Preview AFL Round 3 - Collingwood v Geelong, MCG, 7:50PM Saturday 5 April

[Sttew]

Pies have a severely depleted backline, but it does not seem to matter who is in or out; the Pies lift when they play Geelong, just as Geelong does v Hawthorn.

The most telling factor, I believe, will be how we cope with the energy sapping encounter of last Sunday, with a 6 day turnaround. No matter what spin Scott puts on it, that game took a lot out of the team. I therefore would not be surprised if the Pies run over us in the 2H or last quarter. Against that I expect Tomawhawk to dominate, but whether that will be enough.....

 

[Partridge]

Pies have a severely depleted backline, but it does not seem to matter who is in or out; the Pies lift when they play Geelong, just as Geelong does v Hawthorn.

The most telling factor, I believe, will be how we cope with the energy sapping encounter of last Sunday, with a 6 day turnaround. No matter what spin Scott puts on it, that game took a lot out of the team. I therefore would not be surprised if the Pies run over us in the 2H or last quarter. Against that I expect Tomawhawk to dominate, but whether that will be enough.....

It might have, but you know what? Tough shit. As Scott correctly said, the fixture was out in October. They just have to deal with it.

I've got more confidence in their fitness, they won't lose because of that. We're more than capable of beating Collingwood, they just have to play at the levels of their best footy of the first two weeks and get even contributions across the board.

 

[David the Cat]

Agreed….and they have been training all pre season in heat so no excuses on that basis….I played in QLD week after week after week in those conditions and I couldnt hold a candle to AFL fitness and training regimes…..

They should be fine fitness wise. The Pies had a sapping game as well, and the extra day won't hurt but as Scott said, it is a less than 1% factor…

If we are good enough we will win.

 

[Partridge]

Agreed….and they have been training all pre season in heat so no excuses on that basis….I played in QLD week after week after week in those conditions and I couldnt hold a candle to AFL fitness and training regimes…..

They should be fine fitness wise. The Pies had a sapping game as well, and the extra day won't hurt but as Scott said, it is a less than 1% factor…

If we are good enough we will win.

Especially as we played Sunday afternoon - early - and this week's game is Saturday night. It's about 15 hours off being a full week between games.

Why some look for excuses for losing, before the game is even played, I'll never know.

 

[winty]

Bartel on Maxwell.. He'll kick 10...

Only 10? Is he going to be subbed off at half time with leather poisoning?

The GFC failed in MANY regards in 2013 during the run up to finals and during.

I don't think some realise how good a chance we were last year. We literally blew our last chance at a flag with this group IMO. The Qualifying final should go down as one of the worst losses in the Club's history. It certainly was.

I agree with Chris Scott in that we probably played our worst month of footy at the end of the season last year.

 

[vinum coupe]

He was exploited a couple of times by Mayes, and by Moloney who snuck away and kicked a goal in the third quarter. That's going to happen though, players don't come with a ready-made defensive awareness. Not at this level.

But he's certainly not playing as a defender, and he's not a forward, so I'd say wing is pretty close to the mark.

Every player on the field (apart from maybe the full forward and full back) run everywhere now too.

Sure, but I doubt there's many players in the league that are versatile enough to be covering a midfielder and then cruising across to man a ruck for the next 5 minutes.

And that's what I think Buckley was getting at.
Because with that flexibility our rucks can pretty much run wherever they want while Blitz covers.

As Simpson and Hmac get fitter they are only going to run deeper, and that will be a headache.

 

[Sttew]

Why some look for excuses for losing, before the game is even played, I'll never know.

So we are not allowed to select against Geelong, or express reasons behind what is nothing more than a prediction? I am usually optimistic in my selections....

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Rivers will definitely come back in (especially with Enright out but he would have come back in anyway). Because Cloke has such a big engine you need multiple talls to rotate off him (and White, who can also cover a lot of ground). Also because they are over obsessed with bombing long to Cloke you need options who can fill the hole with courage and read the play to get across and take intercept marks/spoils, and that is what Rivers is very good at.

No Enright or Hunt is a blow because it ensures Guthrie has to play back and not on Pendlebury. We need someone to run with him as he always cuts us up.

I wouldn't play the three rucks every week but I would this week. While Collingwood's midfield is often lazy defensively (and we must exploit that) they are still one of the best offensive midfield groups in the comp, the game will be won there, so you cannot afford to have them breaking even at stoppages if you want to win that game. To that end, the two rucks + blitz should allow us to work over Grundy + Witts (or whoever else they use).

Up forward have Bartel on Maxwell so he will destroy him when he tries to zone off, isolate Hawkins on Keefe or Frost. Use Murdoch maybe to tag Young, deny him the footy as he is the only decent kick in their back half.

I would put Thurlow in for Hunt probably but given their 25 the last two weeks it wouldn't surprise me to see them bring in Sheringham as a small defender.

Horlin Smith to the midfield, McCarthy or Thurlow/Sheringham to the sub thanks.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Only 10? Is he going to be subbed off at half time with leather poisoning?


