Notes from the game: 2014 Round 11 Saints

You'd say it was a pretty good game - if you were at your local suburban ground.

Team                    Q1      Q2      Q3      Q4      Final 
St Kilda Saints         3.2     6.2     8.5     8.6     54
Collingwood Magpies     7.2     10.5    14.8    21.14   140

Yes, it was a big win, but that's about all it was.

Perhaps the Bogan is getting a bit curmudgeonly, but watching this game he saw a lot not to like. Leigh Matthews's commentary seemed to agree.

A number of Collingwood players have delusions of adequacy. It doesn't help that a lot of commentators fuel the fire.

Q1 6 seconds in, Sidebottom's elbow collects Maverick Weller. You might argue that anyone with a name like that deserves whatever he gets, but I suspect that Sidebottom would like to have his time over. Unforced error. Probably 3 weeks. I'm just a little surprised that it was rough conduct and not striking. What adds insult to injury is that it's so unlike Sidebottom.

Q1 2 minutes, just after a goal, Marley tries to do too much and is called for holding the ball. Unforced error. Josh Thomas fails to return the ball properly: 50m. Unforced error. The commentator uses the word quirky, but it's just bad footy. Milera misses the shot, but that's hardly a feather in Collingwood's cap. St Kilda is low on the ladder; a good team would punish us.

St Kilda then gives away an unnecessary 50m penalty; but I'm not interested in what the opponents get wrong. I'm interested in what we can control. And where we can do better. Witts takes the free yet misses a simple short target. Unforced error.

Q1 3 minutes, Pendlebury has the ball smothered off the boot. Now clearly that's not an unforced error; for anyone else it would scarcely raise an eyebrow, but this is the Time Magician!

Q1 4 minutes, Taylor Adams in space receives out of the ruck contest and handballs directly to an opponent, no Collingwood player in sight. I'll avoid characterising it as an unforced error, but I don't think it's asking too much to expect a bit better.

Q1 4 minutes, Elliott receives, the umpire might be a little in his intended path but quickly backs away, Elliott takes a few steps and kicks it straight to an isolated opponent. Unforced error.

Q1 5 minutes, the Saints have swept the ball forward. It's marked about 80 out, but our defender rushes to the mark forcing the Saint back. He takes a while to kick into F50 where Riewoldt marks 5m clear of Frost. Nick certainly played well, but Frost might have done better. (Perhaps not: it looks like Riewoldt pushes Frost in the back before doubling back.) Riewoldt's goal levels the score.

Q1 8 minutes, Young has no one near him on the outer wing yet sends a short kick a couple of metres past Thomas for a Saints mark.

Q1 8 minutes, Cloke marks 85m out and kicks into F50 where the ball might have brushed a St Kilda player's hands before hitting the ground. Unforced error.

Q1 8 minutes, Sidebottom coming off the bench intercepts and handballs to a team mate who bombs to an uncontested St Kilda mark. Unforced error.

Q1 9 minutes, Cloke misses a running shot. Unforced error?

Q1 10 minutes, Thomas streaming out of defence receives from Langdon; only 2 Collingwood players in a medium shot; takes a bounce (so plenty of time). His kick lands a metre or two in front of a St Kilda player. Unforced error.

Q1 11 minutes, a long St Kilda kick is marked by Siposs outside 50. His kick beyond the goals is marked by Milera 20m in the clear. "Milera all on his own," says Bruce. Unforced error. Goal.

Q1 12 minutes. "Thomas's kick is ill-directed," says Dennis. Unforced error.

Q1 17 minutes. I've said it before Langdon gets a heap of possessions (22), but his disposal is dodgy at best, yet the press and commentators keep singing his praises. This is unfortunate because it feeds the notion that he doesn't need to improve giving him delusions of adequacy. He takes a mark from Witts across half back, 20m in the clear. His kick passes well clear of his intended target who has to leap high and reach back but is still more than a foot from touching, let alone marking, the ball. Fasolo gets a free (for chopping?), but for Langdon it's still an unforced error.

Q1 18 minutes, Adams a pass marked by Cloke who handpasses to the Time Magician metres in the clear. Touched off the boot. Unforced error. From the resulting spill and struggle eventually Sidebottom takes possession and delivers a precision left-foot centring pass to Fasolo who kicks his third for the quarter. The point is that we are getting away with tripe because the opposition is so feeble.

Collingwood kicked the first goal, the Saints the next 3, Collingwood the next 8 (across quarter time). By then the contest was pretty much over. The Saints managed 3 goals for Q2 and another 2 in the second half. Collingwood continued to make errors, but was never really held to account.

The unforced errors above were just the first quarter. It's tedious for me to scour the replay and probably as tedious for you to read.

Paul Seedsman runs through the centre of the ground, bounces once, runs too far - but gets away with it, then shoots from 35m. This kid can kick the ball a country mile! Touched on the line. What was he thinking? Aren't you supposed to kick through the ball? Unforced error.

Taylor Adams may be young, but the Collingwood brains trust picked him twice (once in the draft, then again for this game). He takes possession about 35m out after a chain of pretty good play; his sprayed shot looks inept. Unforced error.

Clinton Young didn't have an opponent all night. He got a heap (26) of possessions and 10 marks (as you might expect). Most of the time, he had the opportunity to dispose of the ball without opposition. He had 7 inside 50s. But he also managed a handpass behind his team mate, and at least one I50 that hit the ground! That's missing your team mate by foot by a mile! He came to the club as a ready-made experienced player with a huge, precision left foot. Sometimes he delivers. Other times, not so much. Unforced errors aplenty.

Head up

So who can hold his head high? I think most players made some errors, but several players did quite a few good things.

Fasolo didn't have a lot of the ball, but 4.1 is a terrific return for the night. For the second week in a row he kicked a goal "around the corner".

Beams (33) pipped Pendles for possession count. One of his plays did not come off and resulted in a goal at the other end (not entirely Beams's fault). For the second week in a row he kicked a goal on his left foot from the left side of the ground. Mostly, his game was simply outstanding.

Elliott roamed far and wide kicking 4.2. Thomas (29 disposals, 3.2, 5 tackles) had a good night despite his errors. Macaffer (8 tackles) did a few things. Goldsack tackled with intent. He and Marley are the only two players who really sprint (reminiscent of Paul Williams).

Harry provided run and penetration.

Steele, except for his 3-week indiscretion, played well.

And also

Cloke. What can I say about Cloke? Yes, he took 12 marks and kicked 5 goals, and yes he kinda broke his drought, but we would be wise not to get too carried away. It was only St Kilda.

With Grundy a late omission, Witts had major ruck duties and did all right. White played a good supporting role. However, Longer by himself had about the same number of hitouts. And it was only St Kilda.

Even Scott Pendlebury's nights which are not so good are still pretty good.

With only 8 goals kicked against them, the defence clearly did ok. But they were barely tested. The Saints lost the I50s 41-63.

The wrap

A big win over a weak opponent. Sure, Collingwood suffered several setbacks, but somehow that makes it worse. You'd expect the reprieved (Thomas, Adams, Seedsman) to grasp the opportunity with both hands. This observer reckons that only Thomas was adequate.


Sources:

Chanel 7

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_match_statistics?mid=5839