Help My Club
Club Legend
- Jun 29, 2017
- 1,108
- 678
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
This is a great question and subsequent discussion. It is really hard to put your finger on the Pies ordinary strike rate in GF's but here goes:
(i) Other than 1970 (too young to appreciate), and possibly 1977 and 2010, we were never the best side in the comp in all those losing GF's ie 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2003, 2018. So that is easily explainable. As an aside, I thought the best/most powerful Pies side I ever witnessed was 2011 but ultimately injuries and the timing of the succession plan destroyed our chances that year.
(ii) I agree with a number of others who referenced culture as a possible cause. I have been baked before for raising this issue but I firmly believe that the "we are the biggest/best/most hated/us against them/side by side" mantra doesn't seem to help our cause. You may ask how? Great question. It's just a gut feel. Possibly some of the players subconsciously feel that they have made it having been initially recruited and playing for the largest club in the land. And I feel that the likes of McGuire (a supporter first and foremost) and the adulation of the fan base potentially perpetuate this mindset. Just a thought and not to be viewed as a criticism.
(iii) As an extension of point (ii) above, I suspect that it is no coincidence that our last 2 premierships were underpinned by non Collingwood men at the helm - Matthews and Malthouse. Might be something in that. Were these men able to cut through/deflect/put aside the MANIC Collingwood culture in their quest for ultimate success?
(iv) And finally, particularly given point (iii) above, I found it rather strange that the club reverted back to type in recruiting a much loved/respected former champion player as senior coach. And whilst Buckley has moulded himself into a very good senior coach/man manager, still no success and of course another gut wrenching GF loss to add to the club's collection. The Hird and Voss appointments proved that this model is old school and I would argue that even a club like Hawthorn would be making a mistake bringing back a past champion player (Mitchell) to one day be senior coach. Further, I reckon if Buckley ever coached another club one day, he just might snag a flag.
So that's my 2 bobs worth. We all have our own theories on this curious situation. No doubt there is just something(s) not quite right. And one suspects that this will continue unless there is a material change in the way this club operates. Whatever that change looks like.
(i) Other than 1970 (too young to appreciate), and possibly 1977 and 2010, we were never the best side in the comp in all those losing GF's ie 1979, 1980, 1981, 2002, 2003, 2018. So that is easily explainable. As an aside, I thought the best/most powerful Pies side I ever witnessed was 2011 but ultimately injuries and the timing of the succession plan destroyed our chances that year.
(ii) I agree with a number of others who referenced culture as a possible cause. I have been baked before for raising this issue but I firmly believe that the "we are the biggest/best/most hated/us against them/side by side" mantra doesn't seem to help our cause. You may ask how? Great question. It's just a gut feel. Possibly some of the players subconsciously feel that they have made it having been initially recruited and playing for the largest club in the land. And I feel that the likes of McGuire (a supporter first and foremost) and the adulation of the fan base potentially perpetuate this mindset. Just a thought and not to be viewed as a criticism.
(iii) As an extension of point (ii) above, I suspect that it is no coincidence that our last 2 premierships were underpinned by non Collingwood men at the helm - Matthews and Malthouse. Might be something in that. Were these men able to cut through/deflect/put aside the MANIC Collingwood culture in their quest for ultimate success?
(iv) And finally, particularly given point (iii) above, I found it rather strange that the club reverted back to type in recruiting a much loved/respected former champion player as senior coach. And whilst Buckley has moulded himself into a very good senior coach/man manager, still no success and of course another gut wrenching GF loss to add to the club's collection. The Hird and Voss appointments proved that this model is old school and I would argue that even a club like Hawthorn would be making a mistake bringing back a past champion player (Mitchell) to one day be senior coach. Further, I reckon if Buckley ever coached another club one day, he just might snag a flag.
So that's my 2 bobs worth. We all have our own theories on this curious situation. No doubt there is just something(s) not quite right. And one suspects that this will continue unless there is a material change in the way this club operates. Whatever that change looks like.
1970 saw us squander an 44 point lead at half time, but if we had stormed home like Carlton did, the mark not paid to McKenna in the last minute which led to the snapped goal by Jezza, would have been paid to a Carlton forward. Then instead of praising our sensational comeback the board would be asking how we could have let ourselves fall eight goals behind in the first place. 
