Johnson#26
26 Feb 2006, 13:40
Collingwood vs St.Kilda: Match Preview:
The long awaited return of football is here – and the Collingwood army will be out on force as the team takes on St.Kilda at Telstra Dome. After two bitterly disappointing seasons riddled by injury and poor form, the Pies will be hoping that 2006 will be the year they break the vicious cycle which has plagued the club since the 2003 Grand Final debacle. A host of new faces are set to take to the field for the first time in Black and White, while it appears that the Saints, too, will be taking a look at the future on Sunday.
Collingwood will be pinning their hopes on their much vaunted forward combination of Rocca, Tarrant, Fraser, Travis Cloke, Caracella and Didak among others. The group was destroyed in 2005 by injury, all players mentioned bar the debutant Cloke suffering from an injury somewhere along the line.
The sight of a fit and firing Rocca taking the field will be a joy for Magpie supporters, who have waited almost 12 months to see him in action once more. The man whom many believe is the key to a Collingwood revival has enjoyed perhaps his best pre-season since joining the club in 1997, his body fitter than ever. The hunger in the eyes has been apparent, and Sunday’s clash is the best place to get his game into top gear.
Rocca’s likely opponent will be courageous Saint Max Hudghton. The brave Saint has missed many a contest due to his heroics on the last line of the defence, and is the ideal match up for Rocca. It will be interesting to see if Rocca leads his man up the field or opts to remain set inside the fifty.
St.Kilda’s defence is undermanned, lacking the height required to hold opposition powerhouses. Matters have not been improved with the retirement of the bulky Luke Penny, with many experts stating that the Saints defence is its Achilles heal.
Expect to see Mick Malthouse stretch the small Saints unit, employing Tarrant, Rocca and Travis Cloke to run up the field.
Expect to see Tarrant pitted against the mobile Saint Sam Fisher, who was a quiet achiever in the Moorabbin backline last year. A handy golfer, Fisher can hold a strong mark and often players taller than he is, with his mobility and composure features of his game.
Fisher will relish the opportunity to take to the field, struggling in the latter stages of last season with a foot injury. He is a solid match up for Tarrant, who loves nothing more than to lead up to the wings in search of his marks. Fisher will have the pace and leap to go with him, but it remains to be seen how he will cope with the dynamic Tarrant in one-on-one contests.
Another plus for the Saints is ruckman Michael Rix, who will make his debut after serving a lengthy apprenticeship with VFL clubs Coburg and Box Hill. Despite spending most of his VFL career in the ruck, there is a strong train of thought that he will be utilised by Grant Thomas in a key defensive post.
Rix is said to be quite mobile for a player of his size, and is tipped to get the first run on Magpie utility Josh Fraser. Fraser recently played his first full match since 2004, with his 2005 season wiped out by a knee injury.
Fraser has been one of the standouts on the training track, and is set to silence the doubters with what looks set to be a career best season.
He will be assisted this season by fellow ruckman Guy Richards, who it is hoped will free Fraser up from the ruck duties to play as the third tall forward – his mobility to cause many a headache for opposition coaching panels.
Richards will be a player watched keenly by those who bleed Black and White this year. Much hype surrounded his junior careers, with the Pies more than happy to acquire his services with selection 37 in the 2000 Draft – many an expert tipping him to go in the top ten.
Since he arrived at Victoria Park, Richards has struggled badly with injury – a catalogue of differing ailments holding him back over the past five years. His 2005 was another to be written off due to injury – a persistent hip flexor muscle halting the progress made the previous year, where he earned himself the number one ruck role.
The prospect of Richards contesting the opening bounce for 2006 will be keenly awaited by the Woods. This year sees the kid gloves off – Richards will be expected to cement his name as the club’s number one ruckman.
He will be supported by Fraser and potentially former NBL ruckman David Fanning, as he faces off with Saint trio Cain Ackland, Jason Blake and Rix. Both rucking groups are yet to properly prove themselves as league forces, which will add extra spice to this contest.
