Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Collingwood 3.2 7.7 9.9 16.9 105
Carlton 2.2 5.3 7.6 13.9 87
Collingwood made hard work of defeating Carlton. Don't forget that this is the team that lost to the Lions. Only one other team can make that claim. It is now second last on the ladder, one above Brisbane. Carlton has only one win more than the hapless Lions. We're not talking about serious opposition here.
In the previous 5 games, Carlton failed to reach 60 points, so Collingwood was not able to restrain them. Of course, gifting them goals from unforced errors and sheer lunacy didn't help.
It's hard to extrapolate from performances against bunnies: they are notoriously erratic. We, on the other hand, have been remarkably consistent, losing the previous 6 games. This game was an aberration.
Highs and lows - mainly the latter
Adams - sheer lunacy. Kicks backwards to Williams inside D50, intercepted, goal. What was he thinking? Oh, that's right: footballer thinking is an oxymoron, especially, of late, when applied to Collingwood footballers.
Pendlebury's pass to Fasolo for mark (and miss) was a bit of long-absent teamwork.
A chain of handpasses along the outer wing sees the ball in Williams's hands 70m from goal. He looks to drive it deep into F50, baulks and coughs it up. The immediate thought is another unforced error, but Williams is a good player so my next question is why were there no options for him? On the replay, there's incomplete vision, but it looks like there were two leads. Perhaps he tried to do too much. But this fits in with something I said last week. They no longer instinctively take the first option; often the moment is lost.
Another defensive play. Blair takes clean unopposed possession. Again, the replay vision is incomplete, the focus too close, but his pass is backwards to Frost rather than forwards. Frost again avoids moving the ball upfield preferring instead a kick across goal to Langdon, a kick that misses his target by several metres and puts Langdon under some pressure. Langdon keeps his arms up as Everitt tackles; his handpass finds Pendlebury, another kick across goal, this time to Maynard, who spends it before it arrives. It's a simple mark of an accurate 25m kick. But why is this the fifth touch inside D50 (actually within 20m of the goal boundary ie the full-back line)? Surely a 50m kick upfield along the boundary puts the ball into a much less dangerous place. The missed mark spills to Kreuzer, handpass to Bell, goal. This is Stupid Play 101. The team has been practising for the last 6 weeks and now have it down pat. That's the second goal in the first 10 minutes of Q2 we have gifted to the opposition. It looks like we are racking up assists at both ends of the ground. "Ugly, but a goal," is the commentator's summary.
Not so long ago, our defence understood the basic principles of defence. Like doctors know the motto do no harm, they accepted that their first obligation was to get the ball out of the danger zone. Only when that principle is satisfied does one look to launch forward forays from half back. During the long losing streak the players have picked up many bad habits. They can't help themselves.
After some circle work at half back (not good), Sinclair shows the way. He steps around an opponent and runs forward, kicks to a lead from Fasolo on the wing. Fasolo kicks quickly past the centre to Sidebottom running forwards. Sidebottom turns to face the ball, marks, turns, assesses his options and kicks to Elliott metres in the clear, 35m from goal. Run, bounce, kick from 1m, goal. It took just 4 kicks from half back.
Ah, Collingwood - the gift that keeps on giving. From the reset, Adams off the ground sends the ball to the 50m line. Some scrambly contested play, followed by some more purposeful handballs, Pendlebury, Varcoe, Blair 20m out, who either doesn't assess his options, or just gets it wrong, either in decision-making or execution. He kicks a behind when Reid is all alone on the fat side, not more than 12m from goal (and on the preferred side - though from 12m it ought not be an issue).
The ball is kicked back into play towards the outer flank. Off hands, Toovey grabs it and jumps over Darcy on the ground, gets tackled, drops the ball onto his boot. It travels over his head like the best soccer goals, scrambled forward by Grundy, Moore handballs to Maynard who contemplates every option but finally accepts instructions from his captain, shepherding, and accurately kicks a goal.
The highs and lows of supporting the Pies, all summarised in a single minute. Suddenly, the Pies have skipped out to a 17-point lead.
Collingwood got to 28 points ahead early in the third quarter and then Sidebottom took a great grab 20m from goal. But the Pies of 2015 really know how to torture their fans. The player who kicked 10 goals in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final missed.
The stupidity continued. Late in the third quarter, Fasolo marked about 40m out directly in front and went back to kick for his 5th goal, but some Collingwood thickhead thumped an opponent and had the decision reversed. It's not like we were home and hosed. In fact, Carlton pegged them back, the margin just 15 points at the last break. After the first two goals of the last quarter, the margin was a paltry 3 points, the game in the balance. And still there are some who talk about Collingwood making finals. What a joke. At this point, the Bogan was fearing the worst.
Collingwood got to a 4 goal, then lemming-like found a way to concede a goal. With 46 seconds left to play, Williams receives a free kick at full back. As he walks back to take his kick, he thinks he spots an outlet and kicks quickly. Cometti interrupts his own summary with, "Oh, that's lazy!" The ball is intercepted, and, in the ensuing play, Carlton win a free and goal after the siren.
The only positive this observer saw was that 13 goals for the last quarter made for more interest than 16 for the previous 3.
Players
Sinclair played well on his return, though he floated in and out a bit. Marsh had a pretty good debut though his opponent, Everitt, kicked 4 goals. Moore was credible in the ruck. Grundy is timing his leap better. He did remarkably well carrying the bulk of the ruck duties.
Reid managed 4 goals in his comeback game to go with his 4 marks. Fasolo had another day out with 8 marks and 4 goals (and one probably stolen by a teammate).
The wrap
What can one say? This year is over. Buckley can use the last 4 rounds as practice matches for his team as he plans his team for next year. The Footy Bogan cannot help wondering how the year might have played out had the Pies selected more judiciously for the Hawthorn game.
Sources, Notes, Footnotes, References
http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_match_statistics?mid=6118
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steele_Sidebottom
Dear Mr TFB
ReplyDeleteI had the pleasure of watching both the VFL and the AFL games on TV.
The club sent me an email asking why I didn’t attend the game – it is because the MSO playing Tchaikovsky piano concerto number 1 had more appeal than the rubbish the AFL puts on.
The view on the TV is of course quite different to the experience at the ground. The cameras will focus on the packs - so one can’t see that you can usually throw a tarpaulin over 36 players, the noise is muted and the moving signs are not explosive to the eye..
But one can’t see the structures. One sees the players handballing sideways and backwards multiple times and one doesn’t realize that there isn’t anyone up ahead and the players are panicking.
Yes, you are correct that there were several gross mistakes that cost us goals and, yes, who did we beat.
However we are a work in early progress. The back line is virtually new. The mid fielders are mainly new.
From what I could see, structure was appearing. Mostly, Reid stayed close to goals and Fasolo about 40 meters out. Bingo, 8 goals. In the VFL, White stayed close to goal and strutted his stuff. There was always a small at his feet or in front of him.
I will watch (from afar) with interest to see how it holds up against a really good team.
Floreat Pica
M