Preview We will Win Back to Back Flags.

[daics_35]

Way to early to call, we are the best team in the comp on paper and we should win it, but we will be hunted next year by everyone as we are the premiers, we should be ok with it but anything can happen. I am still tipping that we will go back to back though.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

I don't think premiership hangover will be a big factor for us. We have a lot of youth but they are experienced youth who will of course improve, but they know how to win games. 2010 didn't come out of nowhere.

We've played more finals than any other team over the last decade, played in the equal most number of Grand Finals (4 with Brisbane, Geelong and St Kilda 3 each), haven't missed the finals since 2005 and have been in Prelims in 3 of the last 4 years. We have the youngest premiership team in decades and the majority of our closest rivals will not be as strong next year in my opinion.

If anything St Kilda will have "Grand Final hangover." 3 GFs in 2 years for no wins has to be a massive blow to your confidence in your ability to "do the job" and the Cats have lost the best player the AFL's seen in the last half a decade. The Dogs are one of the worst teams at keeping their players on the park and have lost a lot of forward quality. They have recruited well but 2 quality first year players will not bridge the gap to us. Fremantle is our biggest realistic threat outside of St Kilda (if they can maintain the drive after so many failures) in my opinion and they lost their only AA quality defender....to us.

No reason to not be optimistic for 2011. If we stay injury free there is no reason we can't absolutely dominate the competition next year. Of course that won't guarantee us a flag (see Geelong in 2008 who were absolutely dominant) but we're certainly the most likely. Unless the club suddenly becomes an unprofessional rabble our team will improve in 2011, without question. Before last season guys like Macaffer, Sidebottom, Beams, Reid, Dawes, etc had barely played. Blair had not even debuted and was still a rookie. Brown was widely considered "a spud" from the outside and has just destroyed Riewoldt in 2 Grand Finals (realistically he was only beaten twice this season). Tarrant WOULD (not could) have been AA last year if he didn't get injured. We've recruited the best player in Australia from outside the AFL in Krakouer. We get our best forward pocket back from injury. Guys like Wellingham, Thomas and many others now know that they can play this game at a very high level very consistently.

We lost one game (by 3 points in a dead rubber) after Round 10 this year and ABSOLUTELY DOMINATED THE COMPETITION. Our last 3 performances against ST Kilda have been a 9 goal win, a draw and a 10 goal win. The draw was the odd one out and probably because the young guys played with fear of the unknown. There is no unknown any more, they know they can do it. We beat our other 2 Finals opponents by massive margins also and would have beaten Geelong (the best team in a long time) by well over 100 points if we didn't put the cue in the rack in the prelim when we realised we had it won.

We are a seriously ridiculously good side. Be confident guys, we SHOULD win it next year. I think we will win it. To say "we will definitely make the finals but after that I'm not sure" is just sitting on the fence. We're better placed now for 2011 than we were a year ago for 2010 and we won the flag. To top that off the competition should be weaker next year. GO PIES!! LET'S SMASH THEM, BACK TO BACK HERE WE COME

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

Who told you about the Norris Roundhouse? Now it's out in the open may as well explain.

Chris Dawes let the cat out of the bag in GF2.0, first goal of Q3 - he was subsequently benched and flayed with bamboo poles.

 

[Takahashi Tank]

Good post Rusler and all I will add is that it would be a perfect result next year for MM and for the record books confirming that Collingwood will be the greatest club of all time (officially) having finally matched Carlton and Essendon in the Premiership Wins category.

 

[Bay Pie]

Gosh, we are not that far in front of the next bods - after all we could only draw with Saints the first time because of the lack of 'big time' experience from our youth. We're not even all that fast - see last two NDs meant to remedy that.

Yeah the draw against the 2nd/3rd best team in the comp, when we played poorly in the 2nd half and only kicked 2 goals during that time with many of our best players well below their best for the game.

This game was wedged between 3 wins of 11, 7 easing up, & 10 goal wins against the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best teams in the comp.

Our best was significantly better then anyone else.

Very early to call, but a good run with injuries and I'm expecting a top 4 finish at the end of the H&A season.

