Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Geelong 1.1 3.3 6.6 9.8 62 Collingwood 7.1 11.5 13.6 17.8 110During the week, the Master of Time and Space had set the chattering classes chattering.
- "It's a disappointing day and I've sort of never played in a game like that where it is my first time ever that didn't sort of mean anything," Pendlebury told 3AW.1
The Footy Bogan often wonders why people pay so much attention to the utterances of footballers (and ex-footballers). There are some (ex-)footballers whose remarks are valuable, eg Dermie. But mostly such comments are dross. You might just as productively ask a ballerina. Largely, (ex-)players are not of the ilk of Spinoza or Newton or Churchill or Shakespeare. When you think about it, not one of them is.
As he rockets towards his dotage, the Footy Bogan's thermostat has become increasingly erratic. He feels the cold something shocking; this winter feels like the worst in his lifetime. So it should not surprise that he was looking for reasons to stay home on the night of a day that had struggled to 13 and was headed towards 8 very cold degrees Centigrade. The captain's comments were not encouraging. If he's playing in games that don't mean anything why should the Bogan watch?
This is something that the current masters of the AFL probably don't understand. TFB doesn't know the economics, but he suspects that actual attendances at actual footy games are no longer very important. The AFL can count on finals getting good attendances, and, of course, Anzac Day, but they are too busy patting themselves on the backs over the $2.5 bilious TV rights deal to consider why an old cold punter is reluctant to leave home. In the event, it was a tiny crowd on Friday night (40,582 - "the lowest attendance for the fixture in 15 years")5.
The Footy Bogan has a nasty suspicion that the other reason the AFL and the teams don't care is because the teams get a large amount of money up front, money that they get to bank whether the Bogan attends the game or not - because the Bogan, like 70,000+ other Collingwood fans, stumped up his hard-earned on a membership for the complete package late last year. The Bogan dislikes waste, so here was a reason to go.
Back in the good old days, Fitzroy supporters braved all sorts of dreadful weather to watch their team in its final year - because they knew that watching your team perform terribly is better than not having a team to watch. The Bogan could go on, but who cares?
Bolstered by the thought that if the Pies played badly he could leave at half time and be home in time to do something else, the Bogan gritted his teeth, packed his bag and went.
As he drove to the station, the Bogan continued his ruminations. Surely footballers have more to play for than finals. Many players are lucky to get a game; any slip-up could see them relegated to the VFL. Look at Jesse White. This turned out to be a prophetic observation. Further, at the start of the season, the teams play with renewed hope. But a footballer's year does not begin in round 1. Before that there are practice games and, for many years, preseason competition. Before that there is preseason training. These days, football is relentless. Actually, the only time most players have off is October and perhaps a few days around Christmas.
Further, premierships are rarely won in a single year. They are the culmination of the work done in the year or two or three prior to the attainment of the ultimate prize. Football teams constantly talk about rebuilds which they expect to take several years. Look at Melbourne. They are on a journey, a journey which may take several years and may see them reach the destination sought by all - or not. Surely even the most myopic of those whose loyalties lie with Carlton do not expect a premiership any time soon. Every team, at all times, is a work in progress. Conventional wisdom indicates that even last year's premiers cannot rest on their laurels: if they aspire to repeat the success, they must improve.
So there it is: in every game there is something to play for. Why wait for the end of the year and the subsequent preseason? You can get a head start on that by declaring today the start of your team's tilt at its next premiership - maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but soon.2
If I were coach, I'd let them know what there is to play for. Captaincy is not necessarily forever. I'm looking at each player as a candidate for the future. I want you to play each of the remaining games as if it were the grand final. You are - each and every one of you - playing, not for a mere premiership, you're playing for your future at Collingwood. While you are on the field, you do not turn off your role as a footballer. If you do, your future will be elsewhere. People in normal jobs don't get to go home early just because they're a little disappointed - and neither do you.
We're like performers: the show must go on. And you're going to give those loyal fans - your audience - a reward for coming to watch you. And even if there is only one supporter in the stand, you're going to put on the best show you can. Because that fan deserves it. And because you are a professional.
Having revved up a mythical team - and himself - with that speech, the Bogan moved on to an analysis of the game.
Last week they said that we had a place in the final to play for and Richmond had a top-four spot. Who has more at stake this week? In a way, the Pies have nothing to lose: they've already trashed their reputation. The Cats, on the other hand, are on a hiding to nothing. If they win, they live to fight another day; if they lose, they can't make the finals.
If Collingwood can lift, the Cats' season could be over in 15 minutes.
TFB didn't really give this scenario much of a chance. Nevertheless, this is exactly why hundreds of thousands of fans go to games each year. It's what I alluded to earlier when I talked about Fitzroy. Every now and then you go into a game a rank outsider and come home with the chocolates. In this, Collingwood in particular has form with Geelong. The Bogan was at a game - well, just read this from May 2008:
- Collingwood have stunned AFL reigning premiers Geelong, smashing them by 86 points with a brutal and brilliant team performance at the MCG.
The Magpies' fierce tackling set the agenda ...
While the Magpies were a machine, the Cats floundered under intense pressure.3
Sounds a bit like last night.
In truth, we weren't "brutal and brilliant"; this was a more subdued performance. But, if you are selective, we finished off the Cats in 15 minutes: the first 4 of the first quarter and then the period between minutes 15 (when Taylor Adams kicked the Pies' third) and 26 (when Alex Fasolo kicked our 7th for the quarter). We won the rest of the game by exactly two goals.
