Buckley wins Age award

Collingwood's Nathan Buckley has capped a brilliant season by winning the Age-Qantas footballer of the year award.

Buckley, who polled 98 votes, six more than runner-up, Carlton veteran Craig Bradley, said last night that the individual honor was some compensation for his team not making the finals.

"The aim of any club is to finish in the finals, and we didn't do that, so it's been a disappointing season," Buckley said.

Buckley said he was pleased with his own form, though he felt he had not played as well over the past five weeks of the season. "I think I've been in the top five players in the competition this season," he said.

At his best, Buckley has been devastating for Collingwood this season. Often playing off half-back, the Magpies have benefited greatly from his ability to deliver the ball precisely with long kicks. Buckley was also the first choice on kick-in options, and his pin-point disposal often led to the Magpies whipping the ball from defence to attack without the opposition touching the ball.

Despite his win, Buckley said he did not expect to better his highest Brownlow medal finish of sixth place in 1993 (when he played for Brisbane). "I'm looking forward to going, but to be honest I don't think I've got any chance," he said.

Buckley nominated Robert Harvey (St Kilda) and Peter Matera (West Coast) as his Brownlow picks.

Magpies' costly errors

By CHARLES HAPPELL
and ALAN SHIELL

Collingwood coach Tony Shaw lamented a series of errors from senior players Saverio Rocca and Gavin Crosisca that cost the club victory over Adelaide at Football Park last night - and put the Magpies out of the finals race.

Rocca missed two set shots at goal from within 25 metres in the third quarter that would have given the Pies the ascendancy in the slogging, low-scoring encounter; Crosisca gave away a decisive 50-metre penalty late in the final term that handed the Crows the lead.

Adelaide stole a last-gasp nine-point win to:

Reduce the number of teams competing for eighth spot to four - Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Carlton and Fremantle.

Almost certainly guarantee that Adelaide will host its first AFL final.

Drop the Western Bulldogs from third to fourth.

Leave open the possibility of the Crows displacing St Kilda or Geelong from the top two.

Maggies creep closer to a finals appearance

(25/8) This time last week it seemed impossible that Collingwood could grab a spot in the final eight. After the draw between Brisbane and Port Adelaide, the Magpies needed both of those teams to lose their remaining games and Fremantle to lose one, while Collingwood had to win both of its games. The chances seemed to be the same as those of tipping seven games straight, but worse, Brisbane were meeting an out of form Essendon and Port an equally out of form Richmond and both had to lose.

Since then both Brisbane and Port have lost those games and Fremantle have also dropped a game. That's three out of three so far.

So the other teams are doing their bit for us, but we have a big hurdle to jump tonight - Adelaide at Adelaide. If we can pull that off, and we have a good record at Footy Park, it will be four out of four and heading for home.

Carlton are in an even more fragile position, they need the same combination of results that Collingwood needs, but they need us to drop a game as well.

Collingwood has played itself into the unenviable position of not only having to win every game to make the finals but we're reliant on the performances of those other teams as well, but the odds are shortening rapidly. If a game ever held incentive for the Woods to show passion and determination, tonight's game is it.

A. Rocca the vital part in Pies' engine

By MARTIN FLANAGAN

Collingwood's season has been of the formula one variety. After recording six scorchingly quick lap times, the team has spent most of the remainder of the year in the pits having its engine tinkered with.

Expectations have always weighed heavily on the shoulders of Collingwood players, and those engendered by the team's early performances were of the highest order. The Rocca brothers boomed and for the first time in years Collingwood appeared to have some artillery on its forward line. Paul Williams was humming, Gavin Brown had been born again as a half-back and Nathan Buckley was, well, Nathan Buckley - neat, imperious and exact.

For me, the definitive Buckley moment came against Port Adelaide in Adelaide when he was met with a wall of hostility from the supporters of his former club and the close attention of tagger Shayne Breuer.