The finals are a different ballgame where anything can happen (see Cats in 2008). Just need to get top 4 and have few injuries come finals time and launch from there.

 

[Old Spice]

Yeah, good post by Rusler there. I think the other thing to say is the leadership is really good now. Didak really stepped it up this year in the desperation stakes and that was great to see. Swan and Shaw are still jokers in the pack, but definitely much more determined and steeled. We know we have that natural leadership, professionalism and drive from Ball, Maxwell, Harry, Daisy etc and now a hungry and transofrmed Tarrant, not to mention Krakeour who sounds like he's training the house down. Wellingham has really matured and there are plenty of reasons to go on with it in 2011.

Mick departing shouldn't be underestimated - time for the big pay back and a send off in style - repayment for keeping the faith with some players.

I'm sure at the back of their minds is really becoming a powerhouse of the modern era. 17 flags wouldn't be bad motivation for 2012 and 4 on the trot for 2013 - equaling our own record. Sounds reasonable to me.

Chris Dawes let the cat out of the bag in GF2.0, first goal of Q3 - he was subsequently benched and flayed with bamboo poles.

And I thought I detected a Sensei bow when he came to the bench, but he was just headbutting a granite banner.

 

[kevind]

These things are always difficult to predict. Any range of issues, such as injuries( eg. I would hate to lose Jolly for any period of time), intensity drops and the like can derail the best laid plans.

The club has definitely had a look at 1991 and will attempt to keep things ticking along, so we are possibly better prepared this time for hosing down any excessive partying or over confidence. Players these days are also far more professional.

I am really looking forward to seeing Andrew Krakouer play. I have a feeling he will be a great pick up and become an important player for us and Tarrant is an upgrade on John Anthony.

In fact there are a lot of young players who could really develop into super players- Reid, Brown, Dawes, Sidebottom, Wellingham.

There's a hell of a lot to look forward to as we tick all the boxes. Hopefully 2010 will be the start of a dynasty but there is still alot of hard work ahead. History shows that Premierships don't come easy, even to the best sides. So going back to back is certainly not a given.

PS. Surely MM earned an extra year coaching after the Premiership this year. There will be clubs lining up around the block at the end of 2011 to snare him. In fact I would have preferred Eddie granted an extra year to him for each Premiership. Bucks is guaranteed the coaching job so waiting an extra year or two will only reinforce his readiness to coach when the time comes.

 

[Breakthelines]

looking at the in-and out, these are the significant changes with an impact to next year.

in:

Andrew Krakouer, Chris Tarrant

out

Paul Medhurst, Tarkyn Lockyer, John Anthony, Simon Prestigiacomo

I don't think that Medders & Anthony really count, hardly played this year.

Brown proved he can fill in for Presti.

2011 Improvements:

In: Krakouer, Dick & Tarrant

Out: Medders, Lockyer & Presti

Anthony = Bum!

 

[DaVe86]

I'm not really comparing us to the 1990 side. Footy has changed a lot, and hte coaches and players are far too professional to fall into that trap.


I would more compare us to Hawthorn of 2008 who realistically won a flag a few years before they were expected to. They had a young list full of young talent, but they were probably 1 or 2 years away from really challenging. That said, they put together the perfect year and it all went right


From that point on, everything fell to pieces. They were exposed all over the ground, their game-plan was undone and they became injury prone.




Why I don't think we will fall into this trap is that we don't have the gaping holes that Hawthorn do. They won a flag with no good ruckman and they were shorta nd fickle down-back. Croad leaving could be the equivalent of Presti...but we have Nathan Brown and Tarrant to replace...the Hawks had nothing.

Even with Croad, they were forced to use Hodge down back for most of the season.


In contrast, we have depth in every position. If a ruckman goes down, we have Wood. We have a huge fight for a defensive position going on with guys like Goldsack and Tarrant right on teh fringe. The addition of Krakouer means Blair and Davis will be fighting hard for a spot, whilst guys like Josh Thomas will start pushing through. Sidebottom and Beams are nearly ready to explode as well.




