VelvetSledge
Moderator
- May 24, 2007
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COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
The Pies loomed as the biggest test yet for the yet-to-be defeated Saints, and ultimately they proved to be too much.
Nick Daicos strengthened his claim for a Brownlow in his second year in the big time, finishing with 42 touches and 846 metres gained.
The Pies looked well and truly home throughout most of the final quarter, opening up a four goal lead with 5 or so minutes left, but were bombarded by a desperate St Kilda who closed the gap to a single kick.
Collingwood's woes in the ruck were exacerbated by a nasty finger injury to former Lion Dan McStay, who will now miss a month and a half of footy following surgery.
A close, grinding affair, neither team really had much of an ascendancy until the final term. St Kilda's miserly back six constrained the Pies to only 10 goals from 64 inside 50s, and Craig McRae would be ecstatic that his defence had much the same affect on the Saints.
Every time I see Bobby Hill play, I get more frustrated that he didn't end up in our colours when he wanted to come here a couple of years ago.
The two mainstays of the Collingwood defence in Moore and Maynard are looming to be our biggest obstacles in front of the sticks again this afternoon, along with Billy Frampton, who is starting to find his feet in the side.
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 10.10 70
def.
ST KILDA SAINTS 9.10 64
BEST: N. Daicos, Moore, Hill, J. Daicos, Maynard, Mitchell
GOALS: Hill 3, Mihocek 2, McCreery, Mitchell, Ginnivan, Johnson, Elliott
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ESSENDON BOMBERS
What a difference one off-season can make. A new president, two new CEOs, and the new coach.
I've been hesitant to jump on the Brad Scott wagon in the past. Whilst I wasn't sure that he was the right choice when the club decided to head in his direction, I had faith that using an external panel of wise heads opposed to the boys club we've used previously would result in a better option, and would wait it out to see what happened.
It's fair to say that the choice to go for that independent panel has been well and truly vindicated.
For the first time in quite a long time, it looks as though we have a bloke in charge who isn't afraid to make the tough calls, will simplify the game plan to the point where it's executed perfectly, and will play the players we have in the roles that are suited to them best.
Last week was an absolute coaching masterclass, and with the excitement and momentum that this Essendon side brought to the contest, one couldn't even be surprised that they came away with the chocolates against one of the flag favourites.
What a game, what a performance, and what a win.
The Demons came in as almost unbackable favourites against a Bombers side that had won 3 of their first 4, albeit against lower opposition, and they may have drunk their own bathwater.
The Bombers were on the ball from the opening bounce, with the returning Will Snelling slotting the first goal. The first two quarters swayed back and forth as the Bombers settled into their game plan, and as the execution became clear, the goals started to flow.
Between the second and third term, the Dons scored 7 unanswered goals, opening up the margin to over 40 points.
The midfield trio of Merrett, Parish, and Shiel combined for almost 100 touches between them, and were part of a systematic machine that dismantled the superstar midfield of the Demons.
Clayton Oliver was taken out of the game almost entirely in the first two quarters, with Will Setterfield ensuring that he had probably the worst 41-disposal game that's ever been seen on the hallowed Adelaide Oval turf.
Sam Draper and Andrew Phillips are proving to be an outstanding and unlikely combination, and made Brodie Grundy look like an utter chump all day. The duo combined for 5 goals up forward when sent down there, and ultimately were the difference on the day.
Kyle Langford continued his extremely strong start to 2023, winning Goal of the Week with his outstanding skidded effort from 45m against Steven May.
It's far too early in the season to start thinking about September, but this is starting to resemble the side we've always thought we could have.
It's a very, very exciting time to be a Bombers supporter.
Up the planes.
ESSENDON BOMBERS 15.14 104
def.
MELBOURNE DEMONS 11.11 77
BEST: Merrett, Parish, Draper, McGrath, Shiel, Durham, Langford
GOALS: Draper 3, Phillips, Martin, Langford, Hind 2, Stringer, Snelling, Perkins, Jones
COLLINGWOOD EMERGENCIES: Trent Bianco, Finlay Macrae, Will Kelly, Reef McInnes
ESSENDON EMERGENCIES: Nick Hind, Massimo D'Ambrosio, Harrison Jones, Ben Hobbs
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: McStay, Murphy (Both Injured), Adams (Suspended), Wilson (Sub)
COLLINGWOOD INS: De Goey, Kreuger, Ruscoe
ESSENDON OUTS: Jones (Omitted), Hind (Sub), Merrett (Suspended)
ESSENDON INS: Davey Jnr, Weideman
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Sub to be chosen from the emergency list one hour prior to bounce.
