AFL Round 9 - Collingwood vs Adelaide Matchday Discussion.

ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN ADELAIDE, the Collingwood and Adelaide football clubs will face off in round nine of the 2012 AFL premiership season. Coming into the season this game wasn't seen as a real blockbuster y the AFL, or it's broadcasters, as shown by the fact the game will not be shown live nationally on free to air TV. Yet now there can be little doubt that this is the game of the round, with the two most in form teams in the AFL Adelaide and Collingwood coming together on a cold Saturday Night. The Adelaide Crows on the weekend disposed of one time premiership favourites Carlton in a ruthless way, eventually defeating the hapless Blues by 69 points. Collinwgood endured a tougher matchup though, eventually defeating reigning premiers Geelong by 12 points in an epic encounter at the MCG.




But before I get to this game itself, there is a little history to go over between Collingwood and Adelaide, and most of it has been in finals, and in every occasion the Magpies have come out on top. The first finals meeting between the two clubs was in 2002, when the two met in the preliminary final for the right to play in the Grand Final. On a warm Saturday afternoon at the MCG, the Pies eventually prevailed by 28 points, although the final margin gives you no insight into how tight the game was for most of the match. The rivalry may have been sparked with an incident involving Collingwood defender Jason Cloke, who knocked out key Adelaide midfielder Tyson Edwards in a clumsy manner, effectively ending any further influence the star Adelaide player could have on the match. Cloke would be suspended for the incident and miss the Grand Final loss the following week, but the uproar from Adelaide could be heard across the border. While it took several years for the sides to meet in a final again, one of the most memorable contests was in fact a home and away game in 2003, when Adelaide hit the front by a point with only seconds remaining, only to see Collingwood take the ball up the ground and eventually find forward Chris Tarrant, just before the siren sounded. Tarrant goaled, handing the Magpies a famous 5 point victory, with the call from Tim Lane of “It is a........Collingwood win” being one of the most famous in recent history.
The two clubs then met again in the 2008 finals series, this time on Adelaide's home turf, and the Crows went in as firm favourites, yet with a stunning second half effort it was Collingwood who ran away with a 31 point win, that sunk yet another dagger into the hearts of the Adelaide faithful, but for Crows fans the worst was yet to come.

In 2009, Collingwood had ended the home and away season in 4th spot, while Adelaide had finished 5th, and after the Magpies lost their first week qualifying final to St Kilda and vAdelaide had disposed of Essendon easily at AAMI stadium, a second week semi final matchup at the MCG eventuated. The Crows burst out of the blocks, and just before half time they held a 32 point lead, but then the Collingwood onslaught began. Trailing by 26 points at half time, Collingwood played an amazing third quarter, putting 6 goals on the board while keeping Adelaide goal less, to take a 10 point lead into the final term. It was close throughout the final quarter, and late in the game Kurt Tippett was awarded a questionable free kick, and subsequently went back and slotted a goal from 50 metres out to give the Crows a one point lead. Yet in scenes that were as dramatic as finals get, the Magpies won the ball out of the middle, kicked it forward and in the aerial contest in the Pies forward line, Ben Rutten gave away a silly, and on replay, an obvious holding free against Collingwood forward Jack Anthony. Anthony went back, took his time, and with his reliable kicking style slotted the goal that would be the final score of the match, as the Magpie army went into raptures, and the Adelaide fans cried foul about the Pies advancing to the preliminary final.




Adding to the history of this weekends matchup is Collingwood's record at Football Park, or as it's now known AAMI Stadium. Collingwood has played at the ground 26 times in the past 20 years or so, and have won 14 of those matches, but it's the current streak that is of most relevance, with Collingwood on a winning streak at the ground that dates back to 2006, when the Magpies lost by 4 points to the Crows in Adelaide. And while Adelaide fans will throw up the rather irrelevant NAB Cup result in the pre season as proof that the Pies are beatable at this ground, the home and away record is formidable indeed.

