Did I read this correctly? How quickly views change!!

[Bay Pie]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...s-mick-malthouse/story-e6frf9jf-1225968529633

"I have promised this group that names will mean nothing and reputations little," Malthouse said. "What's happened has happened."
Despite overseeing a star-studded squad at the peak of its powers, Malthouse said previous experience had told him premiership players couldn't be trusted to return with the same vigour.
"I will not make the mistake that I did in 1980 with the pre-season for 1981, as a player for Richmond, thinking it was just going to happen again," he said. "It didn't and in fact we didn't even make the finals the next year and yet made it in 1982.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/collingwood-title-stars-to-stay-on-toes-mick-malthouse/story-e6frf9jf-1225968529633


Yep, a star studded squad. When was the last time we heard this about our beloved group.

No stars, even group blah blah. Oh how a premiership changes opinion and views.

Half way through the year we had 2 superstars in Dids & Swanny. Now we have a wad of A-Graders. Yes, many enhanced their reputations through the finals series but many just played the same that they have previously but hadn't had the opportunity to show it on the biggest stage of all.


The thing I like most about the article is that word 'hunger' that MM harps on. If we have it, look out.

It's good to be the Premiers.

 

[TradeDraft]

Funny what Winning a Flag does for a players reputation

 

[HFF]

It's great acknowledgement but lets be careful.

As Mick said, reputations will count for nothing in our quest to go back to back.

We must remain hungry.

 

[DaVe86]

great pick-up. We are still far from a star-studded squad.

In every positon on the field, you can name 2 players in the AFL that are better in that role.

We just have the most even blend right across the field. We probably have the 2nd or 3rd best in every position. The difference is that clubs who have the marquee players, then lack depth in other positions.

 

[mattys123]

In every positon on the field, you can name 2 players in the AFL that are better in that role.

Sorry Dave, don't agree there.

Pendles, Swan, Didak, Thomas, Harry, Maxwell and Jolly are as good as anyone in the AFL in their positions, and I'll question anyone to put up 2 better names in their positions.

But you are right, we didn't win a flag because of a "bunch of stars", we won because of a total team effort and approach, and that's why I can see us succeeding again in 2011, because we didn't rely on a handful to get us up this year, and we won't next year.

Premierships lift the life rating of a player, Leigh Brown, Jarryd Blair and Alan Toovey would be the 3 best examples here, 12 months ago, most (even our own) were calling for Leeroys and Tooveys heads, yet now they are considered vital to the way we play.

If we win another, some of our players will become true "champions", there's no doubt about that.

 

[Coin_Toss]

Chris Tarrant immediately comes to mind from the group with the hunger Mick is talking about. Maxwell commented glowingly on him and couldn't be more happier with his attitude. I'm sure he won't be the only one with the hunger to be a member of this team, others who missed out on the flag will be the same.

 

[The Dawes]

Bear in mind this is a Herald Sun article we're talking about - they have a habit of overusing the words 'star' & 'champion'.

That said, there's no doubt winning a flag does greatly change people's perceptions of the team and it's players.

 

[mdc]

great pick-up. We are still far from a star-studded squad.

In every positon on the field, you can name 2 players in the AFL that are better in that role.

Even if this were true - and I don't believe it is - it has zero relevance on whether we are in fact "star-studded", whatever that means. In certain positions (say centre-square mid) the 10th-best player is a star, in others (say forward pocket) not one is a star.

Fact is, whatever you wish to set as the minimum level for "star", we have more of them than any other team - unless that minimum level happens to be "Goddard or better".

 

[Knightmare]

In saying this I get the feeling Mick wants a few more of the young kids to step up as happened this year. With the hope of inspiring players such as: Rounds, J.Thomas, B.Sinclair and S.Buckley to finish the offseason strongly to give themselves the best opportunity for a position in the side.

Comments from Shae indicated significant motivation, so if that is anything to go by.

 

[Pie eyed]

Really stars are created in flag wins.
Ergo we are full of stars.

 

[Takahashi Tank]

I'm surprised no-one else has said it so it will be I that quotes 2001 A Space Odyssey:

"My God...it's full of stars".

 

[jonbe54]

I'm surprised no-one else has said it so it will be I that quotes 2001 A Space Odyssey:

"My God...it's full of stars".

I'm disappointed it wasn't "dave' who quoted that

 

[Pie eyed]

I'm surprised no-one else has said it so it will be I that quotes 2001 A Space Odyssey:

"My God...it's full of stars".

Obviously you missed my post just before yours..

