Preview AFL Round 9 - Collingwood v Geelong, MCG, Friday 21 May 7:40PM

[Pure_Ownage]

Re: Geelong V Collingwood-Match ups

Massive, massive game this one coming up and i am very keen for Friday night to get here! This match will give all football lovers a bigger insight into who could go further in September and deserves that Premiership Favouritism. I personally believe Collingwoods personnel can finally get them a flag this year, i have backed them to win it since the end of last season and am staying with that tip. They have a great list with many underrated players, great young kids coming through, a dangerous forward line and a backline that doesn't get the respect it deserves. Geelong are a fantastic outfit and have been for some time now. Will be compared to the lions of 01-04 if they can win this years flag stamping themselves as a champion team. Personally im tipping these two to play of on the biggest stage of them all later on in September but this match will give us a great understanding on where both teams are at.

So, after all that dribble what are the likely match ups we should be expecting for Friday Night?

I can't be bothered doing them all (and can't really until the teams are realeased) but here's some key ones:

Jolly/Fraser v Blake/Hawkins....Pies recruited Jolly for just this sort of clash. Blake is a fantastic tap ruckman though and if he can give us first use it will go a long way towards us winning. Fraser and Hawkins is interesting because both are much better around the ground rather than as ruckmen IMO, so they will try and get forward at every possible opportunity.

Pods/Presti-Pods has been our best key forward since he came in, but Presti is a really good fb, and a true test. I just hope we get him the ball quick and one out, because if he's got to contend with Maxwell as well as Presti, it will be a tough evening.

Byrnes/Varcoe v Shaw-inconsistent yes, but when on, he provides massive drive for the Pies. The little men will need to but down the time he has to use the footy.

SJ/Toovey-expect Toovey to get the job although O'Brien could also be called upon. Toovey is much improved, but Johnson is a true matchwinner on his day and could well be the difference if he can't be contained.

Ball/Selwood-ball was recruited for these games, but Selwood is as tough as nails and can hopefully hurt him on the spread.

Ling/Swan-neither are pretty but both are hugely effective. Keep Swan quiet, and it's a massive plus.

Taylor/Cloke-Cloke is in great form, but we have seen how good Harry is becoming. Hopefully he can do another blanket job.

Lonners/Scarlett v Dawes-new player he may be, but like Pods, he can clunk them. But clunking them, against possibly the greatest FB of all time, is another matter entirely.

Didak/Davis v Enright/Hunt-should be a great matchup. The Pie smalls are slippery and creative, but the Cats backs are powerful and fantastic tacklers. The best chance for the Pies to win IMO is for their smalls to get off the leash.

Prediction: Cats by 12 points.

 

[witsend]

You would think with a name like witsend you would be able to understand a joke.

Oh...hahaha...

 

[hellfire]

Now that's a good post.
Your others were crap though

I thought the fact that I was declaring Ball and Obree as quick would have shown I was joking in agreement with others who questioned our improved speed. Doesn't matter!

 

[woodyman]

Re: Friday night a sell out??

From the MCC website:

"General admission seating areas:
Patrons are encouraged to pre-purchase their tickets for this match due to strong demand. "

I wonder if that means they will have NO general admin!? Was planning on getting there early and just sitting up the top.

 

[SJ]

Re: Friday night a sell out??

I wonder if that means they will have NO general admin!? Was planning on getting there early and just sitting up the top.

I think they will definitely have some. It will just be whatever is left over from reserved seat sales. Keep an eye on that link day-to-day though.

 

[witsend]

I thought the fact that I was declaring Ball and Obree as quick would have shown I was joking in agreement with others who questioned our improved speed. Doesn't matter!

Originally Posted by vinum coupe
Like who?

Nice attempt to back-track...but no...don't see any attempt at humour or irony there.

 

[robertg22]

Medhurst, Neon Leon, Didak ...... the only thing keeping them on the ground in the prelim was the fence ..... otherwise they would have contributed just as much from row 5 seat 13 where I was.

Not here to troll, just would like to point out that Medhurst didn't play.

