Post match v Crows all comments here -

[MK]

Reasonable effort by the pies..given that the Crows are probably a 7-8 goal better team. What was a strength at the PIES a number of years ago is now our biggest weakness.
TARRANT-probably the worst kick at goal in the ENTIRE competition.

OBREE-Great efforts to get the pill-thats where it ended.

Richards-6'7"-cant kick over a jam tin.

Lockyer-good game.Is buggered if he has to pin point more than 45 mtrs.

Brodie-Lolly pop,lolly pop ooh la la lolly pop........

Licuria-Gutsiest play alive-kicking ability? ' a scrubber'

BUCKS- the best footballer of the past decade and the best field kick
EVER in any era..kicking for goal on the run...3/10. Always been his achilles

JASON- lion hearted-scrubber.
EGAN- ok I'll give the kid a break.

AND OTHERS.

DIDAK & LONIE.....exceptions. 8/10.


The point that I am trying to make is that a player can have all the skills,flare,G & D, etc etc but if their kicking skills are'nt there -FORGET IT.

Take Lonie....I hear this bloke being bagged on this site over & over & over. But what would any of the above players at the whole club give for his Kicking skills?
The kicking skills at Collingwood has been shithouse for the past 5 years. What in the hell is going on at the club to address this. Absolutely bloody ZILCH.

I think most Pie supporters are pretty pissed off the Forward Line let down & the kicking skills AND SO WE BLOODY SHOULD.

[Cuthbert Collingwood]

i listened to the game via webstreaming on triple m but haven't watched it on CTV yet. Dermie and bt's commentary excellent and insightful - they accurately predicted the course of the game - saying in the 2nd Q that we would run out of legs and wouldn't have the skills to match the crows later in the game.

O'Brien would have been handy as JCloke was slaughtered by Burton. Where to go for J-Clo?!?!? I think MM has been talking him up to get his confidence up, but i find it really hard to work out where he would fit into our team unless there is some radical improvement in skill. Maybe he would be at best a week to week proposition, 7-9 games a year as a loose backman? who knows?

I had thought that Richards needed the game time in the big league - but now think he needs it in the VFL. Bring on C-Clo or Fanning.

Caracella, Burns and the above will make for a better balanced team that should be able to thump the hawks.

out: Clement, J-Clo, Richards, Egan (not that i have anything against him, just not quite there yet)

in: O'Brien, Burns, C-Clo, Cara

I think we need Rhyce back ASAP thanks

[Johnson#26]

Rhyce would be nice. We lacked his dash off hb - although Jonno and Swanny were handy.

[collingwoodjoe]

I gotta say a couple of things:

1. Lonie. His best game ever. by a mile. 20+ possesions, marks, tackles, long kicking, I don't understand why more is not being made of this point on this thread, I guess it is because everyone forgets how consistantly average and underachieving he has been and rates him on his potential, so when he actually lives up to that potential nobody notices! I hope he keeps it up.

2. Thomas. The kid is a gun! run through the middle, a couple of goals, was one of the best on ground, out of both teams.

3. Fraser played a great game, is definately bigger, more physically impressive, looked good.

4. Dane Swan. 34 touches. has to be close to a career high. good game, promising stuff.

5. O'Bree also 30 plus touches, important for us.

6. Johnson. the guy saves our ass so often and no - one even notices, his disposal is average because he usualy gets the pill with four opposition players an arms length in all directions and has to shimmy like you would not believe to get out of it, unfairly targeted on this thread.

Now;

From what I could see, Rocca, Wakelin, Licuria, Holland, Tarrant, Jason Cloke, Egan, Travis Cloke and Richards had ordinary nights. Less than ordinary. but of those 9 guys you can almost garuntee marked improvment from at least 5 within a month, does anyone seriously expect Rocca, Licuria and Tarrant to keep playing average football?
These guys will come good, and we will win more games than last year this season I reckon.

Basically i am saying face facts: Rocca, Wakelin, Tarrant and Licuria played crap games that where below thier standards, but they will improve.

It wasn NOT BJ's, OB's, Swan's, Lockyer's or Maxwell's fault we lost, they all did thier jobs.

Egan wasn't great, Jason Cloke wasn't great, Leon Davis wasn't great, you would have liked one of these guys to spark a charge, but lets be honest if Licca, Rocca and Taz are having a shite night then it's a lot to ask of the junior ranks.

Rocca had a few opportunities, he hasn't played real footy for 12 months, give him a couple of weeks and he will start pulling down those marks and kicking 3 or 4 a game.

For me, Burns and Davies could both have made a difference, and Rhyce chould have made a difference too, I look forward to him coming back.

[dalyc]

In.........absaloutly anyone

OUT..........Ben Johnson

How long is Malthouse going to put up with this undisciplined one dimentional vfl footballer. Cant handball and runs back in to play every single time. Has only one side to his body and does not know how to use it correctly. This bloke must hold the record for out of bounds on the full. I cant believe people actually want to see him in the middle, so what he can break Taz and Roccas hearts even more with another clown who turns it over running at them.


