Well, here we are again, people. Just one step away from the big dance. Welcome to the Game Day thread for the 1st Preliminary Final. Standing in our way of a date with destiny, and the Richmond Football Club, is the franchise operation from out in Sydney’s western suburbs, the Greater Western Sydney Giants. Depleted, but still dangerous.
The teams:
Tip: Oh, I’m hopeless at this. On one hand, when I tip against us, we often win. On the other hand, when I tip for us, we often lose. Every rule has it’s exception, though, so here goes… Collingwood by 19 points.
Over to you…
The draft has come and gone and no rabbits were pulled out of the Magpie hat. The positives are that we retained Elliott and we brought in some cover for Grundy in the form of Cameron. I think unless he is a lot better than the Swans thought he is only go to play if Grundy gets injured. I doubt that they will be picked in the same team unless Cox gets injured. The negatives are that we failed to strengthen when a number of other clubs did and for minimal cost. Zak Jones for pick 32 and some draft swaps is great business for the Saints as was Butler for pick 58. There were others of a similar nature that I have already alluded to in earlier entries. I also cannot understand why we would trade out Aish for a future second round draft pick and a further exchange of picks next year which will make our return even less. He has a year to run on his contract so keeping him next year would not impact on contracts of other players down the track and he is possibly in our best 22 and certainly in our best 25 if all are fit. Why would your keep Varcoe and Reid for that matter, who are both out of contract and get rid of Aish when he can play a number of roles and adds genuine depth and he is nearly 10 years younger. We also could not off load Scharenberg who is obviously out of favour and unlikely to figure next year unless the injury toll is that bad that even the selection of Magden is not enough to cover the gaps.
So to the future. We have punted heavily on our current list being good enough and time will tell whether that is realistic or not. Maybe with a good run with injuries and some improvement from the younger players we will be genuine contenders but there are a lot of ifs in this and history does not give me confidence. The other problem will be the continual distraction of the ongoing contract negotiations of Grundy, Moore and DeGoey and to a lesser extent Pendlebury. Very few clubs have their best four players coming off contract at the same time so this is going to be a continuing saga until the end of the year.
Apologies meant to say Aish to Fremantle plus pick 69 this year and our 3rd pick next year.
Collingwood get Fremantle’s 2 rd and 4 rd picks next year.
Aish to Fremantle Pies get pick 69 and a 3rd pick next year.
Pies trying to get a trade with Fremantle done for Aish.
Great rhetoric all round, lads.
Cupla comments:
NMU – You are the epitome of the Collingwood supporter who makes the jizz fly in Fat Eddie’s office.
This is priceless. I can just imagine, notwithstanding it is an absolutely disgusting visual, big Ed jizzing around the office when reading Big Footy. Ohh! That’s nasty.
RS – Just insightful commentary trying to explain that the likes of you, NMU and myself are not bagging the club when pointing out the clear mistakes/errors/conflicts that the club has made over the years. The club and a number of its key figures need to be held to account not lauded.
Brymee – we may not always agree but no one can question your passion and pain. You can feel it in your commentary.
I noted your recent comments – “Unfortunately, Collingwood does not attract many top players from other clubs…”
Why do you think that is the case?
And – “During that period we have seen clubs like WCE, Adelaide, P.A, Brisbane and Sydney hand picked by the AFL to win a premiership because of special concession after special concession.”
– Can you explain why the likes of Hawthorn, Geelong and most recently Richmond have managed considerably greater success than Collingwood during this difficult climate?
– Further, can you recall the Presidents of the above 3 clubs publicly complaining about the above inequities and concessions afforded to the likes of WCE, Adelaide, P.A, Brisbane, Sydney, GWS and Gold Coast. We know that McGuire did /does.
General Comments/Questions :
– RS: Fully agree with your comparison regarding the costs to Geelong to get Stevens vs Collingwood’s costs to get Beams. With all due respect, and we all wish Dayne a successful recovery, whoever did that deal oughta be shot. It actually smacks of the Collingwood clouded mindset – let’s get our past premiership player back, at any cost. Emotion vs Common Sense.
– RS : I would have taken Jenkins for next to nothing. I think he has value.
Collingwood has played in 44 VFL/AFL premiership games for 15 wins so, there must have been a lot of bad coaches and boards running the club over the years according to some blokes.
Now, I can vouch for there being plenty of poor premiership players along the way but, not too many poor coaches.
Unlucky ones certainly, with Bob Rose and Tom Hafey being two.
This club has broken more players and coaches over the years than almost any other club
During that period we have seen clubs like WCE, Adelaide, P.A, Brisbane and Sydney hand picked by the AFL to win a premiership because of special concession after special concession.
This draft we have seen Gold Coast, another of the AFLs babies given more special concessions and draft picks.
Why haven’t some of the original clubs like St Kilda, N.M, Melbourne, and the Bulldogs received any such considerations?
There are so many things wrong with the AFL and nowadays they encourage a feeding frenzy every time a good player is coming to the end of his current contract.
Unfortunately, Collingwood does not attract many top players from other clubs and getting rid of your best current players will not ensure that will change.
