A blazing start and a whimpering finish! What a strange one.
On the one hand, a team containing Tyler Brown, Jack Madgen, Josh Daicos, Darcy Cameron and John Noble (the most senior of which having played a whopping 17 games) ran the premiers the distance, and escaped with 2 points.
On the other, strange/brave selection (Stevenson being the glaring omission), coupled with a few poor decisions in crucial moments, may have cost us the win.
But whichever way you slice it, footy is back! Let's dive into the players and see how the boys fared in their second opening game for 2020.
THE GOOD
Jeremy Howe. The rock. He just won't let himself be beaten. Based on his first two rounds, he's in career-best form. He's lightning-quick (as evidenced by his chase on Stack), tactically excellent (his positioning is top notch), aerially dominant... he's headed towards an AA berth if he keeps this form up. Plus, he gave Riewoldt an absolute pantsing, which pretty much everyone loves to see. We've got some really great defenders; this guy just might be the best of them.
Taylor Adams. In and under was strong; hands were clean; he even managed a left-footed snap to get us on the board. A typical Tay game, replete with a few shocking floaters. The good thoroughly outweighed the bad, though. He was strong.
Josh Daicos. His game against the Bulldogs was strong, but a lot of us assumed it was a case of skiing downhill against a weak team. His game tonight, in a pressure environment against the reigning premiers, was a genuine breakout performance. First off, his ball use fluctuated between good and inspired, running at 87% efficiency. That pass to set up Phillips, off the back of a pirouetting hard ball get, was just brilliant. He hurt when he got the pill. But more than that, his contested work was sublime. His ability to combine with Pendles off the half-back flank to get a creative handball out - all while being tackled by three Tigers - was top notch. Multiple times, he managed to get a fingertip to the ball to edge it in a teammate's direction, where otherwise it would have been a Tigers possession. Most excitingly of all, he did it over 4 quarters, with 24 possessions. This could be the making of Josh. I couldn't be happier for him.
Brayden Maynard. He's become the complete small defender. He shuts his man down mercilessly -- was it Rioli for most of tonight? Poor kid didn't look like touching it. Then, he hurts you the other way. He ran at 87% and hit targets when most of our boys were blazing away. Hard as nails, abnormally clean hands... his growth from the stumbling, fumbling, clangering 19 year old we saw way back in 2015 has been absolutely astounding. He screams premiership player.
Scott Pendlebury. It's become mind-numbingly familiar to see this guy's name in the bests, and here we are again in 2020. 31 touches in a shortened game, with most hitting the target. He tried to bite off a bit too much in the last quarter a couple of times, but if more of his teammates had kept standing up in the contest like he did as the game wore on, we would have pinched that.
Jack Crisp. He destroyed his man... like Maynard! And he always hurts you going the other way... like Maynard! And he's got a shocking haircut... like Maynard! Seriously, though, Crisp and Maynard are equal to any other pair of rebounding HBs in the league. Tonight was a little down on Crispy's usual output, which speaks volumes of how good he's become -- because tonight's game was still pretty damn good.
Steele Sidebottom. Clean hands stuck out like sore thumbs tonight, and Steele's were amongst the cleanest. He covered insane amounts of ground to create an outlet for us going forward, he was there to mop up down back.
Tom Phillips. Two goals and a poster (which he should have drilled) made him our biggest scoring threat of the evening. Nice to see him find dangerous positions through his relentless running. He wasn't as prolific as usual, and the high-intensity Tigers gameplan doesn't play to his strengths, but I was happy for him that he still found a way to influence the contest. He didn't have too many "sh*t the bed" moments when he found himself under pressure, either. Footskills still need work, but he operated mostly within his limitations.
Brodie Grundy. A knock curtailed his performance somewhat, but he still churned out another dominant ruck display (against an admittedly pretty average ruckman in Soldo). He seemed to get better the longer the game went; hopefully this is a case of him finding form with every minute he plays. If tonight's game was just "pretty good", it really shows how much of a force he's become.
THE NOT BAD
Darcy Cameron. Not a bad Collingwood debut! Did some nice things. But structurally he wasn't anywhere near Cox, who, let's be honest, is no world-beater himself. He did okay whenever he got near it, he just couldn't get into the right places enough. Our structure broke down horribly whenever we tried to get out of defence with a long kick. Mason is average at best; but he doesn't let hacks like Broad or Vlastuin mark the ball and send it back with ease. Tonight, despite Darcy's decent efforts, we really lacked a commanding aerial presence up front.
