GAME REVIEW
The single best game Collingwood have played in the Buckley era.
I know that the game last week was against very, very low calibre opposition, but even then you could see something... different. A distinct gameplan. An urgency. A willingness to work hard both ways. Last week was a supremely satisfying win, but tonight was the next level. An insanely satisfying victory over the "best" team in the comp on their home deck.
Okay, let's take a brief moment to qualify the win. Adelaide are dealing with injuries. They're missing the Crouch bros, Eddie got injured, and the Sloane defenders will tell us he's carrying something.
Okay, enough of that. Let's talk about the fact our injury list is longer, that we dealt with some questionable umpiring to get the Crows into the game, and that we looked a cut above than the opposition all night long. Let's talk about the fact that Rd 1, 2016, Brodie Grundy was considered the second-best ruck at Collingwood, and as of tonight, he's head and shoulders the best ruck in the AFL. Let's talk about the fact that Sidey has evolved from a very good player in the 2010-16 seasons to a legitimately elite footballer from the back half of 2017 until now. Let's talk about the fact that for the first time since Daisy and Pendles, we've got an 18 year old who looks ready to tear the competition apart.
Let's talk about Collingwood.
THE TOP FIVE
1. Brodie Grundy
2. (by a hair) Steele Sidebottom
3. Jaiden Stephenson
4. Adam Treloar
5. Take your pick... Pendles, Phillips, Murray, Varcoe, WHE... a solid team performance.
THE BOTTOM FIVE... actually I'm struggling here. The bottom three. And even then, none of them particularly bad.
3. Tom Langdon
2. Brayden Maynard
1. Ben Crocker.
PLAYER REVIEW
Brodie Grundy - I'm trying to pinpoint when he became the best ruck in the comp, because he clearly is now. Was it the game where he kicked the winner against Richmond with four seconds left? He's kicked on to incredible heights. To monster Jacobs, one of the best in the comp, was insane. I counted five clearances where he outbodied Sauce and took the ball from the ruck cleanly and roosted it 40+ metres forward. Those sort of fast clearances are worth their weight in gold. The 30+ disposals are historically impossible for a ruckman, but here we are. The clean hands he displayed defied belief. The goal on the run was the touch of class he brings to put him over the top as the best big man going around. A+++, couldn't commend highly enough. Brodie Grundy, I love you.
Steele Sidebottom - at some stage in 2017, he took the step from very good to elite. He hasn't looked back. 40+ disposals, 10+ clearances, clean and composed when few others could handle it. His class shines through in tough conditions. He's become a real leader around the club and now regularly straps the team on his shoulders and drags the side along with him. Congratulations, Steele - you've become a Collingwood great.
Jaiden Stephenson - nobody saw that coming. He looked to be struggling last week, and we all called for him to give way for Fasolo or Elliott or Daicos, and yet here we are. We haven't had a rookie light things up to this extent since our premiership heroes of Daisy, Steele and Pendles. Five class goals, against last years Grand Finalists, on a hostile away deck, on a cold, windy night in the south. That is just crazy. And he looked to use his lightning pace and take the game on at every chance. Have we turned the corner on player development at last?
Adam Treloar - it was gutsy of Ads to find a way to contribute over the past three weeks. He's looked a bit hindered by something, but has found a way to hit the scoreboard and make a difference. Tonight, he looked to be moving 100% freely for the first time this year, and it showed. A contested beast, got the ball moving our way all night long, utterly smashed his Crows opponent. Good to see him running so well again.
Scott Pendlebury - at many times tonight he made a dodgy handpass look like a good option thanks to how cleanly he handled the ball and dodged traffic. He really showed his immense skill in opening up space in the scrimmages and linking in transition - whenever the ball entered his hands, it came out the other side in a much better position. A textbook game from the skipper.
Ryan Gosling (Tom Phillips) - started like a house on fire, and in his direct matchup with Paul Seedsman, put him to the sword with nine first quarter touches and a goal. Ran hard and gave us the out all night. Not the neatest disposal, not the cleanest hands, but the best tank bar none and the guts to keep on motoring on all night. Really liked what he did for us tonight.
Sam Murray - a revelation for us in defense. I had my qualms that he might be all offense, no defense, but tonight proved me wrong. Pantsed Tommy Lynch, whose workrate is supreme. Attacked the ball and man with gusto. Bounced off bumps and tackles and was never caught. Used it well. A 200 gamer in the making. He's only 20!
