Holding back ?

[TheLip]

We've been playing like a team with nothing to gain and everything to lose. In terms of expectations this has also been the case, as anything short of a Grand Final would have been seen as an abject failure for this team. The great news is that the balance has been restored and a premiership victory would rightfully be seen as a fantastic achievement. the pressure monkey that seems to have made us fear defeat and thus move the ball slowly has been removed. I reckon that we'll see a rejuvenated Pies take the game on and lift considerably.

Then again, this may just be wishful thinking.

This pretty much sums up what I've been saying. The weight of expectation has been shifted hugely toward Geelong. All things being equal this should allow our guys to free up a bit and play the way that has won us so many matches. Of course it's a pretty big if but one which I'm warming to.

 

[Ed D]

"Our group in the last couple of weeks have played safe, worrying more about losing it than winning it," Maxwell said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/pies-to-accentuate-the-positive/story-e6frf9io-1226148840712

 

[Rummy]

I think the players have been holding back for 3 months, but the problem now is that they dont know how to turn it back on, which they thought they could simply do so for the first game of the finals. Well so far we've just gotten through by the skin of our teeth and the club needs a good shake up during the pre-season for their complacency because I deep fears about the big game.

 

[TheLip]

I think the players have been holding back for 3 months, but the problem now is that they dont know how to turn it back on, which they thought they could simply do so for the first game of the finals. Well so far we've just gotten through by the skin of our teeth and the club needs a good shake up during the pre-season for their complacency because I deep fears about the big game.

Sorry but I just can't understand how any thinking person could believe this. To be fair, Collingwood went into round 24 intentionally with a changed structure and I dare say Mick probably was never going to be too concerned about the result. Having said that I flatly refuse to believe he'd have been happy with the margin. Since then, Collingwood have been second-guessing themselves way too much. it's what Maxwell says, they've tightened up and have been worrying too much about losing rather than getting on with the job of winning. We'd love to think they're going to flick a switch on Saturday but that's just kindergarten stuff. No coach ever allows their team to flirt with their form. They may put a bad structure in place as I believe we did against Geelong but you'd only do that in a dead rubber when you have top spot sewn up.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

You think they were holding back in a prelim final? Delusional.

That's what Mick said on Game Day on the weekend. He felt the players were "protecting their position" rather than trying to go all out for it. Simply because they had finished first, they were expected to make the Grand Final, but rather than going all out they went into self preservation mode and tried to play it down rather than trying to slaughter the opposition and end up getting slaughtered.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/pies-to-accentuate-the-positive/story-e6frf9io-1226148840712

This is what I meant too. Malthouse mirrored these thoughts.

 

[TheLip]

This is what I meant too. Malthouse mirrored these thoughts.

That's a fair point bit I think you'll find that the context of the thread is that we've somehow intentionally not played our best so as to throw off the opposition. To me that's just fairy stories.

 

[Snag Breac]

We've been rationing the passion, but now it's time to give our all.

Of course we'll win.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

I like that.

Ration the Passion until GF day.

Nice.

RATIONS!!!!!

 

[Ed D]

That's a fair point bit I think you'll find that the context of the thread is that we've somehow intentionally not played our best so as to throw off the opposition. To me that's just fairy stories.

Most have been saying this however, that the team hasn't held back but haven't had the mindset to crush teams, just focussed to get into the GF.

 

[PremiumPies]

Most have been saying this however, that the team hasn't held back but haven't had the mindset to crush teams, just focussed to get into the GF.

And now we're there, once the ball is bounced to begin the game on Saturday afternoon, the players can commence with crushing those cowardly Cats.

 

[TheLip]

Most have been saying this however, that the team hasn't held back but haven't had the mindset to crush teams, just focussed to get into the GF.

I think it's as some have been saying. They're so weighed down with the weight of expectation that they're playing tight because they are thinking too much about the possibility of losing rather than concentrating on what they do well. If they can throw that off on Saturday they'll at least take it up to the cats. If they can't then that smashing we got from the Lions way back then might come to revisit. I'm sure the sports psychologists have been working overtime down at the Westpac Centre. Let's just hope they get it right.