It takes so long to build up a competitive list and the supporters will be unforgiving if the club drops towards the bottom from doing so.
There have been times when many of us supporters have been so frustrated that we felt like walking away.
I stopped being a member after 45 or more years because of such frustration .
Lately, I feel more confident that we are close but, time will tell and I just feel that we are due for a run of good luck and will give it at least next season before dropping my dummy in the dirt.
Last year we gave two first round draft picks for Beams, then a 29 year old with a previous history of mental health issues. This year Geelong gave Pick 58 for Jack Stevens, a 30 year old with previous history of mental health issues. Both at their best are A grade midfielders – I think that Stevens has won St Kilda’s best and fairest 4 times. Beams won at least one up in Brisbane. Geelong have just traded out a key midfielder and wanted a replacement for the next couple of years. My guess is that he is on way less salary than Beams. Beams was brought into a team that supposedly had the best midfield in the comp before his arrival. Talking about Geelong it appears that they are going to pick up Jenkins for next to nothing as well. They actually need Jenkins or someone like him as they are short of this type of player and Hawkins is getting older and they do not have much in the way of ruck stocks given that they have traded out one today. Before any one jumps up and down and says that I argued against recruiting Jenkins with Rosco that is correct and I do not want him for the Pies as we already have Cox and we do not want another of this type on the List. The difference is that Geelong do have a need for him and recruiting him for next to nothing is good list management as is getting Stevens for Pick 58 when you have been forced to trade out Kelly and in the process have got back 2 first round picks and extras.
Brymee and PP it is not bagging the club to point these things out – it is genuine discourse as to why when the pointy end of the season comes around next year you will probably not find the Pies in the mix. The last two years have happened and no one can change that. It is what you learn from what has past that can help you improve going forward. The lessons that I have learned are that we need a few specific players and that here are bargains to be had in the trade period if you choose wisely to fill specific gaps. Pick 58 gets you a raw kid in the National draft or a ready made player if it happens to be a trade for Stevens. Try getting John Patton or Frost for picks in the 50’s in the National draft. If you do it is basically a fluke and you are going to have to wait 5 years for the potential to be unlocked. The Hawks have got two Key Position players for almost nothing and one will come with an average salary. The other was a Number 1 draft pick a few years ago.
The fact remains, Brymee, we lost two matches we never should have.
I highly doubt McGuire would invite me with open arms. Eddie is all about Eddie, not questioning Eddie, as his response to the fan that queried our injuries earlier this season showed all too well.
The “14 other clubs” is akin to saying there are 17 other teams that can win the Premiership, they’re hard to get line Rosco often trotted out.
Hawthorn do not think like that, why should we?
The answer is in what I have said: we overrate our own like no other club, and are a club run on emotion, not ruthlessness.
It really is that simple.
We are extremely unlikely to win a Premiership under the current coaching regime. My history lesson earlier has shown that. Only two coaches in the last fifty years have taken longer than 8 years to win a Premiership – Blight and Malthouse. No one has done it after 9 years.
Well NMU, you are such a font of knowledge I am sure Eddie would welcome you with open arms.
The fact remains Collingwood made the GF in 2018 and finished third in 2019.
All the bullshit in the world does not change that fact.
14 other clubs finished outside the top four.
I f you feel you can do better than Buckley then please, go and present your case to the Collingwood board who I am sure will be more than interested in hearing what they are doing wrong.
I am no different to most other supporters FFS, I have followed this club since I was in nappies.
I have been to nearly all the sixties, seventies and eighties GF s so why, if it is so easy to work out how to win a premiership did we lose so many?
Continually shitcanning the club would not be so bad if they were finishing at the bottom of the ladder every year but, the improvement over the last two years has been great and I am sure Buckley and his recruiters are well aware of what is needed and working on fixing it.
If the whole thing collapses next year and they finish bottom six I may change my mind but, until then I am willing to see what happens
This is exactly what you said Piper:”Finally, I agree Hawthorn has been the benchmark for 3 of the last 4 decades. But we have done far better than our arch enemies and many other clubs over that same period.”
Factually incorrect. Every one of our arch rivals has done significantly better than the CFC over the past 4 decades. So have most other clubs.
You are the epitome of the Collingwood supporter who makes the jizz fly in Fat Eddie’s office, Brymee.
We were five goals ahead in the first quarter and still lost the GF (with Pendlebury playing a stinker).
GWS were on the canvas with an 8 count before they ran through the banner, and we came out with the most insipid mindset of the Buckley reign so far. That was the most putrid and disgraceful Collingwood performance I have seen in Christ knows how long (and there has been a pretty big sample size to choose from during Buckley’s reign).
We only made the Preliminary final thanks to Hawthorn beating WC. If they hadn’t done that, we would have finished 5-6, which would be a more accurate picture of our season.
That isn’t good enough, and needs more than just “if we don’t have as many injuries, if Beamer can get back,if,if,if” thinking.
Ego and emotion rule at the CFC, not sound practice underpinned by a ruthlessness to be better than everyone else.
That’s why RFCM and I are so critical.