Review Round 21, 2025 - Collingwood vs. Brisbane Lions

[braddsey]

Interesting Fages said he’d been wanting to play Smith all year

Might be considered best 22 and I wonder what that means for our trade period

I think it doesn’t change it. We still want to get in the best free agents we can, in the areas we’re lacking. We need talls, we don’t need mids.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Logan's goal to regain the lead for half-time was a godsend psychologically

 

[braddsey]

That was an awesome win at the ground, can’t wait to watch the replay.
All players were amazing, but Rayner’s tackling is unbelievable. He’s become such a consistent player over the past 18 months.
I thought Bez had a good game (he normally does). Hippy was a bit scattered, but he took some good marks. He’s not scoring goals, but did some great work as a marking target on the wings.
Jasper & Motty are awesome to watch.

What a win… and the Pies went to water under our pressure in the 3rd. Tough mans footy.

Edit: i don’t want to speak too soon, but possible Sydney 2024 vibes coming to Collingwood 2025 campaign.
We have been far from consistent - but playing better footy as the season progresses (last week being an anomaly), and covering for our player losses.

Here’s hoping Smith can back it up in the next couple of weeks - own the position!

 

[Section 5]

When Lester went down i thought which Lions player will get that defense job. We are running short of defense players.
It is a little hard to tell on TV sometimes but i thought it was the sub Reville.
Heat map pretty much confirms it was him.
He did quite a good job handling a role he is not really used to doing.

After that win i suspect he keeps it for next week's game v Swans. Lester hopefully back the week after.
He is a very good kick and that's part of our game coming off half back.

Reville stats:
56% TOG, 11 Disposals 3 contested & 9 effective, 4 Marks, 3 Intercepts with 1 intercept mark, 2 tackles
6 rebound 50's being equal best on ground with Fletcher

 

[3KZ is Football]

Reville was sneaky good tonight.

Reville is a gun. Underrated.

 

[Zacs_Magic_Tooth]

I’m probably just extremely cynical but McRae has rubbed me the wrong way ever since he joined Collingwood. I find the ultra positive types - ‘we haven’t lost 3 out of 4 we’re privileged to have 3 learnings in 4 weeks’ etc. - are smoke and mirrors people. A few chinks in that armour.. I’m not sure he’s quite as laid back deep down as he’s made out to be.

 

[HereIGoAgain]

I’m probably just extremely cynical but McRae has rubbed me the wrong way ever since he joined Collingwood. I find the ultra positive types - ‘we haven’t lost 3 out of 4 we’re privileged to have 3 learnings in 4 weeks’ etc. - are smoke and mirrors people. A few chinks in that armour.. I’m not sure he’s quite as laid back deep down as he’s made out to be.

Looked a bit nervy to me in the press conference. Quite a statement delivered to the Pies tonight and he knows it.

 

[Tom14]

I’m probably just extremely cynical but McRae has rubbed me the wrong way ever since he joined Collingwood. I find the ultra positive types - ‘we haven’t lost 3 out of 4 we’re privileged to have 3 learnings in 4 weeks’ etc. - are smoke and mirrors people. A few chinks in that armour.. I’m not sure he’s quite as laid back deep down as he’s made out to be.

I find that I need to remind myself that McRae and Leppo were triple premiership players from time to time, lol.

 

[jwint43]

It will be criminal if Josh Dunkley

5

Josh Dunkley

Age

29

Ht

191cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.8

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

20.7

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

13.7

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.3

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

14.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

4.0

5star

CL

1.4

4star

retires without earning an AA jumper. Has to be the most selfless star in the comp. No wonder Neale said he's the best teammate he's ever played with!

 

[M Malice]

That was an awesome win at the ground, can’t wait to watch the replay.
All players were amazing, but Rayner’s tackling is unbelievable. He’s become such a consistent player over the past 18 months.
I thought Bez had a good game (he normally does). Hippy was a bit scattered, but he took some good marks. He’s not scoring goals, but did some great work as a marking target on the wings.
Jasper & Motty are awesome to watch.

What a win… and the Pies went to water under our pressure in the 3rd. Tough mans footy.

Edit: i don’t want to speak too soon, but possible Sydney 2024 vibes coming to Collingwood 2025 campaign.
We have been far from consistent - but playing better footy as the season progresses (last week being an anomaly), and covering for our player losses.

Here’s hoping Smith can back it up in the next couple of weeks - own the position!

It was fantastic, he really hurts when he sticks them.

The Pies did slip a few tackles on the night and it caused a bit of profanity from me but it would be a lot harder on the ground than from what it looks on my lounge at home.

My favourite was when Jamie Elliott tried to run through Hugh McCluggage and Hugh just hung on like a barnacle and got the HTB, it was a thing of beauty.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Bigger ground suits our “change the angles” gameplan.

Not sure how it looked on TV but from behind the goals it looked a clear strategy to kick hard across the field when careening forward between half back and wing, and not quite sure what to do next. It was almost like a bit of a default, "bail out" option, like when you've suddenly realised you're driving too fast and "sh!t what do I do now".

It meant we'd leave a heck of a task to guys like Charlie and Cal and Zac and Levi, leading hard laterally out towards the boundary, but even when they were unable to retain possession it usually meant by the time they reached the ball, they were close enough to the boundary to force a throw in.

