Post Game Thoughts

[Blur]

Just wanted to quickly start a thread and get some discussion going about the game today.

I thought it was great, and seeing Medhurst, Didak, Swan, Shaw, Harry O, Maxwell, and even Wellingham perform really well. Our defence was extremely impressive all night, but shoutouts to Harry's performance all night, his rebound out of 50 was amazing and so fast. Shaw was the same. Maxwell's presence can't be denied, he was game changing in the last quarter.

Seeing Didak and Medhurs kicking multiple goals again is a pleasure to watch. This is where we are so dangerous to the opposition. Moreso because our talls didn't fire (AT ALL, i might add). I'm extremely disappointed in both Cloke and Jack Anthony, who both underperformed all night long and, I felt, had zero presence. Wellingham stepped up from his usual performance, and was pinballing in the midfield. Jolly was shutdown by both the WB ruckmen, and gave away too many frees.

A pretty good performance from the team as a whole. I'm glad that the players we wanted to improve have (Meds, Daisy), but Cloke and Anthony are both still needing to. If they are firing and contributing to our goals, we would be unstoppable.

 

[Bay Pie]

All I was thinking during that 1st half was, were we seriously considering trading Wellingham and how bloody good was he in close and outside.

We have a player here. Once he builds his engine more, look out.

 

[medhurstISGOD]

According to AFL.com.au Ball only had 5 contested possesions. Surely that's a mistake.

 

[rose jam]

Not bad that every tall player wasn't great today and I think we pretty much had them all day. Our strength forward is that every player in the forward can mark 1 on 1 and I can't think of a backline that can cover it if our midfield is matching the opposition.

 

[mdc]

Jack was played very wide which didn't help him. He also did some good things defensively and kicked two goals.

Cloke, otoh, was repeatedly embarassed by an array of duds. A big game against Melbourne is a must.

Some other thoughts;
- Pendlebury should never be played on the wing/HFF. Looked lost, and our midfield looked much worse without him.
- Didak looks 100% better playing primarily as a HFFer, as many of us have thought all a long. Didn't run out of steam, and as a result his kicks were back to his damaging best.
- O'Bree and Ball can't play together; when both were in for the bounce we struggled badly.
- There's a laughable degree of cronyism between Swan/Heater/BJ/Didak. Didn't hurt us much today, but has the potential to.
- Was Jolly carrying a niggle? Hardly jumped all game, kept crossing the line at the bounces and just trying to negate Hudson and Minson. Looked like McKee today.

And obviously, kudos to Shaw, Harry, Swan and Didak, who just tore the game apart all game long.

 

[PieLebo87]

11 goals between the 3 'small' forwards in Didak, Davis and Medhurst is a great first up effort.

What pleased me the most was that we matched the Doggies in runners, and didn't try and use talls to change the game. Cloke was very rarely used, and the ball was generally run through the field, instead of bombing to contests, which still happens, as it IS a Collingwood team.

It'll be interesting to see how we go with players like Cloke, Jolly, Ball and Fraser actually having an impact.

How good is our defence? Harry O was spectacular, Heater was close to BOG, Maxy was inspirational, Presti did his job, as always and Toovs was Toovs, so no-one should complain.

I hope Didak has this game another 24 times this year. 20-odd possessions and a bag of goals. This is the Didak we've been after for 6-7 years. I'd rather that, than 15 possies and 5 goals, or 35 possies and 1 goal.

Its exciting, we've pretty much beaten the top AFL side of 2010 in Round 1, so hopefully its the platform to what will be a trademark season.

 

[DoubleO7]

The Anvil was brilliant in the second half.

Wellingham was superb in the first half. The guy was everywhere, winning the hard ball, creating goals and kicking one himself. It's a shame he copped one over the head, but at least he proved he ain't soft as butter.

Jolly was woeful in the ruck (first half). Got comprehensibly smashed by Hudson. If I recall correctly, the figures were something like 16 - 8. Fraser was serviceable with his work around the ground.

Didak, Medhurst and Davis all splendid. When they kick goals, we win. Although, we shouldn't rely on our small forwards to kick match winning scores. Didak should continually play across half-forward, seems to do his best work there. Ditto Davis.

Defence was nice and tight. Heath Shaw and O'Brien solid as a rock.

 

[Invigoration]

Heath Shaw was amazing, jizz in my pants level. The bloke has taken his game to a new level, he'll thrive in a leadership role.

