Game Day Round 18 vs. Geelong, MCG, 7:40pm Friday 12/07

[KillerMagpies]

Lifting of the draft age means we’re less likely to see too many 18yo ruckmen debuting going forward. Even Grundy was 19 before he got his first crack. Smit is 19 and if Cameron doesn’t get up he’d be very much in the picture.

What is the point of playing Frampton in the ruck? He will get smashed and it weakens our defence. Ditto Kreuger. Better off playing Smit and minimising your losses.
Johnno could be an alternative as a ruck, rotating/sharing with Kreuger? However, I believe Johnno has mentally tapped out and Fly has zero faith him (he’s finished as a Collingwood senior player).

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

You can see the lack of connection. Far too many times you see 2 Pies players fighting for the same footy. Last year 1 player would grab that footy and feed it on to the other. Now we invite pressure.

Or handballing to the person next to them 3 metres away to invite that pressure. Too many hospital handballs.

It’s a risky game plan and it looks terrible when not executed properly.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

I’d have no issues selecting Smit if Cameron is unavailable. Especially against Geelong who don’t have the strongest rucks around.

Frampton still the backup plan if it doesn’t work out and Smit needs to be subbed off.

 

[BuildEmUp]

Do you think Fly might work them extra hard on the track this week?

he will try to get the to play the way they should .. connection and pressure

 

[Chrispiesssss]

Premiers’ worst injury fears confirmed in brutal blow... but door ajar for finals return

Premiers’ worst injury fears confirmed in brutal blow... but door ajar for finals return

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Piesinmyeyes]

Interesting to watch Fly's presser. He says that lack of connection actually looks like lack of effort. He explained that if the team is unpredictable to each other, then this is a break and energy and effort, simply because players aren't sure which way to go, or where the ball will be directed next etc. Essendon played keepings off with many uncontested marks, and if we weren't playing the predictable way to each other, then we simply weren't in a position to tackle. That again looks like lack of pressure.
Fly's take is that we will need to reemphasize the system in all our training drills to each other this week so that the team acts in sync, and therefore efficiently, which translates into being in the right spot at the right time and applying pressure. I am looking forward to seeing what we produce next week, without feeling so tense. I guess my expectations for this year have been greatly lowered by the injury crisis, so I feel more like "let's just see where the ride takes us now, without worrying so much about the destination.

Flys next job will be the CEO of a parcel company. Oh that’s Amazon and we have Jeff Bezos. It’s simple we need more drivers moving a red ball and more efficiently.

 

[pablo disco bar]

Honest question

Does anyone think we can perform a miracle and sneak into 4th?

My head says no but my heart refuses to give up.

As for selection
Reef for checkers
Long in 22
Noble quaybor (if injured)
Harrison sub
johnston for Cameron (if injured)

Gee we need Elliot and cox back

 

[Go Woods]

Sullivan an opportunity to come back?
He has been better than a few out their last night.
Markov out.
Got to give Fin the rest of the year to see if he has a future.
Ditto for Reef.

Cupboard is bare but we need some players who have the desire.



Sent from my SM-A556E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Totally agree with the Fin & Reef.

 

[Magpie_man]

All of this disappointment and utter hopelessness, it’s kind of ironic that if you look to the future in about 4-5 weeks we will be due for a selection dilemma. For example, this is the team we could eventually field when most players back from injury:

Frampton, Moore, Maynard

Noble, Howe, Quaynor

Jaicos, Pendles, Sidey

De Goey, Krueger, Hill

Shultz, Mcstay, Elliot

Cameron, Naicos, Crisp

Harrison, WHE, Cox, Lippa,

Mcreery

Richards, Mitchell,


Reef, Markov, Long

Sullivan, McRae, Dean

I can barely fit Mitchell and Richards in. It looks like a very good team. Shame we weren’t getting them all back this week. It may be a little late by then if we get forced out of top 4/8, but at least we should finish the year strongly.

 

[SouthernPie]

Switching to a man on man setup during necessary periods of the game would certainly change things up and be less predictable. Guarding grass is like a cone drill to goals for teams chipping around and over. I'd also like to see us slow the game down when required. This play on at all costs mentality has been worked out by most sides now and is too easy to combat. Opposition players aren't tackling the ball carrier and are covering the guy running past or sitting waiting to easily intercept the handball.

This is spot IMHO.
As well as a boundary sign saying "Control the ball", I reckon there should be one that says "Man the f... up"
I found it so frustrating to watch Essendon waltz the ball out of their defence with not a Pies player within 10m of any opponent.
Fly and many astute posters here have noted the lack of trade mark Collingwood pressure over recent weeks. Players can't apply pressure when they're nowhere near their opponents.
Zone defence also depends heavily on having players with speed who can close a gap quickly and the only speedsters in the team at this moment in time would be Bobby and Nick.

