- Mar 16, 2014
- 8,524
- 8,666
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
Ah, another magnificent high. Anzac day proved to live up to the hype. And I don't mean the remembrances, I mean the Collingwood Blitzkrieg that smashed through the Essendon forward positions, drove deep into their defences, encircled them, and obliterated them. Erwin Rommel would have been proud -- even if he was on the wrong side way back then. And then there was the sadness of the Dons supporters, who must have had so much hope at 3 quarter time that their Maginot line would hold up. And then they realised that the Maginot line was worse than ineffectual. But enough World War Two analogies, especially when I'm comparing Fly to Rommel. But it just seems so apt! Fly is the modern Desert Fox. The master of mobile warfare!
So a confession: I got last week's tip wrong - I thought the Dons would get us. I admit it. Finnish was wrong. Thank God. Cheers for those who corrected me. But I did pick the changes to the last man. Anyway, onward!
The Crows and Crowing
And so we face Adelaide on their home deck on Sunday. And who would think this would be match of the round? Who imagined Adelaide would become the team they are? Their balance of youth and experience. The class of Rankine and Rachele. Tex Walker in excellent form. A brutal game style that smashes up other teams. The speed of their ball movement. They're humming, there's no doubt about it. The demolition they did on Carlton was heart warming.
But now we face them. What's their strength? Their brutal pressure, their attack on the ball, and then their extreme ball movement. That's a lot of things to counter.
The Might Magpies
It's hard to praise our team too much. The challenges that we've faced, losing so many talls, and the way we've faced down every challenge. Billy Frampton, take a bow. A competitor. God bless him. Ruscoe -- did everything asked of him. Pendlebury, still like a chess master, 5 moves ahead of the opposition. The Daicos brothers, elite in every way. Yes, every way. They're hard those two. It's not just sublime skill, it's body on the line too. And our small forwards must be some of the best in the comp. Ginnivan is a footballer's footballer. The smarts. Bobby Hill is lightning. He strikes faster than the eye can see. Elliot looks hurt but we all know at his best he's a champion. DeGoey is the modern Dusty. Enough superlatives.
The return of Adams will be important in the clinches. We need to get back to being clearance monsters and Mitchell was a bit down this week. Adams will help. My bet is we match Adelaide's brutality with our own. This will be critical. The inside ball will be hotly contested. It'll be a firestorm in there.
And then there's the outside. If they move the ball fast, we move it faster. We're a tsunami. When we're headed your way, run.
The one query we have then is our backline. Who takes Rankine? Isaac Quaynor methinks. Murphy will return and I'd give him Tex Walker. This allows Darcy Moore to intercept. But we're missing Howe, that's for sure. Fingers crossed he's back before the end of the year. Come on Howey!
I have faith in the forward line, but I do feel for Mihocek. I mean, how much longer can the guy still play the bulldozer role? He must be made of granite, but he too looks a bit sore and was quiet on Anzac day. That's why Kruger has to stay in the team. He didn't do much on Anzac day. But he's a competitor too. Crashed packs, ran like a madman, fumbled the ball regularly and with unusual ferocity. No one fumbles the ball with the same intensity as Kruger. We need that type of fumbling, that's for sure.
Here are the likely changes:
In: Adams, Murphy
Out: Markov (he's been good but sorry Oleg), Ruscoe (that's equally harsh but it's either him or Murphy).
The Washup
Pies by 5 points in a brutal affair!
So a confession: I got last week's tip wrong - I thought the Dons would get us. I admit it. Finnish was wrong. Thank God. Cheers for those who corrected me. But I did pick the changes to the last man. Anyway, onward!
The Crows and Crowing
And so we face Adelaide on their home deck on Sunday. And who would think this would be match of the round? Who imagined Adelaide would become the team they are? Their balance of youth and experience. The class of Rankine and Rachele. Tex Walker in excellent form. A brutal game style that smashes up other teams. The speed of their ball movement. They're humming, there's no doubt about it. The demolition they did on Carlton was heart warming.
But now we face them. What's their strength? Their brutal pressure, their attack on the ball, and then their extreme ball movement. That's a lot of things to counter.
The Might Magpies
It's hard to praise our team too much. The challenges that we've faced, losing so many talls, and the way we've faced down every challenge. Billy Frampton, take a bow. A competitor. God bless him. Ruscoe -- did everything asked of him. Pendlebury, still like a chess master, 5 moves ahead of the opposition. The Daicos brothers, elite in every way. Yes, every way. They're hard those two. It's not just sublime skill, it's body on the line too. And our small forwards must be some of the best in the comp. Ginnivan is a footballer's footballer. The smarts. Bobby Hill is lightning. He strikes faster than the eye can see. Elliot looks hurt but we all know at his best he's a champion. DeGoey is the modern Dusty. Enough superlatives.
The return of Adams will be important in the clinches. We need to get back to being clearance monsters and Mitchell was a bit down this week. Adams will help. My bet is we match Adelaide's brutality with our own. This will be critical. The inside ball will be hotly contested. It'll be a firestorm in there.
And then there's the outside. If they move the ball fast, we move it faster. We're a tsunami. When we're headed your way, run.
The one query we have then is our backline. Who takes Rankine? Isaac Quaynor methinks. Murphy will return and I'd give him Tex Walker. This allows Darcy Moore to intercept. But we're missing Howe, that's for sure. Fingers crossed he's back before the end of the year. Come on Howey!
I have faith in the forward line, but I do feel for Mihocek. I mean, how much longer can the guy still play the bulldozer role? He must be made of granite, but he too looks a bit sore and was quiet on Anzac day. That's why Kruger has to stay in the team. He didn't do much on Anzac day. But he's a competitor too. Crashed packs, ran like a madman, fumbled the ball regularly and with unusual ferocity. No one fumbles the ball with the same intensity as Kruger. We need that type of fumbling, that's for sure.
Here are the likely changes:
In: Adams, Murphy
Out: Markov (he's been good but sorry Oleg), Ruscoe (that's equally harsh but it's either him or Murphy).
The Washup
Pies by 5 points in a brutal affair!