Harry O brilliant, as were Swan, Didak and Medders. Maxy got better as the game wore on.

Wellingham had a ripping first half, can't wait to see him put four quarters together. Another rookie gem. Worked a lot harder both ways today which is something he has lacked in the past. Still loves to run forward of the play to sneak a goal, but he was willing to do the same when the ball turned over which was good to see. Dropping in front of Barry really shows how far he has come over the preseason.

I thought Thomas was good today as well, worked hard and his disposal was much improved bar one out on the full.

Pendles was off in the first half, improved over time. Got a far bit of attention, imagine that'll become a pretty frequent occurrence for the year.

Can't wait for Dick to come back into the line up so we can free Leon up a bit more, I don't like him playing that deep.

Lethal was awesome today as well, **** it was good to see him flying the flag. I'm converted. He is always going to make mistakes and cause a bit of face palming, but what he brings completely outweighs it. Creates opportunities, does the 1%ers, busts packs and slots into any role we need. Wish the prick could just kick straight.

I thought Cloke and JA both worked hard, Cloke needs to be on the bigger ground though IMO. I didn't mind JA applying himself around the packs a bit when he pushed up the ground, needs to get those brain fades out of his game though. He is underdone as well, he'll improve on today.

Ball and O'Bree were both good around the packs, but I don't like them both playing on the pill at the same time, thought the Bulldogs cleared it far too easily when they both went in. Our combination in the middle with Jolly just needs time to really gel I think. Boyd was bloody good in there today for the Dogs.

Shaw BOG for mine, ****ing brilliant win We're up and about now

 

[Pied Avenger]

For mine it's interesting the thoughts from the respective were that for both sides the new inclusions ( Hall for the Dogs Ball & Jolly ) would be the be all and end all for the flag race.
For both sides the are o few percent more toward the number you need to win the thing.
I wonder if Jolly thought the 50/50 calls would go the same preferential way as when he played in Sydney from the look on his face a few times.
First half when we had lots of run in our legs there were encouraging signs a of a more direct game plan, with the fast movement of the ball.
i just wish more guys would look to make a block or shepherd after they dispose a short hand pass.
Having said that when we kick 8.1 or so you know the other side is a chance we just ain't that straight.

 

[Heater39]

Ben Johnson is still comfortably best 22. Played well again today so all the haters can get ****ed

 

[DThomas]

Call me biased, but Daisy looked sensational today. I was very happy with his performance.

How good was that spoil from Maxwell in the last quarter? I was watching at home and I actually stood up and applauded I was that happy with it.

Harry-O was brilliant; he will finish top 3 in the Copeland like he aimed for last year.

Wellingham. Wow, I wasn't expecting him to do much, but he was fantastic early on. Great performance!

MEDHUUUUUURST! Freaking awesome game, he is going return to his best again this year. I guarantee it. Too bad he didn't kick his 5th, that would have been very beneficial for my Supercoach team.

And the two "bad boys" (facepalm) in Didak and Shaw were on fire again.

I can't wait for Saturday! I don't get to attend many matches because I live a couple of hours away from Melbourne, and I am going to the match next week. I can't sit still, and I won't be able to all week.

FOOTY IS BACK! GO PIES!

 

[Frankie23]

Firstly what a great way to start the year, we have a tough start and the four points were vital. I was extremely confident going into the game and my faith was repayed.

As for the bests, Heath Shaw was BOG for mine. The way he controlled his opponent, our defence and the general tempo of the game was outstanding. Always put his body on the line and didn’t stop running, one of the best games I’ve seen him play

Swanny would be next in line, 3 goals and really got into the game in the second half. Very impressive and has obviously picked up where he left off from ‘09
O’Brien, Maxy and Sharrod were all outstanding, bookmark this, Harry O will win the Copeland this year, from all reports he has torn up the track over pre-season and this was evident today

I was also impressed with Lockyer, Medhurst (Back to his ’08 form), Didak as usual and Daisy who worked really hard as usual.

Jack and Clokey did struggle but I’m not too concerned, the Dogs focused alot of their attention in outnumbering our key forwards at the contest, Morris out made this a key. We were good enough to find other avenues to goal. I also noticed Jack was really feeling the effects of the game, he will take a few games to find match fitness.

Overall I am very impressed, we stuck to our structure even when it wasn’t working in the 2nd quarter, and in years gone past when challenged we have sometimes folded under the pressure, however not today

 

[hellfire]

Can't fault much. Anthony and Cloke struggled, as did Pendlebury and Sidebottom in the first half.

