Malthouse article in Australian

[Leonin5=star]

mick wrote a very good article in the australian 2day..i suggest every collingwood fan read it..u can check it out at afl.com.au aswell...it also backs up my theory abt leon davis...

we're coming...

[Danzy Rocks!!!]

what section is it in?

~*~banger jr~*~

[magpie24]

For you Danzy




No such things as growing pains for kids today
By Mick Malthouse

Friday, August 10, 2001

IT's funny -- and fortunate -- how seemingly little things can lift you out of your gloom.

We were all pretty disappointed at Collingwood last weekend. It was a fairly ordinary performance against Richmond in a game we needed to win.

We're still in the eight but it's going to be a tough and nerve-jangling month ahead.

As usual, I was reading the Monday papers for a wrap-up of the weekend results and skimming through one of the sports sections I noticed a small column listing players' birthdays.

And there was the news that brought some cheer to start the week: Andrew MacLeod had turned 25 on Saturday.

The connection between the Adelaide champion's birthday and the Collingwood coach's peace of mind is probably not immediately obvious.

But the fact that McLeod is just 25 -- hopefully with many seasons ahead of him -- made my mouth water in anticipation of the future.

Collingwood have the youngest squad in the competition. This isn't an excuse, it's a fact.

We've run out of a bit of steam through the second half of the year, but when you think of what McLeod has achieved already -- two premierships, two Norm Smith medals, two All-Australian jumpers and a near certainty for another this year -- it gives all coaches of developing sides great hope.

You can only dream of securing a footballer with McLeod's skills, but one of the great joys of coaching is tapping into young talent.

The Magpies went away on a training camp through the week, and after a fairly rigorous session I looked around at the tired bodies.

Leon Davis, Chris Tarrant and Ben Johnson are 20. Nick Davis is 21. Josh Fraser is 19. Ryan Lonie is 18.

These youngsters, and others, have been the backbone of our side this year, and when you consider their age and inexperience, they've stood up pretty well.

And as a coach, you look at 25-year-olds like McLeod and dream of what's achievable over the next four or five years.

It's taking this mid to long-term perspective that helps keep a coach sane. Look at those wonderful scenes at Colonial last Saturday, when the Dockers got up against Hawthorn to win their first game of the season.

I bet that footage of young Matthew Pavlich being hugged by Leigh Brown, Paul Hasleby, Justin Longmuir, Adam McPhee and Robert Haddrill will eventually become part of the Dockers folklore.

All of these players are terrific footballers and still only 20 or under. If Fremantle can manage to keep this mob together, it's not hard to imagine the Dockers enjoying success by the time they're all 25.

Everyone knows St Kilda have suffered a pretty miserable year. But if the Saints' two wonderfully talented 18-year olds -- Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt -- are still there in seven years, fans will at least be able to recall that something good came out of a year of turmoil.

Age is never an excuse. If you're paid to put on the jumper and run through the banner, you've got to be judged on your performance, no handicaps allowed.

But not everyone can be successful at the same time, and while the AFL merry-go-round keeps spinning faster and faster, it's useful to stop and reflect on what we ask of young footballers.

Many players at Collingwood aren't much older than my sons. This week, I'll instruct them to go out and play on brilliant and experienced footballers like Chris Grant, Scott West, Paul Hudson and Tony Liberatore.

But all clubs not yet at the peak of their development cycle aim to develop the bond and camaraderie that can carry you through to success.

Carlton have it in spades. With a mixture of terrific veterans and players in their early 20s, the Blues have what you might label footy's sixth sense. They're able to gel together, recover from the odd disappointment and regroup.

In the best sides -- and I think we achieved this with the Eagles in the early 1990s -- the coaches and players are almost like family. You all spend so much time together, and are driven towards the same goals, that you instinctively know how the next person will react.

Collingwood will be going flat out to play in this year's finals, but I hope I'm still around to help some of our boys celebrate turning 25.

Meanwhile, happy birthday Andrew McLeod.





******WE WILL RISE IN OUR WAY*****

[Joel]

Not a bad article that. Perhaps we should stop and think about what the future holds, no excuses though, the guys must also perform in the present.

JDF

[timagpie]

i love malthouse. thers just something about him, theres that professional approach unrivailed by the other coaches in the afl.
Now I am starting to realise why west coast was so successfull in the 1990's. Malthouse is doing exactly the same thing at Collingwood. The dynasty is coming. Its starting to make my mouth water also.
Meanwhile happy birhtday Mcleod.

GOOD OLD COLLINGWOOD UNITED FOREVER AND EVER AMEN GOD BLESS THEM ALL

[Danzy Rocks!!!]

Mick... beautiful

~*~banger jr~*~

[Seth]

Fantastic, gives me goose pimples. This guy is fantastic for this club. He obvioulsy thinks about Collingwood 24/7. It shows so much in the way he writes and comments especially about the Blight saga. He is genuinely excited about the future of Collingwood as indeed we all are.

'Go trig boy, it's your birthday'.