 

[WindShear]

I would love nothing more than to put the filth back into their place, I hate them so much that any team playing them is my second team, i will admit the fear of losing to them is getting to me cos all the media attention they receive will just boil over next week, cmon Cats

 

[Invigoration]

Originally Posted by vinum coupe
Like who?



Nice attempt to back-track...but no...don't see any attempt at humour or irony there.

Ball and OBree quick. Ha, fail.

Wocjinski says hello.

Few sarcasm detectors on the fritz in here.

 

[winty]

I can't be bothered doing them all (and can't really until the teams are realeased) but here's some key ones:

Jolly/Fraser v Blake/Hawkins....Pies recruited Jolly for just this sort of clash. Blake is a fantastic tap ruckman though and if he can give us first use it will go a long way towards us winning. Fraser and Hawkins is interesting because both are much better around the ground rather than as ruckmen IMO, so they will try and get forward at every possible opportunity.

Pods/Presti-Pods has been our best key forward since he came in, but Presti is a really good fb, and a true test. I just hope we get him the ball quick and one out, because if he's got to contend with Maxwell as well as Presti, it will be a tough evening.

Byrnes/Varcoe v Shaw-inconsistent yes, but when on, he provides massive drive for the Pies. The little men will need to but down the time he has to use the footy.

SJ/Toovey-expect Toovey to get the job although O'Brien could also be called upon. Toovey is much improved, but Johnson is a true matchwinner on his day and could well be the difference if he can't be contained.

Ball/Selwood-ball was recruited for these games, but Selwood is as tough as nails and can hopefully hurt him on the spread.

Ling/Swan-neither are pretty but both are hugely effective. Keep Swan quiet, and it's a massive plus.

Taylor/Cloke-Cloke is in great form, but we have seen how good Harry is becoming. Hopefully he can do another blanket job.

Lonners/Scarlett v Dawes-new player he may be, but like Pods, he can clunk them. But clunking them, against possibly the greatest FB of all time, is another matter entirely.

Didak/Davis v Enright/Hunt-should be a great matchup. The Pie smalls are slippery and creative, but the Cats backs are powerful and fantastic tacklers. The best chance for the Pies to win IMO is for their smalls to get off the leash.

Prediction: Cats by 12 points.

I wouldn't put Byrnes or Varcoe on Shaw. I'd play Kelly on him instead. Kelly's a good tackle, relatively quick, and can take a good grab and is a pretty accurate kick, so Shaw won't be able to zone off him as much. The other option IMO would be Stokes. He says he wants to rectify himself in the eyes of the coaching staff. Let's see him do that by doing a job on Shaw.

Agree with the other match-ups though.

 

[Rosso]

Re: Match Previews 2010 :: Roster Up

The Spiel

A top of the table battle awaits us on Friday night. 1 v 2, clash of the titans, the heavyweight bout to knock the other guy out. These are the games that you tell your friends you went to if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket or otherwise your make sure the couch is clear, wife / husband (if your that way inclined, not that there’s anything wrong with that) / partner / kids are either in bed or advised that speech will not be tolerated until Saturday morning and most importantly, beer is cold.

The Opposition

Ahh the Pies. Funny really. Most Aussies love Pies but hate “the Pies”. The Collingwood faithful live and die by “you either love them or you hate them” and boy does it ring true. If you believe what you read in the media the Pies have been into every big name in the business throwing wads of cash at the likes of Judd, Brown, Fev and even good ol’ Plugger back in the day and when you scan their list you can see why. There was an outcry a few years back when not a single Maggie made the cut of 40 for All Australian honours and to put it simply, the Pies don’t have genuine superstars. Of the outfit doing the rounds at the moment, Swan and Shaw would make the cut of 40 with Pendles & the little criminal Dids (no accusation, just with that mouth guard he really looks the part), knocking on the door but that’d be it for mine. Now that’s not a knock on the Pies. They’re sitting pretty on top of the table so perhaps it more so their depth or evenness that is making them such a strong side rather than their star quality. Looked quick on Friday night and pressured the Dockers into making mistakes. Lost 1 game for the year against the Saints and were shaky against the Dees but have been the form side of 2010.

