Round 2 – Collingwood v Richmond: What’s better than beating Pies by 10 goals?

By The Tiger Tragic

 

Tigers v Pies- Friday 1st April 2016

MCG at 7.50pm

Collingwood def Richmond- 13.9.87 to 12.14.86

Crowd- 72,761

 

Oh crap! Just wait for a few minutes while I clean all the egg off my face (according to Wikepedia, the cleaning of egg off one’s face is needed because you have done or said something that has left you looking embarrassed or foolish). Everyone must have heard one of my favourite Magpie jokes: What is better than beating the Pies by 10 goals? Beating them by a point! Oh crap again!

 

Can you believe it, the Pies hit the front by a point with 4 seconds to play! At that time, sensible or reasonable conversation is not achievable by myself, so any normal persons witnessing this drama unfold would be justified in thinking that I am fighting against some epileptic fit that is trying escape my body.   What devastation, I didn’t sleep afterwards and didn’t want to face anyone on Saturday morning. It is so hard to be normal after such a loss. Fortunately, Maureen,  my wife had been to a Mi-Sex concert and was still rockin’ along when she got home, she didn’t notice that my world had just collapsed (remember Mi-Sex, great band of the early 80’s, doing some really great concerts again on their Australasian tour.  A bunch of wrinkled old-timers having fun, am I just a little bit envious?  Mmm,  maybe. Memo to the kids: Don’t make the oldies grow up, they’re having too much fun! Don, the bass guitarist, he’s the one that  holds his guitar like an inverted lolli-pop). As it turned out, I probably should have gone to the concert!

 

Footy is a funny game, last week I made the comment that the Tigers “won ugly” against the Blues. I really thought the Blues played better, but lost. This week, there was no way the Tigers deserved to lose, “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” would be appropriate in my opinion. How did that happen? Media talk is lack of leadership. Yes, it seems to be a recurring problem for the Tigers. Last year against the Dockers in Perth, they blew the lead with less than a minute to go. That robbed the Tigers of any chance of making the top 4. In 2012 against the Gold Coast Suns in Cairns, said by Paul Roos to be the worst 47 seconds of footy ever played, they again threw away 4 points. Lack of leadership from all concerned. If someone like  Nick Maxwell had been out there marshalling the troops, I don’t know this would have happened. Cotchin’s role as Captain is again being questioned. Could be right, although he is a handy player, I’m not sure he should be Captain. Never really understood why Deledio was over looked. A thought- how about big Ivan Maric?  Certainly leads from the front with lots of passion.

 

It hurts to re-visit Friday  night’s game, well played Pies. The worst thing about this is that we don’t play Collingwood again until August, we have to wait that long before we can wipe that smug smile off Eddie McGuire’s  face.

 

Adam Treloar certainly had the last laugh. He was one of the best 6 on the ground. What would the result have been had he been playing for the Tigers? The Pies are a one man team? Cotchin apparently questioned him as to whether his decision was right when the Tigers were up by 16 points with a few minutes to go. Trent, if you want to do that sort of thing, just make sure you WIN! You have even more egg on your face than I do!

 

The Tigers better players. Impressed with Astbury,  Jayden Short, on debut did a good job with 3 goals. A goal with his first kick in senior AFL! Every boys dream! Tiger fact: 14 RFC players have scored a goal with their first kick in senior VFL/AFL footy, and one of them was the great Tiger Immortal, Tom Hafey. Certainly not known as a goal kicker and only played a total of 67 games. Also, 2 other players presently on the Tiger list have done the same, Ben Lennon and Sam Lloyd.

 

Dustin Martin, is a gun, and how about Bachar Houli. The Bachar was sensational! I’d have to give Alex Fasolo, best on ground, but Houli and Martin wouldn’t be far behind. Hampson battled well in the ruck, Macintosh held his own. Reiwoldt and Vickery were reasonable up forward.  Rance, Hunt, Griffiths and Corey Ellis had stinkers. The Tigers lead in most possession categories.  In fact, I reckon that 7 out of 10 of the best players on the ground were Tigers, how then did we lose?

 

The Tigers have been pilloried in the press for not being able to “ice the clock” in the last minutes. At the time I thought it was unfair, because they appeared to be endeavouring to play positive and win the game running away rather than going negative and shut the game down. However, on seeing those last few minutes again on replay, I agree that really bad decisions were made and that cost the Tigers the chocolates.

 

We will re-group and come out fighting this week.

 

This week it is the Crows at Etihad Stadium. Saturday 9 April at 2.10pm.

 

Prediction- Tigers by 17 points

 

Big week for the  Tiges! Go the Mighty Tigers  – Eat ‘em Alive!

Rob B- 4th April 2016

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