Buckley And Woewoden To Miss Wizard Cup Vs West Coast

[wrennyboy]

Just listening to 3aw and it just said in a sports update that they are missing the wizza cup for sum reason i didnt catch why but i just though i would inform u

[taff wa]

Correct me if Im wrong, but don't Collingwood have a very good record with Rocca being acting captain (as I assume he will be on Saturday night).

[understudy]

Originally posted by wrennyboy
Just listening to 3aw and it just said in a sports update that they are missing the wizza cup for sum reason i didnt catch why but i just though i would inform u

thanks, probably/possibly being rested i suspect.

more vindication of the view to scrap the preseason and go straight into an extended season imo.

[Russian]

Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Collingwood is set to fly to Perth for its Wizard Home Loans Cup opener against West Coast on Saturday night without skipper Nathan Buckley and star midfielder Shane Woewodin.

Indeed, the Pies look set to field one of their most inexperienced line-ups for some time with Magpies’ coach Mick Malthouse considering playing a host of untried players including David King, Luke Shackleton, Cameron Cloke, Guy Richards, Luke Mullins and rookie Justin Crow.



Not surprisingly Malthouse believes his team – beaten grand finalists in the past two years as well as being runners-up to Adelaide in last year’s pre-season competition – face a tough task in this year’s Wizard Cup.

“You want to do well in the pre-season and get the boots on and have a kick but we are playing against a side that has been training for three or four weeks more than us, on their ground (Subiaco) and in the heat on a travelling situation,” he said.

In fact Malthouse gave the impression that a defeat in Perth on Saturday night would almost be beneficial to his side, saying last year’s run to the Wizard Cup grand final had a negative impact on the side during the critical opening weeks of the 2003 home and away season.

“This time last year we were thinking we were a fair way behind but we gained a lot more ground that we thought, but it had a detrimental effect in the early part of the season,” he said.

“We won our first three (home and away) games but then we lost our next three and I reckon we lost our next three because we were dead on our feet (following the long Wizard Cup campaign).

Malthouse said he would be taking no risks with his champion skipper, who had minor knee surgery during the off-season following his 2003 Brownlow Medal win.

“Whether we play him (Buckley) this week or not, we’re not sure,” Malthouse said.

“I’m not sure if he has really got the fitness for this early on and I would rather have him ready for the first game.”

While Buckley is likely to be named in the squad of 28, Malthouse said it was doubtful he would be in the final team – unless hot weather dictated each team could play 26 players instead of the usual 24.

Woewodin, the 2000 Brownlow Medalist, is unlikely to be even in the squad after battling a minor hamstring problem and then illness in the past two weeks.

In the absence of the two stars as well as Tarkyn Lockyer (knee) and Mark McGough (groin), the Pies are likely to have a host of new boys in their side.

The Pies have just 27 players on their list of 39 with AFL experience, a figure Malthouse is desperate to boost as quickly as possible.

“I really think that is running a risk,” he said of the lack of senior experience on the Pies’ list ahead of the 2004 season following the retirements of Mark Richardson and Jarrod Molloy and the move of Heath Scotland to Carlton.

“So from here to round five, I think it’s essential we have enough players to say we have got 32 or 33 senior players so we need to play five for six new players in the true season but trial them between now and that fifth round.”

[Lockyer24]

About bloody time... we rested Brownlow from crap like this. One and a half pre-season games should be all that is required to warm him up for Round 1..and it shoul dhave been like this for years.

Also interesting to note MM once again hinted he will play mostly half back this year.

Jeez we will get a lot of rebound now with Bucks, Clement and Shawry!

[guess_who]

Wats the wizard cup seriously, why play your stars when we have so many players that could or should and are being talked about as the next big thing, for shi.tness sakes who cares about players like Buckley, Woey, Burns, Rocca, Tarrant and so on We know that they can play rest them up for the start of the season proper and give some young players ago!!!

[taff wa]

Why should this thread be moved.


There are other threads like about Ben Marsh, Dean Soloman and the practise game between Essendon and Sydney on the main board that havent been moved.

[Jabso]

The wizard cup is just a glorified round of practice matches. Having said that it's nice that they're televised and there is no need for it to be removed.

[Magpira]

Originally posted by taff wa
Why should this thread be moved.


There are other threads like about Ben Marsh, Dean Soloman and the practise game between Essendon and Sydney on the main board that havent been moved.

Because it's about Collingwood naturally :eek: You know for us to get a permanent fixture on the main board has to consist of GF losses and/or Bucks V The World :rolleyes:

[Nic]

Originally posted by taff wa
Correct me if Im wrong, but don't Collingwood have a very good record with Rocca being acting captain (as I assume he will be on Saturday night).

You're right. It's either 100% or we've lost only one with him as cpatain, not entirely sure.

[Howie]

I think the idea of resting players is something that needs to be bled into the season proper.

Let's forget the Wizard Cup for a second, which I'm pumped about solely because of the new faces, but I think there is good reason for players to be regularly rested throughout the course of the season.
For example, how brilliant was Buckley for a month after the forced bye.

To have your complete squad, fit and firing on finals eve would be a massive advantage. I don't think we had this last year, although we obviously weren't the casualty ward that Brisbane was.

Anyway, I think at least one player each week should be rested solely to freshen their legs.
This theory would provide greater opportunities for younger players to get experience, it would also help eliminate the reliance on one or two players in certain areas of the ground, which is obviously unhealthy come finals time (see Cloke 2002 and Rocca 2003).
And the biggest benefit is, if the week's rest is rotated properly, players will be able to shake off niggles and avoid longer term injuries.

There is a risk involved in not playing your best 22, but this unit is good enough to cover any holes and still win its 16-games plus in a season.

[guess_who]

I agree with your theory, but struggle to see it happen!!! After all if it was Tarrants turn to be rested rd five against the bombers and we loose because we lacked forward options, who would be the scapegoat

[Howie]

I think it could be done with a bit more thought than just randomly - obviously match-ups would always be prominent to selection.

In addition, as I said before, Collingwood has learned a pretty valuable lesson that it can't rely on any set one, two or three forwards to do the job. Otherwise you get found out late in Sept should one get suspended/injured.

Tell Davidson or Cam Cloke that this week, you're the man. I'm giving you the first half of this game to make a contest and kick two goals. Should you do that you get the second half as well.
The win is that Tarrant's fresh for the following week and Davidson or CC have been pumped full of confidence.

Obviously this comes crashing down if we or the designated forward get flogged, but you don't win flags in May. However, by occassional risk taking you cant create an outfit good enough to finish the job in Sept.

This might all be bull****, but I'm just throwin it up to see what u think.