Us

I believe Bomber and the coaching panel “saw the light” last year and maybe it was 3 time premiership player, 0 time minor premiership player Nigel Lappen that pointed it out. The cats switched their focus from finishing on top to the winning the flag. The import ants of resting players or giving the 3 weeks to get over a 2 week niggle seemed more important than winning a late season match. This has carried on this year and there’s a strong focus for the group to be in top nick come September. The Cats have been playing some devastating footy over the last month and given they were a few months behind most other teams with pre-season, it’s not surprising. Off season reports of a Geelong dive should have been reports on some skanky pubs rather than the reigning premiers. Geelong simply has too much talent and too much focus to just pack it in. They are nothing if not professional and that has led to them to play Harlem Globetrotter footy since 2007. Yes sometimes they look that much better.

In the past

2009 Prelim – A close first half saw the Pies with a glimmer of hope put that was put to bed when they ran out of legs and the bigger bodied Geelong players out muscled them mid way through the third. The Cats running away to a 12 goal victory. Chappy snagged 5 and Ablett & Corey were unstoppable.

2009 Round 3 – Chappy and Gaz blew them away after a blistering start by the Pies. Chappy finishing with 4 sausage rolls to add to his 30 odd disposals and Gaz suffering a bout of leather poisoning. Cats by 27 points.

2009 NAB Cup – Yes it doesn’t count except if you win!!!! I don’t think the Pies would have gone out and ordered ‘2009 World Champions’ T-shirts but then again, it’s dangerous to presume!! Similar story to the above where the Pies got away only to be run over convincingly come the final siren. 76 points put a sour note on the Pies promising preseason with Selwood picking up the Mick Tuck medal and Chappy & Gaz again having it all go their way.

2008 – Didn’t think I should go back this far as thousands of dollars have been spent for me to lie on the couch and describe 2 matches, one being the GF and the other, this. The Pies were outstanding. It was like watching the grade 6ers playing keepings off against the Preps. Just a dominant display by a relentless Magpie outfit.

2007 Prelim – Don’t for one minute think I’ll bring up 08 and not include 07!!! A monster of a game that was probably not far off the 09 grand final. This was pressure personified. Stokes stood up when the Pies got off to their customary flyer and it went to and fro until the cats got some breathing space early in the last. The cats celebrated early letting the Pies get back within striking distance before the final bell caught them short. Cats home by enough to flow the Power a week later!!

Newbie’s

Collingwood has added Swans ruckman Darren Jolly to the side while Luke Ball fits into the male anatomy drafting of Dick, Cox and Goldsack in recent years. Jolly is yet to reach the heights of last year when he became not only a very valuable supercoach scorer but a more than handy player for the Swans. Ball has added some midfield grunt but nothing that would be making the Saints kick themselves just yet. Not new but Dawes is getting a look in lately and looks a handy type. Dominant at VFL level and needs some time and faith invested in him and they’ll reap the rewards.

Geelong has unleashed the JPod and is hoping after a week of to refresh the batteries, he’ll be right to do a JPod shuffle after a few majors. His stats are also officially known as a JPod touch from now on. The strong marking veteran of 5 games has gone from strength to strength and is the main target up forward for the cats. Mitch Duncan has also impressed in his debut year but with the recent addition of Varcoe and Stokes, he may be forced out.

The players that count - Pies

Swan – Just a ball magnet like his father. His old man tore it up in the VFA and Dane isn’t much different. Once again he can expect to have a date with Dinga (Ling) on Friday night so kicks will be hard to come by. Swanny is just a powerful young man who experiences more running than a toilet in an Indian Curry House. The key to the Pies engine room.

Didak – Has a left foot to die for and can cut you up if given the room. Pace to burn, aggressive and just enough cheek to get the opposition off their game. Corey Enright might again be the man to try and curb Dids.

Pendles – A very smooth mover and you can see his basketball background with his lateral vision and ability to find time and space in close. Won’t get a tag but will have to ensure that Bartel or Selwood doesn’t get too far away.