Jordan Roughead. Part of a defensive unit that conceded 36 points - good. Giving up three goals to Lynch, however, probably takes him down a peg into the "just okay" category. Really, though, all of what he did was typically solid, and most of Lynch's goals were on the fast break when he didn't have a chance. He's fast become a lynchpin down back, and complements our other backmen brilliantly.
Jack Madgen. This is meant as no slight on Jack: he's an honest battler. He didn't do much wrong. I just feel like he doesn't have a tonne of upside. I'd look at Shaz, Murphy, Varcoe, Greenwood, or even an Irishman to take his role -- if any of them can get themselves match fit. I'd even looking at rolling someone like Mayne back to play that medium defender role, and bringing in another of our midfield options. He was okay! I just feel like we have more exciting options to play with.
Callum Brown. A cracking goal and an equally good goal assist to set up Sidebottom in the first -- he's really becoming a player that can impact games with moments of brilliance. I'd love him to get his hands on it more, but as it stood, he was our most effective small forward on the night. The fact that almost all supply dried up after quarter time might explain his waning influence.
Darcy Moore. I'm a bit harsh on Darce here; he was part of a defensive group who only coughed up 5 goals, and defensively he was strong as ever. His hands, however, were a shadow of their usual selves, and he found himself fumbling an uncharacteristically high amount. He made a few awful decisions with ball in hand, too, and his execution was generally off all night. He's quality; he was still insanely strong defensively; I've no doubt he will tidy up his offensive side and prove himself a rebounding weapon, too.
THE BAD
Chris Mayne. An effective link-man, and his defensive positioning in the midfield is immaculate. He's so often placed to be the interrupter when the opposition have the ball. I still find him too conservative with his disposal, though, and tonight was no exception. His reluctance to move the ball forward quickly played into the Tigers' hands. What's more, he was far too fumbly. Three times in the first quarter he had the ball stuck at his feet for comedic lengths of time. An almost game from the Mayne Man - but probably just on the side of "bad", rather than "okay".
John Noble. He did his job - mainly on Castagna (I think?) - solidly, and performed well in his defensive endeavours. Offensively, though, he couldn't get much going. A lot of fumbling, a lot of lost contested balls, and a lot of missed targets - he ran at 53% efficiency. Coming off the backline, that's not enough. I like him, and he appears to get the job done defensively speaking, but he'll need to lift if he wants to hold his place when IQ, Varcoe, Greenwood, Murphy, or a host of others get fit.
Jamie Elliott. Just couldn't get near it with only the 5 possessions. Although he definitely should have had a mark paid in the third which would have given him a good shot a goal. Diabolical. His centimetre-perfect pass to give Phillips his second goal showed his quality. He's a jet, and in a game where the ball actually goes near him after quarter time, he'll show his worth.
Brodie Mihocek. Made more contests than Cameron, but couldn't really impact too many of them. He's an honest, hard-working battering ram; I don't think he thrives as the sole key forward... which is where he found himself as Cameron struggled to make good position a lot of the night. His goal kicking was off, which could have turned the contest in our favour. I'll back him to respond, but would prefer to load the forward line with players who have genuine hurt factor (*cough* Stevenson *cough*) to take some of the pressure off him.
Tyler Brown. On a bad night for forwards, I don't recall seeing too much of him. The stats would back that up with only 2 kicks. I feel like he won a few clearances with his fast, clean hands, but he was largely absent. One for the future; he does enough unique things to make you think he could be something special.
THE UGLY
Josh Thomas. 2018's goals are a long time ago now. He's gone missing a hell of a lot since then. Doesn't have the elite skills or sublime tricks to thrive as a small forward; doesn't seem to have the defensive blitzkrieg mindset either. To cap off a mare of an outing, he missed an easy 20 metre pass which could have set Brown up to win the game at the death. I think he'll definitely make way for Stevo. Or at least, I hope he will - and if he does lose his spot, I hope it helps him rediscover the relentless attack that made him such a joy to watch a couple of years back.
Will Hoskin Elliott. See Josh Thomas re: 2018 goals. Unlike Josh, he does have tricks; like Josh, he's been horribly inconsistent after a breakout 2018 campaign. If JT doesn't make way for Stevo, WHE might. To be fair, a high-intensity, closely fought, low-scoring, dour, contested affair is about as far out of Will's comfort zone as you can get; but he needs to find a way to keep contributing, even when the going's tough. He has the skill. We just haven't seen much of it since he injured himself late in 2018.