Travis Varcoe - one of the better 13 possession, 1 goal games you'll see. Hawks fans would say it was Cyril-esque, with smothers, tackles, tap ons, bumps and assists all night long. Every time he got near the ball, we got better as a side. Doesn't need to touch it too often to have an impact. Love to see him in this type of form.
Will Hoskin Elliott - I'm really liking what he's bringing to the forward line, with genuine pace, clean hands and great skills. He's getting more of it too - 2 goals and 23 touches is a wonderful return. His ability to convert under pressure situations, both from snap and set shot, is league-leading.
Tom Langdon - good overall, but we're still not free from the Langdon clanger of the week. His decision to try and waltz out of defense while under immense pressure only to be tackled 20 metres out for holding the ball... on a night when we were so smart, this stuck out like a sore, stupid thumb. The good outweighed the bad - see the directional spoil in the first quarter - but Tommy, please, just lift the urgency. It's literally every week with the brainfades. And they're entirely avoidable.
Brayden Maynard - I know you got a finger on that Ellis-Yolman mark, Brayden, I do. But you've gotta be smarter than that. Without the 50 metre penalty against, they wouldn't have scored for about 45 minutes of football. He showed clean hands at times, but decision making and disposal was just a little bit off. Still played his part, but will need to be smarter to hold his spot.
Ben Crocker - I like his positioning, his tackling, his endeavour... he's just a little too slow, a little too small, a little too weak. An easy out when Elliott, Fasolo, Wells or Daicos force their way in. Nothing against him - if he can gain some strength, he could be a really handy third or fourth forward type.
Josh Thomas - not a five goal effort, but he's smart and tough and I'm loving what he offers. His hands in traffic are almost the best in the side, as evidenced by his getting first crack at the centre clearance. He's added a proven ability to hit the scoreboard to his game. A goal-scoring, contested-ball winning beast... we've been lacking that since Beamsy. Good on you, Josh. I wasn't sure you'd make it back, but you're top five in the B&F at this stage of the year.
James Aish - there were games last year where Jimmy had 15 possessions and you'd be calling for his head. I recall saying it myself - too panicked, too timid, lacking composure. This year has been the exact opposite: hard at man, hard at ball, smart with disposal, a fantastic contributor. When you've got a guy who can help do a job on Sloane, then go forward and kick a vital set shot, it's invaluable.
Callum Brown - not as good as last week, but still solid. He has a ferocity at the contest and a great set of hands, and whilst he missed a few targets, he wasn't off by much. He shows a creativity by hand that sets up teammates in better positions, and many of his quick handpasses set us off on attacking forays tonight. Is performing, let's hope he keeps it up.
Jordan De Goey - excellent endeavour both with and without the ball. Tackled and chased hard, but perhaps more importantly, looked to break tackles and burst forward with ball in hand. It didn't always come off, but it was symptomatic of a player and a side who's clearly been told to back themselves in and attack the game.
Ben Reid - great set shot in the first, good presentation and attack all night. It wasn't a great night for talls, but he competed well. Gotta say, I love his enthusiasm - he's so pumped to be out there.
Mason Cox - a really good five possession game. Ha. But really, he competed brilliantly, was only outmarked once, and won several vital contests, often with tap ons and bumps, which was enough for us up front. The forward line looks genuinely dangerous when he brings it down and deflects the pill in the right direction for our smalls.
Matty Scharenberg - he's showing more and more as his experience at top level increases. Was he on Jenkins? He destroyed him. Seems to rack up disposals easily enough (I wouldn't have thought he had 17 tonight, but he did). But more importantly, he started to show a little more Pendles-esque evasion, which combined with his clean hands and general smarts, makes him a genuine AFL option. I had my doubts that he'd re-discover his junior form, but now, years down the track, he's starting to look the goods. I'm so happy for him.
Jack Crisp - was a little quieter than usual, and missed a few targets by foot. But provided a good rebounding option, and showed some more of the intercept marking we saw last week. Love his run. He rotated through several Crows forwards, but spent most of his time around Milera, who didn't do much. Good to see him doing the defensive hard yards.
Jeremy Howe - he hasn't been the colossus down back of 2017, but the great news is - he hasn't needed to be. Has played his part, but with Scharenberg, Murray, Dunne, Crisp and co performing solidly, we haven't had to call on him as often.
Lynden Dunne - what was that 50 metre penalty against him. Seriously. The great thing was to see him get stuck into Tex afterwards. You could tell he was telling him, in no uncertain terms, how soft and pathetic his efforts were, especially as captain of the club. A solid performed on Tex, but more importantly, a vocal leader in the backline. He's the glue. He's holding it all together with aplomb at present.