 

[tonkapies]

The pies are exactly were they should be in a gf ffs. The last quarter against the hawks is what will come for 4 quarters on sat. If the cats played the hawks last friday, the hawks win by 30+ hawks were awesome. The pies were better. With s johnson out or playing injured, menzel out, i see no x factor, barring maybe chapman, but even he has not the same kind of magic he had a few years ago. The rest of them are hard nuts but will it be enough. Chriss Scott showed his hand in round 24 bomb long , coridoor footy , i think he would of been a little off put by it all when the pies didnt tackle, try for most part, and importantly the pies did not press at all after quarter time, didnt the pies kick the first 4 goals of that game.
I see didak, krak, sidebottom, blair, thomas craving up the cats on the spread if the game opens up from the outset, if the cats bog it down , it might be alot harder. watch out for cloke this monster on saturday will put himself in the record books with one of the best games from a forward. pies by 45.

 

[upnsmoke]

Footy is a funny sport that skills and talent CAN indeed LOSE to energy and effort depending on the day. Its a sport where players are allowed to tackle, bump, crash etc... meaning energy and effort can shut down skills and talent on a given situation where/when it is advantageous.


- Pies players need to lay down tackles like the Cats just slept with their sisters. Basically, tackle them hard and leave a bruise or two.

- Chase the ball carrier as if they just took your wallet.

- When contesting a marking contest, lay a knee on the oppositions back. Use shoulders to ram packs... as long as no high hits or low blows and players play for the ball, its all part of the game.

- No cowards.... throw everything and leave everything on the field..... avoid injuries of course, but if you don't leave the ground without a bruise or sore muscles, you didnt play hard enough.

 

[Breakthelines]

No holding back I'm afraid.

I was waiting for the Eagles game to see where we are at, and it appears we're spent. If we weren't spent, the Hawthorn game would have finished us off.

You heard the phrase 'played our Grand Final'? I think that might have been it.

Can someone please card this clown, sick to death (I'm currently in hospital) of reading the crap you type. You are a flog collingwood supporter that should go and barrack for GWS or some other rubbish club!

 

[Paddywhackers]

Can someone please card this clown, sick to death (I'm currently in hospital) of reading the crap you type. You are a flog collingwood supporter that should go and barrack for GWS or some other rubbish club!

 

[TheLip]

Take it easy guys. Everybody handles the pressure of GF week differently. It doesn't physically affect you if someone sees monsters under the bed. Let it go.

 

[larrikan]

Can someone please card this clown, sick to death (I'm currently in hospital) of reading the crap you type. You are a flog collingwood supporter that should go and barrack for GWS or some other rubbish club!

+1

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Can someone please card this clown, sick to death (I'm currently in hospital) of reading the crap you type. You are a flog collingwood supporter that should go and barrack for GWS or some other rubbish club!

Or you could calm the f**k down.

How am I typing crap, when I'm posting based on physical evidence as opposed to some of you who are posting based on hope?

Yeah, we all HOPE that our form turns around, but based on the evidence in front of our eyes, it seems unlikely.

Many of us (me included) wrote that Geelong Round 24 game off, and assumed we'd lift for the West Coast game.

We struggled.

So we then assumed, we;d lift for the Hawthorn game.

We struggled.

It has to get to a point where you stop waiting for that change, and accept that maybe juuuuuuuuuuust maybe, that change isn't going to happen and we might just struggle again.

Like many, I hope it turns around. But hope is all it is. There's nothing crap abuot what I've been posting. Get over yourself.

 

[Trojan Pies]

Not one game this year have we smashed a team in every quarter, but will have to do this on Saturday and do feel that they have been leading up to being able to do that on the big day.

North Melbourne - 4 quarters right there.

 

[Trojan Pies]

Or you could calm the f**k down.

How am I typing crap, when I'm posting based on physical evidence as opposed to some of you who are posting based on hope?

Yeah, we all HOPE that our form turns around, but based on the evidence in front of our eyes, it seems unlikely.

Many of us (me included) wrote that Geelong Round 24 game off, and assumed we'd lift for the West Coast game.

We struggled.

So we then assumed, we;d lift for the Hawthorn game.

We struggled.

It has to get to a point where you stop waiting for that change, and accept that maybe juuuuuuuuuuust maybe, that change isn't going to happen and we might just struggle again.

Like many, I hope it turns around. But hope is all it is. There's nothing crap abuot what I've been posting. Get over yourself.

With you here Ed however you have to realise that our supporter group is called "one eyed" for a reason. Rational and logical reasoning has no place amongst many on these boards if it in anyway talks down our chances of winning a game.

Take it in your stride. The stress of GF week is getting to all of us and people react in different ways.

Like you I "hope" we win, will be cheering them on like a madman and stressing like a man on death row however my expectations are also somewhat tempered based upon recent results and H2H record...

