Coach Craig McRae

[Cleansweep17]

I think everybody sees now he just copied Hardwicks gameplan and can’t think of anything new.

Pies won’t win another flag with him.

 

[Robroy22]

I think everybody sees now he just copied Hardwicks gameplan and can’t think of anything new.

Pies won’t win another flag with him.

What was Dimma's gameplan again??

 

[Cleansweep17]

What was Dimma's gameplan again??

Manic pressure, starting chain attacks from the backline primarily based off turnover.

Shitty midfield/ruck doesn’t really matter with this plan any center clearance wins are a bonus.

Kmart Dusty (De Goey) playing the Dusty role.

 

[Robroy22]

Manic pressure, starting chain attacks from the backline primarily based on turnover.

Shitty midfield/ruck doesn’t really matter with this plan and center clearance wins are a bonus.

Ohhh so Tommy Hafey's gameplan then.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Ohhh so Tommy Hafey's gameplan then.

No idea what he did lol but I’m sure team defence wasn’t a thing back then.

 

[Cyclops]

I think everybody sees now he just copied Hardwicks gameplan and can’t think of anything new.

Pies won’t win another flag with him.

Wait until he works out who gave Dimma the game plan...

 

[Robroy22]

No idea what he did lol but I’m sure team defence wasn’t a thing back then.

So if you don't know then you don't know!

Dimma didn't invent anything....he just used the players that he had to the best of their capabilities and that game plan suited them best. Same as Fly I guess.

 

[Cleansweep17]

So if you don't know then you don't know!

Dimma didn't invent anything....he just used the players that he had to the best of their capabilities and that game plan suited them best. Same as Fly I guess.

Dimma changed the way the game is played. I know you don’t want to give him credit on here, but I know you know the game looked totally different pre-Hardwick. That’s why we got a dynasty, as it took 4 years and for our players to get old for teams to figure us out.

 

[adammania9]

You can’t see that your club had a touch of luck ? Essendon in 1993 springs to mind. I think you have your head in the sand.

Any side requires some form of luck to win a flag, sure. Why single out Collingwood then?

 

[adammania9]

You’ve won 18 matches by less than a goal over a three year period including a Grand Final and Preliminary Final by 1 and 4 points respectively. How many examples do you want?

This includes several matches that had nothing to do with being “good in close games”, with umpiring errors (like the North Melbourne match this year) or player error (Jeremy McGovern). I remember the match against Essendon in 2022, Harry Jones hit the bloody post with 20 seconds to go and should have been given a 50 meter penalty and from the resulting kick-in, Elliott kicked the winner.

There have been several where Collingwood closed out the close wins deservedly, but many others were ridiculously lucky.

End of the day. Collingwood went 21-5, led the ladder for 16 of the back 17 rounds of the season and had the best % in the league. Any club that would have won the flag would have required more luck than we did.

 

[adammania9]

Dimma changed the way the game is played. I know you don’t want to give him credit on here, but I know you know the game looked totally different pre-Hardwick. That’s why we got a dynasty, as it took 4 years and for our players to get old for teams to figure us out.

Probably not a coincidence than Richmond achieved success while McRae, Leppitsch, Kingsley and Caracella were at the helm. After his great minds were poached, he resorted to whinging about playing home games at Marvel Stadium, left your club in a ditch, only to go on to similar failures at the Suns.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Any side requires some form of luck to win a flag, sure. Why single out Collingwood then?

Because Collingwood required all kinds of luck.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

End of the day. Collingwood went 21-5, led the ladder for 16 of the back 17 rounds of the season and had the best % in the league. Any club that would have won the flag would have required more luck than we did.

Except the 3 teams you met in finals who would have all beaten you on level terms.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Probably not a coincidence than Richmond achieved success while McRae, Leppitsch, Kingsley and Caracella were at the helm. After his great minds were poached, he resorted to whinging about playing home games at Marvel Stadium, left your club in a ditch, only to go on to similar failures at the Suns.