The battle of the midfields sees the pendulum holding firmly in the St.Kilda court, with four All-Australian’s and four Best and Fairest’s set to take on the Magpie group lacking its biggest names – veterans Nathan Buckley and Scott Burns.
Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo, Luke Ball and Andrew Thompson are as good a midfield quintet going around, with a mix of the old and the new.
With Hayes, Dal Santo and newly appointed skipper Ball providing the youth; Harvey and Thompson’s experience are the perfect foil – both acting as the rudders of the ship.
How Malthouse seeks to combat this group will be intriguing. Without Buckley and Burns, so often the instigators of Magpie success, he will look to the old hands of Licuria and O’Bree to keep the side afloat.
The main talking point of the Collingwood centreline will be the injection of new blood – in the form of impressive draftees Dale Thomas and Sam Iles – as well as the semi-experienced Alan Didak, Leon Davis and Ben Johnson. The trio have all been playing for over five years, and are all due to take the next step in their football careers in playing consistent four quarter football in the midfield.
Didak, in particular, is the major drawcard. He led the Australian Under 17 line-up to victory over Ireland in 2000, and was originally drafted from the Port Magpies primarily as a midfielder. His services have been used mainly as a dangerous small forward since debut with some success, but the time has come for him to take a role as a leading centreman.
The lack of speed in the Pies midfield will only be aided by the inclusion of not only Didak, but Davis, Johnson and Thomas – who are all ready to add zip to a midfield undergoing a major change in structure.
Davis, in particular, needs a big year. Since his debut in 2000, he has tantalised supporters with his talents – his cameo roles in the forward pocket all he has to show from 100 matches.
He is in need of a consistent season, and all signs are that, after such an impressive summer on the track, he is ready to achieve what the club set out for him upon his selection at the 1999 draft – where he was likened to Essendon champion Michael Long by then head recruiter Noel Judkins.
St.Kilda possesses a monstrous forward line, more potent than any in the competition over the past two seasons. The likes of Gehrig, Riewoldt, Hamill and Milne are all up there as the best forwards the game has to offer and all will have a major bearing on the outcome of Sunday’s contest.
All are extremely difficult to match up on, and in the light of All-Australian James Clement’s late withdrawal, the Pies will have a tough time combating the Saints forward thrusts.
The man most likely to take the man mountain Gehrig is former Saint Shane Wakelin. Third in the Copeland Trophy last year, Wakelin has been a solid contributor since crossing from St.Kilda at the conclusion of 2000.
Wakelin will hold Gehrig on the lead, and is the Magpie best place to match him in the body-on-body contests.
The high making, long kicking and courageous Riewoldt will be one to watch on Sunday afternoon. After an indifferent 2005, the former skipper will be hell-bent on rectifying the situation – reclaiming his title as the number one forward in the land.
Yet another difficult player to match, Malthouse will look to his dependable workhorse Simon Prestigiacomo to fight Riewoldt’s agility.
Although he comes across as a somewhat dour defender, Prestigiacomo has a proven record on the best forwards, and he will yet again be an asset in 2006. A local (Research) boy, Prestigiacomo bleeds Black and White, and knows what it takes to play finals football. He will certainly ensure that Riewoldt works for each kick.
Fergus Watts is an interesting case. The son of the St.Kilda CEO Jim was lured home after spending two seasons on the Adelaide list. An exceptional talent, Watts could end up a bargain for the Saints at the cost of pick 16.
His ideal match up will be the athletic young Magpie charge John Anthony. An aggressive type, Anthony rose to prominence over the summer – going from draft smokey to a genuine chance at playing in round one. Anthony is an aggressive player who hits to hurt and has shown pace on the lead in intra-club trial matches.
He seems the idyllic type to take on the underrated Watts.
The match should provide an insight into how far the Pies have progressed over the summer months, with the Saints now the fashionable yardstick of the competition. The story of the match may well be a tale of the two forward lines, but the midfield is where it will be won and lost. Although it will no doubt give its all, the Saints should have too much class for a new look Magpie midfield combination.
Verdict: St.Kilda by 18 points.
Watch for: The class of Ben Davies and the debut of Dale Thomas – both players to become fixtures in the Collingwood centrelines of the future.