In the third quarter, Buckley received a disputed free kick. The crowd rose to a new pitch of indignant abuse and Breuer appeared to say something. Buckley dismissed the opinion of Breuer and the other 40,000 with a toss of the head.

Others might get between his body and the ball but no one will get between his mind and what he seeks to achieve. There is something Bradmanesque about Buckley and his solitary, single-minded pursuit of sporting perfection.

The black sense of anti-climax that has slowly consumed Collingwood's season was always going to bear bitter fruit, and last week the team was subjected to a withering analysis by one of the club's all-time favorites, Peter Daicos. At the end of his playing career, when he indicated that he would be interested in coaching, I seem to recall Daicos, a wonderfully gifted ball player, saying that people didn't seem to realise it took thought to play the game the way he had.

Last week, that thought was laid bare. He named players who had little or no proficiency on their left side (Jason Wild, Robbie Ahmat and Luke Godden), identified defender Andrew Schauble as having the pace and spring to go with forwards who lead for the ball but lacking the bulk to hold his ground against those who stand and wait. He even suggested Big Monkey may belong to a breed of ruckmen who are now obsolete. Daicos said something had to be done quickly. But he didn't really say what.

Like most of the Melbourne teams, Collingwood's deficiencies are as marked as its assets, but what aggrieves the Magpie supporters I know is the suspicion that the team is playing without passion, a curious charge given that in his playing days coach Tony Shaw was the embodiment of it. Collingwood's brittleness was exposed yet again at the MCG on Saturday by a threadbare Essendon team, victory only being secured for the Magpies by Gavin Brown re-casting the match inthe final minutes.

Brown is a champion, Williams is a class act and Buckley a phenomenon, but I suspect the player who stands squarely at the intersection of Collingwood's fortunes is Anthony Rocca. Collingwood played its best football when the younger Rocca was playing well. His brother, the Big Sav, leads like a lorry, but otherwise plays like a person who came to the game late. He is predictable. Anthony is not.

He plays deep, he plays wide. He marks from behind and from the side. He kicks torpedoes that shimmy through the heavens. When he was playing well, he turned opposition defences inside out, creating holes into which the Big Saveloy led and through which Ahmat glided.

Daicos' view of Anthony Rocca is that he lacks fitness, but that is only the first of many obstacles that await him if he is to master that most difficult, dangerous and strategic of positions - centre half-forward. But upon that enterprise, I suggest, rests Collingwood's immediate future.

Buckley Cleared - Monkey out for 3

(19/8) The AFL tribunal cleared Nathan Buckley of a kneeing charge last night, leaving his eligibility for this year's Brownlow Medal intact.

Damian Monkhorst wasn't so fortunate, he was suspended for 3 weeks for striking Moorcroft in Saturday's match against Essendon and fined for wrestling with Essendon's O'Connor. O'Connor was cleared of wrestling with Monkhorst (must have been a one-arm wrestle).

Strength from within

By Nathan Buckley

Sunday 17 August 1997

In business, there are certain indicators that show outside observers whether an organisation is successful or not. The first, and most obvious, are the results that are achieved over a financial year. Another more obscure indicator is the way an organisation handles general operations, including crises, within its ranks.

If you're looking for a signpost to future prospects, often the latter will give a better insight into the business's ability to prosper when things are not travelling well.

The current situation at the Collingwood Football Club has prompted me to consider the implications of these two factors on the present and future results of football clubs.

In football, success can also be measured by the same criteria. Obviously, teams that consistently make finals and win grand finals are the most successful sides and those that have regularly failed to make the finals have done just that - failed.

More often than not, the clubs that are successful now are those that have best handled general operations and, therefore, potentially damaging situations in the past. Every club in the AFL has had to deal with similar situations. The resolution of these can be, and often is, crucial to the future of the club.

In my relatively limited experience at senior football level (two years in the SANFL; five years in the AFL) I have noticed how successful and unsuccessful clubs deal with various scenarios. The successful method seems to be to ensure that problems are solved in-house, avoiding media involvement. The unsuccessful method often begins with whatever is ailing the club being dragged through the media.

