Bombproof

[The Royal Sampler]

I'm probably not alone in my thoughts that Mick Malthouse went a bloody long way toward derailing our season with his will he, won't he bullshit at the end of 2011. That appearance on the Footy Show was an absolute debacle and reeked of Mick putting his own enormous ego before the needs of the club and the young blokes he claims to love.

Travis Cloke and his band of merry men (and another ill-advised cameo on the Footy Show) provided ample distraction for us in 2012, and Pendles was prepared to admit as much in interviews, in a year where Cloke's form fluctuated wildly. While Travi$ was playing pretty solidly come finals time, the team certainly wasn't playing at or near its best when it was most needed. The constant speculation can't have helped anybody.

So my question is; how do we go about making the club bombproof in 2013? Most of our bigger name players are signed up beyond next season IIRC, and we've just traded away a player who, much as I loved him, was responsible for a few unwanted headlines in his early career and chooses to live with one of the game's biggest tossbags. Swanny's skinfolds are unlikely to sell papers next year, and while Bucks didn't win us a flag on debut, he at least got us to top 4 despite the toughest draw of any AFL team and the worst run with ACLs anyone can remember. I don't see there being an excessive amount of pressure on him barring a nightmarish start to our next campaign.

Can anyone else think of any other measures we can take to keep ourselves out of the media spotlight for the wrong reasons?

 

[grokq]

I'm probably not alone in my thoughts that Mick Malthouse went a bloody long way toward derailing our season with his will he, won't he bullshit at the end of 2011. That appearance on the Footy Show was an absolute debacle and reeked of Mick putting his own enormous ego before the needs of the club and the young blokes he claims to love.

Travis Cloke and his band of merry men (and another ill-advised cameo on the Footy Show) provided ample distraction for us in 2012, and Pendles was prepared to admit as much in interviews, in a year where Cloke's form fluctuated wildly. While Travi$ was playing pretty solidly come finals time, the team certainly wasn't playing at or near its best when it was most needed. The constant speculation can't have helped anybody.

So my question is; how do we go about making the club bombproof in 2013? Most of our bigger name players are signed up beyond next season IIRC, and we've just traded away a player who, much as I loved him, was responsible for a few unwanted headlines in his early career and chooses to live with one of the game's biggest tossbags. Swanny's skinfolds are unlikely to sell papers next year, and while Bucks didn't win us a flag on debut, he at least got us to top 4 despite the toughest draw of any AFL team and the worst run with ACLs anyone can remember. I don't see there being an excessive amount of pressure on him barring a nightmarish start to our next campaign.

Can anyone else think of any other measures we can take to keep ourselves out of the media spotlight for the wrong reasons?

Pretty pointless trying to protect ourselves from unforseen media-driven distractions. The press will have their way and invent, distort and misrepresent ANYTHING to drum up interest. Let's face it, pie news sells - bad news probably better than good. If we could do anything to help it would be for our PR group to do some muck-raking and feed stories to the press about OTHER clubs - something political parties do. However, I hope and expect this would not happen.

 

[HFF]

Pretty hard to keep the media at bay TRS.

The positive about 2013 is we won't have any major distractions as our list is in place, our "ego" types have been retained (Cloke) or gone (Malthouse) and there really seems to be strong galvinised influence within the group to change and get better in 2013.

Time will tell but I don't think we can control these circumstances unfortunately from arising.

Just need to manage them as best we can. How we do that, I'm not sure.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Not trying to prevent the media from making up shit about us, that's going to happen one way or another. I'm hoping that we can run a tight ship next year, and make sure that there isn't anything glaring that's going to pose a distraction to the playing list from its goal of winning our next flag.

 

[Swooop]

Good thread TRS and agree !00% with your assessment.

And yes, Pendles did admit the Cloke debacle was a major distraction.

One of our problems is that the press as a whole do not particularly like us, and have a fair idea that keeping Collingwood 'stories' alive and continually giving them oxygen works as a distraction, however much some claim otherwise.

I think the "Us vs Them" was a clear attempt to develop a mindset to change this paradigm and develop a resistance to this added outside pressure. I think this was a clever start.

I don't think we can change this very much, perhaps we need to employ a PR strategist, though I can already hear the howls of protest from many on here, who believe " we're Collingwood, screw the rest of ya" which I do get, but wonder if it does us many favours, on and off the field, in the long run.

I do think Bucks' won a lot of the haters over this year ( with some notable exceptions obviously) so the PR war can be won, but it'll be a slow process, easily derailed by any behaviour perceived as unacceptable in any way, by any person.