The long awaited return of football is here – and the Collingwood army will be out on force as the team takes on St.Kilda at Telstra Dome. After two bitterly disappointing seasons riddled by injury and poor form, the Pies will be hoping that 2006 will be the year they break the vicious cycle which has plagued the club since the 2003 Grand Final debacle. A host of new faces are set to take to the field for the first time in Black and White, while it appears that the Saints, too, will be taking a look at the future on Sunday.
Collingwood will be pinning their hopes on their much vaunted forward combination of Rocca, Tarrant, Fraser, Travis Cloke, Caracella and Didak among others. The group was destroyed in 2005 by injury, all players mentioned bar the debutant Cloke suffering from an injury somewhere along the line.
The sight of a fit and firing Rocca taking the field will be a joy for Magpie supporters, who have waited almost 12 months to see him in action once more. The man whom many believe is the key to a Collingwood revival has enjoyed perhaps his best pre-season since joining the club in 1997, his body fitter than ever. The hunger in the eyes has been apparent, and Sunday’s clash is the best place to get his game into top gear.
Rocca’s likely opponent will be courageous Saint Max Hudghton. The brave Saint has missed many a contest due to his heroics on the last line of the defence, and is the ideal match up for Rocca. It will be interesting to see if Rocca leads his man up the field or opts to remain set inside the fifty.
St.Kilda’s defence is undermanned, lacking the height required to hold opposition powerhouses. Matters have not been improved with the retirement of the bulky Luke Penny, with many experts stating that the Saints defence is its Achilles heal.
Expect to see Mick Malthouse stretch the small Saints unit, employing Tarrant, Rocca and Travis Cloke to run up the field.
Expect to see Tarrant pitted against the mobile Saint Sam Fisher, who was a quiet achiever in the Moorabbin backline last year. A handy golfer, Fisher can hold a strong mark and often players taller than he is, with his mobility and composure features of his game.
Fisher will relish the opportunity to take to the field, struggling in the latter stages of last season with a foot injury. He is a solid match up for Tarrant, who loves nothing more than to lead up to the wings in search of his marks. Fisher will have the pace and leap to go with him, but it remains to be seen how he will cope with the dynamic Tarrant in one-on-one contests.
Another plus for the Saints is ruckman Michael Rix, who will make his debut after serving a lengthy apprenticeship with VFL clubs Coburg and Box Hill. Despite spending most of his VFL career in the ruck, there is a strong train of thought that he will be utilised by Grant Thomas in a key defensive post.
Rix is said to be quite mobile for a player of his size, and is tipped to get the first run on Magpie utility Josh Fraser. Fraser recently played his first full match since 2004, with his 2005 season wiped out by a knee injury.
Fraser has been one of the standouts on the training track, and is set to silence the doubters with what looks set to be a career best season.
He will be assisted this season by fellow ruckman Guy Richards, who it is hoped will free Fraser up from the ruck duties to play as the third tall forward – his mobility to cause many a headache for opposition coaching panels.
Richards will be a player watched keenly by those who bleed Black and White this year. Much hype surrounded his junior careers, with the Pies more than happy to acquire his services with selection 37 in the 2000 Draft – many an expert tipping him to go in the top ten.
Since he arrived at Victoria Park, Richards has struggled badly with injury – a catalogue of differing ailments holding him back over the past five years. His 2005 was another to be written off due to injury – a persistent hip flexor muscle halting the progress made the previous year, where he earned himself the number one ruck role.
The prospect of Richards contesting the opening bounce for 2006 will be keenly awaited by the Woods. This year sees the kid gloves off – Richards will be expected to cement his name as the club’s number one ruckman.
He will be supported by Fraser and potentially former NBL ruckman David Fanning, as he faces off with Saint trio Cain Ackland, Jason Blake and Rix. Both rucking groups are yet to properly prove themselves as league forces, which will add extra spice to this contest.
The battle of the midfields sees the pendulum holding firmly in the St.Kilda court, with four All-Australian’s and four Best and Fairest’s set to take on the Magpie group lacking its biggest names – veterans Nathan Buckley and Scott Burns.