The only thing left that could be undone is our game-plan. The Hawks implemented a rolling zone which was the first of its kind. We used a similar method this year, but it was more a forward press. If teams start finding weaknesses in it, or start finding ways through, then we could come undone. The other variable is the interchange rules and the substitute rules. Whether that works against us is yet to be seen.


Nevertheless, we still have a strong defensive unit, and I can't see it being penetrated any time soon. Our biggest threats are realistically St.Kilda and Hawthorn. Everyone else is still a few years away.

 

[Martha D]

As it is Mick's last year, everyone will want it bad.

 

[jmadrox]

As it is Mick's last year, everyone will want it bad.

that is certainly a big up for you guys.

IMHO, CWood has the next 2 years to dominate. I am not referring to the age of your team, but more so until other teams catch up to your standard. Freo, Melbourne, Richmond are all on the rise(talking a couple years away still!). Geelong and the Saints were on the way down. I expect them to finish top 8 again this year, but not really be in contention.
So for the next couple years who is your real competition? Bulldogs? Hawks? Sydney? dont really think so.

You were lucky this year, dont get me wrong, you were the best team and deserved it, but if you had played a few more minutes in the first final, you may have been in trouble. And as others have mentioned, that is probably due to a little stage fright on behalf of the younger players.

 

[Old Spice]

You were lucky this year, dont get me wrong, you were the best team and deserved it, but if you had played a few more minutes in the first final, you may have been in trouble. And as others have mentioned, that is probably due to a little stage fright on behalf of the younger players.

Luck doesn't see you smash 3 of the other top 4 teams. The first GF was the freak game, the rest were utter annihilations.

 

[jmadrox]

Luck doesn't see you smash 3 of the other top 4 teams. The first GF was the freak game, the rest were utter annihilations.

none the less you were lucky. I didnt say you didnt deserve the win, i meant it more as, you didnt play well on the day, and were lucky to get away with it.
(ps, i am agreeing with you going back to back here, no need to get defensive!)

 

[Martha D]

.

You were lucky this year, dont get me wrong, you were the best team and deserved it, but if you had played a few more minutes in the first final, you may have been in trouble. And as others have mentioned, that is probably due to a little stage fright on behalf of the younger players.

Good points.....luck does play a big role.

You only need to have one off day on Grand final day like Geelong did against Hawthorn and a season in which you dominated doesn't bring you the ultimate reward.

 

[Old Spice]

none the less you were lucky. I didnt say you didnt deserve the win, i meant it more as, you didnt play well on the day, and were lucky to get away with it.
(ps, i am agreeing with you going back to back here, no need to get defensive!)

I'm not getting defensive, I simply don't agree with you. Bad luck is for the unprepared.

 

[jmadrox]

I'm not getting defensive, I simply don't agree with you. Bad luck is for the unprepared.

hah, fair enough. Well were are both entitled our opinions. IMHO, luck has nothing to do with preparedness. The better prepared team will have fewer 50/50 situations where they need to rely on luck in the first place.

 

[Old Spice]

From the Hun today I found this extract which encapsulates my views:

Perhaps eating away at Malthouse was the performance cycle he recognised the team was entering. Maxwell believed then, as he does now, that there is no one in the team of 2010 who cannot be immediately replaced, such is the depth of the playing list.

Yes, there are players of such class and dynamism - an Alan Didak or Scott Pendlebury, or the strength and smarts of Darren Jolly - whose contribution is not easily replaced. But the point of depth is correct.

A team that pins its hopes around a few players, i.e. Carlton, will suffer from 'bad luck' more than a team like Collingwood who have 10 players who can play through the midfield. The biggest lynch-pin is probably Jolly, but even here, we have contingencies in place.

 

[DWil6]

I'd be a little upset if Jolly went down. Our contingency for the ruck is Daisy standing on Leroy's shoulders. Actually, that might work....

 

[Old Spice]

I'd be a little upset if Jolly went down. Our contingency for the ruck is Daisy standing on Leroy's shoulders. Actually, that might work....