Leading into this game, Adelaide are the clear favourites, both with the bookmakers and also with the footballing experts, and they have a right to that favoutism. They have been on one heck of a roll this year, winning the NAB Cup in outstanding fashion before starting the season absolutely on fire, with only the one blemish coming against the Hawks in round three, which gives them a 5 game winning streak leading into this match, the same streak that the Magpies are on.
Collingwood have won their 5 games the hard way though, with injuries in just about every game throwing up new challenges for Nathan Buckley and his players every time the team steps out onto the ground. This week will be no different, with star centre half back Ben Reid, and reigning Brownlow medalist Dane Swan both certain to miss after sustaining injuries late in the game against Geelong. The problem for Collingwood this week seems to be that they have very little in the way of ready made senior replacements for their injured stars. The club is still awaiting the return of defender/forward Chris Tarrant, although he is still a few weeks away, despite playing in the VFL on the weekend. In the end the Pies went with two first gamers, livewire forward Jamie Elliott (pictured below) and contested ball winner Marley Williams will debut, and with the likely wet conditions they may not be too far out of their depth here. What Collingwood has lacked in luck has been made up in spades though by the increase in performance out put of several youngsters, and established stars alike. Maligned small forward Ben Sinclair has improved on every senior appearance this year, and last week held his own against the likes of Geelong stars Mackie and Enright. Lachlan Keefe will be called upon once again to be the sole tall defender, mainly due to the fact he is the only physically fit one left, but he too has held up his end remarkably well so far in 2012.





The biggest question mark over Collingwood over the five match winning streak has been in regards to two of their absolute stars, Travis Cloke and Dale Thomas. Cloke, in the midst of extreme pressure regarding contract negotiations, hasn't hit his great form of 2011 so far this season, and even Nathan Buckley himself suggested that the best marking forward in the game is clearly being effected by the off field issues he is facing at the moment. The other player in the spotlight of negativity has been Thomas, who at one point last year was labelled as the best player in the competition by an opposition coach, yet he hasn't been able to find his best form so far in 2012, although injuries have been a fair excuse for that. Collingwood, to be competitive against Adelaide this weekend will need the likes of Thomas, Cloke and their other superstars to step up their game and fill the gaps that exist because of injury. But the Magpies will put up a fight, of that there is no doubt, they are in season best form at the moment and will still field a mighty strong side against Adelaide.




The Crows are in white hot form, there is no doubting that, and many have given most of the credit to the new head coach, Brenton Sanderson, yet it seems the players are the ones that have lifted their game to another level, especially the previously maligned midfield. Patrick Dangerfield is the one being singled out and given the most credit, yet you have to look deeper to see the reason why the Crows are as good as anyone in the competition at the moment.

The Crows forward line has seen a massive boost in production early in the 2012 season. Last year, Adelaide were a low scoring side who relied on their defensive efforts more to win games, but this year, through both a new game plan and also more confidence in their forwards abilities, the Crows are now one of the highest scoring teams in the AFL. It all starts with the tall duo of Taylor Walker and Kurt Tippett, and while Walker will be missing this weekend due to suspension, the two have managed to kick 41 goals between them so far in 2012. Along with the two talls, the Crows also have 3 handy small forwards in Petrenko (10 goals), Callinan (13 goals) and Porplyzia (7 goals), who in co operation with their talls make it a very formidable forward line indeed. Add that their midfielders also rotate through there, as most good teams do now, and the Crows forward line is sure to be a massive threat for an under manned Collingwood defense on Saturday Night.

The Adelaide backline, or defensive structure, has gone through a myriad of changes over the past few years, mostly due to the Crows losing tow star centre half backs to the new expansion teams, with Nathan Bock and Phil Davis both leaving for big money deals. But the mainstay of their defense has always been Ben Rutten, who simply put is as reliable in the full back position as anyone in the game, and he's sure to be the first matchup on Travis Cloke this weekend. With the loss of Davis and Bock, the Crows needed to find another tall defender to step up, and they have found a promising one in Daniel Talia. The Calder Cannons recruit has come on in leaps and bounds in 2012, and is a good old style defender, in that he'll shut down his opponent with little fuss or flair, but he is very effective. The Crows also have a decent array of small and medium defenders to go with their big men down back, with the ever experienced Graham “Stiffy” Johncock leading the way, in what is now his 11th season of AFL football. The Crows defense will be a good match for the Collingwood forward line for sure.




If there is one area where the Crows to an outsider have seen to have improved it is in the midfield, and their depth this season seems to have improved in a rapid period of time. Of course the two names that stand out are Scott Thompson and Patrick Dangerfield, but with other names like Sloane, Van Berlo, Vince and Reilly backing those two stars up, the Crows midfield looks as good as any in the game at the moment. What they have in that midfield is a decent mix of tough, hard inside midfielders, as well as explosive, running players who compliment the tough nuts so well. But that midfield wouldn't be as effective without a top ruckman, and that's just what Sam Jacobs looks like developing into. Jacobs couldn't get a shot at the big time at Carlton, and his recruitment to the club is one of the better moves the Crows have made in recent times for sure, as he is well up there with the most effective and in form ruckmen in the AFL at the moment. This midfield is a dangerous, powerful combination at the moment and with Ball and Swan missing for Collingwood, the Crows may yet find that winning the ball in the contested situations is their ticket to a win.


