Murray MiddletonWhy It Is Not The End For Collingwood (Round Eighteen)
August 3rd 2008 14:06
On Friday night Collingwood were comprehensively beaten by Hawthorn. The win underlined how far away the Pies are from being genuine premiership contenders. They are now in eighth position, having stayed in the top eight on account of North Melbourne's courageous win against Brisbane. If Collingwood lose to St.Kilda next Saturday night there is a good chance that they will miss the finals. Having made the preliminary final last season, such a finish would appear to be a huge disappointment. But it might not be the worst thing to happen to Collingwood.
If the Pies continue their current form they will gain a top ten draft pick. Regardless of the players available, they must select the quickest player remaining in the draft. Usually I would not advocate such an approach, but Collingwood have looked slow and predictable in their ball movement in recent weeks. Their midfield consists of the likes of O'Bree, Burns, Swan and Lockyer - none of whom have great leg speed. Scott Pendlebury is going to be a great player, but he will need help. An injection of youth and speed might be just what the club needs to be in contention again in 2009.
In 'The Age' last week Robert Walls suggested that Leigh Matthews and Mick Malthouse - the two oldest coaches in the league - have allowed the game to pass them by. I do not subscribe to this theory. Both Malthouse and Matthews have, in fact, managed to keep their sides in top eight contention throughout the season. Considering that both Brisbane and Collingwood have clear deficiencies in their lists, this ought to be considered a good achievement by the respective coaches. After losing to Essendon, Malthouse claimed that he simply did not have the cattle on the park. This was a realistic assessment of where his side was at.
It is not Malthouse's fault that Collingwood do not have the cattle on the park. At the beginning of the season he would have expected at least two of Rusling, Rocca and Reid to play every week. As it stands, none of these three players are likely to play again this season. In their absence the Pies have been forced to rely on Travis Cloke and the undersized Paul Medhurst to hold down their key forward posts. Malthouse has, at times, cleverly deployed the likes of Didak, Thomas and Leon Davis as small forwards to pinch goals. If they had Rocca or Rusling available, their forward structure would have been much more dangerous. Instead, Travis Cloke has been forced to compete with extra number across the half forward line.
Chris Dawes has been playing quite well in the VFL in recent weeks. He is a young, key forward prospect who is likely to be a 200-game player for the club. Dawes already weighs over 100 kilograms and has great physical presence on the field. If Malthouse is feeling audacious, he may select Dawes to make his debut this week. Dawes, Cloke, Nathan Brown, Cameron Wood and perhaps Rusling or Reid should form the spine of a dangerous side for the next decade. Therefore the onus is on Malthouse and the coaching staff to develop a new midfield once the likes of O'Bree, Burns and Lockyer retire.
'Neon' Leon Davis' form was electric earlier in the season. During Friday nights' broadcast Nathan Buckley revealed that Davis has been hampered by a persistent ankle injury over the last six weeks. Davis' sudden drop in form has also hurt the club. He is one of the few quick players in the team. Since the state of origin game Josh Fraser has also been significantly hindered by injury. In his absence the Pies have been forced to rely on Chris Bryan and the developing Cameron Wood in the ruck. Behind closed doors there is little doubt that Malthouse will be lamenting the club's poor run with injuries.
The main criticism of Malthouse that I have has to do with list management. He has made some shrewd trades during his time - perhaps none better than the Chris Tarrant trade. However Malthouse has the tendency to opt for lean athletes in the draft who get caught between positions at senior level. The likes of Toovey, Cox, Goldsack, Egan, Cook, Stanley and John Anthony all have a lot to prove at senior level. None of the above players have the strength to commant a key position, yet none seem to be quick enough to play on the flanks. It is in this respect that Malthouse has perhaps failed to read the trends of the modern game.
Despite one result, Colingwood is clearly not in the same league as Geelong. In the last two seasons they have experienced first-hand the difficulty with trying to pinch a flag from outside the top four. Although the Pies were brave in last season's finals campaign, they still didn't go all the way. And one suspects that they had already spent all of their petrol by the end of the preliminary final. There is still hope for the Pies, even if they miss the finals in 2008. There is little doubt that Mick Malthouse is the right man for the job. It will be interesting to see whether the Pies make a play for Daniel Kerr during trade week. Considering the state of the club's list, it would be a mistake to give up a top ten pick.