- Just before I continue, let me say this. It was delightful watching last night's game. In the stands it was obvious we were watching something special. Being Collingwood, the performance was potentially brittle; at any moment, there was a possibility that the tide would turn and swamp us. But as the game progressed, the supporters grew in confidence.
Nevertheless, I have chosen to take the long-term view of this game (following the analysis and rev-up above). So what follows has one eye delighted by the win, while the other eye assesses more soberly its position in the bigger picture.
Our tackling was fierce, relentless and often multiple. When we were good, we were very, very good. When we weren't, we reverted to our rather ordinary form of the last few weeks. Good: we kicked 7.1 in that first quarter, the single behind recorded as rushed though it resulted from a long Swan set shot. He sometimes gets them from that distance, but you don't expect it. Not so good: although we had the same number of scoring shots in the second quarter, we only managed 4.4. (Good versus pedestrian.)
Two of those 4 behinds were to Fasolo, who epitomised another problem: too many of our players are like the girl with the curl. More specifically, they have strings to their bow that we love; but other sides of their play undermine their - and the team's - performance. Fasolo ran and led and marked just about everything that came his way (8); but he missed two gettable set shots. Later, when he marked about 45 out, he was extremely lucky Enright followed him and gave away a 50m penalty. Had he taken the shot from 50, once a gimme for him, I doubt he would have kicked accurately. (His later goal was a snap.)
Langdon marks just about everything in his vicinity (10), but he turns the ball over too often. It's usually stupid and a result of a bad decision. I still don't understand why he is allowed to kick in. Ever.
Taylor Adams was often brilliant (a game-high 36 disposals, 8 marks, 1.1). He is a natural successor to Luke Ball, in and under. But he is still susceptible to producing clangers. Cloke is perhaps the best mark in the league. Despite external appearances, his kicking is not that inaccurate. But he misses easy shots. That's heart-breaking. He compensates by kicking much harder shots, usually from long distances.
The point is that current performances might get us into the finals, but they are a long way from reaping a premiership. As are we.
Greenwood, who was worn by Selwood like a glove, laid 10 tackles.
Pendlebury bounced back from recent relatively poor performances. He played the Robert Murphy role, and didn't he do it with aplomb (and a Cloke-like 11 marks)? He took several kick-ins - and wasn't I glad. I trust him, Williams (another good game including 7 marks) and Reid (16 disposals, 7 marks). As much as we might fantasise about Reid up forward, we need him down back because he (along with pendles) is the best distributor of the ball.
Jesse White came back with a vengeance, kicking 2 goals and picking up 13 disposals - pretty good for a forward. He didn't ruck; only Moore helped Grundy. De Goey, Sidebottom and Crisp all had great games.
Unlike our bad games of the last month or two, we were able to find a path out of defence; our decision-making was much better; our team play more effective and consequently our leads were more often rewarded; we were able to find passes into F50; when we couldn't, our kicks inside were not aimless. They were to a position with a purpose and often our forwards were able to bring the ball to ground for our smalls to pounce, or, at least, to hold it in and force a bounce. Consequently, 17 goals. Not, perhaps the stuff of premierships, but certainly enough for frequent wins; and for a future of good, watchable performances.
We did it without Frost who missed his first game in the last two seasons. It seems he was dropped, but he is still a rookie so maybe the player he replaced (who I thought was Reid) exited the injury list. Toovey was rested. Cloke was a late withdrawal.
Perhaps Cloke's absence contributed to our improved forward performance. Without him, White, Moore and several smalls were all credible forward targets. In short, we were less predictable. Instead of bombing into F50 expecting Cloke to mark, we were much more considered in our forward moves. Can we take anything out of that for the future? Surely it's time to move Cloke permanently out of the forward line.
Momentum
Teams leverage off (fairly recent) past performances. Success breeds success; failure breeds failure. We had a number of near misses which were ultimately failures - and then the team spiraled downhill.
Very few will agree with me, but I don't think that Hawthorn is as good this year as it's ladder position implies. I think that they have won some games because previously they had won games. Their reputation encourages their players and discourages their opponents.
We paid a high price for our near misses. It wasn't just bad luck: the coaching staff contributed by blooding debutants against Hawthorn. How differently might the year have played out.
The wrap
As he pecks away at his keyboard on Saturday morning, the Bogan is wearing his Collingwood beanie and scarf, not just because of the cold. A win sure makes a nice change from 6 losses in a row. If we can knock off the Bombers next week, we can equal last year's record of 11-11.
However, I wouldn't take too much out of that. Buckley reckons we are in a better place than last year. I'm not sure what facts he relies on. Last year we were cruelled by injuries as the year progressed. We were barely able to field a team for the last game.4 This year we had a few setbacks (Keeffe and Thomas) and some injuries, but that's life in footy. As far as I can tell, we had a pretty good crew to choose from. And yet all we could achieve was to equal last year's outcome.
Sure, we have a lot of potential, but more than we had at the start of the year?
Sources, Notes, Footnotes, References
http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_match_statistics?mid=6144[1] http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/scott-pendlebury-says-game-didnt-mean-anything-richmond-blasts-collingwood-at-the-mcg/story-fndv8g1a-1227494545624
[2] With apologies to Rick Blaine, from Casablanca
- If you don't get in that plane you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. - http://www.dolan-heitlinger.com/Quote/quotcasablanca.htm
http://www.theage.com.au/match-centre/afl/match-20150142201.html
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/ladder
[4] http://thefootybogan.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/notes-from-game-2014-round-22-gws.html
[5] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-28/pies-end-cats27-finals-hopes-with-48-point-win/6734222
No comments:
Post a Comment