Magpies show a serious side - Herald Sun

[Dale61]

By MARK ROBINSON
11jun02

NO JOKING, we could be looking at a premiership forward line here.

Chris Tarrant, Josh Fraser and Anthony Rocca -- Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse's version of the triangle offence -- are as good as any big-man brigade.
So good the Pies needed only two of them yesterday to muck up the Melbourne defence.



While Rocca was low-key, Tarrant and Fraser stood at the plate and went bang, bang, bang. Tarrant, the irrepressible and gifted left-footer, finished with seven goals and Fraser four, and together they had 26 kicks, 13 marks, six handballs and 68 points. Not bad for a full-forward and centre half-forward.

Rocca, who observed the mayhem, was suitably impressed. "Because I wasn't performing for two or three quarters, as a matter of fact pretty much the whole game, it felt pretty good knowing you've got that talent if you're not playing that well yourself," he said.

"Tazza kicked seven. How many did Josh get, two or three? It's pretty handy when you've got them about."



Handy? Try freaky. "You're right," Rocca said. "No doubt."

With Scott Cummings and Jarrod Molloy in the big bloke rotation, and a bunch of smalls led by Leon Davis, Nick Davis, Brodie Holland and Richard Cole, the Pies have a high-calibre front six.

Agreed, they hold tight at the back and have an eight-deep midfield that now spreads the responsibility, but it's this forward line, as frighteningly tall and athletic as we've seen, that will decide if this mid-season revelry is a sham or champagne popping.

Malthouse finally agreed, after his team smashed the Dees by 51 points, that he liked what he saw. "We think we're a reasonable side," he said. "I'm not doubting my side at all. I think they're a good football side. How good? Well, the next 11 weeks will tell."

Tarrant was an excitement machine. He kicked three goals in the first term, two in the second and lost opponent Troy Broadbridge before the first quarter was over. His goals were a mix of the spectacular, the skilful and the persistent. The first was a snap around the body from the boundary line, the second from a juggling mark on the lead and the third after taking a one-hander that was purely instinctive.

His next opponent, Craig Ellis, kept him to three kicks in the second quarter, two of which were goals -- one from 52m and the other from the boundary line after chasing down Adem Yze. The free kick was probably not there; indeed Dees supporters were filthy with the umpires who had paid Collingwood 16 to 6 by halftime. He finished with two more in the last quarter in what was his best return in four years of footy.

"Chris Tarrant's a young man. He's a player that's been in the system for three or four, maybe five, six years. He was drafted at 17. He's going to mature into his spot," Malthouse said. "He's a very dangerous player and throw Davis and Holland next to him, it presents the sort of troubles we want to put on the park with the opposition."

Demons coach Neale Daniher acknowledged as much. "I didn't think Ellis was too bad, but we always found Fraser bobbed up. We do struggle in that area and I think a lot of teams will with that sort of midfield supply to those players (and) they will kick goals."

Of course, a forward line can't function without a midfield, and yesterday the Pies smashed Melbourne's most potent asset.

Only Shane Woewodin (26 touches), Travis Johnstone (26) and Jeff White (22 and 24 hitouts) resisted. Stephen Powell and Andrew Leoncelli were benched; Daniel Ward was beaten by Tarkyn Lockyer; Yze was nullified by Paul Licuria; and James McDonald couldn't get it. Cameron Bruce, however, would have won praise for his tagging job on Nathan Buckley.

After a week of hype at Melbourne about commitment and winning the hard ball, the Demons were badly let down.

"We weren't great in that area, similar to last week. We have to pick up in the midfield," Daniher said.

Melbourne's problems weren't only in the middle. Collingwood's forward domination was just as troublesome for Daniher. He rotated his big blokes after Tarrant jumped Broadbridge, and at times had David Neitz, Clint Bizzell, Ellis, and the luckless Alistair Nicholson -- he hurt his knee in the last quarter -- on Tarrant, Fraser and the hardworking Rocca.

David Schwarz continued his patchy form, Bizzell struggled, Russell Robertson also, and Neitz couldn't get it together.

THE VOTES

5 -- Chris Tarrant (Coll)

4 -- Josh Fraser (Coll)

3 -- Tarkyn Lockyer (Coll)

2 -- Jeff White (Melb)

1 -- Paul Licuria (Coll)




"Racetracks are for racing, roads are for getting there."

[ytry4]

LOL

So the Herald Sun is now jumping on the bandwagon are they?

'The heart of a club lies not in its location but in each and every one of its fans'
---------------------------------
BLACK & WHITE - For those who bleed Black & White

[Black_White]

Yes, The H/S has boarded the Magpie choo choo.
Check this out from Shite Mike;

"SURELY Collingwood is in its most productive form in 10 years.

Its handsome 8-3 return at the halfway mark points to its best season since 16 wins in 1992.

That was the year a fatally flawed finals system saw the Magpies eliminated by a first-up eight-point loss to St Kilda.

They were capable of winning the flag that year, but had to play a sudden-death final after finishing the home-and-away season one of three teams with 16 wins from 22 rounds.

Collingwood sits a surprise third after 11 rounds this year, and you wouldn't be out of order to argue no team has produced a more impressive formline.

The demolition job on Melbourne at the MCG yesterday has given Collingwood the scalps of four teams in the eight, including top-placed Brisbane. Its three losses include a noble five-point defeat at the hands of Port Adelaide at Football Park.

The Magpies are just four wins shy of a guaranteed finals berth for the first time since 1994.

And, if the Collingwood people liked what they saw yesterday, there's more in store in the long term.

Josh Fraser produced his best form of the season, while Nathan Buckley (20 possessions, one behind), Anthony Rocca and Leon Davis all were below par.

Shane O'Bree is improving by the week, and Nick Davis and Jarrod Molloy, missing yesterday through injury, are automatic inclusions in Collingwood's best 22.

Once Melbourne fluffed its chances to pinch an early break, it was a whitewash.

The Magpies, inspired by the wonderfully talented Chris Tarrant, won by 51 points, kicking 19.12.

There is more than marks and goals in Tarrant's life at the moment, but he is just 21. When he decides he really wants to play, he will be unstoppable. The Demons punted on Troy Broadbridge for Tarrant, and the class difference was obvious early, with Tarrant kicking three first-quarter goals. He finished with 7.1 to add to his 18.11 from his previous seven games.

The Magpies were always going to stretch Melbourne with Tarrant, Fraser and Rocca in the front half. Those three took 17 marks and kicked 13 goals.

There's not much wrong with the Collingwood structure, even under the toughest scrutiny.

Statistically, the defence is the most efficient in the competition, the forward set-up has balance and class, and the midfield works hard and runs hard.

The basic difference between the teams yesterday was Collingwood's direct route to goal, giving its forwards repeated one-on-one opportunities.

Melbourne persisted with the possession game, despite the obvious inefficiency.

The Dees had 85 possessions in the first quarter, and scored a miserable 1.5. Collingwood just happened to have precisely the same amount of the ball, and kicked 5.4.

James Clement, Shane Wakelin, Scott Burns and Jason Cloke are masters in close. They revelled in the heavy traffic created by Melbourne's meandering style.

The Demons are one of four teams on six wins after winning four of their first five. With Adelaide (Optus Oval), Essendon (Colonial) and Brisbane (Gabba) next up, we are about to find out whether they simply pinched a few early wins, or whether they can mount a challenge for the finals. They need to improve more than a little."

On the bandwagon? oh Yeah!


-Craig