Reality check

[afisher]

At the start of the season I think anyone of us here would have taken the 5-2 start. However , how much do wins over westcoast (scaping home), Hawthorn (in poor form) StKilda (Sandringham) and Bulldogs (couldnt kick straight)place us. Obviously we can only beat the opposition on the day, and in this sense I take nothing away from the boys, However on analysis Im wondering where we are actually placed, and am hoping that unlike the last few seasons when we got off to flyers and then crashed how we will fair. In answer to that I feel the next 2 weeks is the real gauge to whether we have improved marginally or significantly.
Personaly I think that the side now has the personal (talent and experience wise) to give it a shake , but to prove and consolidate this we need to put the performance on the board over the next 2 weeks. For Collingwood the next 2 weeks will either be a reality check or an endorsement of our potential.

Any thoughts

[MarkT]

I have had similar concerns myself, but at the end of the day, 5-2 is 5-2 and, as you said, all we can do is beat who we play. There is no doubt that the next 2 weeks will be our guage. If we win both, we have well and truely arrived. It will be a huge ask though.

[stik35]

Sure we haven't exactly given those sides a thrashing but we did
beat Essendon and were the better team on that day. All we can do
is take it one week at a time (sorry) and hope that we end up being the better team on each particular day. We are obviously not streets ahead of the opposition like Brisbane are proving to be but even they got beaten by WCE on that particular day.

[GOPIES]

Come on guys give the boys some credit... We were not playing
that well either when we played West Coast and beat them probably shouldv'e beaten them easier..Hawthorn had pretty much a full squad even though they had players underdone as we did too not too mention Rocca and Josh, plus we did not have Cummings, Molloy and O'Bree. Then we beat Essendon who had again pretty much a full squad and we missed Tarrant, Molloy, Richo and O'Bree then we beat two crap sides bulldogs and Saints that pretty much all other sides will do. so we should pay credit were it is due and not underestimate the players ability to beat top sides.

HOT PIES!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sly]

You beat what's there, not what could be there. A brief recap:

Round #1 - vs. Richmond: while you talk about our opposition not being in the best of form, Richmond were at the top of their game and had their full best Team (D.Kellaway aside) in, while we were carrying a number of underdone players, (Rocca, Fraser, Nick Davis).

Round #2 - vs. West Coast: we really didn't improve much from the previous week, Brodie Holland's 8 goals aside. Also, considering how the Eagles have fared over the year, this was a meritorious win for us, regardless of of how unconvincing it was.

Round #3 - vs. Carlton: we were hurt by the way we played the rain. Again, though, while Carlton might have injuries, they had a full Team in against us, including the return of Whitnall, Hulme and Hickmott. Also, McKernan played a great game, which shows how influential he could be for Carlton if he plays well. We lost Tarrant before the game for Ben Johnson.

Round #4 - vs. Hawthorn: Hawthorn might've been shocking, but we'd hardly been better in the previous 3 rounds. The winner of this was going to kickstart their season, and we accomplished that - particularly due to better performances from Chris Tarrant and Nick Davis.

Round #5 - vs. Essendon: again, while Essendon may be decimated by injuries now, they had virtually a full Team in here - Hird, Lloyd, Mercuri, Misiti, etc., they were all playing. About the only guy they were missing was Paul Salmon. Essendon supporters say the result would've been a different result in dry conditions; I agree. I thought we played well enough that we would've won by more in dry conditions.

Round #6 - vs. St.Kilda: yes, the Saints are in a shocking state, but they proved the week before against the Swans that their flooding could help negate a game. Contributing to their fortunes was the return of Hamill and Black. We not only navigated the flood, we created a drought.

Round #7 - vs. Western Bulldogs: to play as poorly as we did and come away with the win, well what more can you ask? The Doggies had their full Team in also, while compounding our problems was the pre-game withdrawal of Leon Davis, and injuries to Simon Prestigiacomo and Jarrod Molloy which exiled them to the bench for the Second Half.

To beat somebody "on your/their day" is all you can do, as that's what football comes down to. It's what happens on the day. Look at the Carlton-Essendon Prelim in 99; obviously Essendon were the far superior day, but The Day renders that irrelevant.

You can only beat what's there, as conversely they can only play and counter what you offer yourselves.

I agree that wariness is required as we've flubbed this sort of position in 96, 97, 98, and even 2000, 2001. The difference here is the personnel, which is far more accomplished and capable - and when I say that, it's inclusive of the players to the Coaching Staff.

The next two months will be pivotal and obviously we have to continue to prove ourselves, but unlike those other years I mentioned, we now have the capacity to do it, instead of simply and flirtatiously offer promise.

S.
The Last Remaining Bad Guy.
The Incandescent One.

The Collingwood Rant.
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Don’t believe the Facts until you’ve read the Rants!

[Hiya-and-Higher]

Nice summary Sly.

Living in South Oz without satellite TV I see a lot of Crows and Port. I've been very impressed with their recent form and I've used it as a benchmark to see where Collingwood might be at the moment, and what we need to do to become better than they.

2 years ago port was on the bottom of the ladder along with us. We had 7 wins they had 7.5 wins. I have been more than a little irritated that port should be playing such good powerhouse football while we have been lagging...until you note that their young team is not so young any longer, most have been together since 1996, our has been put together mostly since 99.

Watching Brisbane demolish port was quite awesome. Port, a team that has been fast and disciplined with so many options looked soft against a Brisbane that was totally on their game.

I'm sure our guys will be watching the replay this week and will pick up lots of tips on how to move the ball towards your team mate at all costs, to be fast and physical in the process and make sure that the oponent stays tackled...hard and often...to drain their stamina. Do we have the players to be that physical? If not they will have to build up to it over this year and next.

I am an optimist but I'm far from confident about beating Brisbane. It would be unrealistic to be 'confident', but I think one way or another this week will teach us what we need to aim for as a football styke for the future. I detect that Collingwood is not a workmanlike machine like Port, we have plenty of players who have that flair to do the exciting. We need to encourage that flair. Watching McCleod and Ackermanis this weekend was pure pleasure. We have two or three players who can reach that level.

[ramjet21]

to prove ourselves as a top 4 side, we would need to win one of the next 2 matches(brissy and port). 2 competitive losses would suggest we are perhaps more a 5th-8th side(still a big improvement).

[afisher]

re original comments
Thanks boys for the endorsement. A sensational results that should prove to be a building block for weeks to come.
And didnt Colonial Rock to the tune of our song at the final siren ! Sh@t I would think London Dave would have felt the reverberations.
Last night really justified sitting through the bleak years in the outer waiting for this Thanks for justifying our faith boys.

[Black_White]

London Dave is a disgrace. Put a stinking cricket match before a rolicking night in the Virtual outer.
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk Dave!!

-Craig

[London Dave]

Yes, LD did feel a slight earthquake around siren time, which almost sent his car off the A40 flyover.....and yes BW, had a fun day at the cricket, pity the AFL cant organise their draw around my social/sporting calendar. Perhaps I will advise them next year to avoid clashes.

[junkboy75]

I really love the headline story title from the AFL site - "Upset city". this was a clash between the top 2 sides in the AFL, but it's still called an upset when c'wood wins. well, let me tell you - this was NO upset. the teams were very evenly matched on the night. sure, brisbane had the experience, skills and pedigree, but c'wood matched them in all areas and came out on top at the end. there was no weather factor involved, no injuries, no effects from a tough game the previous week. the reigning premiers came at us, but they failed.

some upset.

"..we flew at them as a hawk to his prey, passed through them in the disordered state in which they were, separated them into two distinct parts and then tacked upon their largest division.." -- Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, 1797