- Mar 16, 2014
- 8,822
- 9,038
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
The time has come, the walrus said, to speak of many things, but the defeat against Brisbane won't be one of them. Let's not rake over those ashes. Well, just when it's relevant to this week.
The Saints
We face a team that has outperformed all of my expectations by a country mile. St Kilda. The Prodigal Son returns in Ross Lyon, and I thought it may have ended up more like Malthouse's stint at Carlton, a farce (which couldn't have happened to a kinder club, the decades-long ethically bankrupt Blues, but that's another story). Lyon has brought his renowned defensive pressure and got middling players to improve markedly. He's stared down an injury list that sends shivers down my spine with aplomb. A game that for me was box-checking exercise suddenly becomes a daunting task. Others can comment more on the Saint's players, since I haven't followed their games closely enough but I'm concerned enough as we head into the week.
Since I usually say something about how we should view the opposition, from "they have no right to exist" (Carlton) to I have a soft spot for them (Fremantle), a few words about the Saints. I remember the days when they were constantly wooden spooners, but a destination club for blond-haired partiers. Such a pity modern training standards have forced the Saints out of the nightclubs and into the gym, and Ross the boss will solidify this. So they've lost their character, their uniqueness, and their charm. Another club which it's hard to hate, but also hard to have any feelings for at all. The neglected child of the family, the one you humour at Christmas about their hours in the video game dungeon and their pr0n addiction, a club so lacking in encouragement that they need a participation award for the last 50 years. Give them a ribbon.
The Pies
A disrupted week, a fired up opponent, some ruck problems, and a performance that just couldn't quite reach our earlier levels -- everyone knows what happened at the Gabba.
The questions:
1. Do we stay with McStay and Johnson? The big O got the better of us, but what other options do we have? I'd say yes, that's the combo until Cox or Begg is back. And will the coaches make any other changes to structure or personnel? Seems unlikely given the VFL performances -- and we're pretty much out of key position players anyway.
2. Does Crisp have a case to answer? For what? His personal snapchats are none of your business, none of mine, and none of the AFLs. That's what makes everything fundamentally different from DeGoey's Bali shenanigans. De Goey was in public (and De Goey's was silly but that's all). Let's all just move on.
3. Is the "forward-pressure on the handballer" strategy (as used by the Lions) against our game plan able to be emulated by other teams. Are we being found out? The Saints are well-placed to test this. It didn't help that we lost the territory battle in Brisbane, so fix clearances up and we're way harder to stop.
The Washup
We'll bounce back after an off-night, the saints will bring it to the table, it's be another last-man-standing affair, but in the end, we still have them on personnel, game plan, and confidence.
Pies by 15 points.
The Saints
We face a team that has outperformed all of my expectations by a country mile. St Kilda. The Prodigal Son returns in Ross Lyon, and I thought it may have ended up more like Malthouse's stint at Carlton, a farce (which couldn't have happened to a kinder club, the decades-long ethically bankrupt Blues, but that's another story). Lyon has brought his renowned defensive pressure and got middling players to improve markedly. He's stared down an injury list that sends shivers down my spine with aplomb. A game that for me was box-checking exercise suddenly becomes a daunting task. Others can comment more on the Saint's players, since I haven't followed their games closely enough but I'm concerned enough as we head into the week.
Since I usually say something about how we should view the opposition, from "they have no right to exist" (Carlton) to I have a soft spot for them (Fremantle), a few words about the Saints. I remember the days when they were constantly wooden spooners, but a destination club for blond-haired partiers. Such a pity modern training standards have forced the Saints out of the nightclubs and into the gym, and Ross the boss will solidify this. So they've lost their character, their uniqueness, and their charm. Another club which it's hard to hate, but also hard to have any feelings for at all. The neglected child of the family, the one you humour at Christmas about their hours in the video game dungeon and their pr0n addiction, a club so lacking in encouragement that they need a participation award for the last 50 years. Give them a ribbon.
The Pies
A disrupted week, a fired up opponent, some ruck problems, and a performance that just couldn't quite reach our earlier levels -- everyone knows what happened at the Gabba.
The questions:
1. Do we stay with McStay and Johnson? The big O got the better of us, but what other options do we have? I'd say yes, that's the combo until Cox or Begg is back. And will the coaches make any other changes to structure or personnel? Seems unlikely given the VFL performances -- and we're pretty much out of key position players anyway.
2. Does Crisp have a case to answer? For what? His personal snapchats are none of your business, none of mine, and none of the AFLs. That's what makes everything fundamentally different from DeGoey's Bali shenanigans. De Goey was in public (and De Goey's was silly but that's all). Let's all just move on.
3. Is the "forward-pressure on the handballer" strategy (as used by the Lions) against our game plan able to be emulated by other teams. Are we being found out? The Saints are well-placed to test this. It didn't help that we lost the territory battle in Brisbane, so fix clearances up and we're way harder to stop.
The Washup
We'll bounce back after an off-night, the saints will bring it to the table, it's be another last-man-standing affair, but in the end, we still have them on personnel, game plan, and confidence.
Pies by 15 points.
