- Mar 16, 2014
- 8,524
- 8,666
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
Let’s face it, this game is purely, one hundred percent about us. Essendon have been playing second-rate football and it’s unlikely they’ll come out firing. So we should win and the question is in what way: An unconvincing win? A return to our defensive, pressure, lightning movement best? Something in between?
The three components of our slump seem to be:
Centre clearances: the game starts here, and restarts here after every goal. It’s obvious that centre clearances are critical. We’ve struggled badly of late and it’s difficult to work out all the components. Let me list some. We have too many slow players (the modern game is based around pace, especially explosive pace from stoppage). Pendlebury, Mitchell and Adams are all slow. Even one slow centre-square player can be a liability. Having two at any bounce is baiting the Gods. This has meant that we’ve been very dependent on DeGoey, who is our second most important player after Moore (even if Daicos is our best). Take out De Goey and Daicos and we’re doubly struggling in the centre. We might see Crisp play more in there or even Elliot now and then (he’s one of our best in there). Then there’ the question of the ruck. Cox was more competitive in the taps last week and Cameron has just turned into the battler he probably is. So there’s a question about whether to play Cox as well as Cameron.
Clearances highlight the slowness of our midfield but there are other effects. A slump in loose ball gets and also in applying pressure. Watching Lachy Neale speed away from Mitchell last week was disturbing. In previous weeks the footage has shown Pendlebury getting beaten to the ball and not having the pace to get near the player. With DeGoey back this week, we get as bit more pace and power, but not enough to outweight the negatives. How much will motivation make up for our still overall slowness? Will WHE play more on one wing, Crisp in the middle, Elliot now and then in the centre, and McReery in the centre when he’s back? Will Mitchell get subbed off again first and is his position under threat?
Is there tinkering to the game plan? Probably not, instead we need a return to the first half of the year. That means getting better at the things I’ve mentioned, clearance and contest first, above all else. Greater pressure in the event we don’t win the inside contest.
All I want is a solid step forward. We don’t have to be “Peak Pies” this week, we just have to improve on our performance. We should still knock Essendon off without too much threat.
The Washup
Magpies by 43 points in a solid step forward.
The three components of our slump seem to be:
- Lack of on-the-edge motivation given we were guaranteed top-two.
- Injuries to our best and most important players.
- Other teams working out how to counter our game plan: Beat us at clearance. Move the ball at a medium pace, neither hectit the way we like it not too slow to allow our defence get set. So it’s move the ball forward but keep it off us to stop intercept marks. Make us attack from our defence. Come forward and pressure us in the centre corridor.
Centre clearances: the game starts here, and restarts here after every goal. It’s obvious that centre clearances are critical. We’ve struggled badly of late and it’s difficult to work out all the components. Let me list some. We have too many slow players (the modern game is based around pace, especially explosive pace from stoppage). Pendlebury, Mitchell and Adams are all slow. Even one slow centre-square player can be a liability. Having two at any bounce is baiting the Gods. This has meant that we’ve been very dependent on DeGoey, who is our second most important player after Moore (even if Daicos is our best). Take out De Goey and Daicos and we’re doubly struggling in the centre. We might see Crisp play more in there or even Elliot now and then (he’s one of our best in there). Then there’ the question of the ruck. Cox was more competitive in the taps last week and Cameron has just turned into the battler he probably is. So there’s a question about whether to play Cox as well as Cameron.
Clearances highlight the slowness of our midfield but there are other effects. A slump in loose ball gets and also in applying pressure. Watching Lachy Neale speed away from Mitchell last week was disturbing. In previous weeks the footage has shown Pendlebury getting beaten to the ball and not having the pace to get near the player. With DeGoey back this week, we get as bit more pace and power, but not enough to outweight the negatives. How much will motivation make up for our still overall slowness? Will WHE play more on one wing, Crisp in the middle, Elliot now and then in the centre, and McReery in the centre when he’s back? Will Mitchell get subbed off again first and is his position under threat?
Is there tinkering to the game plan? Probably not, instead we need a return to the first half of the year. That means getting better at the things I’ve mentioned, clearance and contest first, above all else. Greater pressure in the event we don’t win the inside contest.
All I want is a solid step forward. We don’t have to be “Peak Pies” this week, we just have to improve on our performance. We should still knock Essendon off without too much threat.
The Washup
Magpies by 43 points in a solid step forward.