If the Pies continue their current form they will gain a top ten draft pick. Regardless of the players available, they must select the quickest player remaining in the draft. Usually I would not advocate such an approach, but Collingwood have looked slow and predictable in their ball movement in recent weeks. Their midfield consists of the likes of O'Bree, Burns, Swan and Lockyer - none of whom have great leg speed. Scott Pendlebury is going to be a great player, but he will need help. An injection of youth and speed might be just what the club needs to be in contention again in 2009.
In 'The Age' last week Robert Walls suggested that Leigh Matthews and Mick Malthouse - the two oldest coaches in the league - have allowed the game to pass them by. I do not subscribe to this theory. Both Malthouse and Matthews have, in fact, managed to keep their sides in top eight contention throughout the season. Considering that both Brisbane and Collingwood have clear deficiencies in their lists, this ought to be considered a good achievement by the respective coaches. After losing to Essendon, Malthouse claimed that he simply did not have the cattle on the park. This was a realistic assessment of where his side was at.
It is not Malthouse's fault that Collingwood do not have the cattle on the park. At the beginning of the season he would have expected at least two of Rusling, Rocca and Reid to play every week. As it stands, none of these three players are likely to play again this season. In their absence the Pies have been forced to rely on Travis Cloke and the undersized Paul Medhurst to hold down their key forward posts. Malthouse has, at times, cleverly deployed the likes of Didak, Thomas and Leon Davis as small forwards to pinch goals. If they had Rocca or Rusling available, their forward structure would have been much more dangerous. Instead, Travis Cloke has been forced to compete with extra number across the half forward line.
Chris Dawes has been playing quite well in the VFL in recent weeks. He is a young, key forward prospect who is likely to be a 200-game player for the club. Dawes already weighs over 100 kilograms and has great physical presence on the field. If Malthouse is feeling audacious, he may select Dawes to make his debut this week. Dawes, Cloke, Nathan Brown, Cameron Wood and perhaps Rusling or Reid should form the spine of a dangerous side for the next decade. Therefore the onus is on Malthouse and the coaching staff to develop a new midfield once the likes of O'Bree, Burns and Lockyer retire.
'Neon' Leon Davis' form was electric earlier in the season. During Friday nights' broadcast Nathan Buckley revealed that Davis has been hampered by a persistent ankle injury over the last six weeks. Davis' sudden drop in form has also hurt the club. He is one of the few quick players in the team. Since the state of origin game Josh Fraser has also been significantly hindered by injury. In his absence the Pies have been forced to rely on Chris Bryan and the developing Cameron Wood in the ruck. Behind closed doors there is little doubt that Malthouse will be lamenting the club's poor run with injuries.
The main criticism of Malthouse that I have has to do with list management. He has made some shrewd trades during his time - perhaps none better than the Chris Tarrant trade. However Malthouse has the tendency to opt for lean athletes in the draft who get caught between positions at senior level. The likes of Toovey, Cox, Goldsack, Egan, Cook, Stanley and John Anthony all have a lot to prove at senior level. None of the above players have the strength to commant a key position, yet none seem to be quick enough to play on the flanks. It is in this respect that Malthouse has perhaps failed to read the trends of the modern game.
Despite one result, Colingwood is clearly not in the same league as Geelong. In the last two seasons they have experienced first-hand the difficulty with trying to pinch a flag from outside the top four. Although the Pies were brave in last season's finals campaign, they still didn't go all the way. And one suspects that they had already spent all of their petrol by the end of the preliminary final. There is still hope for the Pies, even if they miss the finals in 2008. There is little doubt that Mick Malthouse is the right man for the job. It will be interesting to see whether the Pies make a play for Daniel Kerr during trade week. Considering the state of the club's list, it would be a mistake to give up a top ten pick.
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