So long as Daisy's jumper covers Leroy's head, they should be none the wiser. That or get Daisy to wear stilts covered by 1 metre long socks.

 

[Takahashi Tank]

ps...the only real perceived weakness I thought about (other than mental and gameplan issues) is in our key forward spots if we get say an injury to Dawes or Cloke and say a suspension/form issue to L.Brown at the same time.

We could still then use Tarrant at Full Forward. If Tarrant and L.Brown are not available, Wood plays as the ruckman with Jolly more up forward.

Hence, we do not even need any new kids to develop in a rush in an emergency situation but if one does then even better.

ps 2...our only other perceived criticism was the amount of true A graders we have. Between Swan and Pendlebury we may soon have a candidate to challenge Ablett, Judd, Goddard and Hodge to break into the top 3 real midfield superstars.

Some would say Didak, Jolly, Thomas, Ball, O'Brien, Tarrant, and Shaw are A grade.

If a few of Cloke, Dawes, Reid, N.Brown, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Beams etc improve as Thomas did this year then I think we have enough class and x factor to close out games if mental strength/game plan issues arise.

Cloke does deserve a special note in that key forward stars are like gold and if he can become more reliable with his kicking we will not need too many other things to go right.

Reid's importance almost matches Cloke's and if he continues to improve I almost cherish the thought of a Collingwood/Hawthorn Grand Final.

In summary, we really have few excuses for giving back to back a real shake but luck will play its big role again I think come finals time but the dice does appear to be heavily loaded in our favour.

 

[Copeland]

none the less you were lucky.

I'd say the Saints were lucky to get another shot. If we'd kicked straight in the draw there would have been no replay. But I'm quite happy how it turned out

 

[jmadrox]

We could still then use Tarrant at Full Forward. If Tarrant and L.Brown are not available, Wood plays as the ruckman with Jolly more up forward.

dont bet on that. why do u think we moved him down back? If you want him up forward, you gotta get his confidence in kicking @ goal back. he lost it just after coming west.

might get it back now he is back where his heart is, so he could swing back forward.

 

[shawthing09]

dont bet on that. why do u think we moved him down back? If you want him up forward, you gotta get his confidence in kicking @ goal back. he lost it just after coming west.

might get it back now he is back where his heart is, so he could swing back forward.

Hypothetically Tarrant could play foward in an R.O.K type style and we could play with a smaller more open fowardline, we accounted for St Kilda pretty easily without Cloke the second time round. I think besides Jolly we have a very flexible side and structure and could hypothetically cater for the loss of almost any player.

The GF draw two of their top three players played out of their skin and honestly couldn't have played better games, on the other hand our top 2 played their worst 2 games and they still only managed a Draw.

 

[Martha D]

Mick Malthouse holds up the 2010 premiership cup with Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...ther-premiership/story-e6frf9jf-1225968352026

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse says he won't repeat the mistakes he made at Richmond and West Coast in the pursuit of back-to-back flags.

In a passionate address at the Magpies' best-and-fairest last night won by Dane Swan, Malthouse said he suffered from complacency after both his first premiership as a player with Richmond in 1980 and as a coach with the Eagles in 1992 - and vowed the same wouldn't happen next year with the Magpies.

"I will not make the mistake that I did in 1980 with the pre-season for 1981 as a player for Richmond, thinking it was just going to happen again," he said.

"It didn't and in fact we didn't even make the finals the next year and yet made it in 1982.

"In 1992 (at West Coast) we won a premiership and didn't win it again until 1994. Why? Because we trusted the player group and trusted ourselves that we were on fire, that we were ready to go again and clearly we weren't.

"I have promised this group that names will mean nothing and reputations little."

Malthouse said he was confident his players had the hunger to go to the top again.

"We are fortunate that our players that missed out are very, very hungry.

"We will give every player the opportunity to display that hunger that will give us the chance to come up here next year with another cup."

 

[mattys123]

I think Dane Swan said it best last night at the end of his acceptance speech, when he said something like;

"Stick with us, we will go back to back".

Luv ya Swanny, thanks for the thread support too.