Collingwood: Midseason Review
By Johnson#26

After 2 years as bridesmaids, Collingwood was expected to fulfil the promise shown in previous seasons by taking home the flag. So far, this season has been anything but good.

It all started in February when an undermanned Magpies line up ventured over to Perth to play the West Coast Eagles in the opening round of the Wizard Cup. The Pies were atrocious – going down by 105 points. Former Pie Damian Adkins rubbed salt into the wounds as he burned the Pies in a scintillating display. Only Nathan Buckley and Richard Cole showed anything in the terrible display. They slunk home to Melbourne, keen to atone for their horrible recent showings. They played 2 practice matches against Sydney and Melbourne and were comfortably beaten on both occasions. The footballing public was now beginning to pick up on the Magpies sudden fall from power, with the media dissecting every part of the Maggies list. With injuries to stars such as Chris Tarrant, Paul Licuria and Shane Woewodin, the Magpies depth was badly exposed, with much media criticism coming at the Pies after their failure to pick up any experienced players during the off season to help stop the possible scars inflicted on the young players. At the Collingwood Family Day, President Eddie McGuire warned supporters that the start to the season would be a rocky one. How right he was.

The season started poorly against a new look Richmond line up. With Nathan Brown and Matthew Richardson dominating, the Pies went down by 48 points. Only Buckley and Woewodin showed any resistance in a poor display. One of the disappointing aspects of the loss was that no new blood was tried. The Maggies responded to the criticism by blooding ruckman Guy Richards, midfielder Bo Nixon and tall forward Tom Davidson against the Western Bulldogs. Sadly for the Pies, tragedy struck when Davidson injured his knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season. The injury came only a year after he injured his ‘other knee’. It was the only down side to another wise solid display. For the next six weeks, Collingwood almost destroyed their season with six consecutive losses to Brisbane, Fremantle, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Carlton and St.Kilda. During this period of time the Pies lost Buckley and Tarrant to hamstring injuries. These injuries effectively killed the sides’ chances for the 2004 flag. Although the team put up a fight in most matches, they fell away in ‘red time’ (the last three minutes of each quarter). The most infuriating loss of the season to date was the loss to Carlton in round seven. After leading by five goals early in the last quarter, the Maggies were over run by a resurgent Carlton – going down by nine points. The match was seen as the bottoming out of Collingwood with yet another hamstring injury to Buckley. There were calls for the sacking of Malthouse and the beheading of recruiting officer Noel Judkins. Yet against St.Kilda, even though the Pies lost by 47 points, there was many a positive sign to come out of the match. Players such as Richards, Dane Swan, Mark McGough and Ben Johnson all stood up and shone in their respective positions causing much hope for the future.

Finally, after six successive weeks of defeat, Collingwood walked off the ground winners after a victory over Adelaide at Telstra Dome. After a slow start the Magpies over came a talented Crows out fit to win by three points. One week later the Pies made it two on the trot with a strong victory over North Melbourne. Players such as Cameron Cloke, Richards, Alan Didak and Johnson continued their improvement as the Pies made a late bid for a top eight spot. The next Friday night, Collingwood added West Coast to their list of victims with an 18 point victory.

One week later, the Magpies met Melbourne on the Queens Birthday, fully aware that a victory could put them one game outside the eight. After a slow start, Collingwood slipped into gear with an impressive 2nd and 3rd quarters and at one stage led by 37 points. But late in the 3rd term the Dees hit back and ended up winning by 9 points. The loss almost ended the Pies season with one life remaining against the Swans on Saturday night. The season has been below expectations, with finals looking unlikely. However, if the team can get into gear early on Saturday, the team’s confidence will soar. Let’s see how far they can go.

Player Review:

Leon Davis: 4/10 – Has been good in spurts (Bulldogs/Carlton) and terrible in others. Needs to add consistency. D+

Shane Woewodin: 7.5/10 – Has stood up in recent weeks and shown why we chose him at the end of 2002. Showed courage and leadership and his kicking skills have been first class. B+

Ryan Lonie: 5.5/10 – Is he coming for going? Uses the ball so well and has added some toughness to his game but needs to improve quickly. Maybe it’s time he was moved on to the wing. C+

Alan Didak: 6/10 – Started slowly but has improved in recent weeks. Has added some physicality to his game and his skills are first class. A move to the midfield is imminent. B

Nathan Buckley: 5.5/10 – Has had a terrible run with injuries but when on the park has been as good as always. When he is fit and firing there is no one as inspiring as Bucks. C+

Brodie Holland: 6/10 – Needs to control his anger towards the ball and not the man. Very consistent when on the field and is now winning more of the ball. B+

James Clement: 8/10 – Has only been beaten once (Gehrig) and continued to be the most dependable defender in the side. A real leader. A

Billy Morrison: 2.5/10 – Made his Williamstown debut earlier this season but looked lost. Morrison is starting to find his feet and a Collingwood debut is likely next season. E+

Shane O’Bree: 5.5/10 – Apart from one good match against Port he has looked out of sorts. Turns the ball over and in treading water. Injured his knee two weeks ago and is facing an up hill battle to stay at the club beyond 2004.