Jordan De Goey. Just had a nightmare, plain and simple. Tried to influence the contest, but was just off his game from the opening minute, when he sprayed an easy 25 metre pass straight into the arms of Cotchin. Missed shot after shot, fumbled, and put together one of his worst performances of the last few seasons. Such a shame! A firing De Goey wins that game for us.
CHANGES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
We won't get all of these changes next week - Collingwood likes to play a stable lineup, after all - but over the next month or so, I'd look at bringing in Stevenson, Cox, Wills, and Treloar (though the latter may have to wait a while longer). The other three, however, are close, and there were enough poor performances to warrant swinging a few changes.
IN: Stevenson; OUT: Thomas.
This feels like the most obvious choice. Pace, scoreboard impact, and defensive intent; replacing a player who's lacked all three for the past 18 months.
IN: Wills; OUT: T. Brown
Wills finished 2019 like a house on fire, and adds much needed grunt - especially in the wetter weeks we'll likely see ahead. Brown is a gem, but he might not quite be there yet - no slight on him at all.
IN: Cox; OUT: Cameron
Despite his generally positive outing, Darcy struggled to get where the ball was landing. Mason, for better or worse, is generally a solid option for getting into those positions and bringing the ball to ground, and occasionally marking it. We really could have used that tonight.
IN: Treloar; OUT: Madgen/Noble
Treloar selects himself when fit; Mayne can roll back to cover for Madgen or Noble as required.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We played half a dozen rookies against the premiers on a greasy night which suits their chaotic ball movement and hinders our possession plan. We coughed up three goals to free kicks, one of which was an absolute howler to a staging Shai Bolton. We copped another to a questionable mark behind the goal line. We didn't kick a single goal after the 5 minute mark of the second quarter.
And we didn't lose.
If we can iron out the kinks, we could be in for an interesting year.
Go Pies!!
On the one hand, a team containing Tyler Brown, Jack Madgen, Josh Daicos, Darcy Cameron and John Noble (the most senior of which having played a whopping 17 games) ran the premiers the distance, and escaped with 2 points.
On the other, strange/brave selection (Stevenson being the glaring omission), coupled with a few poor decisions in crucial moments, may have cost us the win.
But whichever way you slice it, footy is back! Let's dive into the players and see how the boys fared in their second opening game for 2020.
THE GOOD
Jeremy Howe. The rock. He just won't let himself be beaten. Based on his first two rounds, he's in career-best form. He's lightning-quick (as evidenced by his chase on Stack), tactically excellent (his positioning is top notch), aerially dominant... he's headed towards an AA berth if he keeps this form up. Plus, he gave Riewoldt an absolute pantsing, which pretty much everyone loves to see. We've got some really great defenders; this guy just might be the best of them.
Taylor Adams. In and under was strong; hands were clean; he even managed a left-footed snap to get us on the board. A typical Tay game, replete with a few shocking floaters. The good thoroughly outweighed the bad, though. He was strong.
Josh Daicos. His game against the Bulldogs was strong, but a lot of us assumed it was a case of skiing downhill against a weak team. His game tonight, in a pressure environment against the reigning premiers, was a genuine breakout performance. First off, his ball use fluctuated between good and inspired, running at 87% efficiency. That pass to set up Phillips, off the back of a pirouetting hard ball get, was just brilliant. He hurt when he got the pill. But more than that, his contested work was sublime. His ability to combine with Pendles off the half-back flank to get a creative handball out - all while being tackled by three Tigers - was top notch. Multiple times, he managed to get a fingertip to the ball to edge it in a teammate's direction, where otherwise it would have been a Tigers possession. Most excitingly of all, he did it over 4 quarters, with 24 possessions. This could be the making of Josh. I couldn't be happier for him.
Brayden Maynard. He's become the complete small defender. He shuts his man down mercilessly -- was it Rioli for most of tonight? Poor kid didn't look like touching it. Then, he hurts you the other way. He ran at 87% and hit targets when most of our boys were blazing away. Hard as nails, abnormally clean hands... his growth from the stumbling, fumbling, clangering 19 year old we saw way back in 2015 has been absolutely astounding. He screams premiership player.
