This weeks "Key Pies to Return" Article

[mattys123]

Key Pies to return


By Ben Broad 6:25 AM Tue 02 June, 2009

Collingwood's Travis Cloke has fully recovered from his hamstring injury
Latest headlines



FRESH from their best quarter in more than two years, Collingwood is nearing full strength with a host of big-name players set to return from injury.

Centre-half forward Travis Cloke headlines a list of possible inclusions this week, meaning coach Mick Malthouse will likely have some welcome headaches at the selection table ahead of his team’s Queen’s Birthday clash with Melbourne.

Key Magpie Paul Medhurst is also in the running to return after a month out with an ankle injury, while Anthony Rocca (knee), Sean Rusling (cheekbone) and Ben Johnson (leg) all appear set to play after extended stints on the sidelines.

“Those guys that have missed the last three or four weeks are probably available this coming game, so it clears up that injury list a bit,” Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh told collingwoodfc.com.au.

“We had [Dale] Thomas and [Alan] Didak come in at the weekend and we didn’t get any fresh injuries out of the weekend either, so that was good.”

Walsh said Medhurst’s chances would be helped by an eight-day break ahead of the clash with Melbourne.

“Hopefully we can get some training into him,” he said.

“He might be 50-50 just in terms of his fitness in general.”

Walsh said Cloke, who hasn’t played since injuring his hamstring against St Kilda in round seven, would be fit to play this week. However whether he comes straight back into the senior side is less certain.

“That’s a match committee decision, but he’ll be available to play wherever,” Walsh said.

The Magpies are confident both Rocca and the unlucky Rusling – who broke his cheekbone in his first game back this season after a series of setbacks with a shoulder – will both be available for selection.

Ben Johnson, who broke his leg against Geelong in round three, wanted to play last week but was held back. However he is expected to be passed fit this weekend.

The Magpies have a week off after their clash with the Demons for the AFL’s split round, however their VFL team will play on that weekend. Walsh said that would give the club an opportunity to put more match time into some players’ legs.

Given Sunday’s win and the turning of the tide on the injury front, things are suddenly looking a lot brighter at the Lexus Centre.

The Magpies played arguably their best football of the season on Sunday evening.

Their third-quarter haul of 9.3 against Port Adelaide was their best under Mick Malthouse since they booted 10.6 in the final home and away round of 2006.

With its win over the Power, Collingwood consolidated its position inside the top eight and now sits sixth on the ladder.

In the next three weeks, the Magpies face bottom-of-the-ladder Melbourne, followed by the Sydney Swans (ANZ Stadium) and Fremantle(MCG).

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Once again, a good news story, but as to how much of it to believe, I'll leave that up to you.


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[Porkaspies09]

wow, i dunno who to take out of the team, i wanna see how clokey is after his stint on the sidelines , not really interested in rocca,rusling and medders are going to be huge ins but who will be taken out for them

 

[Optimax]

I would love to see Trav come in against the dees and if leigh brown dudded up again as was expected last week i would of had no trouble in doing it

But in saying that travs form was poor and letting him beat up a VFL side for the next two weeks before we play sydney maybe whats best for him

Medhurst i highly doubt will play this week at any level

 

[abs_of_STEELE]

I wouldn't bring Trav straight back, he was hopeless before he got injured.

 

[FuManchu]

I would love to see Trav come in against the dees and if leigh brown dudded up again as was expected last week i would of had no trouble in doing it

But in saying that travs form was poor and letting him beat up a VFL side for the next two weeks before we play sydney maybe whats best for him

Medhurst i highly doubt will play this week at any level

Conversely, Not that I think melb will be an easy beat as they have this knack of knocking us over at times, but this could be a good opportunity for Travis to get in and maybe impose himself against a lessor backline and maybe get some confiedence from there.

Anyway, I am hoping he plays, I am not driving all the way from Perth to go to this game just for us to get beaten.

 

[careyrips(I)]

Did you guys see the article written by Mike Sheahan in yesterdays herald sun? He says that with the inclusions of Medhurst, Rusling, Cloke coming back and finding some form as well as the inclusions last week of thomas and Didak, we look like a premiership team! I dont know if he is meaning this year but to have someone like Mike Shehan say something like that is always a positive.

 

[mattys123]

Yeah saw the Mike Sheahan article yesterday, and to my thinking it seemed as if he thought we were going to be the "4th" team this year, and then he stated that only the top 4 have a real chance at the flag.

We are in a rare position at the moment, in that our injury list is practically empty, and we will have a richness of selection over the 2nd half of the season if this keeps up.

Our absolute best 22 are capable of competing with anyone, it's just a matter of whether we can hold our best 22-25 players together from now on in.

The thing with Mike Sheahen is that he is a "closet" big 4 supporter, in that he has talked up Carlton, Essendon and now Collingwood at different times this year.

 

[Lockyer24]

Them articles on AFL.com are like Groundhog day. Every week apparantly 4 players are returning but we are lucky if 1 does.

BTW Anthony Rocca is not injured, he's just not being picked.

 

[Keele]

Medhurst is the only Pies player in the injury list and he is to be tested.



http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=78095

 

[#1 pies]

Cloke, Rusling, Johnson and Rocca should all play in the VFL.
Medhurst should come straight back in if fit this week.
But who'll go out?

 

[Shaunn]

I really don't know who we are going to drop, all i can think of is maybe Alan Toovey but that's pretty much it.

