Round 10 – Collingwood v Sydney: FPS Match report

The Floreat Pica Society match report for this week is presented by Damian Balassone.

 

The Rebound

 

We pepper the goals;

we kill ourselves trying to score.

Then we cough it up

and concede one out the backdoor.

 

*

 

This little quatrain sums up the first half.  Possibly the most frustrating half of footy I have ever had the displeasure of watching.  Putrid.  At one stage we lead the inside-50s 16-1 and yet the scoreboard reads 0.6.6 to 1.0.6.  Remarkable.  The game starts with a crucifixion at the centre bounce.  The ball is roved by Treloar who is set upon by a posse of Swans.  Holding the ball.  Thanks Clarko.  Thankfully, the umpires apply a bit more latitude to the rule as the game continues.

 

It’s more of the same in the second quarter, aside from a nice moment where debutant Ruscoe goals.  We continually bombard the goals…but the Swans always get their numbers back to frustrate our efforts.  We miss some sitters.  It seems that no one can kick goals from 50 metres out these days.  They can curl the ball in from all sorts of tight angles, but no one can kick a goal from 45-50 out.  I wonder if that’s got something to do with the aerodynamics of the ball these days.  Daicos in particular shanks one from about 45-50 out and misses the lot.

 

The Swans patiently wait for the turnover and then score accordingly.  When Roughy makes a bad error late in the term,Papley pounces.  The scoreboard now reads 5.0.30 to our pathetic 1.10.16 (which also includes two out-on-the-fulls).  It’s now 32 inside-50s to 11 and yet we trail by 14 points.  This is footy purgatory for the Pie supporter.  I can’t handle this crap anymore.  This is soul destroying.  It’s the Essendon and Fremantle losses all over again.  Even worse perhaps.  A loss for the ages.  At this point, I switch the tv off and join my family for dinner.  Spaghetti bolognaise.  While I’m eating, I deduce that in the last three weeks, Collingwood have conceded scores of 17.3 vs the Eagles, 10.1 vs Freo and 5.0 tonight.  That is a combined tally of 32.4 in the last two and half games.  Where are the footy gods when you need them?

 

When I return for the second half, I’m consoled – almost amazed – to find that Elliot managed a goal on the half-time siren.  So the margin is now 8 points.  The luck starts to come our way in the third.  A fifty metre penalty to Noble.  A free kick to Reid in the goal square.  When Adams goals, after some great work from Sidebottom, we are 9 points in front.  You get the feeling if we can snag one more goal here, we are home and hosed.  Ruscoe has a golden opportunity to do just that early in the last, but misses a sitter.  Now the Swans start to bombard the goals.  They score 4 consecutive points before Thurlow bounces one through from 50.  It’s now 2 points the difference.  We are the walking wounded – Hoskin-Elliot,Treloar and now Quaynor have all gone down.  When Stephenson hits the post with a few minutes left on the clock, you just think we are going to be cruelled again….but lo and behold Daicos pounces on the kick out, works the ball towards the boundary line, handballs to himself, and then drills an extraordinary banana kick from the boundary.  A magical moment in a game of unimaginable frustration.  You just never know what can happen in a game of footy.  We hang on for a 9-point win.  It ain’t pretty, but after the last few weeks of footy hell, by golly you will take it.

 

Votes:

 

3. Adams – kept coming for four quarters, pivotal in the absence of Pendles (whose poise is sorely missed).  Great leadership.

 

2. Daicos – this kid keeps improving – had a horror moment in the second quarter, but to his credit showed great resilience to keep his mind on the job, use the ball very well for the duration of the game, and then kick one of the goals of the season at a crucial stage.

 

1. Maynard – having an All-Australian season down back, a rock who keeps repelling attacks and uses the ball well.

 

Other thoughts: Sier was solid and has upside.  Treloar got plenty of it before he went down, but possibly butchered it a bit – but I’m not sure that deplorable forward setup helped him, so I will reserve my criticism.  Grundy was solid too and kept presenting all night.  Sidey was well held but had some influential touches. It was strange that Moore had very little impact.  Probably because the ball rarely went into the Swans fifty – and when it did it went deep, therefore flying over Moore’s head at CHB.  I do wonder if Moore should have been switched forward at half-time.

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