Round 6 – West Coast v Collingwood: From a magpie at Subiaco

by Rory Adams

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Sometimes I only get to one Collingwood game in a season so it is not easy going to that fixture knowing that you are probably going to lose.

Sitting at Subiaco is like going to Victoria Park back in the day except the exact opposite for a Collingwood fan.

The Eagles are incredibly one eyed and think that they are at a state of origin game as they have not yet grasped the concept of club football but it is a good ground to watch the footy except with facilities a bit like the last time I was at Victoria Park.

The cliché often trotted out is that a team travelling interstate against a quality team is that it needs to start well and probably is a truism when coming over west.

The first quarter pretty much buried us although we did match the eagles for intensity and on the scoreboard for the 2nd and 3rd quarters we had given up a big lead and due to some poor kicking form the eagles we were somehow very much in the game close to time.

The last quarter started ok but then descended into a rout as once beaten all the fight and intensity went from the team.

While not completely giving up on this current group and the direction we are taking we need to show more for longer in these games and have many more 4 quarter performers on the park.

The fact is we didn’t have some of our better players playing anywhere near their best – Fasolo, Sidebottom, Moore, Brown and  Frost were all well down and not sure we can play so many talls in defence in the future.

Think we need a small instead of Frost but not sure if we have much in the twos in this regard.

The season is not going to plan for Bucks as I am sure he would have had a Cloke, Swan, Elliot, Varcoe, Adams, Aish, Ramsay, Williams and even a Goldsack either fit or in some sort of form at this stage of the year so I can imagine that the scenario he finds himself in did not even enter his head during planning for the year as most if not all of these would be in his best 22-25 players.

The positives were  Pendlebury and Treloar who still gave us plenty and got us back into the match. Grundy and Cox are a pair that could become very good for us – how Witts got a game over Grundy in the first match of the year is still puzzling me and the selection of Jesse White against Melbourne does make me query our team selection and Bucks sometimes.

Howe better the last fortnight and could make the grade, like Reid back at centre half back and Greenwood and Crisp try hard although will always have their limitations  – Blair in this category as well – not sure we can carry so many of their type though in a perfect world.

For the votes the first couple picked themselves as they were clearly the best Collingwood players on the ground.

3. Treloar – quality player and worth everything we gave for him.

2. Pendlebury – brave all day under an injury cloud (still wish Heath Shaw was captain ) but that’s another issue.

1. Grundy – have liked his efforts all year, may never be a classically great ruckman but love his work rate and hunger – I even enjoy some of his free kicks against because he loves to make every contest hard for the opposition.

Anyway happy footballing for the rest of the year and hope we can turn the corner at some stage soon.

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Comments

  1. Peter_B says

    Rory – if Reid was CHB who was he playing on? To my eye Brown played on Kennedy (and would have been humiliated if JK had kicked better) and Frost held Darling. I will agree that Frost looks lost between rebounding and defending, but at least he stuck to the job. Ben Reid looked to be chasing cheap kicks as a loose tall in defence. You need him at CHF to my eye, but he is not hard enough at contested ball. Cloke back is a must. He is a nut job, but at least he can fight to hold the ball in your forward line.
    I like both Grundy and Cox, but they seem too awkward and lumbering to be on the field together. Cox could be Goldstein in 3 years time with his hands and awareness. Is he better off getting more game time in the VFL or as a development project in the AFL?
    Injuries have certainly disrupted the Magpies season but I still reckon your lack of key position marking players is a structural/recruiting failure by Buckley.

  2. Glen Potter says

    Well done, Roars. Bad luck on the result. Afraid it’ll be a long year for you. Shame you haven’t got the Dockers at Subiaco. Maybe focus on West Perth instead this season??? You’re always welcome to follow the Cats, of course!
    Potts

  3. “The Eagles are incredibly one eyed and think they are at a state of origin game as they have not yet grasped the concept of club football”. Sounds like living in Adelaide and having to put up with the Frootloops who also think they are the state team. I feel your pain brother.

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