It has been a remarkable turnaround in form for Adelaide, but when you assess their list, they have had the talent there, they just needed the motivation and the right coach to steer them in the direction required to be competitive at the top level. They will be a tough mountain for the Magpies to climb indeed. At the selection table, Adelaide have made just the one change this week, with Richard Douglas returning in place of Tom Lynch.


Key Matchups;


Jolly vs Jacobs
Sam Jacobs improvement has been nothing short of sensational this season, and his matchup against the two time premiership ruckman from the Pies should be well worth watching. Many have criticised Darren Jolly's start to the season, but apart from a bad night against Carlton, when he wasn't alone, his form has been very good in my opinion. Which ruckman is able to feed his star midfielders more and in an effective manner may well have a great bearing on the result.


Keefe vs Tippett
Lachie Keefe will once again be asked to step up and take on one of the best tall forwards in the AFL. He has been successful in curbing the influence of the likes of Hampson, Ryder, Vickery and Podsiadly, so Tippett is well within his range. Keefe is sure to get plenty of help from the likes of Maxwell, Toovey and O'Brien, and he will need it if the Crows win the midfield battle as expected.


Pendlebury vs Thompson
The two best contested ball winners on the ground should go head to head for most of the game, while probably never really matching up on each other in dead ball situations. They will meet at the bottom of the pack and in many contested possessions situations, in what is almost a contest worth watching alone. Pendlebury showed he can also be dangerous up forward last week with four goals, and without Dane Swan's assistance he will need to be in top form to keep Collingwood in the game.


Johncock vs Sinclair





Yep, I've put Ben Sinclair in as a key matchup, and while that may shock many, he is my choice to take the dangerous Graham Johncock on Saturday Night. Collingwood fans have seen over the years the effectiveness of Johncock driving the ball forward when he is allowed to run free, and I can see Ben Sinclair given the role of not only curtailing his run, but also making him accountable, and hurting the Crows stalwart if he runs too far forward.








Tip.

According to the general AFL public everything points to a rather easy Crows victory this Saturday Night, but while I may be a bit biased, I firmly believe Collingwood can cause the upset here. The Crows are coming off a six day break, while the Magpies will be refreshed and rejuvenated after a nice eight day break, and I can see this playing a huge part in the result if it is close late.

For Collingwood to win, they need the likes of Thomas, Sidebottom, Beams, Wellingham, Blair and Didak to assist the great Scott Pendlebury in the middle, because that is where this game will be ultimately won or lost. The absence of Swan hurts, no doubt about that, but Wellingham has played his best games when we have been missing key players, and Sidebottom and Beams have made up for the loss of Ball. The Collingwood forward line also has the potential to worry a Crows defense that hasn't really been tested for a while now, with Geelong and Carlton both playing very poorly against them, and no Jarrad Waite sure made it easier for the Crows last weekend.




The major deficiency for Collingwood is the backline, but just keep an eye on Harry O'Brien and Nick Maxwell this week, I believe they are due to explode and cover the absence of Reid, Brown and Tarrant. To win, Collingwood has to start well, of that I have no doubt, and if they can just hang around until three quarter time, the extra two days rest in a game that is sure to be hard fought and very physically demanding may just see the Magpies steal an unlikely victory.



PIES BY 7.



VFL

The less said about this weeks VFL the better, as it's yet another bye (the third one for the season so far) for the Collingwood VFL team due to interstate games being played.

GO PIES.

Chief said:

Video Streams

International viewers can get live video of games from http://www.afl.livesport.tv/.

Local viewers can see games on Foxtel or via XBox or T-Box (though you'd need to be desperate given the limitations of T-Box).

Please do not post in this thread asking for links to streams. Your account will be suspended for a day.

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Our little fellas will hopefully decide this match
carn woods

Awesome write up aswell mate

We dethroned an undefeated Essendon... We play well at AAMI. The loss of Swan and Reid really hurts though. Who would the rain favour?

In terms of weaknesses, Rutten can't exploit Cloke in athleticism.

