Yezeha
All Australian
- Feb 10, 2014
- 606
- 1,630
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
- Other Teams
- Oklahoma City Thunder
Me at halftime:
"Don't blame the umpires. Get used to it. They're gonna be s**t every game.
Blame the complete lack of discipline in that quarter. The back 6 is getting exposed for height but the problem is starting with the complete lack of pressure on the entries. They're being allowed to slam it in deep while we're constantly breaking down once we cross half way.
I see this fizzling out to a bad 4-5 goal loss where we'll try really hard and make a game of it in the second half and then in typical Collingwood under Buckley fashion, get no reward. And then a few are gonna cop a serious roasting in my player review. (Adams, Cox - I've got something special planned for you two)"
Yeah....
Eating some humble pie right now and it tastes pretty freakin good. I'd like to go over the two underlined parts of that half time comment. As for the first one, I think that was a pretty fair comment to make at the time. That first half wasn't exactly a clinic. What I didn't see coming was the comprehensive defensive clinic we put on in the second half. Holding a team goalless in a half of footy is ummm, yeah... (dare I say top 8 quality)
Which brings us to the second underlined bit. I'm apprehensive to fully trust Bucks after the lean period we've been through under him but tonight has proven that at the very least, he's evolving as a coach and the players are right behind him. Good opportunity to segue-way into...
Bucks (8/10)
He comprehensively out-coached Beveridge in the second half - someone he hasn't won against yet mind you. That defensive structure was a sight to behold. I tend to light up Bucks after poor performances so its only fair I shower him with praise after tonight. He loses a couple of points because of the poor start but other than that, it was all bueno. At the very least, we'll be going into the bye with a 50% winning rate; something I'm sure we would've all taken at the start of the year. That second half proved to me that we can and really should play finals footy in 2018. Its up to Bucks and the players to make it happen.
Now we get to the players. Last week, I put up a poll regarding the stupid nicknames I have for the players and unfortunately Nay beat Yay 16 votes to 11. As much as I'd love to continue this stupid little tradition, the people have spoken. Anyhoo:
2. Jordan De Goey (6/10)
A bit of a downer after he played a beauty last week which I was partially expecting but nonetheless, was mildly disappointed by. The Doggies definitely emphasised keeping him in check and they succeeded keeping him to his first goalless game of the year. I liked the move by Bucks to swap him and Adams in the third quarter to get him some touches (more on Adams later) and some of them were quality. He also had a couple of chances to hit the scoreboard late which he unfortunately didn't take.
4. Brodie Grundy (10/10)
DING DING DING....
That's the first 10/10 I've given this year (we got a couple more too) and its well deserved. In this matchup last year, Grundy came up against pretty much the same opposition ruck division and largely disappointed. Tonight however, he completely monstered the s**t out of them. At some point, there was that preposterous stat that came up where hitouts to advantage were like 13-0 from memory? Also, 21 contested possessions? Holy s**t! He gets a 10 because there's literally nothing to complain about. His ruckwork was sublime and around the ground, he was effective as ever.
7. Adam Treloar (10/10)
ANOTHER ONE!
Yeah. 40 touches and 2 sausage rolls. Could have been 3 if we wanna nitpick but lets not...
You're a ******* gun, Ads. Keep it up.
8. Tom Langdon (7/10)
Good solid game. Generally useful on the rebound barring several absolutely heart killing clangers particularly in the first half. He was a key cog in the back 6 that kept them goalless in the second half so he gets some more chocolates. Oh, and he kicked a sausage which brought me a smile to his and my face. Always love it when a defender hits the board.
10. Scott Pendlebury (9/10)
One word. Class. Granted, he had one or two not so great touches in the first half but he maintained his high standard and kicked what was probably the sealer in the last quarter.
12. Matt Scharenberg (10/10)
Mhmm. Yet another one.
26 touches at 100%. Absolutely sound defensively. This man is brilliant and worth his weight in gold.
13. Taylor Adams (6/10)
Automatically lost 5 points because that first half was a stinker to the point where I was pre-emptively roasting him. To his credit, he responded with a much better second half so he gets a point back for that. Some credit also needs to go to Buckley for putting him into a better position to be effective. I don't know about this guy though.
15. Lynden Dunn (8/10)
Probably his best game for the year. Was one of the chief culprits in the 'undisciplined' department in the first half but responded terrifically in the second half. Had a nice amount of the ball going the other way and generally used it well while also keeping his opponent largely out of it.
16. Chris Mayne (7/10)
I thought he was pretty good. Pretty much the sort of game we're probably gonna have to get used to him having. He's proven useful as a link up player but has provided not much apart from work rate. Certainly been a more useful player than a lot give him credit for.