The single best game Collingwood have played in the Buckley era.
I know that the game last week was against very, very low calibre opposition, but even then you could see something... different. A distinct gameplan. An urgency. A willingness to work hard both ways. Last week was a supremely satisfying win, but tonight was the next level. An insanely satisfying victory over the "best" team in the comp on their home deck.
Okay, let's take a brief moment to qualify the win. Adelaide are dealing with injuries. They're missing the Crouch bros, Eddie got injured, and the Sloane defenders will tell us he's carrying something.
Okay, enough of that. Let's talk about the fact our injury list is longer, that we dealt with some questionable umpiring to get the Crows into the game, and that we looked a cut above than the opposition all night long. Let's talk about the fact that Rd 1, 2016, Brodie Grundy was considered the second-best ruck at Collingwood, and as of tonight, he's head and shoulders the best ruck in the AFL. Let's talk about the fact that Sidey has evolved from a very good player in the 2010-16 seasons to a legitimately elite footballer from the back half of 2017 until now. Let's talk about the fact that for the first time since Daisy and Pendles, we've got an 18 year old who looks ready to tear the competition apart.
Let's talk about Collingwood.
THE TOP FIVE
1. Brodie Grundy
2. (by a hair) Steele Sidebottom
3. Jaiden Stephenson
4. Adam Treloar
5. Take your pick... Pendles, Phillips, Murray, Varcoe, WHE... a solid team performance.
THE BOTTOM FIVE... actually I'm struggling here. The bottom three. And even then, none of them particularly bad.
3. Tom Langdon
2. Brayden Maynard
1. Ben Crocker.
PLAYER REVIEW
Brodie Grundy - I'm trying to pinpoint when he became the best ruck in the comp, because he clearly is now. Was it the game where he kicked the winner against Richmond with four seconds left? He's kicked on to incredible heights. To monster Jacobs, one of the best in the comp, was insane. I counted five clearances where he outbodied Sauce and took the ball from the ruck cleanly and roosted it 40+ metres forward. Those sort of fast clearances are worth their weight in gold. The 30+ disposals are historically impossible for a ruckman, but here we are. The clean hands he displayed defied belief. The goal on the run was the touch of class he brings to put him over the top as the best big man going around. A+++, couldn't commend highly enough. Brodie Grundy, I love you.
Steele Sidebottom - at some stage in 2017, he took the step from very good to elite. He hasn't looked back. 40+ disposals, 10+ clearances, clean and composed when few others could handle it. His class shines through in tough conditions. He's become a real leader around the club and now regularly straps the team on his shoulders and drags the side along with him. Congratulations, Steele - you've become a Collingwood great.
Jaiden Stephenson - nobody saw that coming. He looked to be struggling last week, and we all called for him to give way for Fasolo or Elliott or Daicos, and yet here we are. We haven't had a rookie light things up to this extent since our premiership heroes of Daisy, Steele and Pendles. Five class goals, against last years Grand Finalists, on a hostile away deck, on a cold, windy night in the south. That is just crazy. And he looked to use his lightning pace and take the game on at every chance. Have we turned the corner on player development at last?
Adam Treloar - it was gutsy of Ads to find a way to contribute over the past three weeks. He's looked a bit hindered by something, but has found a way to hit the scoreboard and make a difference. Tonight, he looked to be moving 100% freely for the first time this year, and it showed. A contested beast, got the ball moving our way all night long, utterly smashed his Crows opponent. Good to see him running so well again.
Scott Pendlebury - at many times tonight he made a dodgy handpass look like a good option thanks to how cleanly he handled the ball and dodged traffic. He really showed his immense skill in opening up space in the scrimmages and linking in transition - whenever the ball entered his hands, it came out the other side in a much better position. A textbook game from the skipper.
Ryan Gosling (Tom Phillips) - started like a house on fire, and in his direct matchup with Paul Seedsman, put him to the sword with nine first quarter touches and a goal. Ran hard and gave us the out all night. Not the neatest disposal, not the cleanest hands, but the best tank bar none and the guts to keep on motoring on all night. Really liked what he did for us tonight.
Sam Murray - a revelation for us in defense. I had my qualms that he might be all offense, no defense, but tonight proved me wrong. Pantsed Tommy Lynch, whose workrate is supreme. Attacked the ball and man with gusto. Bounced off bumps and tackles and was never caught. Used it well. A 200 gamer in the making. He's only 20!