The John Cahill-Mick Moylan squabble at Port Adelaide was initially a big story, mainly due to Jack's outburst. But very little has been heard of that since, because the management's major endeavors were to throw a blanket on the inferno about to rage through the press.

Early this season, St Kilda coach Stan Alves was under the pump. Just as it looked to me that the issue was going to blow out, it suddenly died. Whether this was due to management decision-making or improved form, no one knows other than those at St Kilda.

Over the past few years at the Collingwood Football Club I have seen no fewer than three double-page spreads on the way the club can change and the distance we are behind the finalists. These spreads have including the slating of individuals. Most of this press has come from outside the club, but some of it has come from within. There is no doubt the stature of the club sells a lot of papers, and for this reason one wrong step can result in a back-page headline.

This occurrence is assured when one of the favorite sons of the football club, Peter Daicos, publicly condemns the football team. Specific comments were made about individuals on the current list. Most people reading the article mistakenly associate him with the club, when, in fact, his unfortunate comments were made purely from his new position in the media.

Notably, the area Daicos was most concerned about was the skill level of the club. Daicos was one of the most skilled footballers of all time, and I dare say his assistance at the club as a skills coach might have been a more positive step for the club than what has occurred.

It is my view that the club has failed in this instance, when a past player can come out and make these comments. After 16 years at the club, an individual should understand the potential damage it can have on the young blokes mentioned.

The fact that I am writing these words is, in a way, hypocritical, because there is no doubt it is the press's involvement I am trying to discourage. But I think it is important for our supporters to understand, from a player's perspective, that things can be done a better way. When we are not successful, take it for granted that steps are being taken - the involvement of the media is not required.

Whatever pain you feel as a supporter, multiply it by 10 and that's how the club feels. In these circumstances, as in all, the most important thing for us is to still have your support and faith that the club can turn it around.

Given the right processes within the club, we will.

Buckley Reported as Pies Hold Out Bombers

(17/8) Collingwood held out a fast finishing Essendon yesterday to win at the M.C.G. by 10 points. Collingwood dominated play for three quarters and led by 40 points at 3/4 time, but Essendon came out firing in the last quarter and nearly stole the game as the Pies once again wilted under pressure. In fact if the defence, led by Gavin Brown, hadn't steadied in the last 10 minutes and blocked Essendon's repeated forays into their scoring zone the game would have been lost. Collingwood scored a miserable 3 behinds in that quarter to Essendon's 5 goals 3.

Nathan Buckley was reported for a dubious kneeing incident involving Essendon's Young and will be very unlucky to be penalised for it - I hope the tribunal watches the same replay that I saw. With the draw at the Gabba last night virtually eliminating our last chances at making the eight (Brisbane and Port Adelaide would both have to lose their remaining two games and Fremantle, one) our only hope of glory this season rests with Nathan and the Brownlow.

Damian Monkhorst was reported twice (wrestling and striking) and will also be facing the tribunal.

Final scores were: Collingwood 13.13 - 91, Essendon 12.9 - 81.

Shaw puts job on the line for 1998

By ANTHONY MITHEN

Collingwood coach Tony Shaw has indicated he may put his job on the line if the club does not make the eight next year, with the Magpies set to miss the finals for the third year straight.

After crashing to Carlton on Saturday, Shaw said the club would undertake a thorough examination of its list, but went one step further yesterday, questioning whether his message was getting across to players.

"Next year, there is no doubt that if we don't have any improvement, probably decisions have to be made," he said last night.

"I just can't keep going. If the club sees fit to keep going, well and good, but maybe myself - I need to have a look at it because to have three years and no improvement is not good enough.

"I would say we'd have to make the eight as a show of definite improvement."

Shaw signed a two-year extension of his contract midway through this season after Collingwood started the year in a flurry, shooting to the top of the ladder. He is contracted until the end of 1999.

