Flounder
9 Aug 2001, 13:48
There was a time when opposition team's would absolutely **** themselves when playing Collingwood. We were the super side in the competition. They hated us with a passion. They despised us. And more important of all, they feared us. They knew that a battle with Collingwood would leave them battered, sore and embarrassed. They dreamed to be us. They dreamed to have our supporter base. They dreamed to have our passion. They could only imagine what it is like to play to sell out crowds week in week out. God, how I miss those days.
They hated us so much that in 1990 in the Qualifying Final Replay, opposition teams' cheersquads were there in the crowd waving their flags with the Eagles cheersquad. Just think about how cowardly and pathetic such an action is. Think about that next time these same teams are rattling cans under your nose to collect funds for their struggling, pathetic club. Think about those St. Kilda flags mixed in with the Eagles cheersquad and send an almighty gob of spit in their direction instead. Then think about how they must have felt when we won our next 3 finals matches by an average of 10 goals. Think about how they felt as they all witnessed the once great Tony Shaw lift up the premiership trophy above his head that Saturday in 1990. Think about how YOU felt when your heart was beating with pride. Remember the feeling of the blood pumping through your veins as once again Collingwood was the supreme Club throughout all the land. How I wish it was October 6 1990 again. How I miss that day.
We watched as our once mighty club fell into the depths of mediocrity and despair, then we watched in horror as it all bottomed out. No more were we hated. No more were we feared. We were laughed at. We sat holding the rest of the ladder up as the likes of Essendon, North Melbourne, Adelaide became superior teams and collected premiership after premiership. We were pitied. We had flatlined. We were the worst team of the competition. Make no mistake, we were at the lowest point of our proud history. We were dead. Our mightiest hero who had been such a courageous and inspirational leader and captain brought the club to its knees. I for one, will never forgive Tony Shaw for what he did to our club until he comes clean and apologizes and shoulders some of the responsibility. Until that day comes, I will hate him for the traitor and usurper that he has become.
We went through more pain at the beginning of the new millennium. But we had taken positive steps. We had taken so many backwards steps in the mid to late 90's that we were now behind the rest of the competition by miles. But a new coach was at the helm. A new attitude was generated. A lifeline had been handed to the Collingwood Football Club and the sleeping, wounded giant began to rise from the mire it had been dwelling in for so many years.
New blood had arrived. New names that the hopes of generations of supporters are relying on. New heroes. New champions are in the making. They are learning. They are developing under a game-plan that can match it with the best. Josh Fraser is at the Club. A future leader and captain he is. His destiny is to lead this Club. His destiny is to hold up a Premiership Cup. I can see it happening as plain as day. Can you?
A new legend is at the Club. He is fast. He is agile. He is an enigma in the football world and has the world at his feet. Literally. Chris Tarrant is his name. He not only stands heads and shoulders above his peers, he stands on THEIR heads and shoulders and pulls the ball from the heaven's. He is learning his craft. He is learning what it is to be a man. He is learning the team rules and what must be done to claim the ultimate prize.
There is Nick Davis. Carving up the opposition. Flying in the air to take marks that a man of his size should not even contemplate. But he does it week in week out. He runs. He flies. He goals. Mr. Consistancy. He is accurate. He is fast. He is skillful. He is still young. He is another superstar, another champion that will be standing alongside his cohorts holding the Premiership aloft in a few short years.
The human battering ram has arrived at Collingwood. Busting packs open. Running. Bumping. Harrasing. Destroying the opposition. Week in. Week out. The Club now has an enforcer. The Club now has a player that makes all others in the side stand tall around him. They're not footsteps the opposing teams hear behind them, that is the sound of a wrecking machine on it's way to split a pack. No, that isn't the sound of a man coming towards you... that's Jarrod Molloy.
Then there is Nathan Buckley. Beyond the shadow of any doubt he is one of the greatest players ever to pull on a black and white jumper. He demands nothing but the best and they hate him for it. He has given his soul to this club. He has given everything he can give and still the fans want more. He has carried us through the depths of hell and beyond. Never shirking the issue. Never complaining. He lives with the dream. The dream to take this team to greatness. There is nothing he wants more. Nothing he craves more than to be there that last day in September to top off a stellar career. There is no greater captain than Nathan Buckley. There is no greater man that could lead this young brigade through the success and fortune that is awating them and us all.
There's more stories to be told. There's Ryan Lonie. Damian Adkins. Leon Davis. Brodie Holland. James Clement. More heroes to come. More highs than lows await us. More hatred to be bestowed our way again. More wins than losses are just around the corner. Testimony to us so far, that the losses have NOT outweighed the wins. Cheer loud and stick it up all of em who have anything bad to say about the Black and the White!
This is a new Collingwood. A young Collingwood. Finding its feet still but improving. Improving so much that many of us had forgotten that a mere 12 months ago, this was a bottom side. A mere 2 years ago, this was a wooden spoon side. With four games to go, we are sitting in the eight. In fact, we've sat in the eight for all but 1 week this season(!) Think about that! Here we are, just two wins away from a finals appearance. Yes, we're in a slump. But we know, and the team knows that they are much better than this. We know we can mix it with the big boys. I'm sick of dwelling on negativity. This is my team. This is your team. This is the team we go to war with each week. This is the team that needs us NOW more than ever. Let's show the opposition what the term "Magpie Army" really means. Let's bring the MCG down to the ground this coming week. Let's do to the Doggies what we've already done to them this year... maul them. Let's make the football world stand up and take notice. Let's remind them all what we did to Port and the Crows on their own dungheap. Let's rekindle some of the run and spirit we showed on Anzac Day that had the Essendon mob shaking in their boots until the final siren when we let the game slip through our fingers. Yeah, they took the four points that day, but they didn't take away our pride or gutsiness.
