- Mar 16, 2014
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- AFL Club
- Collingwood
Collingwood v Geelong, 11 August MCG 7.50pm.
An earlier preview this week because I can’t get these thoughts from my mind. Just where the bloody hell are we?
The nightmare is kicking in hard. I mean, we all knew it was precarious right? Except the poster who started the discussion about how we would win the premiership way back in March or April. S/he's off looking for an Ayahuasca ceremony to deal with the trauma.
The slow decline that started back around the time we played Melbourne has turned into a steep descent. Let’s list just a few issues:
- Smashed in clearances and especially centre square clearances. Against Hawthorn it was 18-3 from the centre. That’s 6 Hawks clearances for every 1 of ours. There are a few contributing issues. A: Cameron is a solid, B-grade ruck, but nothing much more. And he can’t be trusted for an entire game – in my humble opinion. Then McStay isn’t really up to being support ruck. Add to this: Mitchell and Pendlebury are just too slow. One we can keep, and that’s Mitchell since he isn’t suited to anything else. I was happy enough to get him but never saw the need in the first place since we had Adams and they’re similar. But fine, he’s one of us now, so he just has to be given the chance to return to early season form. Let’s face it, he’s not the only one out of touch. Pendlebury is too slow for the centre though. That's fine but let's call it as it is.
- The sheer number of players who aren’t playing well. It’s started to get to critical mass. Mihocek, Hill, Adams, Crisp, Noble, Cameron, Cox (when he was in), Johnson, DeGoey, Sidebottom, J Daicos, N Daicos (before the injury), Moore, Howe, Lipinski. McRae has suggested there’s an element of psychology to this massive downturn, but in my opinion it’s partly on the coaches. Quite a few of us have been arguing for some of the less experienced players to get a run, which has a dual benefit – it gives the older ones a rest and experience to the younger ones. The coaches has resisted this and allowed too many players to play below their level for too long.
- Nick Daicos. Enough said. Really? I mean why us? God? Why!?
- McRae and co getting outcoached. Sicily -- for God's sake, not once did anyone get sent to him. Compare that to Daicos, who was brutalised by a tagger. Then the lack of a plan B in terms of game style (i.e., to turn the game into a grind if necessary). The move of Daicos to full forward was bizarre for me – he is a critical part of our wave running, so why isolate him up front when we’re getting smashed in the centre? The same centre square combo given way too much time in there, when McReery showed in the brief time he was given an opportunity that he could do twice as well. That's just to start with. There's plenty more questions.
The Kittens
So, we face Geelong this week and I have grave concerns. At least they aren’t the team they were last year. They have their own problems, thank God. But they’re still a good team. This is actually a pretty good challenge for us this week, since Geelong’s midfield isn’t elite anymore. We should win clearance and contest if we put our mind to it. #should
Crisp should play a run-with on Dangerfield. Howe tak#shouldron. Maynard takes Henry (the rodent). Some of the other significant moves I’ve mentioned above.
The Washup
It’s been a shock of a two weeks but I’m trying to remain balanced. We still have an A-grade team, when playing our best. We’re not at our best but I still think we can take a step back up the staircase from the basement of doom.
The Pies by 1 point is a torturous grind of a game as they begin to piece the ABCs – contest, pressure -- together again.