I agree with Chris Scott in that we probably played our worst month of footy at the end of the season last year.

Using Chapman as a sub, not using our only legitimate ruck option when we were facing Sandilands, and finally choosing to rest Hawkins and play the inexperienced and unproven Walker in his place at the worst possible time were all factors that contributed to the QF loss and, ultimately, our failure to make the GF. It wasn't that the side just decided to play poorly. The MC, including Scott himself, made some very peculiar and costly selection and coaching decisions.

 

[winty]

Using Chapman as a sub, not using our only legitimate ruck option when we were facing Sandilands, and finally choosing to rest Hawkins and play the inexperienced and unproven Walker in his place at the worst possible time were all factors that contributed to the QF loss and, ultimately, our failure to make the GF. It wasn't that the side just decided to play poorly. The MC, including Scott himself, made some very peculiar and costly selection and coaching decisions.

You're preaching to the choir there mate. The game before against Brisbane, and the first half against Port the week after were pretty ordinary too though.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Boris to be named and may play. Recovery better than expected.

GEELONG is set to name star defender Corey Enright in its team to play Collingwood this weekend after scans revealed no major damage to the ankle he injured during Sunday's win over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-04-01/enright-on-the-mend

 

[Zouz Kitty]

Isn't saying Boris will play, just Balmey, CS + MC messing with Buckley's head? So he'll plan his players + strategy to include Boris?

+ forgive me, haven't read recent posts. How stiff for Poodle! Two weeks + he was in range! MRC hate us!

 

[PatrickBateman]

How stiff for Poodle! Two weeks + he was in range! MRC hate us!

The AFL was very clear about this rule at the start of the season. Fyfe has been given the same treatment.

All we can hope for is consistency, which seems to be so far so good.

Jarrad Waite / Jordan Lewis sighted for staging. The MRP look like they may have their $hit together. Time will tell.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Only 10? Is he going to be subbed off at half time with leather poisoning?



I agree with Chris Scott in that we probably played our worst month of footy at the end of the season last year.

I think there were a lot of cooked players by that stage. Having no ruck, having a game plan based on defending then retrieving the ball from opposition midfielders and rebounding from defence was a bit more tiring than our planned quick, quick attack! game and the boys were pretty stuffed by the end of the season, unfortunately. Then we stuffed up the game vs Freo and that meant we got no game off during finals.
Pity we couldn't have had Simpson or Mc back by the penultimate round or thereabouts. Had we made a GF, I reckon they might have got Simpson up for it- but at what cost?

 

[Teriyakicat]

The AFL was very clear about this rule at the start of the season. Fyfe has been given the same treatment.

All we can hope for is consistency, which seems to be so far so good.

Jarrad Waite / Jordan Lewis sighted for staging. The MRP look like they may have their $hit together. Time will tell.

Really? Are they going to call Lewis in now, after he's admitted it? Great!!!I figured they were going to just ignore that it had ever happened.

 

[Hood007]

Jarrad Waite / Jordan Lewis sighted for staging. The MRP look like they may have their $hit together. Time will tell.

Predictably, Lewis didn't get sighted.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Predictably, Lewis didn't get sighted.

sighted or cited? I 'lol'ed at "sighted" but would love it if he was cited ...

 

[PatrickBateman]

sighted or cited? I 'lol'ed at "sighted" but would love it if he was cited ...

Cited... My mistake.

 

[Hood007]

sighted or cited? I 'lol'ed at "sighted" but would love it if he was cited ...

He wasn't sighted as in, barely got a touch.
Also, he didn't get cited.

 

[Teriyakicat]

ahhh. Darnit! I was hoping that once he confessed, they would pick him up on it and give him a warning.

 

[Teriyakicat]

He wasn't sighted as in, barely got a touch.
Also, he didn't get cited.

I wasn't sure if you were making the joke- but I laughed anyway

 

[PatrickBateman]

ahhh. Darnit! I was hoping that once he confessed, they would pick him up on it and give him a warning.

He has a reputation for being a hard but, which is just BS. He's into cheap or measured shots mostly, never been terribly hard at the ball.

 

[Sttew]

Isn't saying Boris will play, just Balmey, CS + MC messing with Buckley's head? So he'll plan his players + strategy to include Boris?

+ forgive me, haven't read recent posts. How stiff for Poodle! Two weeks + he was in range! MRC hate us!

Our luck rate is 0%.

 

[Teriyakicat]

He has a reputation for being a hard but, which is just BS. He's into cheap or measured shots mostly, never been terribly hard at the ball.

They have a few players like that, don't they? Cheap shots a la Captain Mitchell?
Edit- I take every opportunity to bad mouth Mitchell.....

 

[Partridge]

So we are not allowed to select against Geelong, or express reasons behind what is nothing more than a prediction? I am usually optimistic in my selections....

Sure. But Collingwood are a team that were torn apart by Fremantle, and anything but impressive against a (even less impressive) Sydney. Point being we don't need to fear them.