Round 3 – Collingwood v Geelong (Floreat Pica Society)

 

Collingwood v Geelong

Saturday April 2, 7:25pm

MCG

 

By Garry Stock

 

 

 

Hello all from Ziggy at the ‘G and me from Ramat Raziel in Israel – having a burst of unseasonably hot weather after a long rainy and cold winter. The wildflowers are a delight.

 

When I suggested to Ziggy that we do the Geelong match report I had a few reasons. First, we generally do well against them (though the disaster in Week 2 of the 2020 finals is unforgettable). Second, they are after the Carlton Cheats and the Demons my third most disliked side because of the contests we have had over the years. I refer of course to 1950-1953 when I started following footy as a kid listening to broadcasts on 3KZ and 3AW.

 

I chose not to be too optimistic but the possibility that we could be 2-0 before our report (with the Geelong game an opportunity to measure our progress under Macrae) did cross my mind.

 

The selected team did not surprise me though I suspected Wilson would get a run, but young Reefe obviously deserves his chance given the tough year he had with injuries in 2021.

 

The question I asked is what will they do with Nick Daicos now that Maynard is back? The defence has knitted together very well in the past two weeks. Leave him at HB and on the ball or move him to HF and on the ball?

 

Little did we suspect what was to come . An incredibly difficult match report to write. For an independent watcher/football lover it must have been a great match- for us it was frustration plus!

 

We will start at the end quoting 17-year-old Zig in our phone hook up.

 

‘At ¾ time I felt a glimpse of finals. Finals is still a possibility but the loss is hard to take. Under different circumstances I could have lived with a 13 point loss. A win would have been huge’

 

Noee his 14-year-old brother, also at the game, asked me ‘are we chokers?’ to which I answered: ‘No way. They did to us in the last quarter what we did to them in the third. In the final quarter we wanted it heaps but they wanted it more. They were playing for their (totally misbehaved) captain. And their experience helped and we – with a lot of youth – became very tired and together with the Geelong pressure it caused the errors that in the end cost us the match.’

 

We were outstanding in the third and also in the first where our wasteful kicking for goal cost us a big lead.

 

The game was full of opposites. Not only the third and final quarter performances of the two teams, but the wasteful snaps by the Pies in terms one and two and then the brilliant snaps in three; Qaynor absolutely brilliant to halftime and just normal after; Cameron being outmarked and outplayed to start and really standing up in the second half. Similarly, the best players 3-2-1 is extremely difficult as some players shone and then disappeared totally for a quarter.

 

 

First Quarter

 

We were the far better side attacking the game from the outset with energy and aggression. Quaynor was superb and the back six held up extremely well. The only problem was wasteful kicking for goal even though most were snaps under pressure. To be at 3.2 is ok but not to finish the quarter at 3.7. Jordie was particularly wasteful I think he scored 0.4 for the quarter (special mention to Jordie for not handballing to a team mate instead having another dribble for his last miss).

 

The highlights were Howe’s 50m penalty to goal (he always wanted to be a key forward; I understand that was the deal with Bucks when he crossed from Melbourne) and he was very composed lining up and the Nick Daicos first goal. It was all class. I am so impressed how Macrae is nursing him by mixing him up as HB and today as HF and partly on the ball. Better to be a Brownlow medal winner one day even if it means not to be the Rising Star of 2022. He may get nominated this week, but I reckon Macrae is doing just the right thing.

 

The low light for me was Jeremy Cameron’s first goal for Geelong from the Dangerfield pass. Why did Moore leave him to stroll back to towards the goal square ? Help, somebody.

 

Pies 3.7 Cats 2.3 – we should have been at least 20 points up.

 

 

Second Quarter

 

This was an arm wrestle with errors from both sides and inefficient disposal by the Pies. But the endeavor and tackling were there for most of the quarter.

 

We failed in two areas:

• Our wasteful shots on goal (we moved from 3.7 to 3.9 before the goal that took us to 4.9, ending the quarter at 4.11)
• Later in the quarter giving the Geelong forwards too much space. Hence easy goals. Two goals came from Geelong forwards being alone in the goal square. In one case there was Howe alone and five Geelong players on camera where the ball landed.

 

It seemed the enthusiasm had been too much and the backline had drifted too far forward into the play.

