From Today's Age

[TheGreatGrundy]

Plenty for Pies to be Jolly about
MICHAEL GLEESON

February 6, 2010

Collingwood ruckmen Cameron Wood and Darren Jolly contest a bounce as Luke Ball (right) and Alan Didak wait to pounce. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones

IT TOOK just a bounce. Even though it was only an intra-club practice match it was enough. When the ball rose for just the first time Darren Jolly quickly explained why he was brought to Collingwood.
He jumped into Cameron Wood, palmed the ball down the throat of Dayne Beams and the ball was out of the centre without another person touching it. That didn't used to happen at Collingwood.
It landed in the arms of an American recruit, Seamus McNamara, who kicked a goal. This also never used to happen in football, but that is another matter altogether.
It was just a practice match but Jolly yesterday was everything Collingwood wanted him to be: he got first hands to the ball; put it in the hands of the midfield; and went forward and marked balls and kicked goals.
''He virtually rucked the whole game - two 25 minute halves - which was good,'' said Collingwood VFL and senior assistant coach Gavin Brown, who coached the team yesterday and will coach them in the first NAB Cup match against St Kilda. ''He can take a good mark down there so he will drift forward at times and obviously have fair stints in the ruck and have his time on the bench.''
Jolly rucked against Wood, not Josh Fraser who did not play the match as he was deemed not yet ready in his fitness program for a match.
The arrival of Jolly creates a different look to Collingwood's centre set up, but what was perhaps more intriguing yesterday was the length of time Heath Shaw played in the midfield.
Shaw has occasionally played on ball, but yesterday played three quarters of the match in the middle, his end to end running and work rate as strong as anyone's.
The back-flanker has been Collingwood's 'sweeper' or attacking rebound defender. Sharrod Wellingham played behind the ball yesterday, but the player to impress in defence was Ben Reid.
The rangy centre half-back was memorable for his awkward kicking when he played senior football, but that evidently was more about nerves than technique. Yesterday he kicked beautifully as the man setting up plays behind the ball, distributing to players 50 and 60 metres away breaking on the wings.
On a drizzly day Collingwood clearly moved the ball by hand far more than has been their customary game. It might have been about conditions or the congested small ground, but it was a noteworthy change.
The Magpies other profile recruit, Luke Ball, was less eye-catching, but then his is a less eye-catching game. Given he was recruited with Jolly to redress issues with clearances it was mildly surprising he played on the opposite team to Jolly. Ball still he moved well, cleared the ball at times and had spells forward.
''Bally did just what you would expect … but he got through unscathed and had some good quality touches,'' Brown said.
Dale Thomas ran messages after pulling up with lower leg and calf soreness last week from training, Jack Anthony was still recovering from shoulder surgery and did not play. Sean Rusling likewise did not play, but he is considered likely to be available to play NAB Cup.
Travis Cloke played just a half, but was extremely impressive and mobile when he was on the ground, running Simon Prestigiacomo around and offering no suggestion restriction from a knee complaint.
Brent Macaffer, who made his debut last year as a strong marking small forward, was used through the middle and looked to have lifted his aerobic fitness. John McCarthy was balanced and poised and looked deserving of early season opportunities while young players Jarrod Blight in defence and Jarryd Blair on the ball offered something as well.
With AAP

 

[WinOrLoseILoveEm]

Plenty for Pies to be Jolly about
MICHAEL GLEESON
.....Brent Macaffer, who made his debut last year as a strong marking small forward, was used through the middle and looked to have lifted his aerobic fitness. John McCarthy was balanced and poised and looked deserving of early season opportunities while young players Jarrod Blight in defence and Jarryd Blair on the ball offered something as well.
With AAP

Something cookin' in Pieland that smells so much more appetising than the rancid smell of burnt oil and reheated gruel wafting from the blues scullery.

 

[Zahki]

Moving Shaw to the midfield seems like a strange decision given we've already got great depth there.

 

[Copeland]

Greg what do you hitnk of Rieds game eh? Slow and steady wins the raace, play fwd one day.

 

[mattys123]

All I can say is;

 

[Handsofstone]

Stardom beckons for young Ben Reid. Another bust for Colin Aka 'the Wizard' Wisbey

 

[danielnajdek]

Sounds as though Benny Reid is going along nicely hopefully I won't see too much of him in the vfl this year. He was an absolute gun in the vfl last year I just hope he can take that into the afl then we would have a solid backline for a long time to come.

 

[Bay Pie]

Stardom beckons for young Ben Reid. Another bust for Colin Aka 'the Wizard' Wisbey

Mate that seems very unfair.

I have read Colins' profile of Ben Reid and I cannot ever recall him saying Reid will not make it.

The main question he had on Reid was 'what role' or what position will he play. He did say he had doubts over Reid as a KP defender at AFL level. The game has changed quite a bit from the time Reid was drafted in that, big KP forwards and defenders appear to be dwindling, and taken over by the more athlete tall players....Scarlett, Franklin & Reiwoldt. Mainly to do with the defensive pressure now required by forwards.

