Opinion Club 2019 Report Card

[76woodenspooners]

How would you grade the club’s 2019 season?

Summary of results below. Let me know if I’ve missed out anything.

Poll above

AFL Season:

* Finished the regular season 4th of 18; 15 wins 7 losses, 117.7%
* Played in a Preliminary Final.
* All Australian Jackets: Grundy and Pendlebury
* 85,226 members (third highest behind Richmond and WCE)
* Total H&A attendance: 1,207,662 (Highest)
* Total Home attendance: 648,728 (2nd Highest behind Richmond)
* Total attendance (Home + Finals): 1,378,926 (Will end up being highest)

VFL Season

* Finished the regular season 11th of 15 with 7 wins, 11 losses, 83.98%

AFLW Season:

* Finished last of 5 in Conference B, 1 win 6 losses, 66.7%, effectively woodenspooners across the competition of 10.

VFLW Season:

* Premiers 2019
* Minor Premiers, finished the regular season on top of the ladder of 13 teams; with 12 wins, 2 losses, 167.24%
* Stacy Livingstone, best player of Grand Final

SNL Netball:

* Finished 4th on the 8 team ladder, 7 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws
* Played in Elimination Final

Wheelchair football

* H&A season Finished runners up in a five team competition; 5 wins, 3 losses, 123.77%
* Played off in Grand Final (Loss to Richmond)

Club Financial Results:

TBD

 

[caloschwaby]

We didn't end up like Adelaide.

 

[Sea fog]

Not bad overall but can be better of course.

 

[Gone Critical]

Think we had a reasonable year. Finished about where we stand on talent or even a bit above. Problem is there are not really any champion teams about currently and flags are there for the taking to a degree. A really good result would have been to have got one of the last 2 flags so overall disappointed. Feel we have missed an opportunity. Hopefully we get another good go at one in the next couple of seasons but the comp is very even so its easy to fall off the pace.

 

[queensberryrules]

FAIL. After a close gf loss you have to win the next year. I am sick and tired of the good feel collingwood videos and media spin, and the clubs own candy take. Win a flag, and shut up and stop spinning until you do. All the while the Punt Road mongrels may end up with 2 out of 3 years while we self congratulate losses.


On SM-G955F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

Whilst I tell my kids that being runner-up is first of the losers, I don't believe it. It is a ploy to make them leave home.

Collingwood B+

18 team comp with a salary cap and footy department tax

And missed out on GF by 4 points

We were good but not excellent

The philosopher-warrior-emperor Marcus Aurelius at such times would think of something worse to make himself feel better

I think it would be worse to barrack for the Suns, or have a spear through my head, or to be ottoman

Stay strong - no unwanted tatts or crystal therapy to help commiserate

 

[gappa]

Did we sit the NAPLAN? How do we compare to the national average?

 

[barrackers]

AFL

After we rightfully finished top 4 a prelim was the pass mark and we achieved that. Losing in the manner we did it's impossible to say it was anything more than a pass though. Even moving past onfield results aside from Callum Brown we didn't develop any young potential 100+ game players amongst the senior team. Taking that further only Moore and Roughead found form in new positions, which means we largely held firm from 2018.

Women's program

Incredible result with the VFLW team winning the flag after another disappointing AFLW campaign. Coupled with coaching changes hopefully it will be the beginning of some success. Well done on the netballers making their first finals series too, again it hopefully a sign of a new beginning.

 

[jmac70]

FAIL. After a close gf loss you have to win the next year. I am sick and tired of the good feel collingwood videos and media spin, and the clubs own candy take. Win a flag, and shut up and stop spinning until you do. All the while the Punt Road mongrels may end up with 2 out of 3 years while we self congratulate losses.


On SM-G955F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Simple solution - stop following them.
It’s a B+ from me. Couldn’t get momentum going, hopeful we can get back to our 2018 form next season.

 

[Vicky Park]

76, is that an Abba song quoted in the poll? This forum is going to sh!t.

 

[jmac70]

Did we sit the NAPLAN? How do we compare to the national average?

Definitely Band 6. The Top Triangle still alludes us.

 

[Matt_352]

B. Good but we could have and should have achieved so much more.

 

[peter9789]

B for me based on where we finished. But our injury management amongst the worst in the competition.

A good win picking up Roughead, and Noble mid season (albeit I think he is limited). The Beams trade was a complete bust.

But injuries really again the story of our season.


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Gone Critical]

Whilst I tell my kids that being runner-up is first of the losers, I don't believe it. It is a ploy to make them leave home.