18. Travis Varcoe (8/10)
For the time he was on the ground, I thought he was pretty damn good. He had some terrific moments working front and centre from marking contests and was pretty clean in a dirty first half. In fact, I thought he was one of our best at half time. It genuinely sucks that he's injured again and I reckon its a much bigger loss than many will think.
19. Levi Greenwood (8/10)
I thought he was pretty good in an unfamiliar and unexpected role. Most of us were expecting him to go to Macrae or Bontempelli but I thought he did well and was (controversial take trigger warning) an upgrade on what Murray had been giving us in the weeks prior.
20. Ben Reid (5/10)
Ugly sort of a game but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since he's returning from injury. I thought it was a necessary move to throw him back early on due to us getting exposed for height in the backline.
21. Tom Phillips (10/10)
That's the last of them 10/10's.
It's getting to the point where opposition teams will be looking to tag this guy. That's how good he's been this year. His motor and work rate is absolutely unbelievable to the point where I'm willing to live with the odd fumble or miscue. A couple of things that are quite underestimated about him are his marking and finishing ability. Both were on full display at times tonight.
22. Steele Sidebottom (7/10)
Actually had a pretty quiet-ish game by his standards but was effective whenever he got it. His goal was the spark that started the inferno in the second half.
24. Josh Thomas (7/10)
Once again, he played his role and he continues to give something valuable every week. He just has a really unorthodox but highly effective way of getting that pigskin through the big sticks, doesn't he? Not many of his goals this year have been pretty. They always seem to spin awkwardly. Is it just me?
25. Jack Crisp (8/10)
If my memory isn't failing me, that is now 3 straight 30 pieces for Mr. Crisp. He's been more than adequate defensively and a terrific driving force out of our backline. Sometimes, his disposal is a bit iffy, largely because he seems to run himself into trouble, but I'm willing to live with it because the positive stuff seriously outweighs the negatives.
26. Josh Daicos (7/10)
I'm really mad at you guys because I had a nickname for this kid that I'd been wanting to use for a while (made all the more fitting by a recent stadium name change)
Anyways, I really liked his game. He coughed it up a little in the first half but its only his 3rd senior game so he can be excused. In the second half, he looked dangerous. We all wanted that kick in the third quarter to go through but unfortunately, it hit the woodwork. That goal after the siren however, was my favourite moment of the night and a fitting reward for a good game.
31. Flynn Appleby (7/10)
I really liked his game tonight. It was solid without being spectacular; the kind of game a certain premiership winning possum specialised in. Apples though, has a much higher ceiling in my opinion because he's a threat going the other way. (I still love you Tooves <3 ) Oh, and its also like his 4th senior game in his first year coming off the rookie list and apart from one not that great game against the Lions, he's slotted seamlessly into that back 6.
32. Will Hoskin-Elliott (8/10)
Pretty much every good WHE game ever. Presents well. Flies high. Runs hard. Kicks 2. I did like that he was our leading tackler on the ground tonight. I reckon he's still got enough talent to burn to go to another level. At the moment, he's just a really good role player and his next step is stardom.
35. Jaidyn Stephenson (6/10)
Equal second fewest touches on the ground tonight which hurts his rating a little but those two dashes down the wing were exhilarating and lead to goals. Also converted his only set shot chance nicely. I'm gonna ahead and do that thing where I suggest he needs a rest because every time I do, he comes back the next week with more humble pie to shove in my face. So yeah.
Stephenson needs a rest.
38. Jeremy Howe (7/10)
A strangely quiet night for him. Only found it 14 times which is a season low (?) and misjudged a few contests in the air. Still, at the very least, he released Scharenberg to be as influential as he was and was sound defensively in the second half.
46. Mason Cox (4/10)
Sigh. Mason Mason Mason...
I honestly don't know where to go from here with him. As much as I want him to succeed, I think his presence really hurts the team more than it helps. For the best part of three quarters, he was a liability before finally clunking a few when the game was pretty much over. For any team that does its homework, he's just way too easy to defend and exploit going the other way. At times this year, he's shown his value like in the first half vs Richmond and the last quarter vs Brisbane, but they've only been glimpses. Not enough to justify keeping Sam McLarty out of the side.
As for changes, the only one that needs to be made out of necessity is Wells in for Varcoe. I desperately want McLarty in for Cox but thats a long shot. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this weeks writeup. I gotta say, I typed out the silly nicknames for the first few players before I remembered #democracy. Also, I will not be writing up a review for the next two weeks because life gets kinda busy for me then so if anyone wants to step up to the plate during my mini hiatus, it'd be appreciated.