Robert Harvey, Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo, Luke Ball and Andrew Thompson are as good a midfield quintet going around, with a mix of the old and the new.
With Hayes, Dal Santo and newly appointed skipper Ball providing the youth; Harvey and Thompson’s experience are the perfect foil – both acting as the rudders of the ship.
How Malthouse seeks to combat this group will be intriguing. Without Buckley and Burns, so often the instigators of Magpie success, he will look to the old hands of Licuria and O’Bree to keep the side afloat.
The main talking point of the Collingwood centreline will be the injection of new blood – in the form of impressive draftees Dale Thomas and Sam Iles – as well as the semi-experienced Alan Didak, Leon Davis and Ben Johnson. The trio have all been playing for over five years, and are all due to take the next step in their football careers in playing consistent four quarter football in the midfield.
Didak, in particular, is the major drawcard. He led the Australian Under 17 line-up to victory over Ireland in 2000, and was originally drafted from the Port Magpies primarily as a midfielder. His services have been used mainly as a dangerous small forward since debut with some success, but the time has come for him to take a role as a leading centreman.
The lack of speed in the Pies midfield will only be aided by the inclusion of not only Didak, but Davis, Johnson and Thomas – who are all ready to add zip to a midfield undergoing a major change in structure.
Davis, in particular, needs a big year. Since his debut in 2000, he has tantalised supporters with his talents – his cameo roles in the forward pocket all he has to show from 100 matches.
He is in need of a consistent season, and all signs are that, after such an impressive summer on the track, he is ready to achieve what the club set out for him upon his selection at the 1999 draft – where he was likened to Essendon champion Michael Long by then head recruiter Noel Judkins.
St.Kilda possesses a monstrous forward line, more potent than any in the competition over the past two seasons. The likes of Gehrig, Riewoldt, Hamill and Milne are all up there as the best forwards the game has to offer and all will have a major bearing on the outcome of Sunday’s contest.
All are extremely difficult to match up on, and in the light of All-Australian James Clement’s late withdrawal, the Pies will have a tough time combating the Saints forward thrusts.
The man most likely to take the man mountain Gehrig is former Saint Shane Wakelin. Third in the Copeland Trophy last year, Wakelin has been a solid contributor since crossing from St.Kilda at the conclusion of 2000.
Wakelin will hold Gehrig on the lead, and is the Magpie best place to match him in the body-on-body contests.
The high making, long kicking and courageous Riewoldt will be one to watch on Sunday afternoon. After an indifferent 2005, the former skipper will be hell-bent on rectifying the situation – reclaiming his title as the number one forward in the land.
Yet another difficult player to match, Malthouse will look to his dependable workhorse Simon Prestigiacomo to fight Riewoldt’s agility.
Although he comes across as a somewhat dour defender, Prestigiacomo has a proven record on the best forwards, and he will yet again be an asset in 2006. A local (Research) boy, Prestigiacomo bleeds Black and White, and knows what it takes to play finals football. He will certainly ensure that Riewoldt works for each kick.
Fergus Watts is an interesting case. The son of the St.Kilda CEO Jim was lured home after spending two seasons on the Adelaide list. An exceptional talent, Watts could end up a bargain for the Saints at the cost of pick 16.
His ideal match up will be the athletic young Magpie charge John Anthony. An aggressive type, Anthony rose to prominence over the summer – going from draft smokey to a genuine chance at playing in round one. Anthony is an aggressive player who hits to hurt and has shown pace on the lead in intra-club trial matches.
He seems the idyllic type to take on the underrated Watts.
The match should provide an insight into how far the Pies have progressed over the summer months, with the Saints now the fashionable yardstick of the competition. The story of the match may well be a tale of the two forward lines, but the midfield is where it will be won and lost. Although it will no doubt give its all, the Saints should have too much class for a new look Magpie midfield combination.
Verdict: St.Kilda by 18 points.
Watch for: The class of Ben Davies and the debut of Dale Thomas – both players to become fixtures in the Collingwood centrelines of the future.