Jolly – The second big fella they purchased after Cam Wood didn’t prove to be the savoir. Hasn’t quite clicked this year but could really be a force around the ground this week against the less mobile baby giraffe. Ruck contests against Blakey will be very competitive. The battle between Jolly/Wood & Blake & Hawk will go a long way to deciding the outcome.

Shaw – Mops up and creates attack a lot better than when he drives home from the pub on a Sunday arvo. An elite backman who stops his opponent first and foremost and then hurts them going back the other way. Is often tagged by a defensive forward and Stokes or Varcoe will line up on him.

The players that count – Cats

Ablett – Just does everything so well. Is probably worth pinch hitting in the ruck because the way he’s going he’d impact the game there too. Racks up the stats (Supercoach captain as a must), wins the hard ball, hurts the opposition with his disposal and kicks goals either on the ball or resting up forward. Voted by the players as number 1 for the past 3 years, a fourth is only 6 months away. The Pies haven’t put a heavy tag on him for a while so it will be interesting to see who gets the gig.

Chappy – Has cut up the Pies in recent outings with plenty of goals and disposals. As tough and hard as they come is the 09 Norm Smith Medallist. The Bazillion has had Chappy in the past but the Pies will need to go for a more lock down player to curb his talents. A brilliant match winner.

Scarlett – Will try and get Anthony or Dawes and use his run to create. Came back after a month out and kept Bradshaw to 2 possessions and then slipped up letting Fev have 3. Like a fine wine just gets better with age and shows no signs of slowing down.

Varcoe – Missed the start of the season after an impressive pre-season. A new found confidence has led to him being able to impact games not only in the forward line but around the ground. One of the reasons that cats chased Lovett during trade week in 08 was his line breaking ability through the middle of the ground. With a bigger tank and an aerodynamic hair cut, Trav is showing why they were so happy to get the Central Districts boy with the dud foot.

Podsiadly – With Moons playing a more true CHF lead up role the JPod is relishing the space up forward. Has more experience as a key forward than Mooney and Hawkins combined so it’s no wonder that he’s kicking goals. The Pies will be planning to kerb his influence meaning the captain Maxwell will have to man up. A week off to freshen up means to JPod is fighting fit.

Conclusion

You can’t fault the form of either of the 2 sides but has Geelong dropped off from their 73 point PF win last year or have the Pies improved so dramatically? Both sides go in with their 3 tall Caucasian forward set up (as opposed to Carlton’s 3 small indigenous forward line) so there will be plenty of long kicking and crumbing opportunities. The cats are one side that is no longer spooked by the massive crowds that will ascend on the G, usually a distinct advantage of the black and white. For the Pies they need to keep the ball away from the cats but not to a boring as hell St Kilda style way. More so by using smart disposal and run and carry like they did against the Dockers and pressure, pressure, pressure. Geelong has to stop the Pies early. Momentum goes a long way and confidence levels will play a big role. They always get off to a flyer against us and from there momentum needs to be turned. If the cats can get on a roll watch out. Tsunami football is what we do and the Pies have been on the end of it against us as of late. As the form line suggests, we’ll have the close one, but I’m backing in the cats will have too much class in the midfield and up forward to do enough to win by 12 points in a classic.

 

[Football God]

Someone stop ablett FFS!

we have improved a hell of alot since the PM, ire ckon its gonna be a fas past long kicking agressive pressure match. presti should shut down JPod.

Question- Can someone tell me who has lined up on JPod in all his games this season??

and btw, I picked him in my Supercoach when he was $83,400 he's now $336,100...

but presti will bring him down too his price after Friday night.

 

[Richm0ndrule]

Cant wait for this game! Itll be some skillful footy and hopefully high Scoring. Hope JPod Kicks a bag for my dreamteam.

Im tipping early that this will be the Grandfinal for 2010. While Richmond sit and watch how its done from 16th

 

[carlton09]

please thump collingwood on friday and bring them back down to earth! had enough of this mid year arragonce.