Rutten is comfortable in a 40 metre arc defensively, but Cloke can bomb them from 55 metres. Rutten either tries to stay with Cloke and opens up our fwd line for Goldsack or Dawes, or stays back risking uncontested Cloke marks and bombs.

Jenkins is the only other tall threat for Adelaide outside Tippett. I expect us to fill the space he'd run into. A shorter player in front will scupper that aerial advantage and with an extra man in defence, run away with the ball.

We have that running advantage with only one genuine ruckman, who I should add is fairly handy at either end, especially forward.

That affords us the luxury of an extra tall in defence if we are threatened aerially (goldnuts) or some real drive from defence and ground pace.

Wooohoo game day is here. Pumped!

Great write up

I see this as a winnable game. Looks like it'll be in the wet, and that will even the odds between any two teams.

Just annoyed that I'll miss a collingwood game in Adelaide for the first time in a decade because I've got to go to a wedding, hope there's a tv at the reception.

Go the pies! Lets pump up boys and send the vibes down the the fellars!

Fabulous work Matty.

Will be a tough might at the office for the boys no doubt.

Getting up last week gives us a bit of a free kick this week in a sense, which may help a little.

But no question they are in hot form. Whether they have a bit of a mental thing about us and tighten up a bit will be interesting.

We'd need to do a lot right, Jolly winning and feeding the mids will be crucial and good games from Cloke and Dawes will be needed if we are to hold them.

Best wishes to Jamie Elliott and Marley Williams on their debuts; win, lose or draw its a big plus getting more games into the kids/depth players.

Go Pies!!

Love the pies playing here. One i get to see them live but also we play the ground so well. It reminds me of Waverley. Even better news I just scored a ticket to the Chairman's function. Take's me back to my younger days when a coach would say " we will win the game drink their beer and have relations with their women". Of course I cleaned it up a little there.

Great write up.

The only thing I would say is that Johncock has been playing forward lately, so Sinclair wont be on him. Reilly is their attacking/loose man defender.

Wow again an amazing write up!

It's time for Daisy and Wellers to arrive for season 2012. Both need big games to fill the void left by Swan.

I wonder if Clarke will shadow Danger or Sloane or play his role down back?

FAIRANDBALANCED said:

Great write up.

The only thing I would say is that Johncock has been playing forward lately, so Sinclair wont be on him. Reilly is their attacking/loose man defender.

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Yeah, I've noticed that too, and I hope to god he plays forward because he is useless as an attacking option up there (3 behinds only), in fact he was close to their worst player for a long period of time versus Carlton up forward. I know the Crows fans will say he acts as a defensive forward, but 4.8 for the season says he isn't a forward at all.

He is a half back flanker, it's like putting Heath Shaw or Harry up forward, I really do hope they leave him up forward, but in the crunch of a game they might lose, I reckon they'll throw him back again.

I'm super excited about tonight, but at the same time dreading watching a smashing.

I just don't see how the personnel who will be out there tonight can beat a full strength Adelaide at home.

More optimistic than confident , it can be done , have a good day/night people.

Great write up as always

Gameday has arrived Go Pies

Cory said:

Great write up as always

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Thanks, the graphics don't look bad either.

Its very hard for teams to back up after consecutive big games these days and Adelaide are coming off the back of consecutive matches against the Swans, Cats and Blues. Then there's the 8 day v 6 day break to throw in on top.

Collingwood have two softish games to come after tonight and then the bye so can afford to throw absolutely everything at this one and survive the consequences (think of it as a pseudo Qualifying final with the week off being the reward). Whereas the Crows have a tough away assignment next week against the Dockers.

We'll go into this with a siege mentality (much like our us against them membership motto) opposed to 47,000 screaming ferals and never fret we got this shit!

Pies by 12

I don't think we've put a team on the park with less good players and good players out of form since 2005. How the hell are we 6-2 so far is mind boggling.

rose jam said:

I don't think we've put a team on the park with less good players and good players out of form since 2005. How the hell are we 6-2 so far is mind boggling.

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2005 - Mick Malthouse

2012 - Nathan Buckley

That's how.

How's the weather?

Wow, thats a fantastic write up. Could be one of the games of the season. Who'd have thought?

I'm here in Adelaide now, it's dry at the moment but the mail is that there'll be rain tonight.

First game live I've seen in 2 years (Lived in London). Come on the PIES!!!

I reckon we are a Good Chance but be very tough without Reid and Swan.

Will the Rain be a Factor?

i would say it would help us with all our talls out, young might be a chance to come in with this weather.