DROP HIM

Agreed - Johnson has got to go. I used to defend him but the turnovers put us under pressure just when we should be putting pressure on the opposition.

We need to bring in someone who will settle the team not unsettle it.

Sorry Ben.

[dalyc]

Surely Chris Egan will never wear the black and white stripes again ?? He has NO idea. I am sorry, I have been patient but I see nothing from him to suggest he is going to make it as a footballer. I would love him to prove me wrong, but sadly, I don't think that's possible...

Still a kid, give him a chance. I mean he got just as bad service from the midfield as our supposed "big three".

[dalyc]

Nuxta - 100% correct, Johnson will be first if the 'favourites' to be axed.

Harsh. Jonno gave us plenty of run/drive off halfback last night.

Plenty of run yes, and great kicks - straight to Crows!!!!

[dalyc]

I didnt think Johnson was that bad either was certainly better than a few others. His run off half back is very important especially with R Shaw still out, no doubt he will be in the team next week

Yes, but he shold only come back if he is fit. And I don't mean that his knee's ok. I mean that his knee's ok and he can run out four quarters. If not, run him at Willi. We can't afford to play anybody who is not fit.

[dalyc]

Rhyce would be nice. We lacked his dash off hb - although Jonno and Swanny were handy.

Jonno was not handy!

[lethalburns]

6. Johnson. the guy saves our ass so often and no - one even notices, his disposal is average because he usualy gets the pill with four opposition players an arms length in all directions and has to shimmy like you would not believe to get out of it, unfairly targeted on this thread.

I have to agree.

I think Johnno is made to look worse because we have no one up field doing anything and the kids natural instinct is to just get the ball moving at all costs.

I've lost count of how many times he dodges half the opposition team only to eventually hit a wall with no options in front of him.

I'll start giving it to him when the rest of the team is actually starts pulling their weight up field.

Heath Shaw should have been in the side helping off HB. We lacked toe last night and I am still pondering why Davies and Heath missed out over Richards and Ego.

[johncitizen]

Good stuff collingwoodjoe

[Masked Magpie]

6. Johnson. the guy saves our ass so often and no - one even notices, his disposal is average because he usualy gets the pill with four opposition players an arms length in all directions and has to shimmy like you would not believe to get out of it, unfairly targeted on this thread.

I have to agree.

I think Johnno is made to look worse because we have no one up field doing anything and the kids natural instinct is to just get the ball moving at all costs.

I've lost count of how many times he dodges half the opposition team only to eventually hit a wall with no options in front of him.

Bollocks. Johnno is made to look bad because there are no players further up the ground with 50m arms to catch his "passes".

[sq3]

I watched the replay again on Fox Footy last night and the boys were shot by 3 quarter time.

The training for these guys was not 'timed' for this match.

When you become fatigued the first thing to go is the skills - and boy did that show.

These guys looked over trained as they could not do the basics - pick up ground balls.

Johnson did turn it over a lot but - he was shot - completely - and it became very clear after about the 10 minute mark of the last quarter. Roo led to the boundary line and Herman Munster kicked it to him - Roo had 5 meters on BJ - and BJ is one of the fastest on our list.

The last quarter looked very much like the Lions last quarter in the practise match - where the defenders led the forwards to the ball !!!

Taz's two attempts near the boundary line clearly showed the signs of an over trained player - hand ball of 4 metres not getting there on the full.

I also think the Adelaide conditioning coach picked up on this in the 3rd quarter and so they sent out the message - make the Pies chase - and they couldn't.

Mr Buttifant you have some clear work to do as these athletes were not 'right on the night'.

[Johnson#26]

Nuxta - 100% correct, Johnson will be first if the 'favourites' to be axed.

Harsh. Jonno gave us plenty of run/drive off halfback last night.

Plenty of run yes, and great kicks - straight to Crows!!!!

Again, harsh. I'd like to see the statistics on his kicking efficiency from last night.

[magpie57]

Can someone please tell me how long MM is going to crucify Chris Tarrant by playing him at full-forward, a position he quite obviously does not want to play in. Wouldn't the club be better served by putting him somewhere where he can better use his pace to advantage- half-forward flank for example.

A good mate remarked only yesterday that it was typical MM coaching and that was the reason the West Coast Eagles were glad to see the back of him. This particular person lived in the west for a number of years and had a close association with the Eagles and to this day is still a one-eyed supporter. His conversation included the comments that MM is good for a couple of years, but he is very staid and set in his ways, has his favourites and is very old-fashioned in his approach to team set-up.

These might just be the opinions of someone who is not a Collingwood supporter, and in my experience they do tend to be negative, but they do I feel lend themselves to some interesting debate.

Collingwood do look to me to be caught in a time-warp of sorts- I sincerely hope that I am wrong.Having said that, what a breath of fresh air Dale Thomas is.

Any comments from anyone would be appreciated.