A tall order for sure.

 

[jonbe54]

Screw the media and the sheep who lap it up.

We are Collingwood and that is enough.

 

[Son of Skeletor]

I'm probably not alone in my thoughts that Mick Malthouse went a bloody long way toward derailing our season with his will he, won't he bullshit at the end of 2011. That appearance on the Footy Show was an absolute debacle and reeked of Mick putting his own enormous ego before the needs of the club and the young blokes he claims to love.

Travis Cloke and his band of merry men (and another ill-advised cameo on the Footy Show) provided ample distraction for us in 2012, and Pendles was prepared to admit as much in interviews, in a year where Cloke's form fluctuated wildly. While Travi$ was playing pretty solidly come finals time, the team certainly wasn't playing at or near its best when it was most needed. The constant speculation can't have helped anybody.

So my question is; how do we go about making the club bombproof in 2013? Most of our bigger name players are signed up beyond next season IIRC, and we've just traded away a player who, much as I loved him, was responsible for a few unwanted headlines in his early career and chooses to live with one of the game's biggest tossbags. Swanny's skinfolds are unlikely to sell papers next year, and while Bucks didn't win us a flag on debut, he at least got us to top 4 despite the toughest draw of any AFL team and the worst run with ACLs anyone can remember. I don't see there being an excessive amount of pressure on him barring a nightmarish start to our next campaign.

Can anyone else think of any other measures we can take to keep ourselves out of the media spotlight for the wrong reasons?

This is the little powder keg that I fear most- not sure everything has been hunky dory with him this past season..

 

[Optimax]

If media effected our ayers enough that it "derailed" our seasons in 11 and 12. Then **** the 40 odd of them off and start again.

Hate these excuses, we lost in 11 because our players folded just before 3 quarter time against a dominant side. In 2012 we weren't every good enough from gameplan, to match day tactics, too injuries and players getting found out and not coming on as planned.

We keep blaming things we can't control like ex coaches, media, player man angers for derailing our season. Instead of fixing the things we can control it'll always be a long time between drinks when it comes flags. Case in point, no one blamed outside forces in 09 we just stuck our nose to the grind stone and what happened 12knths later?

 

[76woodenspooners]

Can anyone else think of any other measures we can take to keep ourselves out of the media spotlight for the wrong reasons?

I think the only thing you can do with the players is give them the support they need to develop into responsible adults that make the right decisions. I'd be very sure that the club is already doing what they can, but there is always continual improvement in everything.

Actually, as a sign of that, footy players always seem to age beyond their years - eg: Luke Ball is only 28 years old! He's got the maturity of somebody so much older.

Apart from that, I don't think there is much that can or should be done. There is always going to be something unforeseen happen - a player bet on a game, a player get intoxicated 6 days before a game, an ex-player die, etc, etc.

The main thing is that the club has the the people and the protocols in place to respond to crises when they happen (which they seem to) and that they learn from their mistakes.

 

[TheycallmeBruce]

Sign up daisy ASAP b4 the circus starts all over again

 

[The Royal Sampler]

A lot of factors go into winning a premiership, Opti, and while it may sound like making excuses we are also the club who chartered a private jet in 2009 to fly us back from a Perth final at low altitude just to aid our recovery. If that sort of 1% (or less) advantage was worth forking out the money for, then trying to shield the playing list from unnecessary distraction is surely worthy of consideration at least.

 

[rose jam]

The slogan that they used this year would be far more appropriate next year - the us verses them. Next year the players need to play a little angry. Angry at themselves for getting comfortable with their form in 2011 and not really hitting 2012 like they should have.
we did need a bit of a downer after the 2010 flag to reenergise.
But could we get a bit of luck with injuries next year FFS

 

[peter9789]

I'm probably not alone in my thoughts that Mick Malthouse went a bloody long way toward derailing our season with his will he, won't he bullshit at the end of 2011. That appearance on the Footy Show was an absolute debacle and reeked of Mick putting his own enormous ego before the needs of the club and the young blokes he claims to love.

Travis Cloke and his band of merry men (and another ill-advised cameo on the Footy Show) provided ample distraction for us in 2012, and Pendles was prepared to admit as much in interviews, in a year where Cloke's form fluctuated wildly. While Travi$ was playing pretty solidly come finals time, the team certainly wasn't playing at or near its best when it was most needed. The constant speculation can't have helped anybody.