Collingwood B+

18 team comp with a salary cap and footy department tax

And missed out on GF by 4 points

We were good but not excellent

The philosopher-warrior-emperor Marcus Aurelius at such times would think of something worse to make himself feel better

I think it would be worse to barrack for the Suns, or have a spear through my head, or to be ottoman

Stay strong - no unwanted tatts or crystal therapy to help commiserate

On line Otto or real life Otto?

 

[Gone Critical]

Simple solution - stop following them.
It’s a B+ from me. Couldn’t get momentum going, hopeful we can get back to our 2018 form next season.

Interesting but I thought our 2019 form, particularly the H&A was better. We need to be better than 2018 if we are to improve. It was a very good year for the club in stepping up through the comp but our draw and excellent form against the lower sides gave us a big boost

In 2019 we looked better against the better sides but we still need more improvement. To go to our 2018 form for mine is a step back. We improved in 2019 but not by enough.

 

[joff]

Took the b option but would have taken A— if it was available. I think an A would be appropriate for a granny appearance

 

[76woodenspooners]

The senior mens brought a lot of joy during the year ... a heavily depleted Collingwood getting a 1 point win over an in-form WCE on their home deck being the highlight.

One of the things I do like about our current team is that we’re generally well balanced rather than being a team of superstars. That’s how we were in 2010. I don’t really mind if Grundy (or any other player) stays or goes, as long as they’re replaced by player(s) who make us a better team. (Eg: when Beams first left we became a better team (GOOD!) but when Witts left we didn’t (BAD!))

Enough of the soft tissue injuries. Obviously players like DeGoey, Moore and Adams were a problem, but no less a problem (even though far less obvious) were injuries to players like Murphy and Kelly who are potentially our future. I’ve got NFI whether it’s warming up protocols, injury prevention protocols, or whatever, but these have been hurting us for years. We need to keep trying to get on top of this scourge.

IMO an area to address is general mental health and well-being ... given reporting of how much of an issue it is across the competition - we have a duty of care - AND I could see it as being the next big frontier of competitive advantage. We know it affected Beams’ season - and although he also had injury issues, IMO happy people are less likely to get injured. Beams we know about, and there are probably 10 times more we don’t know about (I have heard several industry insiders say that’s the case competition wide, not necessarily Collingwood in particular)

The VFL form was disappointing, and even though VFL watchers tend to be a more even handed group, one of the primary roles of the VFL team is to support the AFL team, and they weren’t able to effectively do that going into finals.

As for the women’s program, it had another Jekyll-and-Hyde year with the senior women seriously underperforming having had their teamlist gutted (yet again) ...

... but the VFLW winning everything there was to win. It’s a good year for the club when it adds to the trophy cabinet.

Both the underperforming programs of VFL and AFLW will have a change in coach, so hopefully that will bring a change of fortune for the club going forward.

The Netball women’s made it to their first finals series. I don’t follow the Netball closely, but some of the media folks who do had us Premiership favourites pre-season ... so maybe we failed to meet expectations there. Nevertheless, making finals for the first time is a step in the right direction.

The wheelchair folks had another good season. They failed to reach the lofty heights of last year (Premiers) but still did well to reach the Grand Final.

B overall

 

[76woodenspooners]

76, is that an Abba song quoted in the poll? This forum is going to sh!t.

Well ...

... knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do

Besides, I would have thought the cheesy Billy Joel reference would have been more offensive

 

[Vicky Park]

Well ...

... knowing me, knowing you, there is nothing we can do

Besides, I would have thought the cheesy Billy Joel reference would have been more offensive

Its stuck in the middle, 76.

But you get a big tick for the Acca Dacca reference.

 

[Leviathan Pie]

How would you grade the club’s 2019 season?

Summary of results below. Let me know if I’ve missed out anything.

Poll above

AFL Season:

* Finished the regular season 4th of 18; 15 wins 7 losses, 117.7%
* Played in a Preliminary Final.
* All Australian Jackets: Grundy and Pendlebury
* 85,226 members (third highest behind Richmond and WCE)
* Total H&A attendance: 1,207,662 (Highest)
* Total Home attendance: 648,728 (2nd Highest behind Richmond)
* Total attendance (Home + Finals): 1,378,926 (Will end up being highest)

VFL Season

* Finished the regular season 11th of 15 with 7 wins, 11 losses, 83.98%

AFLW Season:

* Finished last of 5 in Conference B, 1 win 6 losses, 66.7%, effectively woodenspooners across the competition of 10.