And if we lose this week we are horrible, we are pretty much a full strength side and we are playing Melbourne who are 1-9 so if we lose it will be one of our worth losses in a bit.

 

[Pie eyed]

Conversely, Not that I think melb will be an easy beat as they have this knack of knocking us over at times, but this could be a good opportunity for Travis to get in and maybe impose himself against a lessor backline and maybe get some confiedence from there.

Anyway, I am hoping he plays, I am not driving all the way from Perth to go to this game just for us to get beaten.

I also hope he plays.
If he is in fact in need of confidence then the best place to get it is in the AFL.
Why not give him a run at CHB for 25 minutes or so or even a wing?

His problem seems to be not getting to the ball often enough, lets bring the ball to him.

 

[#1 pies]

I really don't know who we are going to drop, all i can think of is maybe Alan Toovey but that's pretty much it.

And if we lose this week we are horrible, we are pretty much a full strength side and we are playing Melbourne who are 1-9 so if we lose it will be one of our worth losses in a bit.

You're saying Toovey out before Cox?

 

[Keele]

You're saying Toovey out before Cox?

I am actually not sure what he is saying in his second sentence

what does "worth losses in a bit" mean... doesn't bit mean little by little

 

[Shaunn]

You're saying Toovey out before Cox?

Well id say that is a 50/50 chance, because Cox can play really well when he is in form and Toovey alot of the time he try's and runs away with the ball and gets tackled alot and gets pinged.

But either one of them or or both and id be happy .

 

[stanley86]

why does everyone want to drop alan "scapegoat" toovey
he is a backman, apart from johnson, we have forwards coming back
unfortunately, sidebottom is in trouble because of age and experience, seems a logical swap with medders, the quandry of cloke/rusling is more interesting
leigh brown is in trouble, but seems to be a favourite at the moment
wellingham can't be dropped, cox possibly could make way to move browndog into the backline
and out of all this, we have to find room for j-mac, an undoubted talent who was very handy at the end of last year when the pressure was on
unfortunately for beamsy, i think he will suffer a bit of the sidebums problem in that he is young and in his first year, but he definitely seems a class above vfl level

 

[mattys123]

I see the solution to the above posters problem as;

* Only play one of Sidebottom or Beams in the same side for the rest of this year, unless both are flying.
* McCarthy wont be ready till at least the Sydney game, so we dont face that problem yet
* Leigh Brown to play till both Medhurst and Cloke are in the side
* Cox, Toovey and Wellingham to be picked on a week to week basis, 2 bad games in a row equals 1 week in the VFL at least
* Rest Medhurst till the Sydney game
* No Rusling for 4-5 weeks, 3-4 VFL games

If in 3 weeks time we still have a full list to pick from, problems will arise, but these will be the very good type of problems.

 

[DNine]

BTW Anthony Rocca is not injured, he's just not being picked.

If this were true, he would be playing VFL. Having trouble with the same injury.

 

[Keele]

If this were true, he would be playing VFL. Having trouble with the same injury.

He said not being picked... he could mean both AFL and VFL teams

 

[DWil6]

He said not being picked... he could mean both AFL and VFL teams

Highly doubtful.

 

[daics cousin]

Great news guys.The expected return of all these players over the next few weeks should put us in very good stead ,for the second half of the year.Hopefully we will storm home,and tackle the finals with a close to full list to pick from.Now that would be a great sight to see.
If we can secure a top 4 possie and a close to full list at our disposal,then look at saints and geelong,there will be a third contender for the flag.

GO PIES!

 

[Trojan82]

People keep saying we are (Or are close to) full strength.

I think this is far from the truth.

Just because a player can play 2's this week doesn't mean he is available for senior selection. Rusling, Johnson, Cloke, Medhurst, MacCaffer and Rocca are all iffy this week with only Medhurst highly likely to be right for seniors. The rest might play 2's (I dont think Cloke will play 2's). This does not constitute a full strength side.

Full strength means all players fit enough to be in the starting 22 for the seniors. We are a bit away from that yet.

 

[Pie eyed]

People keep saying we are (Or are close to) full strength.

I think this is far from the truth.

Just because a player can play 2's this week doesn't mean he is available for senior selection. Rusling, Johnson, Cloke, Medhurst, MacCaffer and Rocca are all iffy this week with only Medhurst highly likely to be right for seniors. The rest might play 2's (I dont think Cloke will play 2's). This does not constitute a full strength side.

Full strength means all players fit enough to be in the starting 22 for the seniors. We are a bit away from that yet.

The plot thickens.
According to the Pies site all those you regard as iffy are fit and the only one with a cloud is Medders.

news header

Pick your 22 for Monday's match

9:38 AM Wed 3 June, 2009 | Back
collingwoodfc.com.au



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News

For the first time in recent weeks Collingwood’s match committee has the luxury of selecting from an extended list.

Paul Medhurst is the only player in doubt of returning to the pitch this weekend; the forward is listed as a “test”.

Travis Cloke, Ben Johnson, Anthony Rocca and Sean Rusling are all available after overcoming various injuries. The match committee will also look closely at the senior-listed players who performed well in the VFL’s 50-point win on the weekend.

This week’s Magpie Blog puts you in the driver’s seat of the match committee.

Who will you return through the VFL, who will you return straight into the senior side and who you will you rest?

http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/new...garticle/tabid/8601/newsid/78128/default.aspx

So, are we foxing and Medhurst is a cert to play or is the club being up-front?