Travis Varcoe - one of the better 13 possession, 1 goal games you'll see. Hawks fans would say it was Cyril-esque, with smothers, tackles, tap ons, bumps and assists all night long. Every time he got near the ball, we got better as a side. Doesn't need to touch it too often to have an impact. Love to see him in this type of form.
Will Hoskin Elliott - I'm really liking what he's bringing to the forward line, with genuine pace, clean hands and great skills. He's getting more of it too - 2 goals and 23 touches is a wonderful return. His ability to convert under pressure situations, both from snap and set shot, is league-leading.
Tom Langdon - good overall, but we're still not free from the Langdon clanger of the week. His decision to try and waltz out of defense while under immense pressure only to be tackled 20 metres out for holding the ball... on a night when we were so smart, this stuck out like a sore, stupid thumb. The good outweighed the bad - see the directional spoil in the first quarter - but Tommy, please, just lift the urgency. It's literally every week with the brainfades. And they're entirely avoidable.
Brayden Maynard - I know you got a finger on that Ellis-Yolman mark, Brayden, I do. But you've gotta be smarter than that. Without the 50 metre penalty against, they wouldn't have scored for about 45 minutes of football. He showed clean hands at times, but decision making and disposal was just a little bit off. Still played his part, but will need to be smarter to hold his spot.
Ben Crocker - I like his positioning, his tackling, his endeavour... he's just a little too slow, a little too small, a little too weak. An easy out when Elliott, Fasolo, Wells or Daicos force their way in. Nothing against him - if he can gain some strength, he could be a really handy third or fourth forward type.
Josh Thomas - not a five goal effort, but he's smart and tough and I'm loving what he offers. His hands in traffic are almost the best in the side, as evidenced by his getting first crack at the centre clearance. He's added a proven ability to hit the scoreboard to his game. A goal-scoring, contested-ball winning beast... we've been lacking that since Beamsy. Good on you, Josh. I wasn't sure you'd make it back, but you're top five in the B&F at this stage of the year.
James Aish - there were games last year where Jimmy had 15 possessions and you'd be calling for his head. I recall saying it myself - too panicked, too timid, lacking composure. This year has been the exact opposite: hard at man, hard at ball, smart with disposal, a fantastic contributor. When you've got a guy who can help do a job on Sloane, then go forward and kick a vital set shot, it's invaluable.
Callum Brown - not as good as last week, but still solid. He has a ferocity at the contest and a great set of hands, and whilst he missed a few targets, he wasn't off by much. He shows a creativity by hand that sets up teammates in better positions, and many of his quick handpasses set us off on attacking forays tonight. Is performing, let's hope he keeps it up.
Jordan De Goey - excellent endeavour both with and without the ball. Tackled and chased hard, but perhaps more importantly, looked to break tackles and burst forward with ball in hand. It didn't always come off, but it was symptomatic of a player and a side who's clearly been told to back themselves in and attack the game.
Ben Reid - great set shot in the first, good presentation and attack all night. It wasn't a great night for talls, but he competed well. Gotta say, I love his enthusiasm - he's so pumped to be out there.
Mason Cox - a really good five possession game. Ha. But really, he competed brilliantly, was only outmarked once, and won several vital contests, often with tap ons and bumps, which was enough for us up front. The forward line looks genuinely dangerous when he brings it down and deflects the pill in the right direction for our smalls.
Matty Scharenberg - he's showing more and more as his experience at top level increases. Was he on Jenkins? He destroyed him. Seems to rack up disposals easily enough (I wouldn't have thought he had 17 tonight, but he did). But more importantly, he started to show a little more Pendles-esque evasion, which combined with his clean hands and general smarts, makes him a genuine AFL option. I had my doubts that he'd re-discover his junior form, but now, years down the track, he's starting to look the goods. I'm so happy for him.
Jack Crisp - was a little quieter than usual, and missed a few targets by foot. But provided a good rebounding option, and showed some more of the intercept marking we saw last week. Love his run. He rotated through several Crows forwards, but spent most of his time around Milera, who didn't do much. Good to see him doing the defensive hard yards.
Jeremy Howe - he hasn't been the colossus down back of 2017, but the great news is - he hasn't needed to be. Has played his part, but with Scharenberg, Murray, Dunne, Crisp and co performing solidly, we haven't had to call on him as often.
Lynden Dunne - what was that 50 metre penalty against him. Seriously. The great thing was to see him get stuck into Tex afterwards. You could tell he was telling him, in no uncertain terms, how soft and pathetic his efforts were, especially as captain of the club. A solid performed on Tex, but more importantly, a vocal leader in the backline. He's the glue. He's holding it all together with aplomb at present.
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