 

[Markfs]

I know a lot of people get upset because some "experts" dont think the current team is full of stars. I couldnt care less if the Herald or anyone else thinks there are stars or no stars in the team. I really couldnt give a rat's arse that Swan didnt win the umpires' award. I still can't work out what Peter Schwab and David Parkin are talking about on radio when they talk about A graders and A- and B+ etc etc...and how many A graders each side has. And then they select a team to win because it has more A graders and they get it wrong...wrong....because you just cant do that with football. The bottom line is we won the premiership so I suggest the experts should make their assessments to fit that bottom line.

As for 2011, the club won the premiership for a hundred reasons. Most of them are within the club's control but others like "luck" and "close to injury-free season" are in the hands of the gods to some degree.

 

[mysainters]

I am not trolling, but a little curious...

Do you think Mick is the right guy to give talks on hunger?

I mean, he obviously got pressured into standing aside from the senior coaching role and handing over to Buckley, and now he will be the reigning premiership coach handing over the reigns to a untried rookie coach.

Should he have shown a little more hunger himself, and backed himself in?

 

[Bay Pie]

I am not trolling, but a little curious...

Do you think Mick is the right guy to give talks on hunger?

I mean, he obviously got pressured into standing aside from the senior coaching role and handing over to Buckley, and now he will be the reigning premiership coach handing over the reigns to a untried rookie coach.

Should he have shown a little more hunger himself, and backed himself in?

Quite possibly his last year as a senior coach. At least for another 4 years anyway, if with stuck fat that he upholds his contract obligations as Eddie has indicated.

Being his last as senior coach, I'd say he'll be hungry and that is not taking into account he knows he has the best team in the comp and is a very competitive beast at the worst of times.

 

[MarkT2]

IMO the finite end to his tenure heightened his hunger so he is probably very well placed to talk about it.

As for having stars - you win the flag you have mroe stars. It has always been that way and that is how it should be. The reality is, as a club, we have not had enough stars over the last 50 years and that's why we haven't won enough flags.

What we were able to do this year is bring players along that will retire as acknowledged stars and fill the gaps around them with solid performers who do what it takes when it is requitred. Ball is a perfrect example. Toovey is a good example as well but so are most of the players that replaced the also rans that we rightly excited during the year.

Some of the players that missed out gave great service but fell short when it mattered. Presti on the other hand never fell short but age got him and his own integrity cost him a medal.

We now have a squad with a few stars but a few more that will be stars Thomas is a star that have arrived as is Pendlebury. Sidebottom is a great example of the latter catagory. You probably can't call him a star yet but it is just a matter of time and consistency. When he produces what he did as a second year player in a GF though we know he's got "it". The difference between 2010 and 2003, with the benefit of hindsight, is probably Sidebottom v Davis and repeated over a few players.

Anyway, that's long winded post. The short version is we had enough stars to win a flag so we have enough stars to win a flag.

 

[Swooop]

I am not trolling, but a little curious...

Do you think Mick is the right guy to give talks on hunger?

I mean, he obviously got pressured into standing aside from the senior coaching role and handing over to Buckley, and now he will be the reigning premiership coach handing over the reigns to a untried rookie coach.

Should he have shown a little more hunger himself, and backed himself in?

Good question.

Everything changes so quickly...when he had those talks he was ten years at Collingwood with no flags, and he knew the heat was on with Buckley.

At that point, taking another two years, with a nice job within the club at the end of it, would have seemed an OK to very good deal.

Now he's won a flag. If the same talks were had now, he'd obviously have a much much stronger claim to stay on, and I'm sure he'd push that line.

I don't think his hunger can be brought into question though, and agree with Bay Pie and Mart2T, the end in sight will only make him hungrier.

It might be interesting to be a fly on the wall at Pie HQs if he wins again next year and also says he wants to stay on coaching.

Might be like when Buchanan stopped coaching the Aussie cricket team, he was the glue that held it all together.

 

[Harry O]

IShould he have shown a little more hunger himself, and backed himself in?

Agree - reckon it is soft of him to want to stop and smell the roses after 40+ continuous years in the VFL/AFL. Where is his motivation?

At least all his assistants and recruiters and footy managers haven't quit because he is a tyrant. Hello Mr Lyon.

 

[mysainters]

Agree - reckon it is soft of him to want to stop and smell the roses after 40+ continuous years in the VFL/AFL. Where is his motivation?

At least all his assistants and recruiters and footy managers haven't quit because he is a tyrant. Hello Mr Lyon.

I must of read him wrong then, could of sworn he still wants to coach beyond this year, just didn't back himself in.

Think he will regret it myself, but that is course, from an outsider looking in.

By all, you mean three?