So my question is; how do we go about making the club bombproof in 2013? Most of our bigger name players are signed up beyond next season IIRC, and we've just traded away a player who, much as I loved him, was responsible for a few unwanted headlines in his early career and chooses to live with one of the game's biggest tossbags. Swanny's skinfolds are unlikely to sell papers next year, and while Bucks didn't win us a flag on debut, he at least got us to top 4 despite the toughest draw of any AFL team and the worst run with ACLs anyone can remember. I don't see there being an excessive amount of pressure on him barring a nightmarish start to our next campaign.

Can anyone else think of any other measures we can take to keep ourselves out of the media spotlight for the wrong reasons?

We could do worse than review the culture and team first focus the Swans have enveloped themselves in for many years. Recruit the right players based on character and football ability. More than anything, make sure the leadership group and all players buy into this approach. We are a fair way off the player culture of the swans right now - Dane Swans breaking team rules late in the season just one example of this.

Secondly get Ed to STFU. I love Eddie but he draws unwanted attention to us on too many occasions with his comments on opposing clubs or the AFL. He is a great president but needs to temper his love of the club publicly.

Support Bucks 1000% - he has been a fabulous media performer and has handled the media superbly over the last season.

 

[Optimax]

A lot of factors go into winning a premiership, Opti, and while it may sound like making excuses we are also the club who chartered a private jet in 2009 to fly us back from a Perth final at low altitude just to aid our recovery. If that sort of 1% (or less) advantage was worth forking out the money for, then trying to shield the playing list from unnecessary distraction is surely worthy of consideration at least.

That has stated physical benefit.

We are not talking about emotional children and teenagers here TRS, if they are that mentally weak that player contract issues (not even their own) and a coach that babbled for 20 odd minutes on a variety show effects them so bad they can't win a flag then they shouldn't be playing football.

The reasons we didn't win in 11 were the ayers packing up early in the gf, probably caused by a horrible lead on due to stupid suspensions (maxwell, Heath, Thomas) and horribly untimely injuries to important or structural players (jolly, toovey, dawes, Leon). Whether mick babbled on like a grand pa or not wouldn't have changed those facts

Similar story in 2012. We had a coach by upheaval, a gameplan that at times was non existent, injury after injury to key players, lose of form to important players, the lack of progress for players it was expected (wood, wellers, Dawes), inopportune suspensions and then an untimely emotional blow up in the middle of a final series oh and our complete inability to compete with the hawks. Nothing cloke did or didn't do would have changed a damn thing.

Give the players credit, they are mentally stronger then they get given credit for when you bring up a media appearance and player contract derailing a season. Especially when there are numerous other fixable issues that should be addressed first.

 

[Ketchup]

Not losing to the scum bags. (Carlton)

 

[The Royal Sampler]

We are not talking about emotional children and teenagers here TRS, if they are that mentally weak that player contract issues (not even their own) and a coach that babbled for 20 odd minutes on a variety show effects them so bad they can't win a flag then they shouldn't be playing football.

At the elite level the game is mostly played between the ears, Opti. And a mental edge is not merely for "emotional children and teenagers" to benefit from. Do you reckon Pat Rafter was a particularly emotional person before he lost the Wimbledon singles final to Sampras, from a set up and 4-1 in a tiebreak? And yet by his own admission he choked (his word, not mine).

I agree it's disingenuous to blame the loss of the 2011 GF or the failed 2012 finals campaign on these external factors (arguably internal factors really), but you're being horribly naive to think that going some way (if possible) to eradicating them wouldn't be an advantage next season.

 

[Optimax]

For mine the issues lie elsewhere, and thankfully they are fixable issues.

It's just so old collingwood for mine to blame things like cloke's contract or mick's comments for reasons why we lost. Throughout our storied history we've found something stupid to blame fizzled seasons on, just off the top of my head
Harry trained us too hard in 77, yet we should've won the week prior!
Rocca suspension 03, I love him but he wasn't fixing a ten goal loss. We just conceded to a battered side.
Rocca unpaid goal in 02, goal or not (it probably was) we let ourselves down late in every quarter, again not good enough for long enough
Finals system in 92, not that our percentage was shit and we did ourselves no favours during the year.
Harmes knocking the ball back in, not the players fault we squandered a 3 goal lead...
Back slapping at half time of 70, back slapping or not we weren't good enough for long enough

I can go on and on, our history is littered with bullshit excuses that are incredibly flimsy. Yet they get held up as the reason, it's why our last two flags have come after droughts. Fix the actual issues instead of laying blame on a "devil" outside the club we can't fix.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

You forgot Jason Cloke's suspension in 2002.