Scott Pendlebury. It's become mind-numbingly familiar to see this guy's name in the bests, and here we are again in 2020. 31 touches in a shortened game, with most hitting the target. He tried to bite off a bit too much in the last quarter a couple of times, but if more of his teammates had kept standing up in the contest like he did as the game wore on, we would have pinched that.
Jack Crisp. He destroyed his man... like Maynard! And he always hurts you going the other way... like Maynard! And he's got a shocking haircut... like Maynard! Seriously, though, Crisp and Maynard are equal to any other pair of rebounding HBs in the league. Tonight was a little down on Crispy's usual output, which speaks volumes of how good he's become -- because tonight's game was still pretty damn good.
Steele Sidebottom. Clean hands stuck out like sore thumbs tonight, and Steele's were amongst the cleanest. He covered insane amounts of ground to create an outlet for us going forward, he was there to mop up down back.
Tom Phillips. Two goals and a poster (which he should have drilled) made him our biggest scoring threat of the evening. Nice to see him find dangerous positions through his relentless running. He wasn't as prolific as usual, and the high-intensity Tigers gameplan doesn't play to his strengths, but I was happy for him that he still found a way to influence the contest. He didn't have too many "sh*t the bed" moments when he found himself under pressure, either. Footskills still need work, but he operated mostly within his limitations.
Brodie Grundy. A knock curtailed his performance somewhat, but he still churned out another dominant ruck display (against an admittedly pretty average ruckman in Soldo). He seemed to get better the longer the game went; hopefully this is a case of him finding form with every minute he plays. If tonight's game was just "pretty good", it really shows how much of a force he's become.
THE NOT BAD
Darcy Cameron. Not a bad Collingwood debut! Did some nice things. But structurally he wasn't anywhere near Cox, who, let's be honest, is no world-beater himself. He did okay whenever he got near it, he just couldn't get into the right places enough. Our structure broke down horribly whenever we tried to get out of defence with a long kick. Mason is average at best; but he doesn't let hacks like Broad or Vlastuin mark the ball and send it back with ease. Tonight, despite Darcy's decent efforts, we really lacked a commanding aerial presence up front.
Jordan Roughead. Part of a defensive unit that conceded 36 points - good. Giving up three goals to Lynch, however, probably takes him down a peg into the "just okay" category. Really, though, all of what he did was typically solid, and most of Lynch's goals were on the fast break when he didn't have a chance. He's fast become a lynchpin down back, and complements our other backmen brilliantly.
Jack Madgen. This is meant as no slight on Jack: he's an honest battler. He didn't do much wrong. I just feel like he doesn't have a tonne of upside. I'd look at Shaz, Murphy, Varcoe, Greenwood, or even an Irishman to take his role -- if any of them can get themselves match fit. I'd even looking at rolling someone like Mayne back to play that medium defender role, and bringing in another of our midfield options. He was okay! I just feel like we have more exciting options to play with.
Callum Brown. A cracking goal and an equally good goal assist to set up Sidebottom in the first -- he's really becoming a player that can impact games with moments of brilliance. I'd love him to get his hands on it more, but as it stood, he was our most effective small forward on the night. The fact that almost all supply dried up after quarter time might explain his waning influence.
Darcy Moore. I'm a bit harsh on Darce here; he was part of a defensive group who only coughed up 5 goals, and defensively he was strong as ever. His hands, however, were a shadow of their usual selves, and he found himself fumbling an uncharacteristically high amount. He made a few awful decisions with ball in hand, too, and his execution was generally off all night. He's quality; he was still insanely strong defensively; I've no doubt he will tidy up his offensive side and prove himself a rebounding weapon, too.
THE BAD
Chris Mayne. An effective link-man, and his defensive positioning in the midfield is immaculate. He's so often placed to be the interrupter when the opposition have the ball. I still find him too conservative with his disposal, though, and tonight was no exception. His reluctance to move the ball forward quickly played into the Tigers' hands. What's more, he was far too fumbly. Three times in the first quarter he had the ball stuck at his feet for comedic lengths of time. An almost game from the Mayne Man - but probably just on the side of "bad", rather than "okay".
John Noble. He did his job - mainly on Castagna (I think?) - solidly, and performed well in his defensive endeavours. Offensively, though, he couldn't get much going. A lot of fumbling, a lot of lost contested balls, and a lot of missed targets - he ran at 53% efficiency. Coming off the backline, that's not enough. I like him, and he appears to get the job done defensively speaking, but he'll need to lift if he wants to hold his place when IQ, Varcoe, Greenwood, Murphy, or a host of others get fit.