 

I felt for Darcy Moore – who had a day he would I am sure like to forget – when his hand going for the ball hit Isaac Smith near the eye and Isaac would have done Richard Burton proud.

 

Adams was outstanding. At half time we had Quaynor, Adams, Steele, Grundy, Crispy, Pendles and the two Daicoses in the best players.

 

The quarter finished Pies 4.11 to Cats 6.4 – there was no way we should have been five points down.

 

 

Third Quarter

 

I did not like things at first after Geelong scored the first goal but after that it was all Collingwood. The pressure, desperation, energy, enthusiasm was at high pitch. We wanted it so much more than the Cats. Grundy was superb. Suddenly, our own Cameron came alive. Jamie who had played well kicked two and then cheekily started a dust up out of kindness for Selwood (who has distinguished himself on many occasions but not by his body language today) after he was run down by Ollie. When Ollie had that shot I screamed at my dog Shiso (she is my watch mate) ‘he must not miss this!’ and he did not. But I never thought we would get 2 for 1! Everyone contributed over the quarter. The only disappointment was that leading by 37 points (12.12 to 7.5) late in the quarter we let them get two easy goals and turned in to the last quarter only 30 points up. But a great quarter and a sign of things to come in future matches.

 

Pies 13.12 Cats 9.6.

 

 

Final Quarter

 

Again Geelong scored the first goal; we were to score none and they a further six for seven in total. We partly analyzed it earlier. The Geelong pressure rose substantially: they wanted to win it for their captain, their midfield lifted and we lost most of the centre bounces. Many of the boys became tired and the increased pressure caused handballs to go astray, kicks to be misdirected and general confusion (the Moore/Madgen mix up is a shocking example – I think poor Darcy was to blame).

 

We certainly missed Roughie but Cameron was hot and we could not handle him nor jumping Jack.

 

On reflection, it was not as bad a quarter as it seemed. We had four good scoring opportunities. The two set shots yielded a point (Jamie’s) and I thought both Jamie and Checkers should not have tried banana kicks from so far out. And Jordie and Nick D had long shots that were spot on target but were saved just before the goal line (but that is footy).

 

Two comments that probably would not have changed the result. How Jeremy Howe’s mark was disallowed when the Geelong player whacked it out of his hand, I do not know. Also, and I am quoting Ziggy, Taylor’s free down field in the dying moments. Yes if I was frustrated he must have been going crazy, but if he is to be our next captain he cannot do undisciplined things. That goal sealed it.

 

Overall, Ziggy and I feel we are moving in a good direction.

 

We lost when two of our stars that could have stood up when needed – Jordie and Darcy – failed to do so. So there is an upside.

 

But playing Geelong on the skipper’s record day is not playing Adelaide or the Saints.

 

We will learn a lot from this match.

 

The youth is extremely promising: N.Daicos is a super class act, Reefe shows class and Ginnivan will be a real trouble maker for the opposition.

 

Quaynor and Josh Daicos are maturing; Noble is consistent. Maynard will be better for the run.

 

The old brigade are playing important roles in Pendles and Steele (thank god he is back on the wing).

 

The hyphen and Jack Madgen (who gives his all) are place holders till better younger players emerge.

 

And captain to be Adams is tireless.

 

But we do need at least one high class key forward.

 

 

 

COLLINGWOOD         3.7       4.11       13.12       13.13 (91)
GEELONG                    2.3       6.4       9.6     16.8 (104)

 

GOALS  
Collingwood: Mihocek, Cameron, Elliott 2, N.Daicos, J.Daicos, De Goey, Ginnivan, Henry, Howe, Lipinski
Geelong:  Cameron 6, Hawkins 3, Blicavs, Close, Dangerfield, Duncan, Holmes, Parfitt, Smith

 

BEST  
Collingwood: Elliott, Adams, N.Daicos, Crisp, Quaynor
Geelong: Cameron, Stewart, Dangerfield, Guthrie, Holmes

 

Our bests – from Quaynor, Grundy. N.Daicos, J.Daicos, Adams, Crisp (having seen the DR’s this will be controversial!)

 

Adams 3 down to 2 (poor disposal and lack of discipline cost him a vote)

Elliot 2

Nick Daicos and Quaynor each 1.

 

 

Regards,

Ziggy and Garry, with inputs from Noee.

 

 

 

 

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