 

[carlton09]

Someone stop ablett FFS!

we have improved a hell of alot since the PM, ire ckon its gonna be a fas past long kicking agressive pressure match. presti should shut down JPod.

Question- Can someone tell me who has lined up on JPod inall his games his season??

and btw, I picked him in my Supercoach when he was $83,400 he's now $336,100...

but presti will bring him down too his price after Friday night.

Simon White kept him goalless

 

[CatTricks]

Presti is old slow and pretty overated IMO...Pods looks to have some decent speed about him...if he can pluck the marks like he has been Presti is gunna have a hard day at the office.

 

[Big Fozza]

Thansks rossi. Great read

 

[robertg22]

Presti is old slow and pretty overated IMO...Pods looks to have some decent speed about him...if he can pluck the marks like he has been Presti is gunna have a hard day at the office.

Presti certainly is old, also one dimensional and offers no rebound but he's definitely not slow. Before Riewoldt went down in the game we played against them earlier in the year Presti was all over him. Would definitely not be too slow for Pods (provided he is fully fit obviously, he has had a couple of weeks off due to 'injury').

 

[vinum coupe]

There is something that will occur on Friday that we will need to adjust to quickly.

The tackling pressure from Collingwood.


Only the Hawks (1st half) and the Blues have placed us under extreme pressure (didn't see the freo gam)

Coming off our last 3 weeks it may shock the boys a tad.

And the pies will have to adapt to a midfield that actually runs both ways.

 

[Tristagi]

lol, can't believe so many people are writing us off for this game..

no doubt that collingwood are the best team in the league after two months, and as a result we will be up for this match, despite what bomber said about it being 'another game for us' we are licking our lips at a chance to show that we are the best team in the league.

i don't care what people say about the tackling pressure being up, carlton surprised us three weeks ago and we were flat hence the loss, with only 21 players firing 36 points or whatever it was flatter us, if carlton were any good it should have been more with how bad we were. We will no be caught flat or suprised by collingwoods attack on the man. much like the way we are against hawthorn, the loss in 2008 still haunts the team and they don't want to lose to them again.

we will win it, dominate for the next month and drop off again then peak going in to september again, finishing about second or third.

cats by around 36 points.

 

[Driveby Punching]

It's been 80+ points once since 2006. The rest of the results have been all over the place. I for one will not be surprised by any result, could be close or a demolition to either side.

 

[Copernicus]

There won't be a blow-out in this one. I think the two recent blow-outs have been anomalies. We were really caught napping in 2008 and I don't know what was wrong with Collingwood in the Prelim last year, they just didn't really show up after half time. The first half was close and I would expect a showing more akin to that than the second half from Collingwood. They will be hungry, make no mistake, but we know how to handle it, contrary to what many think. They can bring all the tackling pressure they like - if we're on we'll ante it up. I'm tipping it to be decided by four goals or less no matter who wins.

BTW great write up there Rosso, top stuff.

 

[Purrfect Pussies]

Balmey opening the possiblity of a few outs this week? Bloody GABBA surface!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/rock-hard-gabba-hurts-players/story-e6frf9jf-1225867930765

 

[Partridge]

I wouldn't put Byrnes or Varcoe on Shaw. I'd play Kelly on him instead. Kelly's a good tackle, relatively quick, and can take a good grab and is a pretty accurate kick, so Shaw won't be able to zone off him as much. The other option IMO would be Stokes. He says he wants to rectify himself in the eyes of the coaching staff. Let's see him do that by doing a job on Shaw.

Agree with the other match-ups though.

No way. We saw in the 2008 disaster how good he is at playing as a defensive forward.

Stokes can redeem himself by getting 20 odd touches and contributing 1-2 goals a game. He's not a defensive forward and it's too risky against Shaw. Kelly is a far better choice.

 

[SJ]

No way. We saw in the 2008 disaster how good he is at playing as a defensive forward.

Stokes can redeem himself by getting 20 odd touches and contributing 1-2 goals a game. He's not a defensive forward and it's too risky against Shaw. Kelly is a far better choice.

In fairness to Stokes, he was not at peak fitness on Grand Final day 2008.