Come On! LET'S FIRE THE BOYS UP!

[AbsoluteTallant]

Ok ok ok, so we know things are looking bad. We know we've got a team capable of much better than what they are doing. What will it take to change that?

If there is nothing else that can make a difference there is no doubt that CONFIDENCE is a key in any walk of life. SO let's talk it up, come on!

I paid $600 to sit at ground level this year, which shits me, but at least I get to be heard when i yell out. Saturday night was painful to the max but I bit my (many would say negative) tongue and opted for positivity. I can't be sure but you never know how much that can make a difference!

There is no doubt we are very low on confidence and need to pick this part of our game up or we are unlikely to get anywhere.

Tarrant you're playing like the champion we know you can be on a regular basis. Slowly you're reaching a high level of consistency and even if it takes until the last quarter you are not dropping your head, you are constantly presenting, staying focused and doing the little things well. All you could do to improve is get some confidence back in your own boot and start to have a crack at those long shots from 50 out - especially indoors at Colonic!

Pebbles your long kicking has largely gone astray this year but everything else is on song - your kicking for set shots inside 50 is excellent, your marking is top notch competitive and your work ethic in covering so much ground for a big man is brilliant. To run up to the flanks/wings and present is easyish for Taz but it doesn't totallly suit your build yet you do it anyway and put in second and third efforts. This is a testament to your excellent fitness. Once again all you can do to improve is to be that touch more consistent and to reclaim your faith in your own long kicking. Forget the torpedo, your best long kick is the drop punt and forget about overkicking it, that never works. Just launch it straight and we'll get the mark or crumbs if it falls short.

Leon we're all with you mate. The news of your sick partner put everything into context. Please know that we're behind you every step of the way. This is Collingwood and no matter what crap we say on bulletin boards, we do not abandon our own in their time of need.

Bucks you are the inspiration as always but you've been a little quiet on field this year have you not? Get back that talk so that the boys can hear evidence of your mental strength as well as see your physcial skills and strength on show. Oh and a few clanger kicks is un-Buckley like That will pass no doubt. 30 years is not old, it's 9 years of experience moulded with the best skill set and physique anyone could dream of. What could be more potent?

Cheesey you are so much better than what you are showing right now and those who have forgotten 2001 are looking forward to a little of that vintage to remind them. Your disposal off either foot is magnificent and you have the ability to be the consistent skilled in and under on baller we need. Focus on running forward out of the middle and from the stoppages this week. Use Burnsy as your model for this. If you take a mark around half forward whilst the opposition is cowardly flooding, wait, be patient, show your judgement and use your precise kicking to great effect in order to get us a kickable set shot from 30-40 out. This worked like a treat in the QF last year and in other games.

LoneRanger we haven't seen much of your loaded holster routine this year. You've been very solid defensively but we like (well, we love) your run and it inspires us all. What's more, your delivery is even better. Have the confidence to leave your man at half back and put your faith in your own delivery being good enough to prevent the ball from rebounding to your unguarded opponent. Keep up the great work defensively overhead.

Brodie you seem to have been in a neverending wilderness but this week you showed little flashes of your brilliance. Your burst through the middle and intelligent pass to Josh up the Coventry end is just the sort of fast delivery we need to give our forward line a chance. Get into MM's ear at every chance and nag him to give you a full quarter at least on the ball. Are you a model or a footballer? Show us the hardness you displayed playing for Willi against Port. What's more RUN, keep on running and keep doing the small things. Get to contests. Focus on hitting every contest you possibly can and use your newly honed ability to take the ball from contests and deliver it effectively. We were all impressed with your physique at the end of summer but show us your fitness includes stamina as well.

Josh your ruckwork has been the unsung highlight of this sorry period for our club. You were under the hammer last year with many having you as the scapegoat and despite injury this year, everyone still gets on your back. That doesn't matter though because you've now proved you can take that weight of expectation, throw it off and perform when required. Slowly without much hype your ruckwork is developing very well. Get into MM's ear and tell him you want the #1 ruck contest for a full quarter or half. Forget about the umpires - three are more inconsistent than two and the rules are open to interpretation every other week. Any team has to defeat the opposition in spite of the umpires, not with their help. Focus on your brilliant set shot kicking. Focus on standing up vertically in the round the ground contests. It is only when your torso is pushed forward that you lose the ability to compete in the contest. Don't rely on umps giving you frees for this clear push in the back - win the contest against the umps and the opposition. You have the class to do so.

Jimmy you'll be back up on the half back line where you work best beause Wakes will be back in the side. Use this opportunity to rebound to the likes of Taz and Pebbles as they lead up to the flanks. Better still run up to the wing and deliver into the top of the goal square. The only way to give our forwards a chance is to get the ball in quickly. On top of that, work extra hard at ground level in defense as this is a weakness of ours and quality players like yourself can take on the extra burden of this added task.