"Don't blame the umpires. Get used to it. They're gonna be s**t every game.
Blame the complete lack of discipline in that quarter. The back 6 is getting exposed for height but the problem is starting with the complete lack of pressure on the entries. They're being allowed to slam it in deep while we're constantly breaking down once we cross half way.
I see this fizzling out to a bad 4-5 goal loss where we'll try really hard and make a game of it in the second half and then in typical Collingwood under Buckley fashion, get no reward. And then a few are gonna cop a serious roasting in my player review. (Adams, Cox - I've got something special planned for you two)"
Yeah....
Eating some humble pie right now and it tastes pretty freakin good. I'd like to go over the two underlined parts of that half time comment. As for the first one, I think that was a pretty fair comment to make at the time. That first half wasn't exactly a clinic. What I didn't see coming was the comprehensive defensive clinic we put on in the second half. Holding a team goalless in a half of footy is ummm, yeah... (dare I say top 8 quality)
Which brings us to the second underlined bit. I'm apprehensive to fully trust Bucks after the lean period we've been through under him but tonight has proven that at the very least, he's evolving as a coach and the players are right behind him. Good opportunity to segue-way into...
Bucks (8/10)
He comprehensively out-coached Beveridge in the second half - someone he hasn't won against yet mind you. That defensive structure was a sight to behold. I tend to light up Bucks after poor performances so its only fair I shower him with praise after tonight. He loses a couple of points because of the poor start but other than that, it was all bueno. At the very least, we'll be going into the bye with a 50% winning rate; something I'm sure we would've all taken at the start of the year. That second half proved to me that we can and really should play finals footy in 2018. Its up to Bucks and the players to make it happen.
Now we get to the players. Last week, I put up a poll regarding the stupid nicknames I have for the players and unfortunately Nay beat Yay 16 votes to 11. As much as I'd love to continue this stupid little tradition, the people have spoken. Anyhoo:
2. Jordan De Goey (6/10)
A bit of a downer after he played a beauty last week which I was partially expecting but nonetheless, was mildly disappointed by. The Doggies definitely emphasised keeping him in check and they succeeded keeping him to his first goalless game of the year. I liked the move by Bucks to swap him and Adams in the third quarter to get him some touches (more on Adams later) and some of them were quality. He also had a couple of chances to hit the scoreboard late which he unfortunately didn't take.
4. Brodie Grundy (10/10)
DING DING DING....
That's the first 10/10 I've given this year (we got a couple more too) and its well deserved. In this matchup last year, Grundy came up against pretty much the same opposition ruck division and largely disappointed. Tonight however, he completely monstered the s**t out of them. At some point, there was that preposterous stat that came up where hitouts to advantage were like 13-0 from memory? Also, 21 contested possessions? Holy s**t! He gets a 10 because there's literally nothing to complain about. His ruckwork was sublime and around the ground, he was effective as ever.
7. Adam Treloar (10/10)
ANOTHER ONE!
Yeah. 40 touches and 2 sausage rolls. Could have been 3 if we wanna nitpick but lets not...
You're a ******* gun, Ads. Keep it up.
8. Tom Langdon (7/10)
Good solid game. Generally useful on the rebound barring several absolutely heart killing clangers particularly in the first half. He was a key cog in the back 6 that kept them goalless in the second half so he gets some more chocolates. Oh, and he kicked a sausage which brought me a smile to his and my face. Always love it when a defender hits the board.
10. Scott Pendlebury (9/10)
One word. Class. Granted, he had one or two not so great touches in the first half but he maintained his high standard and kicked what was probably the sealer in the last quarter.
12. Matt Scharenberg (10/10)
Mhmm. Yet another one.
26 touches at 100%. Absolutely sound defensively. This man is brilliant and worth his weight in gold.
13. Taylor Adams (6/10)
Automatically lost 5 points because that first half was a stinker to the point where I was pre-emptively roasting him. To his credit, he responded with a much better second half so he gets a point back for that. Some credit also needs to go to Buckley for putting him into a better position to be effective. I don't know about this guy though.
15. Lynden Dunn (8/10)
Probably his best game for the year. Was one of the chief culprits in the 'undisciplined' department in the first half but responded terrifically in the second half. Had a nice amount of the ball going the other way and generally used it well while also keeping his opponent largely out of it.
16. Chris Mayne (7/10)
I thought he was pretty good. Pretty much the sort of game we're probably gonna have to get used to him having. He's proven useful as a link up player but has provided not much apart from work rate. Certainly been a more useful player than a lot give him credit for.