Steve McKee: 2/10 – Worst season so far. Under real pressure to maintain his sport. D

Richard Cole: 6/10 – A revelation in defence. Tackles well and his ball use is getting better. Has regained his composure after the 2003 Grand Final loss. B

Shane Wakelin: 7.5/10 – Mr.Reliable has been as good as always shoring up defence and held the opposition to low scores. Good effort.

Bo Nixon: 2.5/10 – Made his senior debut but hasn’t shown much yet. Will progress further as the year goes on. D

Tom Davidson: 2/10- After a bright start injured a knee and will miss the rest of the season. Something to look forward to for 2005. D

Scott Burns: 8/10 – When he’s been on the park he has been brilliant. Hard and tough, he is a key to the side. If we are to make the eight he must be fit and firing. A

Paul Licuria: 7.5/10 – After a slow start due to injury he has cone on in leaps and bounds. His ferocity and passion is second to none and will get better as the year goes on.

Andrew Williams: 1/10 – Has done nothing all year and has just sat in the Williamstown team. Future in real doubt. F+

Chris Tarrant: 7/10 – Has been electrifying when on the field but injury and suspension have had a big say in his season. When firing he is an excitement machine. A

Guy Richards: 6.5/10 – The revelation of the season. Given his all in the ruck and has been brave when up against better ruckmen. Will be a star. B+

Rhyce Shaw: 4/10 – Good in patches (or when he is on the field). Starting to gain some confidence. Very hard to judge his season. D+

Anthony Rocca: 7/10 – Has been down compared to recent seasons but still works very hard and will come out after the brake breathing fire. B

Tarkyn Lockyer: 5.5/10 – After 18 months out of the game the return of our own smiling assassin has given all Pies supporters some joy. Uses the ball well and his 1%ers are first rate. C+

Josh Fraser: 6/10 – Has had a slow season interrupted by injury. Looks the goods up when up forward. C+

Ben Johnson: 8.5/10 – The best player all year. His run, skill and courage have never been questioned and a midfield role beckons. His kicking has also continued to improve and is now a real leader in the team. A+

Mark McGough: 6/10 – Has enjoyed a return to the senior ranks and has found his feet at AFL level. His quick hands and ball winning ability are second to none. Looks slow but gets out of trouble well. Kicking still lets him down on occasions. B+

Ben Kinnear: 1/10 – Played his 50th game in round eight, his only cause for celebration so far this season. F+

Matthew Lokan: 5/10 – Mr.Fixit. Tries very hard be it down back up, forward or tagging. His main home this season has been on the half forward flank where he has proved an opportunist goal kicker as he is often not paid enough respect by the opposition. B

Luke Mullins: 4/10 – Made his senior debut in round four against Fremantle and impressed with his cool head and classy skills. Was surprisingly dropped for round five but has looked good at Williamstown since. D+

Luke Shackleton: 3/10 – Still hasn’t cracked it for a senior game although recent form says it shouldn’t be too far away. Still needs to cut down on the body size. D

David King: 3.5/10 – The great white hope made debut early on but never really found his feet. Has struggled at VFL level since being demoted. D+

Cameron Cloke: 5/10 – Since his first match on ANZAC Day big Cam has certainly enjoyed AFL football. An intense footballer with great hands, he is certainly one to watch. C+

Jason Cloke: 6.6/10 – After a slow start big Clokey has really found some good form in the last month with a highlight being against Melbourne. Is a true backman and will never be the forward Malthouse wants him to be. B

Simon Prestigiacomo: 4.5/10 – Has never really got off the ground all season with injuries but whenever given a job he does it well. C

Dane Swan: 5.5/10 – Another revelation across half back. Deserves all the plaudits he receives after and terrific start to his career. C+

Brayden Shaw: 2/10 – Played all year in the Williamstown seniors without looking like playing AFL yet. D

Tristan Walker: 2/10 – Still struggles with the tempo of AFL. As part of his learning curve was played on Riewoldt in round eight and battled manfully. E+

Heath Shaw: 2/10 – Has spent most of the year at Willi without cracking the Collingwood senior line up. D

Brent Hall: 2/10 – Has played a little bit across half back at times down at Willi but not a senior option yet. D

Julian Rowe: 2/10 – Slightly built player has done well since promoted to the Seagulls seniors. D

Nick Maxwell: 5.5/10 – Has done a mighty job in his four games at AFL level showing a cool head, class and courage. One to watch for the future. C+

Rookies:

Justin Crow: 3/10 – Has looked good in the ruck at Willi in his third year on the Pies list.

Zane Leonard: 2/10 – After a good early start in the Sydney practice match he has tapered off with hamstring injuries but definitely a talent.

David Fanning: 2/10 – Injured a knee in the Willi reserves and will be out for up to six weeks.

Dean Benson: 2/10 – Broke his colarbone early on and is now finding his way back in VFL football.

<<<-BACK