Presti you've struggled to regain your normally slower than ideal pace when chasing an opponent on a lead. No doubt this is because of your ankle which I'm sure is getting stronger by the day. Have faith in your judgement and focus as much on putting a physical type of pressure on your opponent by sticking to him pace for pace on a lead, even if you struggle to punch. Rest assured the midfield will work twice as hard this week to make your job easier.

Pidaks this is your first look at any type of form lapse. We know you are talented enough to get out of it. Focus on your strengths - fast leading out to the half forward line, strong marking for a small forward and then BANG, hit the ground running and pump through those long left footers. Use your right foot if within 30 metres of goal - develop confidence in it slowly by not putting too much pressure on it too often. Nice right foot pass from the edge of the centre square into CHF last week. It didn't pay off completely but you could see how much it mixes up the thoughts of your opponents. Do I merely have to stop his left hand side or might he go onto the other? 50/50 guessing in your opponent's mind leads to confusion and BANG before you know it, you've run round him and dobbed one on your right.

Scotto now is your chance. If ever there was a chance for you to establish yourself now is the time. Cometh the hour cometh the man I'm sure. Your foot skills are sorely missed and have been all year. Your evasiveness on the ball is a real undervalued assett and with Tarks out for the year, your opportunities should not be restricted anymore (take note MM). Your efforts in the Prelim got us back into the game and your consistent ability to come off the bench in the so-called 'rotation' and maintain form are second only to Ruperts. Wherever you are played you are capable of making an impact but if you finally get your chance on the ball - grab it with both hands and both feet!

Wakes you've resurrected a career that looked dead, destined to fade out like so many before it. Now you're a mature leader and it's time to really use that. Do you want to be a player who came good after a plague of injuries or a player who overcame the odds to become a champion? What level of austerity do you want to achieve? Many of our side are still young and in need of support. Become the agile of mind and agile of body general of our defence. Glue it together again as it was last year and the years before that. Make CHB your own and allow Presti to focus on FB with Jimmy on the flanks. The template is there from last year. All we need is a quality small defender and the best way to develop such a player is by allowing them to slip into a consistent solid defence within which they can thrive. Use your great skills on both feet to direct play from defense and reduce that burden on Jimmy. Use your agility at ground level to cover our lack of a quality small defender.


Come on Pies supporters! Fire the boys up! Show some fortitude and solidity. So often last year the boys stood up for us and now it's our turn to show them we are behind them all the way!

[couragous cloke]

thats a pretty good read m8, you must be 1 hell of a typer! generaly i like your attitude and i like supporters like u!!!! keep it coming! and go PIES!

and im also pissed off that i paid $470 to sit in the bottom level in shit seats!

[Cam]

hahaha good to see you've seen the light brother AT. Amen.

[AnthonyC]

Sensational post AT.

I totally agree on the confidence issue. I cannot accept that our team has gone backwards this year, our list is better as far as I am concerned. I cannot accept that others have gone past us. We have been playing far below our best, where some others have no hope for improvement our best is streets better than where we are.

[M3]

Fantastic post AbsoluteTallant

This is what we need more off. We need to support everyone at the club.
It is only round 6 and the best is yet to come. This week is the start, that will see the pies climb the ladder towards the holy grail.

[fan4collingwood]

Strange how 1 loss and we are looking for answers.
2 losses and we are looking to blame someone.
3 losses and we all band together and now have to do our job and that is support our team.
Lets be very vedry loud at Aami stadium on saturday night.
We know what Collingwood is capable of..both the players and the supporters...so lets show the world!!!!!!!!

[Whitey]

good stuff. can't wait for the weekend now. cheers, go the pies!

[swooper]

wonderful wonderful post.......somebody please get this to the boys before they leave for adelaide!

[Joel]

C'MON PIES!! Fire up, run 'em ragged and go hard at the contest in numbers. Show 'em what you are made of!!

[Natalie]

Excellent post. We need more of the positives, not the negatives.

I'm confident we can beat the Crows Sat nite, especially after our 4th quarter last week. So much passion and determination from the boys in that quarter (Bucks, Taz). We all know what they are capable of and how good we are and i strongly believe that it will show on Sat nite and we will WIN!!! Hoping Scotland is included in the team, he got us back in it in the Preliminary. Remember that goal before the half time siren? How good was that!

Kick some croweater butt sat night Pies.
And someone please get on McLeod, he's such a gun, champion player and must be curbed (plus Riccuito - how many possies did he get last week 37 or 39??).

GO THE PIES. Remember, this is OUR GAME, not theirs. It's there for the taking.