18. Travis Varcoe (8/10)
For the time he was on the ground, I thought he was pretty damn good. He had some terrific moments working front and centre from marking contests and was pretty clean in a dirty first half. In fact, I thought he was one of our best at half time. It genuinely sucks that he's injured again and I reckon its a much bigger loss than many will think.
19. Levi Greenwood (8/10)
I thought he was pretty good in an unfamiliar and unexpected role. Most of us were expecting him to go to Macrae or Bontempelli but I thought he did well and was (controversial take trigger warning) an upgrade on what Murray had been giving us in the weeks prior.
20. Ben Reid (5/10)
Ugly sort of a game but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since he's returning from injury. I thought it was a necessary move to throw him back early on due to us getting exposed for height in the backline.
21. Tom Phillips (10/10)
That's the last of them 10/10's.
It's getting to the point where opposition teams will be looking to tag this guy. That's how good he's been this year. His motor and work rate is absolutely unbelievable to the point where I'm willing to live with the odd fumble or miscue. A couple of things that are quite underestimated about him are his marking and finishing ability. Both were on full display at times tonight.
22. Steele Sidebottom (7/10)
Actually had a pretty quiet-ish game by his standards but was effective whenever he got it. His goal was the spark that started the inferno in the second half.
24. Josh Thomas (7/10)
Once again, he played his role and he continues to give something valuable every week. He just has a really unorthodox but highly effective way of getting that pigskin through the big sticks, doesn't he? Not many of his goals this year have been pretty. They always seem to spin awkwardly. Is it just me?
25. Jack Crisp (8/10)
If my memory isn't failing me, that is now 3 straight 30 pieces for Mr. Crisp. He's been more than adequate defensively and a terrific driving force out of our backline. Sometimes, his disposal is a bit iffy, largely because he seems to run himself into trouble, but I'm willing to live with it because the positive stuff seriously outweighs the negatives.
26. Josh Daicos (7/10)
I'm really mad at you guys because I had a nickname for this kid that I'd been wanting to use for a while (made all the more fitting by a recent stadium name change)
Anyways, I really liked his game. He coughed it up a little in the first half but its only his 3rd senior game so he can be excused. In the second half, he looked dangerous. We all wanted that kick in the third quarter to go through but unfortunately, it hit the woodwork. That goal after the siren however, was my favourite moment of the night and a fitting reward for a good game.
31. Flynn Appleby (7/10)
I really liked his game tonight. It was solid without being spectacular; the kind of game a certain premiership winning possum specialised in. Apples though, has a much higher ceiling in my opinion because he's a threat going the other way. (I still love you Tooves <3 ) Oh, and its also like his 4th senior game in his first year coming off the rookie list and apart from one not that great game against the Lions, he's slotted seamlessly into that back 6.
32. Will Hoskin-Elliott (8/10)
Pretty much every good WHE game ever. Presents well. Flies high. Runs hard. Kicks 2. I did like that he was our leading tackler on the ground tonight. I reckon he's still got enough talent to burn to go to another level. At the moment, he's just a really good role player and his next step is stardom.
35. Jaidyn Stephenson (6/10)
Equal second fewest touches on the ground tonight which hurts his rating a little but those two dashes down the wing were exhilarating and lead to goals. Also converted his only set shot chance nicely. I'm gonna ahead and do that thing where I suggest he needs a rest because every time I do, he comes back the next week with more humble pie to shove in my face. So yeah.
Stephenson needs a rest.
38. Jeremy Howe (7/10)
A strangely quiet night for him. Only found it 14 times which is a season low (?) and misjudged a few contests in the air. Still, at the very least, he released Scharenberg to be as influential as he was and was sound defensively in the second half.
46. Mason Cox (4/10)
Sigh. Mason Mason Mason...
I honestly don't know where to go from here with him. As much as I want him to succeed, I think his presence really hurts the team more than it helps. For the best part of three quarters, he was a liability before finally clunking a few when the game was pretty much over. For any team that does its homework, he's just way too easy to defend and exploit going the other way. At times this year, he's shown his value like in the first half vs Richmond and the last quarter vs Brisbane, but they've only been glimpses. Not enough to justify keeping Sam McLarty out of the side.
As for changes, the only one that needs to be made out of necessity is Wells in for Varcoe. I desperately want McLarty in for Cox but thats a long shot. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this weeks writeup. I gotta say, I typed out the silly nicknames for the first few players before I remembered #democracy. Also, I will not be writing up a review for the next two weeks because life gets kinda busy for me then so if anyone wants to step up to the plate during my mini hiatus, it'd be appreciated.