I'm not giving up yet.
See you at the G on Sunday. Victory awaits.
From The Outer - www.fromtheouter.com
They hated us so much that in 1990 in the Qualifying Final Replay, opposition teams' cheersquads were there in the crowd waving their flags with the Eagles cheersquad. Just think about how cowardly and pathetic such an action is. Think about that next time these same teams are rattling cans under your nose to collect funds for their struggling, pathetic club. Think about those St. Kilda flags mixed in with the Eagles cheersquad and send an almighty gob of spit in their direction instead. Then think about how they must have felt when we won our next 3 finals matches by an average of 10 goals. Think about how they felt as they all witnessed the once great Tony Shaw lift up the premiership trophy above his head that Saturday in 1990. Think about how YOU felt when your heart was beating with pride. Remember the feeling of the blood pumping through your veins as once again Collingwood was the supreme Club throughout all the land. How I wish it was October 6 1990 again. How I miss that day.
We watched as our once mighty club fell into the depths of mediocrity and despair, then we watched in horror as it all bottomed out. No more were we hated. No more were we feared. We were laughed at. We sat holding the rest of the ladder up as the likes of Essendon, North Melbourne, Adelaide became superior teams and collected premiership after premiership. We were pitied. We had flatlined. We were the worst team of the competition. Make no mistake, we were at the lowest point of our proud history. We were dead. Our mightiest hero who had been such a courageous and inspirational leader and captain brought the club to its knees. I for one, will never forgive Tony Shaw for what he did to our club until he comes clean and apologizes and shoulders some of the responsibility. Until that day comes, I will hate him for the traitor and usurper that he has become.
We went through more pain at the beginning of the new millennium. But we had taken positive steps. We had taken so many backwards steps in the mid to late 90's that we were now behind the rest of the competition by miles. But a new coach was at the helm. A new attitude was generated. A lifeline had been handed to the Collingwood Football Club and the sleeping, wounded giant began to rise from the mire it had been dwelling in for so many years.
New blood had arrived. New names that the hopes of generations of supporters are relying on. New heroes. New champions are in the making. They are learning. They are developing under a game-plan that can match it with the best. Josh Fraser is at the Club. A future leader and captain he is. His destiny is to lead this Club. His destiny is to hold up a Premiership Cup. I can see it happening as plain as day. Can you?
A new legend is at the Club. He is fast. He is agile. He is an enigma in the football world and has the world at his feet. Literally. Chris Tarrant is his name. He not only stands heads and shoulders above his peers, he stands on THEIR heads and shoulders and pulls the ball from the heaven's. He is learning his craft. He is learning what it is to be a man. He is learning the team rules and what must be done to claim the ultimate prize.
There is Nick Davis. Carving up the opposition. Flying in the air to take marks that a man of his size should not even contemplate. But he does it week in week out. He runs. He flies. He goals. Mr. Consistancy. He is accurate. He is fast. He is skillful. He is still young. He is another superstar, another champion that will be standing alongside his cohorts holding the Premiership aloft in a few short years.
The human battering ram has arrived at Collingwood. Busting packs open. Running. Bumping. Harrasing. Destroying the opposition. Week in. Week out. The Club now has an enforcer. The Club now has a player that makes all others in the side stand tall around him. They're not footsteps the opposing teams hear behind them, that is the sound of a wrecking machine on it's way to split a pack. No, that isn't the sound of a man coming towards you... that's Jarrod Molloy.
Then there is Nathan Buckley. Beyond the shadow of any doubt he is one of the greatest players ever to pull on a black and white jumper. He demands nothing but the best and they hate him for it. He has given his soul to this club. He has given everything he can give and still the fans want more. He has carried us through the depths of hell and beyond. Never shirking the issue. Never complaining. He lives with the dream. The dream to take this team to greatness. There is nothing he wants more. Nothing he craves more than to be there that last day in September to top off a stellar career. There is no greater captain than Nathan Buckley. There is no greater man that could lead this young brigade through the success and fortune that is awating them and us all.
There's more stories to be told. There's Ryan Lonie. Damian Adkins. Leon Davis. Brodie Holland. James Clement. More heroes to come. More highs than lows await us. More hatred to be bestowed our way again. More wins than losses are just around the corner. Testimony to us so far, that the losses have NOT outweighed the wins. Cheer loud and stick it up all of em who have anything bad to say about the Black and the White!
This is a new Collingwood. A young Collingwood. Finding its feet still but improving. Improving so much that many of us had forgotten that a mere 12 months ago, this was a bottom side. A mere 2 years ago, this was a wooden spoon side. With four games to go, we are sitting in the eight. In fact, we've sat in the eight for all but 1 week this season(!) Think about that! Here we are, just two wins away from a finals appearance. Yes, we're in a slump. But we know, and the team knows that they are much better than this. We know we can mix it with the big boys. I'm sick of dwelling on negativity. This is my team. This is your team. This is the team we go to war with each week. This is the team that needs us NOW more than ever. Let's show the opposition what the term "Magpie Army" really means. Let's bring the MCG down to the ground this coming week. Let's do to the Doggies what we've already done to them this year... maul them. Let's make the football world stand up and take notice. Let's remind them all what we did to Port and the Crows on their own dungheap. Let's rekindle some of the run and spirit we showed on Anzac Day that had the Essendon mob shaking in their boots until the final siren when we let the game slip through our fingers. Yeah, they took the four points that day, but they didn't take away our pride or gutsiness.
I'm not giving up yet.
See you at the G on Sunday. Victory awaits.
From The Outer - www.fromtheouter.com