Toast Round 21 = Melbourne 89-96 Collingwood

[Heater3923]

Talked about how the nucleus of this team has been building for the last 5 years and that last year was just one bad year.

I understand his point, like sure the playing group been solid for his whole tenure.

But it’s taken a real coach to bring the best out of them and maximise talent.

We underachieved in Buckleys decade. Pert expected premierships between 2014-17. He even said it before he got sacked - they gave Buckley everything he could possibly need to succeed.

All the things we do now in tight games we never did under Buckley. It cost us in 2018 and 2019z

Yet It’s a skill and a strength the playing group has acquired under Fly and he’s not even 12 months in.

In close games used to be:

• unaccountable at the stoppage
• concede Coast to coast goals
• concede easy red time goals
• never lock the game down in last 5 mins
• never understood we should defend the lead rather than try to extend the lead
• run around like headless chooks in red time
• never understand how to win
• never get physical (like we did vs Langdon or Jake King etc)
• never embrace people with personality
• played without personality

Maynard quoted in the paper in 2018 saying “we never had a gameplan until Longmuire came in” Etc etc etc

Fly has fixed all that in one preseason. And he’s missed JDG Adams Grundy and other key players over the year - yet the TEAM still gets better.

There is no way in hell this TEAM is one win vs WCE away from outright top of the ladder if Buckley remains coach in 2022.

It’s a bottom 6 team under Nathan. It’s a top 2 team under Fly.

There simply is no debate to be had. Buckley is not a great coach. No other club wants him. He’s just a great analyst that can’t teach young men how to maximise talent for the overall benefit of the team

And comments like “the nucleus was there for 5 years” just shows why he has the nickname FIGJAM. He legitimately thinks he is a quality coach. He ain’t anywhere near Flys level.




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[Chrispiesssss]

I watched the game with a Geelong supporting mate of mine, and at the start of the game we had a “is Jackson the most overrated player in the game?” conversation. We agreed he probably is.

He’s too short to be #1 ruckman. He’s great below his knees and can spread from the contest well. It’s a weird situation.

 

[Vicky Park]

Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and Brayshaw averaged 35 disposals each, Viney got 30 too, they must be wondering how we won it

When they get those numbers, and yet we roll over them, it must be so…disheartening. Working that hard, working that well together, and still we came and got them.

We have some sort of team here, we are in all their heads now, we create doubt.

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

Think this fella cares, just a bit

 

[jonbe54]

When they get those numbers, and yet we roll over them, it must be so…disheartening. Working that hard, working that well together, and still we came and got them.

We have some sort of team here, we are in all their heads now, we create doubt.

I keep banging away at this . . .

Stats are meaningless because they can't take the human element into consideration.

I'll take 22 strong hearts over 4 or 5 strong stats ANY day of the week.

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

We'd help you Ed... but we bruise easily

 

[KillerMagpies]

I love this team.

 

[Big Bryza]

Unlike the other games, I wasn't even feeling nervous. I conceded we probably weren't going to win but was just happy they were showing some fight.

I wasn't even nervous at half time.

Melbourne literally threw their best punch. We copped it and then went to town on them in the 2nd half.

This team has a spirit that cannot be denied.

Fcuk your stats, keep those W's coming.

 

[eddiesmith]

On the negative side, I’ve been a fan of WHE and I don’t know what his injury is, but he can’t play next week. That missed goal in the second was a shocker and he was really struggling.

 

[Apples]

I know Bucks wants the team to do well and that he is a Collingwood man at heart.

I love him, but he shouldn't refer to last year's shitness as something that just happened.

He was in charge. Sure some things might have been out of his control but the way we played reflects on him.

Bucks said the team has played well for 5 years with the nucleus being very consistent over that period, with 2021 being the outlier. I don't see how that can be disputed to be honest. Last year was awful, but is does look to be the exception.

 

[Didak_attack]

Holy sh** Maynard with about 5-10 seconds. facing the crowd on the interchange side near the boundary celebrating was one of the best things I've ever seen.

Hope there is footage of it because it was one of the best things I've ever seen.

 

[sr36]

I might be completely wrong here, but Jackson is not a million dollar player to me.

I like him a lot. I think he'll have a Paddy Ryder level career. No idea what that means in terms of salary

 

[NMBB]

Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and Brayshaw averaged 35 disposals each, Viney got 30 too, they must be wondering how we won it

Kicked straight for a start

 

[Clutchmichael]

On the negative side, I’ve been a fan of WHE and I don’t know what his injury is, but he can’t play next week. That missed goal in the second was a shocker and he was really struggling.