At this point you'd have to wonder if Ben Hobbs ran down Brad Scott's dog - He's been dominating the midfield in the VFL and yet still can't seem to get a guernsey in the big time, even with our ball winner captain Zach Merrett out with a frankly bullshit suspension.
Regardless, the Bombers have recalled father-son jet Alwyn Davey Jnr along with key forward Sam Weideman, who has completed his week away with concussion. Harry Jones hurt his ankle in a contest last week, resulting in him being subbed off for Nick Hind - both of whom are named as emergencies this week.
The Pies have welcomed back X-factor jet and all round piece of s**t Jordan De Goey from illness, whilst also bringing in Nathan Kreuger to bolster their decimated ruck department. Trey Ruscoe is in for his first game in 2023 after sitting on the fringes of the team for the past year or so. Dan McStay will miss a stretch of footy with a finger tendon injury, whilst Murphy is out after copping a concussion from Anthony Caminiti. Taylor Adams also copped a bullshit suspension, whilst Tom Wilson has dropped off as the sub.
Less of a rant, and more of a history as to what makes today so special. I was planning on writing another piece about this, but with a lack of hours to do so, this from a few years back seems to still echo the same sentiments.
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The ANZAC story is well documented, and the importance of it in relevance to our great game is utmost; the bravery and vigor shown by our troops is one that still makes the efforts shown on the field, no matter how selfless they are, seem like nothing. It's been over 100 years since that fateful day on the shores of Gallipoli, and the story still sends shivers up the spine.
In 1914, the British, French, and Russian Alliance was teetering towards a full-scale war against the ever-strengthening German Empire. Strained relations and an overwhelming sense of dominance emanating from the Germans pushed the British alliance to declare war on Germany; a move that changed the face of the world forever. News traveled to Australia, which was enjoying a Bank Holiday Monday at the time. When the country returned to work the following day, however, the news was bleak. Joseph Cook, the Australian Prime Minister at the time, said in relation to Britain’s declaration of war, “If the Old Country is at war, so are we”. The timing was advantageous to the Australian politicians – we were in the middle of an election campaign – and those who sat in the capital used the war to push their respective parties to appeal to the Brits. Andrew Fisher, the opposition leader at the time, declared that we would send Great Britain “our last man and our last shilling”, whilst Cook responded with, “Our duty is quite clear – to gird up our loins and remember that we are Britons”.
The mood of young men in Australia was not what you would expect – many were jubilant, ecstatic that they would be home by Christmas and that the adventure and excitement, paid for by the government, would be absolutely worth any danger. Surely it couldn’t be that dangerous, how ruthless could the German empire actually be?
Australia pledged 20,000 men to go and fight over the world. Canada, as the largest Commonwealth nation outside of Europe, pledged 30,000, while New Zealand already had compulsory military training. For the war in Europe, Australia went the extra mile to appease the British Alliance, forming the AIF – the Australian Imperial Force. Recruiting began within days of the announcement of the war.
Those who were too young to conscript faked their ages, simply to experience the adventure. A little over a month later, they marched the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, trying to convince others to join them in the fight. These new recruits were known as “six bob a day tourists”, as the pay was relatively high for the time and most thought of the war as more of a holiday than a tour of duty. This convoy of Australian troops merged with the New Zealand equivalent in late October of 1914 on the way to the Suez Canal and formed the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – The ANZACs. They disembarked in Egypt, dug themselves in near the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and began the war with Turkey, which had joined the German cause.
The Russians were fighting on the Eastern Front and needed the British and French to tackle Turkey, taking pressure off of the Russian border. As such, the British forces commanded the ANZACs to land on the beach at Gallipoli. They didn’t expect much resistance – 40,000 Turks if anything – and anticipated that the shore would be open to landing on easy terms. What followed was the most iconic story of Australian resilience and endurance. The maps and location of the ANZACs had been misread and skewed, and the ANZACs were far, far away from where they had intended to land.
On the 25th of April, 1915, the ANZAC troops approached the hard cliff face of Gallipoli after receiving open fire from the trees from the Turkish troops. They landed at a difficult and desolate spot on the peninsula, with the Turks completely ready for them. The ANZACs made minuscule headway under the rocky outcrops and thorn-laden scrub. The losses for the ANZACs were immense, and their forces were wasting away to nothing with casualties and sickness. The Turks knew the land and were able to reinforce their front line whilst continuing to wipe the ANZAC troops out. One such soldier who was caught in the crossfire was Herb Hunter.