VFLW Season:

* Premiers 2019
* Minor Premiers, finished the regular season on top of the ladder of 13 teams; with 12 wins, 2 losses, 167.24%
* Stacy Livingstone, best player of Grand Final

SNL Netball:

* Finished 4th on the 8 team ladder, 7 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws
* Played in Elimination Final

Wheelchair football

* H&A season Finished runners up in a five team competition; 5 wins, 3 losses, 123.77%
* Played off in Grand Final (Loss to Richmond)

Club Financial Results:

TBD

On the back of last year, and paying overs for Dayne Beams heading into the year - the season has been a fail.

 

[SprooseMoose]

A mixed bag for me.

Ladder and results wise, it was good to finish around the same as 2018, given the much harder 2019 drawer, and tougher injury profile. I like that we did better against the better sides. The most wins vs top 8 sides for the year or something.

I found much of our form in the H&A games to be quite sketchy though. One of my observations from 2018 was that we learned quickly from our mistakes. If an opposition side exploited some hole in our gameplan, we made sure to rectify it the following week. I didn't see much of that this year though. Too many games were we were poor/average and it wasn't until 3/4 time or when it looked like we might lose, that we pulled our fingers out and showed good we could actually be - which was pretty awesome. It was a pattern that was identified though, but we failed to break out of it for most of the year, and it cost too many games games. Maybe the opposition had something to do with that though. Gotta give'em some credit I suppose. In many ways, the prelim against GWS was a reflection of that. Still, I guess it's good to have the confidence and belief that there's always another gear, a switch you can flick when you need to.

Defence was excellent. Now we gotta concentrate on making our forwards as potent as they were last year, and maybe add a decent key forward. Can't rely on Mason Cox, and injury prone 30-year olds. It's also concerning that there's been a few "big game players" go missing for a few big games now.

In summary:

• Results wise, impressive to finish where we did given the more difficult circumstances this year
• Our best football is devastating, but didn't bring it often enough and often relied on "flicking a switch" to get us out of jail

 

[jackcass]

Given the issues the squad has encountered this year with injuries and suspensions, I think our senior men's side over-achieved. Can't lose as many games from "best 22" players as we have this year and expect too much more.

Sensational that the VFLW side won some silverware. Hopefully that feeds into the AFLW team in 2020.

 

[76woodenspooners]

... and paying overs for Dayne Beams heading into the year - the season has been a fail.

I disagree.

Beams played 9 games during a period where the team performed well. Would the 2018 first round pick we gave up for him have contributed more to our 2019 campaign? Very unlikely. And yes, we also gave up our 2019 first round pick, but they didn’t have any impact on our 2019 season.

Let’s not right Beams off just yet ...

... many wrote Mayne off after his first season with us, and for all his faults, he’s since become a reliable contributor to a team that has made the GF and PF.

If Beams retires this week, then yeah, I’ll agree with you. If he comes back well rested and in great form for a number of years then I won’t . The likelihood is that it’ll be somewhere in the middle.

 

[Saintly Viewed]

B +

In such competition, so even making the top 4 is worthy of respect.

Likely that’s our level give or take. Need to do the take ie take a flag.

Injuries and interruptions ultimately kill us eg De Goey, Moore, Beams and even Cox. He would have still stayed near 7 foot at the death of Saturday’s game.

Adding A grade talent in Beams, whether yes we should have or not, we did.

A grade talent matters. More of it, more chance of a flag.

Not getting the angst aimed at him.

If he’s healthy we are better having him than a medium talent. And as he’s ours may as well utilise his talent than not.

Need a few underlings to take that next step.

Under such adversity we did ok; never really threw in the sponge.

Close but no cigar means can’t be an A from me but far from a terrible year.

We sit with Geelong in that group of close but just requiring that bit more.

B +

 

[Saintly Viewed]

I disagree.

Beams played 9 games during a period where the team performed well. Would the 2018 first round pick we gave up for him have contributed more to our 2019 campaign? Very unlikely. And yes, we also gave up our 2019 first round pick, but they didn’t have any impact on our 2019 season.

Let’s not right Beams off just yet ...

... many wrote Mayne off after his first season with us, and for all his faults, he’s since become a reliable contributor to a team that has made the GF and PF.

If Beams retires this week, then yeah, I’ll agree with you. If he comes back well rested and in great form for a number of years then I won’t . The likelihood is that it’ll be somewhere in the middle.

I’ve never quite got the Beams angst.

Whether we should have got him is different discussion. We have him.

He’s A grade.

Top 10 on our list. If healthy.

If he’s playing we are a better team
Than having a medium talent playing instead.

And oddest thing some are forgetting is even in his mediocrity he is still racking up 25 possessions and uses those well.

Get that, even in average mode he’s still superior to many of our players that might occupy his position instead.

If he returns healthy more power to him and us.

We need A grade talent as they have far more chance of delivering than B and C grade talent.