Either way, we very rarely kicked long and high to an outnumber, which meant we very rarely gave the ball back to Collingwood on a fast transition play, and that prevented them from coming back through us the same way. It was something interesting I hadn't really seen us do before, certainly not that regularly, and I wonder if it was a ploy designed specifically for that opponent or if we may see more of it going forward.

 

[Grasshopper17]

View attachment 2384282

I dunno, we haven't won back to back flags for 22 years. Is that big enough?

 

[Grasshopper17]

I know, we all know, even Cam knows, Cam should have stopped and let Logan take his kick.

But the commentary. OUTRAGEOUS

To be fair, Cam may not have known it was a free. Not that it stopped the umpire from signalling advantage.

The build up was equal parts terrifying and equal parts exhilarating. Here for it. Better than going back into our shells ala Melbourne 2023.

 

[Lazza16]

AA Captain ?

Why not.

May scrape in as sub this season.

 

[Sunny Land]

That was a statement and then some. We just put the comp on notice...and we weren't perfect, not even the second half.

Out kids are absolute dynamite. Not only are they super skilled, they also have that ability to stand up in big games. What an era to be in.

So many players will get plaudits and rightly so but I just wanted to shout out to:
1. Levi - He was absolutely amazing in that second half. For his age and experience, he was arguable best on ground in the third quarter, unbelievable
2. Marshall - We have a new winger man, what a motor he has
3. Smith - He looked tired but pushed through it and was a fantastic presence in every single contest in the forward half

We are back baby!

Did anyone think Marshall looked slow out there last night?

 

[Lazza16]

Looked a bit nervy to me in the press conference. Quite a statement delivered to the Pies tonight and he knows it.

You took the words right off my keyboard.......he looked NQR.

 

[dlanod]

Darcy Moore had I think 7 goals kicked on him tonight. Should be enough to get him an AA nomination

Only one instance of dropping the knees into the ribs, that'll count against him. When he's elite he'll have multiple a game.

 

[dlanod]

A perfect regular season at the MCG is not something to scoff at for a non-Vic club even if it's 3 games. No losses in Victoria is pleasing as well. Win the last 3 regular season games and there could be a home qualifying final against Collingwood.

There's at least three perfect regular seasons at the MCG for non-Victorian clubs this year alone!

Of course two of those are GWS and GC who were only granted one game each...

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

At least we didn't see his old man tonight.

I know the Daicos family and they are charming people. Peter coached my son when he played in the juniors for Greythorn and a nicer, more genuine bloke could not be found.
Sorry about this rant.
Their grandfather ( top human being as well) was my bank manager for years. I wanted to beat the Pies but I always hope, in any Collingwood game, the Daicos boys get the votes.
We won because they could not score. Once more everyone will be sprouting about the mid fielders but its forwards who actually win the games because they do nearly ALL the scoring. Last night was the same as the Geelong and Hawks games where we restricted scoring.
I will give Morris a vote but will look at the replay to decide which of the defenders will get my other votes.
Smith kicked three goals and I cannot remember Day kicking three for the year ! Forwards who cannot score are a waste of space. I did not mind Raynor having a shot with that advantage call as I want my forward pockets "hungry".

 

[Sunny Land]

I know, we all know, even Cam knows, Cam should have stopped and let Logan take his kick.

But the commentary. OUTRAGEOUS

To be fair, Cam may not have known it was a free. Not that it stopped the umpire from signalling advantage.

The build up was equal parts terrifying and equal parts exhilarating. Here for it. Better than going back into our shells ala Melbourne 2023.

Cam had no idea. The crowd noise was all he heard. He was right in playing on like it was game on.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

I know, we all know, even Cam knows, Cam should have stopped and let Logan take his kick.

But the commentary. OUTRAGEOUS

To be fair, Cam may not have known it was a free. Not that it stopped the umpire from signalling advantage.

The build up was equal parts terrifying and equal parts exhilarating. Here for it. Better than going back into our shells ala Melbourne 2023.

I've said this elsewhere but I like my forwards "hungry".

 

[Sunny Land]

Fly "we don't feel like losers tonight".

He reminds me a bit of the English Cricket Team everytime they lose…… “we are still winners despite the result”!!!

 

[Sunny Land]

Made a fool of me (which begs the question wtf was that last weekend, but anyway…) and answered conclusively that we can more than match it with anyone, anywhere.

McCluggage. Phwoar.

Its called afl football. The up’s & down’s are one of the things that makes it a great game. Our best is better than anyone else in the competition. Coming into the pointy end of the season, we should all be excited.

 

[Sunny Land]

Much better. If we had Joe.

Not getting carried away tonight. Pies have been questionable for a few games now.

But it was a sweet victory and we're right up there despite our injuries.

I get tired of reading the Joe narrative every week….especially in a game day review after an important win like last night. Time to move on with what we are achieving now as a group….it’s pretty special.

 

[dlanod]

Can it happen for 3 weeks straight? If it does we should win it. But we’ve been up and down all year.

Other than the first Collingwood loss the real downs really have looked mental - switch off against a team we figure we'll dominate. The close losses against contenders aren't real downs, but we'll see if we can avoid that for a month.