Hunter was a quality dentist who studied at Melbourne Grammar and graduated in 1904. Prior to his graduation, he was a supreme athlete, dominating all comers in the track events, but also playing for our beloved Essendon Football Club. Hunter played 3 games in the 1900 season, before beginning his service in the Australian military. He debuted, perhaps somewhat meaningfully, against today’s opponents in Collingwood. The game had been delayed from the previous week to be played on a Wednesday – a public holiday to celebrate the Relief of the Siege of Mafeking. He played two more matches in wet weather which he didn’t play well in – against St Kilda and Carlton – before heading back to play at Melbourne Grammar. Hunter was part of the landing at Gallipoli and was marked Killed in Action some two weeks later during the Assault of Krithia, on the 8th of May 1915. He was wounded in the trenches of Walker’s Ridge, and while he was being stretchered to the hospital encampment down the hill, he and his two handlers were struck by a Turkish shell, killing all three men instantly.
Some months later, in August, another assault was thrown at the coast of Gallipoli, but it was another comprehensive failure. Heavy casualties meant that the entire campaign was an utter debacle, and due to military censorship, the story of how the Brits threw the ANZACs like a sacrificial lamb to the Turks was in danger of disappearing forever. That was until a young journalist known as Keith Murdoch (yes, those Murdochs) caught wind of the story of the Dardanelles and ran with it to the Australian Prime Minister. He forwarded the story to the British Prime Minister, who was no fan of the British Military establishment. The captain who ordered the ANZAC Assault, Sir Ian Hamilton, was immediately dismissed, and never held a leadership role again.
The British government issued an immediate evacuation of the ANZACs. By day, it appeared as though more ANZAC troops were landing whilst the troops that had already landed were continuing to fight. By nightfall, the troops were rapidly evacuated from the battlefield under almost complete silence, save for sporadic rifle rounds and gunfire. By the 20th of December 1915, the evacuation was entirely complete, and the Turks unknowingly continued to bomb the empty trenches. On 9 January 1916, the Turks carried out their last offensive on Gallipoli, revealing only that the entire force had withdrawn without casualty. The evacuation was the Allies' most successful operation in Gallipoli.
The Anzacs went on to serve with distinction in Palestine and on the Western front in France.
Australia had a population of five million - 330,000 served in the war, and 59,000 were killed.
New Zealand, with a population of one million, lost 18,000 men out of 110,000 and had 55,000 wounded. These New Zealand figures (62%) represent the highest percentage of all units from the Anglo-Saxon world.
The horrors of war and its ripple effect continue to this day. While there are no more remaining veterans from the assault on Gallipoli, their memory and sacrifice continues throughout the entire country on this day.
A day of respect, solace, and remembrance – one that continues to mean more than most other days to all Australians. Whether you were born in this country or came from shores abroad, we all should acknowledge today for what it is.
The marking of a day that will live forever in the memory of this country. The making of an alliance between countries, that stays bulletproof to this day.
Football is not the most important subject. Sure, we will probably forget the ANZAC side of things once the siren blows and our two teams do their thing for the following few hours. We will cheer, rant, rave, and celebrate, even with the incredibly solemn subject on which this day was founded.
The result today will be forgotten. It’s a game of football.
What happened to young men, 108 years ago today, will not. Their sacrifice will live on through our great country forever.
They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will Remember them.
Lest We Forget.
ROUND 19, 2022
MCG
24/7/22
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 12.8 80
def.
ESSENDON BOMBERS 11.10 76
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COLLINGWOOD GOALS: Johnson 3, Elliott, Mihocek, Carmichael 2, Pendlebury, J. Daicos, Cameron
ESSENDON GOALS: Wright 3, Guelfi 2, Phillips, Stringer, Langford, Draper, Jones, Martin
COLLINGWOOD BEST: Adams, J. Daicos, Moore, Elliott, Lipinski
ESSENDON BEST: Merrett, Draper, Heppell, Snelling, Shiel, Hind
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CHANGES SINCE LAST TIME:
COLLINGWOOD OUTS: Adams, Lipinski, Howe, Bianco, Cameron, Murphy, Cox, Carmichael
COLLINGWOOD INS: Ruscoe, Frampton, Hill, De Goey, Mitchell, Kreuger, Markov
ESSENDON OUTS: Merrett, Hind, Wright, Guelfi, Hobbs, Jones, Ham
ESSENDON INS: Perkins, Menzie, Weideman, Setterfield, Davey Jnr, Parish
I had my doubts that we would be making any impact against the top sides this year, with all the changes that happened to our club over the off-season. With 4 wins out of 5, and a huge scalp last week, I might need to change that mindset.
Today is the biggest game of the home and away season, and what a day Melbourne has turned on for it. Time to start leveling the ANZAC Day ledger, and bring this one home. Go Dons.
Bombers by 8.
Waiting for the game to start? Have a listen to the pod...
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