Remove this Banner Ad

4th quarter form slump

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Ant85

Ant85

Premiership Player
Veteran
Jun 27, 2008
3,173
2,034
AFL Club
Collingwood
Touched on briefly in the WCE post-match discussion thread, but I think it's worth highlighting as a separate concern.

We've lost our last 5 4th quarters on the trot, with our last 4th quarter win coming against Port Adelaide.

This from a team that was renowned for absolutely obliterating sides in the last quarter.

We had players yesterday cramping and tiring.

Our game plan requires high pressure and high intensity.

To ask it simply ... are we running out of gas? Should we be concerned?
 
Tarrant, Toovey, Maxwell, Jolly, Dawes, Shaw, Wellingham have all had "injury clouds" or played under duress.

It is natural that they will fade/tire late which will have an effect over the whole team.

Also, we haven't had a week off since round 13/14.

We need it and now we've got it.
 
I think the rest will do us a world of wonders - we have played 12 games in a row now - the most consecutive games this group has played without a break (i think given the usual bye is in round 11/12?)

We have run out of gas but that's because we need the rest, with Thomas back next game we should have that run and carry back we were missing yesterday.
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

Chief Ten Beers said:
Is there anyone in this team that hasn't been injured in the last couple of months?

Cloke and Pendles? That's about it lol.
Click to expand...

Cloke got a knock on the knee the other week. I think only Pendles, Sidey and Blair have been playing 100% unhampered.
 
Ed D said:
Apart from that last game against West Coast, I don't know how hard we've been trying against other sides once the top 4 spot was wrapped up, especially once we've had a lead. I think it's more down to attitude than fitness.
Click to expand...

I thought the same until yesterday's game.

Says it might be more than just an attitude problem.
 
If anyone watched the post-game coverage today on channel 7 mm wasnt suprised it happend and thought the boys would tire due to not having the defense settled and underdone,
 
I watched the post match show on 7 after todays game.

MM said they planned to be about 5 goals up at 3 qtr time then they would sit back and try and hold off West Coast. This was because they were expecting returning players to be unfit. MM said he normally doesn't take risks in finals with unfit players but he did on this occasion.

Also

I'm pretty sure Ballie said after the game on saturday ,when being interviewed ,that the boys "saved it a bit" in the last quarter.

I actually think that for the last month (excluding Geelong) that they have backed off in the last qtr deliberately as they did this weekend.

MM always says it's a marathon to the flag.
 
Some great points in this thread. Maybe as suggested it is a non-issue but I don't know.

I definitely find it a big concern, whether justified or not time will tell although I feel better after reading this thread.

We bought a lot of our easy wins in H&A with decimating last q's, and that fizzled out in the last 8 weeks or so. Some suggest the Arizona effect has worn off.
One way to have better last q's is what we used to do a lot, save a couple of key players by giving them low game time in the 1st 3. The sort of players you could do this with might be Sidey, Beams, and Goldsack - Goldy would be a good one because he can play anywhere and is dynamic. We also used to do it with some top players like Swan and Didak, I believe.

Of course you have to be going OK and not getting behind on the scoreboard to afford this luxury. I don't even know if the tactic works too well under the new interchange system - however fresh those 2 or 3 blokes are in the last, the rest of the team is going to be more tired so it might backfire - maybe could compromise and do it for just one player like a Goldy (not including the sub).

ON topic of the sub, I'd be in favour of a modification where after subbing someone off, the red jacket can be subbed on one more time - this allows for the possibility of someone having to come off injured so you are not short handed on the bench. This was the dilemma MM talked about with Fasolo vs WC and why he only got 5 minutes. Another reason this is an improvement is for the fitness of the sub, so he can get half-decent game time.
 
I must admit, I've been outwardly confident this year, to make up for my behaviour last year, but I have to say, my confidence is very shaken at the moment.

I'll be worried even if we play Sydney in the prelim. They just don't look like the Collingwood we've come to know in the last couple of seasons.

Actually, they're looking a lot like 09 Collingwood. Which is not a good thing coming into a prelim. Hopefully the week off works wonders. They look like they need it.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Shpeshal Ed said:
I must admit, I've been outwardly confident this year, to make up for my behaviour last year, but I have to say, my confidence is very shaken at the moment.

I'll be worried even if we play Sydney in the prelim. They just don't look like the Collingwood we've come to know in the last couple of seasons.

Actually, they're looking a lot like 09 Collingwood. Which is not a good thing coming into a prelim. Hopefully the week off works wonders. They look like they need it.
Click to expand...
Ed they definitely need that week off, bodies still sore despite resumption from injury, players still trying to work into form, our AA CHB out and AA winger out as well and playing against the best ruck combo in the business? You have to learn to take performances in context m8. Compared to last year our injury run - ESPECIALLY in the second half of the season has been horrific - don't worry Ed there is PLENTY in the tank, we have just had a very unfortunate concentration of circumstances in the last 6 - 8 weeks. :(
 
As was touched on above, many of our last quarter fade outs of recent times were attitudinal I think, but there's no doubt we were flat to the board last Saturday.

Watching the replay though we completely started to dominate again in the last 5 mins or so (after WC got within 7) so their heart and hunger is still there.

I think we need that weeks rest now.

The biggest plusses were the form of Wellingham (who moved really well) and also our captain. They were my main concerns coming in and both will greatly benefit from the run, but will avoid 2nd up soreness with the week's rest.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

4th quarter form slump

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top