The main common denominator in all the flags from a coaching perspective was D Hardwick.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Probably not a coincidence than Richmond achieved success while McRae, Leppitsch, Kingsley and Caracella were at the helm. After his great minds were poached, he resorted to whinging about playing home games at Marvel Stadium, left your club in a ditch, only to go on to similar failures at the Suns.

Yes, you are correct. It took the league to gut the club of everything to beat us.

 

[adammania9]

Except the 3 teams you met in finals who would have all beaten you on level terms.

On level terms?

Pretty sure Collingwood finished top and were rewarded with home finals. A neutral qualifying final wasn’t an issue.

A FK differential of -12 in those three finals wasn’t an issue.

What kind of level terms are you implying should have been had? A two goal head start to all three sides?

 

[Cyclops]

Dimma changed the way the game is played. I know you don’t want to give him credit on here, but I know you know the game looked totally different pre-Hardwick. That’s why we got a dynasty, as it took 4 years and for our players to get old for teams to figure us out.

The "rush it forward" method was John Kennedy's gameplan at Hawthorn from about 1960. Fit blokes blitzing and pressuring hard was very much Tommy Hafey's MO (borrowed from his mentor Len Smith, brother of Norm), his twist was tall wings but it didn't hurt having a gun KPF and extremely tough midfielders covering for a working class defence...sound familiar?

Craig McRae was very influential in the turnaround at Richmond, although I'd rate Gale as the key figure. Gale got Dimma to stop moaning at the players and listen to tactical nerds like Fly and Leppa, and the rest is history.

 

[.Shotties.]

I didn’t comment to stick up for Collingwood.
Longmire just consistently whinges and plays the victim extremely well, he needs to be called out. Sick of the rot that comes out of his mouth.
Maybe that’s why they struggle so much in Grand Finals.

Like what?

 

[HairyO]

The saying goes you learn the most about a person when times are tough. I think we have seen the real McRae come out the last 48 hours.

Got deserved plaudits 22/23 for what he achieved but the nice guy schtick always seemed a bit fake. Easy to do when times are good and you are winning but now times are tough the petulance comes out.

Happy to play 15+ games a year at the MCG, happy to win the close ones off contentious umpiring at home but as soon as the shoe goes on the other foot and season is gone the persona is broken.

Nice to finally meet the real you.

Whiniest campaigner in the AFL.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Yes, you are correct. It took the league to gut the club of everything to beat us.

So it's the leagues fault you sold the farm on Hopper and Taranto and Hardwick knicked off to the GC when the going got tough?

Right

 

[adammania9]

I didn’t comment to stick up for Collingwood.
Longmire just consistently whinges and plays the victim extremely well, he needs to be called out. Sick of the rot that comes out of his mouth.
Maybe that’s why they struggle so much in Grand Finals.

Spot on.

Utterly smug by John, who had no issues benefitting from a goal umpiring error that gifted his side a finals berth no more than 12 months ago.



Deflection after deflection, no acknowledgment of the obvious error that everybody knew on the night. Doesn't matter to the nuffs though, Fly coaches Collingwood so they've all picked their side.

 

[Cam Payne]

Except for Geelong late 80's to early 90's style of bugger all defence and all out attack, every flag since has been won on the back of a solid defence and good ball movement.

McRea had a point that the 50 was there but chose instead to sook it up. I mean how different was it to the 50 your mob got away with against North. That one had two players run over the mark, not just one. Selective memory or CTE caused memory loss?

 

[Mudhoney]

Not a massive McCray fan, but geez, coaches being interviewed directly after a game has provided many a headline over the years. It’s how the media like it, and they beat it up like the coaches spend their days stewing over that opinion. Give him a break. It was pretty much a season ending loss and his job is never safe. People say stupid things in heated moments. Coaches should be press conferenced the day after, but the media don’t like to have people more relaxed with hindsight on their side.

 

[Cleansweep17]

So it's the leagues fault you sold the farm on Hopper and Taranto and Hardwick knicked off to the GC when the going got tough?

Right

Check the year that trade happened and think about what you are saying. Like for real.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Check the year that trade happened and think about what you are saying. Like for real.

The league gutted the club is ridiculous
Your own people are responsible for the mess your in