Round 23 – Carlton v Collingwood: Mindfulness

Carlton v Collingwood

3:20pm, Sunday August 21

MCG

 

 

 

Ali v Foreman, Magic v Bird, Federer v Nadal. Those rivalries are curtain raisers compared to this once in a lifetime battle. No rivalry under any stipulation, with all the incentives in the world could stand in the shadow of this blockbuster.

 

The game’s most heated rivalry takes centre stage at one of the world’s sporting colosseums this afternoon. Carlton v Collingwood. It has been the most anticipated match all season, the best part of a decade, actually have the stakes ever been higher in a game of football?

 

For the first time in a while, Carlton are a chance to play September football. Michael Voss has turned the club upside down in 12 months, making the Blues a genuine threat. However, a poor run with injuries and some missed opportunities have left their finals hopes dangling by a thread. A win against their arch rivals, and they’d end a nine-year drought.

 

Their rivals however, a Collingwood side who have also been revolutionised in the past 12 months (funnily enough by a Lions premiership player too). We went against the grain selecting McRae as our coach, but hasn’t that been the story of our season this year. Has a team who finished 17th the previous season ever given themselves a shot of finishing top four with one game to play? Has a team ever been 4-5 and won 11 straight (8 of those by under 10 points)? No. Collingwood have had a season fans could only have dreamt of going into 2022, but as the season continues to roll on and draws to its conclusion, it is eventually becoming a reality…despite how absurd some of the finishes have been. Nick Daicos putting on a show in Adelaide, Ollie Henry kicking clutch goal after clutch goal, and who could forget about the most poetic 40 seconds of play you will ever see?

 

Leading into the game, my excitement levels were beyond containment. The roar in unison prior to the bounce gave me goose bumps like it was some sort of plague. Only one team was roaring though when Sidebottom curled though a beauty from the boundary to begin proceedings. The goals would then dry up for the majority of the quarter however, as terrible misses in front of the big sticks loomed as a big threat (particularly for Collingwood). Jack Crisp kicking the second goal of the game, only exemplified the sheer miracle needed to add another goal to the tally. A clever goal from Ginnivan ensured there was a handy buffer at quarter-time, despite Carlton remaining goalless for the term.

 

The Blues decided to give Collingwood a taste of their own medicine in the second quarter – hack the ball forward, putting the defenders on the back foot. It helped Carlton get within seven points, but goals to Ginnivan and Ash Johnson extended the margin out to 19 at the main break.

 

Carlton looked to rename the premiership quarter the finals quarter with their efforts. It seemed as if Collingwood went into the rooms in the year 2022, but came back out stuck in 2021. The forward 50 entries were some of the worst I have seen for the season, as Carlton used that as leverage to put themselves 22 points up going into the final quarter. However, if Back to the Future taught us anything, it’s that whenever a time machine is involved normalcy will eventually be restored.

 

Carlton began missing ample opportunities to book their ticket to finals, whilst the Pies began playing that bold, relentless, high-pressure footy that has made them a premiership contender this season. Johnson, Cox and Elliott would help to peg the margin back to 11 points, and make it game on once again. The belief began to start growing once again. Collingwood fans have become accustomed to a final-quarter fightback and feel that they are ready. But even when it feels probable, time parameters force tension walks alongside that belief.

 

This week, I added mindfulness meditation to my daily routine. The process focuses on remaining calm during stressful times, and regain focus during lapses of concentration.  In a time where my life is in its busiest phase, these 10 minutes every night, help me to truly unwind before I go to bed. So, when the tension lifted in this game, I felt like I was in my element.

 

When McCreery sunk his pot shot, the Collingwood faithful went bonkers. The realisation of potentially securing a double chance, and knocking the Blues out of finals had the black and white army in raptures.

 

As time began to tick down, the pressure started to get to me. When these tight moments have been presented in the past, there wasn’t as much to play for as there is now. This is to end the home and away season, not another case of ‘there’s always next week.’ Thank God I’ve learnt something from my mindfulness training.

 

Maynard charges out of defensive 50 (breathe in), hits Pendlebury in the middle (breathe out), Pendlebury sends it to a 2-on-1 (breathe in), the ball spills out to Elliott on his own (breathe out), Elliott streams into goal (breathe in), Collingwood hit the front (breathe out). As tempted as I am to run the aisles, high-fiving any strangers I go past, I restrict myself to a mellow clenched fist. Time is either money, or your worst enemy, and with just under two minutes remaining, the most uncontrollable variable in this game is daunting.

 

Every time Collingwood has control of the play, the applause from Pies fans intensifies. But the moment Carlton look a slight chance, the Ponsford stand turns into a movie theatre watching a horror movie. I then see a standing ovation. The noise is deafening. The players have stopped playing. My deep breathing is thrown out the window. There have been some extraordinary finishes in our emphatic run into finals, but when you thought moments could not get crazier, this moment helps to cap off the home and away season the only way Collingwood know how to. That is why this rivalry trumps any other.

 

 

 

CARLTON                0.3       2.5       10.8       10.14 (74)
COLLINGWOOD      3.5       5.6       6.8          11.9 (75)

 

GOALS
Carlton:
Curnow, McKay, Motlop, Cerra 2, Docherty, Owies
Collingwood:
Ginnivan 3, Elliott, Johnson 2, Sidebottom, Crisp, McCreery, Cox

 

BEST  
Carlton: Cripps, Cerra, Docherty, Curnow, McKay, Setterfield, Young
Collingwood: Moore, J.Daicos, Pendlebury, Maynard, N.Daicos, Ginnivan

 

 

 

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