But since his signing, the club has suffered badly from injuries and a form slump that resulted in it tumbling out of the eight and, on Saturday, out of finals calculations.

Shaw said he had not felt any heat from the board or administration at Victoria Park since the form turnaround. "All I've had is support from the board. I think all coaches probably evaluate where they are and where they want the team to be," he said.

Shaw stood by his comments that the list would be closely scrutinised at the end of the season.

"We've got to make some decisions that we make every year. It will be thorough, though," he said.

After Saturday's 16-point loss, Shaw said: "I mentioned it to the players that I think too many are playing on reputation. Some have been fantastic, but as a club we have looked after too many blokes too well, and they haven't earned the right to be looked after as well as they have been."

Collingwood / St. Kilda

(5/8) In the tradition of Collingwood/St. Kilda clashes born in the 1966 Grand Final, Sunday's game was a titanic struggle that saw the lead change 8 times before St. Kilda finally managed to break free and steal the game in the dying minutes of the last quarter.

With the exception of a poor 15 minute period in the second quarter, Collingwood, who had a distinct height disadvantage due to the unavailability of Mark Richardson and Matthew Francis, played a hard, fast game all day that had the taller, in-form, St. Kilda team throwing everything into what became the match of the season, to avoid being over-run.

Sav. Rocca showed his versatility when he was given the job in the ruck for the second half and created several opportunities with some brilliant ruck and on-ball work out of the centre. Nathan Buckley was once again everywhere at once and not only finished the day with 36 possessions, but kicked 3 goals and contributed to several others as well. Gavin Crosisca dominated in the first half and seemed to be in possession of the ball everytime it crossed the centre line. Gavin Brown kept Nicky Winmar virtually out of the match and Mal Michael justified his continuing selection with a superb effort at full back.

Final scores were Collingwood 12.17 - 89, St. Kilda 15.21 - 111.

Collingwood's Dual Personality

(28/7) Collingwood improved on their week to week form reversal trick yesterday and did it all in one match.

The first half of the game against Melbourne saw the Woods of last week reappear, struggling to gain possessions and wasting what they did get through inaccurate and ineffective passing and hand-balling. Consequently we were conclusively beaten and trailed by over 6 goals at the 20 minute mark of the second quarter and by 5 goals at half time.

Something happened at half time and the team that re-emerged from the break was the one that we saw annihilate Fremantle two weeks ago. To quote (loosely) Michael Christian (commentating for the ABC), "Collingwood were unbeatable in the second half of the game, they were aggressive, accurate and fast and would have beaten any team in the competition". He said that Melbourne played well, but were made to look worse than they were by the sheer superiority of Collingwood's game. The Pies obviously won the second half and ran out overall winners by 52 points - a 90 point turn around in 2 and a bit quarters!

What happens to Collingwood? How can the same lot of players play such totally different games?

This was the same style of game that we saw the Woods employ to beat North. Buckley and Williams were checked and did not contribute at their usual level, but other players, Francis, Anthony Rocca, Crosisca increased their output to fill the gap. It's the depth we all know that Collingwood has and that is so frustrating when it doesn't happen.

A lot of commentators have been saying that Collingwood is too dependant on the full forward, that the team's performance relies on Sav Rocca's form. I think they have it back to front. Sav, like all specialist full forwards, relies on delivery from the mid-fielders and that's one of the areas of Collingwood's play that falls down badly on a bad day. When we are struggling for possessions, as we do on our bad days, the delivery to full forward is under pressure and woeful. Consequently Sav has to fight for crumbs and nobody can expect someone of his bulk to be effective against specialist crumbers, Collingwood relies on him using his big body and great marking skills against the opposition to take a well-directed ball out of the air. When that is working, and the ball is directed to him accurately, he kicks a bag of goals, when it's not, he doesn't.

Final scores on Sunday were Collingwood 20.14 - 134, Melbourne 12.10 - 82.