But as a whole we were outstanding. We responded every time they came at us. Our defense was brilliant, Heath Shaw and Harry O in particular. Dane Swan is a genuine superstar of the competition, but of course he'll continue to be underrated. Didak and Medhurst firing forward makes us look so much more dangerous, both were fantastic.

Great win, but the good news is we have a lot of room for improvement. Cloke, Anthony, Pendlebury, Davis, Sidebottom, Jolly, Ball and Fraser can all play a lot better. But you know you're looking pretty good when you have the likes of Beams on the sidelines after a massive win over the flag favourites [?].

 

[Snag Breac]

That game was so exciting, I lost weight watching it - couldn't sit still.

Commentary I particularly enjoyed :

Wellingham has his own footy out there.
Leigh Brown is a fighter.
Medhurst is brilliant! He's just so strong and plays so far above his height.
Pinpoint kicking by the Pies.
O'Brien - what an athlete he is!
Didak!
Wellingham - wonderful courage!
He's been good with his bodywork, Leigh Brown. He's been clever, tough and hard.
Didak!
Presti reaches over the top and pushes it out of bounds.
Maxwell - what a desperate, diving spoil - sensational!
Didak!
A very significant victory.

And maybe Jolly didn't have a defining game, but what about that backward scoop to Swan for a goal?

 

[Invigoration]

For mine it's interesting the thoughts from the respective were that for both sides the new inclusions ( Hall for the Dogs Ball & Jolly ) would be the be all and end all for the flag race.
For both sides the are o few percent more toward the number you need to win the thing.
I wonder if Jolly thought the 50/50 calls would go the same preferential way as when he played in Sydney from the look on his face a few times.
First half when we had lots of run in our legs there were encouraging signs a of a more direct game plan, with the fast movement of the ball.
i just wish more guys would look to make a block or shepherd after they dispose a short hand pass.
Having said that when we kick 8.1 or so you know the other side is a chance we just ain't that straight.

The umpire rulings on the ruck contests today were a ****ing lucky dip, you seriously never knew what you were going to get and that was the way for both teams I thought.

The minor nitpicking they do in ruck duels is just ridiculous. They need to just let it go unless one player is seriously impeding the other.It isn't like a normal contest on the field, of course the guys are going to wrap arms, grab some jumper and jostle for position... just leave it go ffs.

There was a shocker against Fraser on the Dogs forward 50 late in the game though. Minson had his arm in a choker hold and for some reason the free went against him. It's just a raffle.

 

[didaka]

I'm in love with a man.

They said it would never work, they came from different worlds. One a country boy, and the other from Brazil.

Would their parents approve?

Harry O'Brien stars in, When didaka met Harry.

 

[Snag Breac]

I'm in love with a man.

They said it would never work, they came from different worlds. One a country boy, and the other from Brazil.

Would their parents approve?

Harry O'Brien stars in, When didaka met Harry.

You can't have him. He belongs to Maxy.

 

[1eon]

Harry looked as if he was about to explode. He looks massive as well. Really excited about how much better he can get.

Dids, medders and leon. I'd love em all to play that well every game this year.

 

[DThomas]

I'm in love with a man.

They said it would never work, they came from different worlds. One a country boy, and the other from Brazil.

Would their parents approve?

Harry O'Brien stars in, When didaka met Harry.

You'll have to get past me first.

 

[mattys123]

Just got home from the game (took the long way via the GP home) but god damn was that a good win.

Think about it for a minute, last year we only won one game against a top 4 side, and after 1 round in 2010, we have equaled that.

Standouts for me were the obvious;

* Dane Swan; My voice was almost hoarse from screaming "SWANNNNNYYY" he did so many good things it's too hard to list them all. I knew we would win at 3/4 time because we were in front and we had Swanny.

* Heath Shaw; Could have been a career high game for Heater, he was brilliant, although the Dogs did him a favour by playing the old man.

* Sharrod Wellingham; We have found another midfielder, from the most unlikely of places. Tough, hard, skillful and thoughtful when he has the ball, he is now the complete package. Still needs to improve his defensive side a little, but the guts he showed going back in front of the "saviour" in Hall was great to see.

* Darren Jolly; WE HAVE A RUCKMAN AT COLLINGWOOD. Don't know how many times I heard that comment today from Pies fans, but he just got better as the game went on. Got owned by the umpires, especially against Minson, but he was better around the ground then both of their rucks.

