Coach Craig McRae

I'd love to know what Craig is planning for 2023. He is clearly a very insightful, astute man who knows the competition quickly finds ways to combat a successful team's gameplan. Ours (like Richmond's) is harder to stop because as they say, it's one thing to know what a team does and another altogether to stop them from doing it. If a team is willing to take risks and pay the price, there's not much the opposition can do about it other than hope they have a bad day and turn the pill over more often than finding a way through.

I'm curious to find out how he plans to use Nick, Bobby Hill, McStay, Frampton and the two ruckmen.
He rang me on Saturday and laid the entire plan out in detail but he made me promise not to tell anyone.
Let's just say it's a cunning plan.:thumbsu:
 
Aug 27, 2017
2,011
2,615
Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Collingwood
Bloody hell-it will need to come in a rush! Average lifespan is around 80. I'm 64. I've lost four mates in the past two years. No guarantees.
Same here mate. I'm 65 and my life long friend from high school just died from some horrible disease while on holiday in Turkey. I'm grateful for small mercies however i.e. witnessing 3 flags in my lifetime (1958 doesn't count as I was only a bub). Some supporters e.g. St Kilda have never see a flag while others (Footscray) may have only witnessed one. So if I never see another one I'll still go to my grave with happy memories of 1990 and 2010.
 

jonbe54

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 18, 2009
20,742
17,222
Rural paradise
AFL Club
Collingwood
Same here mate. I'm 65 and my life long friend from high school just died from some horrible disease while on holiday in Turkey. I'm grateful for small mercies however i.e. witnessing 3 flags in my lifetime (1958 doesn't count as I was only a bub). Some supporters e.g. St Kilda have never see a flag while others (Footscray) may have only witnessed one. So if I never see another one I'll still go to my grave with happy memories of 1990 and 2010.
68 here and in the same boat as you.

If we can keep this coaching / recruitment / fitness management group together we could see another one or two before we shove off.

Individual stars are nice but with a solid player selection and support group and the right game plan the stars can come and go.

The method and the plan will sustain us.
 

domus

Brownlow Medallist
Mar 31, 2008
12,281
21,623
Mooroolbark
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Mooroolbark footy club
Same here mate. I'm 65 and my life long friend from high school just died from some horrible disease while on holiday in Turkey. I'm grateful for small mercies however i.e. witnessing 3 flags in my lifetime (1958 doesn't count as I was only a bub). Some supporters e.g. St Kilda have never see a flag while others (Footscray) may have only witnessed one. So if I never see another one I'll still go to my grave with happy memories of 1990 and 2010.
There's a hell of a lot of pain we suffered along the way to winning those flags which the Dogs fans and to a lesser degree saints fans never endured. Cameron Mooney won three flags as a player but said he still loses sleep over the 2008 grand final. Well, try being a Collingwood player in the 60's 70's and early 80's. I've seen us win two flags out of fifteen tries. In some ways the pain of losing a GF you held the lead in for long periods or lost in the final minutes is more enduring than the joy you get from winning one. I still get down if I catch a clip or two from the1966 , 1970 GF or 77 draw and replay, 79, 81 (80 was a massacre) 2002, 2003 (a non event) 2011 and 2018 GF's whereas the buzz from 90 and 2010 has worn off.
 
Deserving of a bump. It’s been awhile. Completely changed the club, top to bottom in only 18months. What a great appointment. And how good are his pressers. In fly we trust, Floreat pica!

To be fair, with the way we’ve been playing, Fly could spend his press conferences running around naked with his underwear on his head singing “never tear us apart”, and we would still be lauding his genius.
 
Mar 16, 2022
4,946
7,120
AFL Club
Collingwood
To be fair, with the way we’ve been playing, Fly could spend his press conferences running around naked with his underwear on his head singing “never tear us apart”, and we would still be lauding his genius.
It’s certainly a lot better than hearing “we got nutted at the contest” for the tenth time in a row under Bucks
 
It’s certainly a lot better than hearing “we got nutted at the contest” for the tenth time in a row under Bucks

“… In some way shape or form”

🙄
 
Oct 7, 2001
21,828
18,329
In the Pocket Rocket, lights ablaze!
AFL Club
Collingwood
Even oppo supporters are enjoying the brand of football that fly has constructed at the Pies.
That in itself speaks volumes.
From a personal perspective, I was at the point that watching my mighty club play was no longer giving me enjoyment. The stagnant play, kicking backwards, the inevitable fumble or miskick, the lack of skill that I knew was a result of poor coaching. I know I wasn’t alone in this view.
But oh my god what a revelation the last 18 months have been. I am even able to watch losses now because I know we never give in, we always are in with a chance. And the skills have suddenly become elite. From the same players!
Thank you Craig. You must have impressed the panel who hired you as an unproven at this level product. But you have delivered on every aspect of the game, from skills to game plan to recruitment to absolute enjoyment from the players and supporters.
Hard to believe a man who had a hand in two of our worst days is now a hero of our great club.
 
Even oppo supporters are enjoying the brand of football that fly has constructed at the Pies.

Yeah, unfortunately there is always a downside.
 
We have not only McRae , but the whole coaching group is great bloody great to see

Plus given that Leppitsch and Bolton are failed senior coaches, we might actually have some chance of hanging onto them for a bit.
 

CCollingwoodFCS

Draftee
Nov 6, 2019
9
27
AFL Club
Collingwood
But oh my god what a revelation the last 18 months have been. I am even able to watch losses now because I know we never give in, we always are in with a chance. And the skills have suddenly become elite. From the same players!
Nope, this is far too simplistic in my view. We had some stirring wins with Bucks against the odds, when the team just wouldn't lay down...... for example, knocking the Eagles out of the finals on their home ground in the Elimination final of 2020.
He developed the likes of Noble, IQ, Checkers and Maynard. Today's team has players that Bucks could only dream about having at his disposal - Nick (for starters), Tom Mitchell (Brownlow medallist), Bobby Hill (pace and innate skills).
Then there's the improved physical health of Billy Elliott and Darcy Moore and the greater maturity of Cameron, Coxy and JDG. So really, it's not the
"same players" at all.
Plus Bucks had to coach through the pandemic which must have been a nightmare trying to maintain the enthusiasm of the players. For one thing,it is openly known that the highest paid player in the team (Grundy) did not cope with life in the hubs.
To cap it all off, we finally have the services of an exceptional head of fitness and conditioning
Sure, McRae has done a grand job and I'm very glad he was appointed. However, there is also an element of "right man at the right time with the right players and right conditioning expert".
 
Last edited:
Plus given that Leppitsch and Bolton are failed senior coaches, we might actually have some chance of hanging onto them for a bit.
All is not lost 76, if we do happen to lose one or both assistants, and Beveridge and Simpson will be available soon😁
 
And the President keeping his beak out of football matters

Flowers In The Dirt Yes GIF by Paul McCartney
 
Back