Be a good time to bring Henry back, what a forward line all of a sudden

 

[Nuffsaid]

In perhaps his best directing performance yet, McRae has produced an exciting twist on this popular genre which has somehow found a new level for the avid viewer to follow. Tension, thrills, a juicy duck-filled back story and the usual last minutes heroics. 5 eggplant emojis.

 

[Chrispiesssss]

 

[sr36]

Bucks said the team has played well for 5 years with the nucleus being very consistent over that period, with 2021 being the outlier. I don't see how that can be disputed to be honest. Last year was awful, but is does look to be the exception.

I agree with him. It's the 2018 core doing the heavy lifting. But Bucks does need to find his humility valve.

 

[Big Bryza]

Talked about how the nucleus of this team has been building for the last 5 years and that last year was just one bad year.

Bucks was all over it from pre season though.

Said we could win 15 games and he's bang on the money.

 

[Apples]

The Forwards

Elliott is an x factor I hadn't anticipated impacting so much at the end of a season. He has gone up a level with the maturity and power of his forward game. And of course that winning goal.

Johnson has come from left field. I didn't expect him playing AFL this year, but it's like he's just stepped out of the wings into the spotlight and thrives on playing centre stage. His long, accurate kicks by the last quarter had come to be almost an expectation rather than surprise. It's hard to imagine how good he will get.

Mihochek is having some big and some quiet games, can chip in for a clever goal like tonight and at least play a team role as part of a chain. Sometimes he will star.

McCreery was important in the last quarter. Whatever he had or hadn't done in the previous three quarters was forgotten and forgiven.

Ginnivan was kind of quiet but did his bit in adding to the general ambience and was part of the relentless pressure applied to Melbourne that wore them down.

Jordy began well, looking like he could be the differences in the clearances, but he seemed to disappear for a large patch, possibly because of some forgettable handpasses and disposals, including the crucial OofB kicks. For an elite player he makes a lot of unforced errors.

That's our named forward line. In the end, given lack of opportunity for the large period of the game dominated by Melbourne, as a group they functioned well tonight.

Reckon you could got that so wrong, GG. DeGoey was close to, if not our best. I gave him 5 in the 'Didaka' and thought he was a bull in the last half.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

It's been an extraordinary year. I'm stunned by what we've produced tonight and over the course of the year. I've never seen anything like it with the uncanny ability to win the close ones consistently.

One thing you can rely on with this team is the 'never say die' attitude it embodies. Melbourne beat us in a lot of key metrics, but our ability to pressure them was outstanding. We won the tackle count 71-59 and had 18 tackles in our forward 50 compared to 8 tackles from Melbourne.

Congrats to Jamie Elliott on 150 games. He's had to battle hard to get there over the past decade, but very well deserved and beautifully capped off with a fantastic performance.

We're riding a wave of momentum. After tonight, I think we're a premiership contender. Doesn't mean we'll necessarily win it, but there's an opportunity there for the taking. It's something I never contemplated as a possibility at the start of the year, so it's crazy how far we've come.

What McRae and the coaching staff have done with this list is nothing short of a miracle. We play a better and more attractive style which is great, but the buy in from the playing group is the biggest compliment I can give to McRae. He was always renowned for his man management skills, but we're seeing it in action now.

The Ponny was rocking tonight. The atmosphere was out of this world.

 

[NMBB]

I agree with him. It's the 2018 core doing the heavy lifting. But Bucks does need to find his humility valve.

Not sure where he'll look to find that particular valve but don't think it would be an attractive sight

 

[Big Bryza]

Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and Brayshaw averaged 35 disposals each, Viney got 30 too, they must be wondering how we won it

it's what you do with it that counts.

 

[Clutchmichael]

it's what you do with it that counts.

You sound like my many disappointed ex's

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Winning streaks (11+ games)

11 = Round 7 1902 - Round 17 1902
17 = Round 5 1903 - Round 2 1904 (PREMIERS within the streak)
11 = Round 3 1905 - Round 13 1905
12 = Round 12 1910 - Round 2 1911 (PREMIERS within the streak)
20 = Semi Final Replay 1928 - Round 18 1929 (PREMIERS within the streak)
11 = Preliminary Final 1935 - Round 9 1936 (PREMIERS within the streak)
14 = Round 12 1953 - Round 5 1954 (PREMIERS within the streak)
11 = Round 7 1965 - Round 17 1965
14 = Round 9 2011 - Round 23 2011
11 = Round 10 2022 - Present

 

[sr36]

Not sure where he'll look to find that particular valve but don't think it would be an attractive sight

Once you get to Bucks' age. The humility valve starts to occasionally pop up, or actually stay down, when we you least want it to.