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

North Melbourne - 4 quarters right there.

Obligatory lol Norf.

With you here Ed however you have to realise that our supporter group is called "one eyed" for a reason. Rational and logical reasoning has no place amongst many on these boards if it in anyway talks down our chances of winning a game.

Take it in your stride. The stress of GF week is getting to all of us and people react in different ways.

Like you I "hope" we win, will be cheering them on like a madman and stressing like a man on death row however my expectations are also somewhat tempered based upon recent results and H2H record...

This is what I mean. Some of the posters on this board are massive man-babies.

"Oh noez, a Collingwood supporter isn't 100% sure we're going to win!".

I mean seriously, aside from last year's form, and form from earlier in the year that is a borderline forgotten memory, as well as carrying in underdone players, what else does anyone have to suggest that we're a realistic chance?

Aside from 'hoping' our form turns around?

I've said myself in other threads that hopefully we can carry that last quarter form through, but again...that magic word, hope.

We all know that our best is better than anyone's, there's no argument there. But I'm yet to see anything suggesting us getting back to anywhere near our best anytime soon.

 

[lgarth80]

But I'm yet to see anything suggesting us getting back to anywhere near our best anytime soon.

The only thing that I saw was a side not willing to lose, that despite being out of form had the will to win.

I agree with Leigh Matthews on the AFL site, it is a repeat of 71. But unlike his thoughts where he just said "yeah Geelong will win regardless" if it is like 71, what we may need are players going to the wall and someone stepping up.

For the Hawks it was Don Scott and Bob Keddie, and who knows who it could be for us.

The main thing I saw suggesting we could go back to our best, was that last quarter. It was probably one of our best for the year, and given the circumstances, the form change could not have been more timely.

That said, I agree with you in that my brain still says Geelong has the advantage, they have a lot of bases covered, and a lot less worries than us.

I'm hoping that this leads to complacency, a thought that it is "just going to happen" and that we start like a rocket on the weekend, catching them off guard.

It's still more hope than rationality, but with only one game more that needs winning, maybe luck, emotion and hope do play a more significant role than they do in getting something like the McLelland Cup.

(Side note, we win this match and we get the clean sweep of everything that our senior side can win, all those pissant trophies vs other clubs, the night series, the lot. It also gives us wins against every team in the comp in our most recent meeting. Not many sides achieve this.)

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

The only thing that I saw was a side not willing to lose, that despite being out of form had the will to win.

I agree with Leigh Matthews on the AFL site, it is a repeat of 71. But unlike his thoughts where he just said "yeah Geelong will win regardless" if it is like 71, what we may need are players going to the wall and someone stepping up.

For the Hawks it was Don Scott and Bob Keddie, and who knows who it could be for us.

The main thing I saw suggesting we could go back to our best, was that last quarter. It was probably one of our best for the year, and given the circumstances, the form change could not have been more timely.

That said, I agree with you in that my brain still says Geelong has the advantage, they have a lot of bases covered, and a lot less worries than us.

I'm hoping that this leads to complacency, a thought that it is "just going to happen" and that we start like a rocket on the weekend, catching them off guard.

It's still more hope than rationality, but with only one game more that needs winning, maybe luck, emotion and hope do play a more significant role than they do in getting something like the McLelland Cup.

(Side note, we win this match and we get the clean sweep of everything that our senior side can win, all those pissant trophies vs other clubs, the night series, the lot. It also gives us wins against every team in the comp in our most recent meeting. Not many sides achieve this.)

As I said in my post, hopefully the form from the Hawthorn last quarter flows on.

But again, this is nothing more than hoping it happens.

Of course we all hope everything turns around, and Jolly is fine and Reid is fine, and Didak finds form etc etc.

But realistically, there couldnt be anyone out there who can claim with great confidence, based on what we've seen from both sides over the last month, that we're a better than below average chance of winning.

 

[jonbe54]

Ed you are missing one vital point here. Grand finals are NOT about skill and flair, they are about courage and desire.

Those of us old enough all witnessed the skill and flair of Gazza Snr in 89 but it simply wasn't enough.

Against Hawthorn we saw a side refusing to lose, despite its 1st ruck and AA CHB being down for the count, despite one of its most electric on ballers still finding his way back to touch in his first game back.

So often in GF's skill goes out the door and it becomes a wrestle to the death, I'll back Collingwood's desire to win over the Cats flair and risk game any day.