2 while a young Cousins missed a sitter. One of Rankins shots was based on a mark that had bounced off Sidebottom’s shoulder/ head / neck region.

 

A magnificent chase by Long, never giving up resulted in preventing Adelaide sub Berry from goaling, true desperation.

 

Tex Walker the big Palooka was ineffectual as it turns out and was subbed off.

 

Very late in the third quarter after a kick in, Cameron takes a fine contested mark when Fogarty simply knocked the ball out of Cameron’s hands after the free was awarded. A basic error and 50 metres every day of the week. It was 20- 25 metres out on a 45-degree angle.

 

Just to rub the salt into Adelaide’s wound, a free for a throw was paid against Adelaide when on the TV it looked like a simple handball. Not sure what I missed but the ump was right there. McCreery was told to play on by the ump, thumps it forward and Jamie Elliott takes another fine pack mark right in front and kicks truly. This with seconds left of the third quarter.

 

9 different goal kickers this quarter.

 

Long, Nick Daicos, and well basically the whole team played a contributing role.

 

Adelaide easily won the clearances that quarter 14:5 but had 39% efficiency based on pressure, the conditions and perceived pressure.

 

Collingwood 9.9.63

Adelaide 7.5.47

 

 

Final quarter

 

Within the first 5 minutes Sullivan scrambles the ball forward and WHE tackles an unfortunate Adelaide player in th goal square and WHE is awarded the free kick. This happened moments after Mihocek unfairly in my view was paid a free against when the umps indicated Mihocek ducked his head and took on the tackler.

 

Both teams are having a real go but Collingwood is more efficient. Ed Allen gives away a silly 50 (there’ll be learnings from this) and gifts a goal to Adelaide. Soligo kicks it and moments later Rochelle misses a sitter. Both players were conspicuous by their relative lack of effectiveness today; a testament to the great work of the team with everyone playing their role.

 

Shortly thereafter Mihocek takes a terrific mark on the 50 and kicks a ripper.

 

With 5 minutes or so to spare, a bit of a scare with Dawson taking a mark and kicking a goal as a result of 13:6 inside 50’s favouring Adelaide making it 10 points the difference Ultimately, the end result.

 

Final Score

 

Collingwood: 11.12.78

Adelaide 10.8.68

 

A magnificent win in the circumstances.

 

As coach McRea noted post-game on TV: ‘We’ve had some ding-dong battles haven’t we”. Indeed, we have.

 

Observations:

 

1. Going to Crossways in Swanston Street for Hare Krishna fare is great thing to do on a cold day before a match for some affordable, tasty vegetarian fare. I used to go there eons ago and still get there when I can.
2. In the end the Palooka’s apart from Fogarty didn’t matter. Congratulations to the coaching staff and the players for putting into practice the tactics and strategies.
3. A magnificent team win in difficult circumstances including the wet and cold, weather, without Darcy Moore, JDG and an inform Lachie Schultz. The contribution came from across the ground.
4. WHE was our only multiple goal kicker with 2!
5. We got smashed in the clearances and lost the inside 50’s but again ‘we’ managed to win. More efficient than our opponents.

 

It’s hard to pick the best players when they’ve all had a contributory role.

 

3. The backline
4. J Daicos
5. Ned Long.

 

Apologies to Crisp and many others. WHE was our only multiple goal kicker.

 

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