While I have high hopes for Reid and am as bullish as anyone about his chances, he hasn't shown anything at AFL as a Key defender. Hasn't been given the chance though...yet.

 

[Dawson]

Moving Shaw to the midfield seems like a strange decision given we've already got great depth there.

Malthouse has said many times;
"In today's football a club needs at least 12 onballers in a team"

 

[Sloth]

no simon buckley?

 

[HFF]

Rapt about Ben Reid. Should really be stepping up for senior selection this season across CHB.

However, I've got mixed emotions about Heater's move into the midfield. Sure, I think he is capable of being our "Luke Hodge" in playing any role we need from him, however, I don't want this to be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Will be interesting to see our set-up come round 1.

Good news is only Corrie, Cook and Dick(unfortunately) from our pre-season campaign.

Great to hear Rus will see some pre-season action because not only does he need it but we could definitely use it too.

 

[Porkaspies09]

ahhh yes, Jolly is a gun, i knew it

 

[Dundalis]

Moving Shaw to the midfield seems like a strange decision given we've already got great depth there.

We have a pretty decent midfield, but the level of run through it isn't necessarily fantastic. We have some good in and under and link players, but not a huge amount of run and pace, or pure outside players.

Since Maxwell and O'Brien have massively lifted their possession rate this past year, and with Simon Buckley and possibly later on in the season Blight to fill the role, his role as a rebounding defender can more ably be filled meaning Shaw into the midfield can be trialled with hopefully little impact to our defence. Shaw should be able to provide some more burst speed through the midfield, that we only really get with Leon Davis, and perhaps Dale Thomas.

 

[favourites]

Great to see them actually go to training and take an interest in what happened. That is a very accurate report of what happened yesterday. As for Heaths move into the midfield, think what we are lacking in the midfield... hard bodies and pace, he has both in spades, his gut running yesterday was fantastic and you know he is always going to get back and help the defence.

 

[Quicky]

We have a pretty decent midfield, but the level of run through it isn't necessarily fantastic. We have some good in and under and link players, but not a huge amount of run and pace, or pure outside players.

Since Maxwell and O'Brien have massively lifted their possession rate this past year, and with Simon Buckley and possibly later on in the season Blight to fill the role, his role as a rebounding defender can more ably be filled meaning Shaw into the midfield can be trialled with hopefully little impact to our defence. Shaw should be able to provide some more burst speed through the midfield, that we only really get with Leon Davis, and perhaps Dale Thomas.

Exactly. We are still light on for quality outside midfielders besides Davis. It can't hurt in a practice match trialling Shaw there to see if he is a viable option if required. I think trialling other guys like Wellingham in Shaws role also played a part in where Shaw played in the practice match.

Great to see them actually go to training and take an interest in what happened. That is a very accurate report of what happened yesterday. As for Heaths move into the midfield, think what we are lacking in the midfield... hard bodies and pace, he has both in spades, his gut running yesterday was fantastic and you know he is always going to get back and help the defence.

I'm not so sure we're that light on for hard bodies in midfield right now. Swan, Pendles, O'Bree and Ball is a pretty solid core. Macaffer, McCarthy, Beams, Sidebottom and Wellingham are all getting older and seem more bulked up. It's his pace and footskills which are an attractive proposition in midfield and something we really lack. Still if we do end up moving Shaw to midfield I question whether we're robbing peter to pay paul. Run off the HB line was an area last year we struggled in at times (particularly early in the year) and I don't see any options that will provide anything close to Shaws quality. I'd prefer to see Wellingham and Buckley tried as outside mids and leave Shaw back tbh. Although on the flip side Shaw in midfield might allow Dids and Davis more forward time which could be a good thing if we are struggling up forward.

Really, I think the coaches are just trialling different options giving the team more flexibility if its needed. Having the ability of swapping Shaw into the middle during a game could be handy say if Swan is getting killed by a tag, he could go back to the HBF and Shaw into the middle. Or say Davis is finding it tough in the middle or maybe we're having a dirty day up forward, Shaw goes into the middle and Davis goes forward. It'd be nice to have that flexibility but I still think Shaw would be pretty tough to replace on the HBF.

 

[Brent24]

Reid, Macaffer, J-Mac and Blight all catching the eye.

I think one of them (Caff or J-Mac) will probably be a round 1 starter, hopefully the others can play well in the VFL and really push for selection.

 

[dayna36]

Moving Shaw to the midfield seems like a strange decision given we've already got great depth there.

yeah I suppose thats true but I read a quote from Didak last week on the cfc website where someone up at Mansfield asked him where he will play in 2010 and he answered by saying that Neeld wants him to play midfield whrereas Bucks wants him to play forward....the various assist.coaches would love Heater to be playing under them, a la didak!