 

[The Phantom]

It means, control the ball but we kept letting essendon dictate the terms

Yup.
I heard that on the commentary as well.
Two things; what does that translate as? Slow down? Keep possession?
And, it obviously seems a problem they’ve identified.

 

[manicpie]

Yup.
I heard that on the commentary as well.
Two things; what does that translate as? Slow down? Keep possession?
And, it obviously seems a problem they’ve identified.

Yeah it does mean that. The last 2 weeks teams have just gone wide and around our structures.

 

[Mr Cannons]

Please please please play Moore as first ruck.

They won't. But he'd be so much more valuable there than he's been in defence recently.

I want this too

 

[Mr Cannons]

Only a Carlton loss today could cheer me up

How about a Carlton loss after being 40 points up?

 

[Doc1763]

How about a Carlton loss after being 40 points up?

their game day board is a thing of beauty

 

[IlovethePies]

I’m not too sure teams have yet worked out how to stop us when we get momentum. It’s one thing knowing what we do, another to stop it. Last 2 weeks cloud the assessment of that but need to be weighed against in-game injuries in both. Would we have allowed GCS to regain the lead if Maynard and Noble weren’t injured? Would we have run over Essendon if Checkers and Quaynor weren’t injured, and Cameron playing sore?

Yes, I believe that in game injuries are a factor as well. Because we have had so many, that must also contribute to the cumulative fatigue of the entire team over the last few rounds.

 

[TradeDraft]

Hard to replace players when we have hardly any at VFL Level

 

[Jafo]

Does AJ get a look in after 5 goals today?

More the seniors injury factor than the 5 goals admittedly.

 

[Brad Goodman]

Does AJ get a look in after 5 goals today?

More the seniors injury factor than the 5 goals admittedly.

He’d have to be considered seeing as Mihocek is the injury out.

 

[jmac70]

Does AJ get a look in after 5 goals today?

More the seniors injury factor than the 5 goals admittedly.

I’d like both Johnson and Reef to play.

 

[ksardog]

I’d like both Johnson and Reef to play.

I would go this way, send Howe back to strengthen the backline

 

[jmac70]

Rivalries are often spoken about with our club. But over the last 20 years, Geelong would be one of our biggest.

Many epic matches and finals.

I would love it if we could somehow pull out another fantastic backs to the wall win.

 

[Stronzatello]

Any danger Collingwood can beat Geelong who we destroyed just two weeks ago?

Pardon the pun

King Charles started his September sabbatical early has he? Da da da da da!!! You blokes are winning **** all!

 

[Kappa]

All of this disappointment and utter hopelessness, it’s kind of ironic that if you look to the future in about 4-5 weeks we will be due for a selection dilemma. For example, this is the team we could eventually field when most players back from injury:

Frampton, Moore, Maynard

Noble, Howe, Quaynor

Jaicos, Pendles, Sidey

De Goey, Krueger, Hill

Shultz, Mcstay, Elliot

Cameron, Naicos, Crisp

Harrison, WHE, Cox, Lippa,

Mcreery

Richards, Mitchell,


Reef, Markov, Long

Sullivan, McRae, Dean

I can barely fit Mitchell and Richards in. It looks like a very good team. Shame we weren’t getting them all back this week. It may be a little late by then if we get forced out of top 4/8, but at least we should finish the year strongly.

The team looks better on paper than it's real performance.

Moore and Frampton are struggling, Quaynor is struggling, noble is okay, Sidebottom is struggling, De Goey is inconsistent, Kreuger is okay, Hill is not having much impact, Elliot and Mcstay are coming back from long injury layoffs.

Our team will need to hit peak form quickly because we aren't even in the top 8 right now and have a very tough run home, playing Carlton Sydney (away) Brisbane Melbourne Geelong. Pretty much only 1 "easy" game left for the season which is Richmond, rest will all be 50/50 or very hard.

 

[domus]

He’d have to be considered seeing as Mihocek is the injury out.

Form should be rewarded. AJ's served his time and although I have very little trust in his capacity to perform under pressure on the big stage I would love to see the bloke shove it up my clacker on Friday night. I also see Ned Long as an option in our forward line. He could at least have a few stints there and play a similar role to Checkers-bullock and wrestle, crash a pack or two. He's a solid unit. I do understand we lose that much needed defensive pressure as he lacks foot speed, but I suppose you have to weigh up what is more necessary at this stage.