Ok, might I suggest that you forget altogether that I mentioned how it might have adversely affected our seasons past? And I'm not suggesting it's an outside "devil", because for the most part the devil is us. If it's Swanny drinking when he shouldn't be, Sharrod driving when he shouldn't be, having our entire list come out of contract at the same time, Simon Buckley keying his ex-girlfriend's car, Ryan Cook re-arranging someone's face, Dids getting the wrong lift home from the Rhino... the point is that these are internal factors which should be avoidable for the large part. How do we go about it?

If you sincerely think that aiming for a higher level of professionalism amongst the playing group is a waste of time, maybe this thread just ain't for you.

 

[Swooop]

Whilst i normally agree with what you say, i can't agree with you this time I'm afraid Opti.
Not saying I'm right and you're wrong but really I do quite strongly disagree with what you say here.

Players are human just like all of us and they on average are 23.6 yr old humans.
Humans have emotions, especially at that age and the head and the body are intimately connected.
So much is between the ears at this level.

Pendles admitted the Cloke thing got to them, and I do reckon he'd have a fair idea.
If Cloke got to them, the MM look at me shemozzle would certainly have affected them.
Similarly, Geelong were poisoned on 2010 by the Gazza thing.

In answer to TRS OP, perhaps the club could preemptively make a crisp early call on how to conduct next years contract talks so we don't have that cause the demoralising sideshow that Cloke caused this year, which unequivocally had a negative impact on things this year.

If we have to go through the same shit with Daisy or whoever else this year, played up to the enth degree by the media turkeys again, it'll be too frustrating for words. Things did settle to a large degree as soon as they said with Cloke the talks are on hold, so surely this is something the club can do in answer to the OP

 

[Optimax]

Higher professionalism in the players is a different issue, I've already mentioned how stupid suspensions have effected us lol.

I just flatly refuse to believe that media speculation has the ability to actually cause damage to our on field, and if it really has then well I can't help but think we have more pain coming as the real problems go unaddressed.

 

[StillWaiting5689]

Agree with Opti here, if we fix any internal issues we may have then I don't think outside interference will play much of a part.
External pressure will always hang over us (and all clubs) I think however the way Buckley conducts himself in the press (in comparison to Malthouse) will mitigate this in some way, however we do have Eddie who always looms as a big target just by virtue of the way his role in the media is so entwined with his role as collingwood president. For the most part it is positive though sometimes it can cause unwanted attention, you take the bad with the good with Ed though.

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Higher professionalism in the players is a different issue, I've already mentioned how stupid suspensions have effected us lol.

Word!

More about that, less about your bullshit.

 

[Mateyman]

Who is coming out of contract next year? I think Swan is maybe retiring, so that will be made a massive deal of

 

[The Royal Sampler]

Who is coming out of contract next year? I think Swan is maybe retiring, so that will be made a massive deal of

I dunno if it would be a huge thing, knowing Swanny he'd just state the facts and it wouldn't be based around money.

 

[Knightmare]

One of our problems is that the press as a whole do not particularly like us, and have a fair idea that keeping Collingwood 'stories' alive and continually giving them oxygen works as a distraction, however much some claim otherwise.

I think the press probably like us if anything.

We have been one of the more open and easy to deal with clubs for a number of years with Hawthorn more in the opposite category where they avoid the media and shy away from any attention as much as possible.

The media know that Collingwood sell stories and as a result they naturally gravitate towards any possible Collingwood stories/rumours. Which is less the intention to derail our season but in most cases to create general interest and discussion about whatever issue is topical which unfortunately this year was always going to be the free agency - Cloke.

But admittedly there are a number of very obvious Collingwood haters in the media and being Collingwood that know matter what would always be the case.


But onto the question TRS I wouldn't do anything different. The media will always be out there to create Collingwood stories. For the players it's often best that they avoid watching the news and reading the papers - as helped with Cloke late season to get over his issues but there is not much that can be done.

I don't necessarily mind our openness with the media. As a fan I quite enjoy having that feel for what is going on at the club without being on the inside. Our players and coaches present so well to the media it's really a non issue.

The bad will always come. Open to the media or not.

And sporting media sure won't be shrinking anytime soon so it's not something you'll ever get away from with the media likely to get further access to players + clubs in the future with the way sports globally are trending.