Jamie Elliott. Just couldn't get near it with only the 5 possessions. Although he definitely should have had a mark paid in the third which would have given him a good shot a goal. Diabolical. His centimetre-perfect pass to give Phillips his second goal showed his quality. He's a jet, and in a game where the ball actually goes near him after quarter time, he'll show his worth.
Brodie Mihocek. Made more contests than Cameron, but couldn't really impact too many of them. He's an honest, hard-working battering ram; I don't think he thrives as the sole key forward... which is where he found himself as Cameron struggled to make good position a lot of the night. His goal kicking was off, which could have turned the contest in our favour. I'll back him to respond, but would prefer to load the forward line with players who have genuine hurt factor (*cough* Stevenson *cough*) to take some of the pressure off him.
Tyler Brown. On a bad night for forwards, I don't recall seeing too much of him. The stats would back that up with only 2 kicks. I feel like he won a few clearances with his fast, clean hands, but he was largely absent. One for the future; he does enough unique things to make you think he could be something special.
THE UGLY
Josh Thomas. 2018's goals are a long time ago now. He's gone missing a hell of a lot since then. Doesn't have the elite skills or sublime tricks to thrive as a small forward; doesn't seem to have the defensive blitzkrieg mindset either. To cap off a mare of an outing, he missed an easy 20 metre pass which could have set Brown up to win the game at the death. I think he'll definitely make way for Stevo. Or at least, I hope he will - and if he does lose his spot, I hope it helps him rediscover the relentless attack that made him such a joy to watch a couple of years back.
Will Hoskin Elliott. See Josh Thomas re: 2018 goals. Unlike Josh, he does have tricks; like Josh, he's been horribly inconsistent after a breakout 2018 campaign. If JT doesn't make way for Stevo, WHE might. To be fair, a high-intensity, closely fought, low-scoring, dour, contested affair is about as far out of Will's comfort zone as you can get; but he needs to find a way to keep contributing, even when the going's tough. He has the skill. We just haven't seen much of it since he injured himself late in 2018.
Jordan De Goey. Just had a nightmare, plain and simple. Tried to influence the contest, but was just off his game from the opening minute, when he sprayed an easy 25 metre pass straight into the arms of Cotchin. Missed shot after shot, fumbled, and put together one of his worst performances of the last few seasons. Such a shame! A firing De Goey wins that game for us.
CHANGES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
We won't get all of these changes next week - Collingwood likes to play a stable lineup, after all - but over the next month or so, I'd look at bringing in Stevenson, Cox, Wills, and Treloar (though the latter may have to wait a while longer). The other three, however, are close, and there were enough poor performances to warrant swinging a few changes.
IN: Stevenson; OUT: Thomas.
This feels like the most obvious choice. Pace, scoreboard impact, and defensive intent; replacing a player who's lacked all three for the past 18 months.
IN: Wills; OUT: T. Brown
Wills finished 2019 like a house on fire, and adds much needed grunt - especially in the wetter weeks we'll likely see ahead. Brown is a gem, but he might not quite be there yet - no slight on him at all.
IN: Cox; OUT: Cameron
Despite his generally positive outing, Darcy struggled to get where the ball was landing. Mason, for better or worse, is generally a solid option for getting into those positions and bringing the ball to ground, and occasionally marking it. We really could have used that tonight.
IN: Treloar; OUT: Madgen/Noble
Treloar selects himself when fit; Mayne can roll back to cover for Madgen or Noble as required.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We played half a dozen rookies against the premiers on a greasy night which suits their chaotic ball movement and hinders our possession plan. We coughed up three goals to free kicks, one of which was an absolute howler to a staging Shai Bolton. We copped another to a questionable mark behind the goal line. We didn't kick a single goal after the 5 minute mark of the second quarter.
And we didn't lose.
If we can iron out the kinks, we could be in for an interesting year.
Go Pies!!
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thanks TGG mate for asking. I hope you're doing well. I bet this time would be especially hard for you and I have been thinking of you even though I don't message very often. Sometimes I still get down and go into my shell, but that's just my nature. I'm doing everything in my power right now to keep a positive outlook and I feel just as young and fit as I look so I'll keep pushing ! 