* Paul Medhurst; We are simply put, a 5-6 goal better team when Meds is fit, he kicks goals, he creates goals and he places forward pressure on the defense. Great game.

I'm so ****ing happy, that was our best round 1 win in living memory.

 

[robertg22]

To kick 19 goals and only get 2 out of Jack & Travis is a positive. Both tried reasonably hard enough (Jack probably tried a bit harder) but the style we played today was more suited to the smaller blokes. No huge concerns.
The backline was remarkable, but we should expect that these days. Harry, Heath, Maxwell (especially in the last quarter) and others just work together really well. Toovey did some nice things, coupled with some stupidity also. Johno played his best game for us in a while too, which is good to see. I will admit I didn't think he was in our best 22 but if he plays like that - his disposal was actually pretty good - he keeps his spot.
The midfield was patchy, but we pulled it together towards the end. Pendles' first half was shocking - almost the worst I've seen him play. Thankfully, his second half made up for it. Swanny was ever reliable - god that boy can run. Ball was good in close, O'Bree wasn't terrible & Wellingham's first half was as good as I've seen from him. I think being crunched by Hall knocked the wind out of his sails, but can't really blame him there!
Getting 11 goals out of our 3 AA small forwards is great news - later in the season when Dick is back in the side we are going to cause sides some massive matchup headaches. Teams simply do not have the cattle to cover all of them effectively.

 

[DJ Black @ White Blood]

2 things stuck out for me, as everyone is pretty hyped on the win i noticed this.

Jack seemed to drop everything and fumbled anything on the ground. And missed a trade mark shot he was nailing last year.

Sidebottom looked out of depth, mistakes, didnt handle pressure and well not in next week i think

 

[mdc]

* Darren Jolly; WE HAVE A RUCKMAN AT COLLINGWOOD. Don't know how many times I heard that comment today from Pies fans, but he just got better as the game went on. Got owned by the umpires, especially against Minson, but he was better around the ground then both of their rucks.

You've got to be kidding. I'm a Jolly fan, and I'm sure today was a one-off, but he got absolutely pantsed by Hudson and beaten by Minson.

Like others have said, it's a fantastic sign that despite our rucks and key forwards all struggling badly, we still put together a comfortable win.

 

[Bay Pie]

Dane Swan, wow!!!

31 possies, 81% efficiency!!!! 19 kicks, 12 handballs, 3 goals (missed a bunny), 5 clearances, 4 tackles, 2 Inside 50s (that one to Dids in he
1st quarter was perfect.

0 brownlow votes, you watch!!!

 

[the_fresh]

Heath Shaw was amazing, jizz in my pants level. The bloke has taken his game to a new level, he'll thrive in a leadership role.

Harry O'Brilliant, as were Swan, Didak and Medders. Maxy got better as the game wore on.

Wellingham had a ripping first half, can't wait to see him put four quarters together. Another rookie gem. Worked a lot harder both ways today which is something he has lacked in the past. Still loves to run forward of the play to sneak a goal, but he was willing to do the same when the ball turned over which was good to see. Dropping in front of Barry really shows how far he has come over the preseason.

I thought Thomas was good today as well, worked hard and his disposal was much improved bar one out on the full.

Pendles was off in the first half, improved over time. Got a far bit of attention, imagine that'll become a pretty frequent occurrence for the year.

Can't wait for Dick to come back into the line up so we can free Leon up a bit more, I don't like him playing that deep.

Lethal was awesome today as well, **** it was good to see him flying the flag. I'm converted. He is always going to make mistakes and cause a bit of face palming, but what he brings completely outweighs it. Creates opportunities, does the 1%ers, busts packs and slots into any role we need. Wish the prick could just kick straight.

I thought Cloke and JA both worked hard, Cloke needs to be on the bigger ground though IMO. I didn't mind JA applying himself around the packs a bit when he pushed up the ground, needs to get those brain fades out of his game though. He is underdone as well, he'll improve on today.

Ball and O'Bree were both good around the packs, but I don't like them both playing on the pill at the same time, thought the Bulldogs cleared it far too easily when they both went in. Our combination in the middle with Jolly just needs time to really gel I think. Boyd was bloody good in there today for the Dogs.

Shaw BOG for mine, ****ing brilliant win We're up and about now

Thought that needed fixing