Greg Norman & Collingwood.

[Pied Piper]

For all your talk on this, sq3, you've been pretty inconsistent at times. For example, in another thread you wrote (quite correctly, I believe) that to an extent players couldn't be taught to kick much better than they already do when they come to the club - they'll improve, but not by much; i.e. a Paul Licuria can't be turned into Scott Pendlebury. That's a recruiting issue.

You also talk constantly about getting Peter Daicos in to do the job. Now, even if he could turn a Licuria into a Pendlebury, do you really think this hasn't been thought of before, not only by Collingwood but other clubs - and that there might be good reasons why it hasn't come to pass?

I take your points about Collingwood needing to be on the cutting edge and about players doing more work on their skills outside of training, however.

[stoliboy]

I stayed up and watched Greg Norman's final round. He got bogey at the first three holes, lost the lead, got bogey at the 6th, then regained the lead at the end of the front nine when Harrington got bogey at 7th, 8th and 9th holes.

Norman just couldn't get it together. Harrington really kicked on the back nine... three birdies for Harrington to Norman's four bogies and one birdie.

Watching it I just thought about Greg chocking in all those final rounds. "He is one of only two players to have competed in - and, like Craig Wood, to have lost - play-offs in all four of the major championships." (wiki).

I thought this article from CRIKEY online summarised it well. It was a fantastic effort what he achieved in the tournament with such little preparation and aged 53.

Good luck to him

CRIKEY ONLINE:
16 . Finishing first now comes second for Greg Norman
Charles Happell writes:

Last night’s final round of the British One, and Greg Norman’s fall from outright leader to eventual third placegetter, had a certain inevitability about it, but only the most mean-spirited in the Royal Birkdale press tent would have sharpened their quills and taken aim once more at the Shark’s well-punctured hide. For Norman’s effort on the Lancashire links this week was one of extraordinary durability, skill and, yes, bravery.

More than anyone, the Australian -- whose name has become a byword for unfulfilled sporting talent -- could be excused for not wanting to put himself out there in the final-day cauldron of a major championship, where a failure would mean yet more torment – and criticism. He’d suffered enough as it was with agonizing near-misses, some self-inflicted, some not.

He was 53, after all, and his best days were behind him. He hadn’t been practicing much, let alone playing competitively, and he’d just finished a honeymoon in the Bahamas. He had every reason to shy away from that potentially arduous ordeal, and take a cushier option. Like Kenny Perry did, who stayed at home in the States, or Perry’s fellow countrymen Pat Perez who basically gave up after the first, rain-drenched round or Scotsman Sandy Lyle, who handed in his card after nine holes on Thursday and walked off the course.

But that’s never been Norman’s style. If there’s a challenge going, he’s up for it. And so he presented himself for duty again yesterday.

Three bogies in the opening three holes brought him back to the field and he struggled from thereon in. He managed to hit the front again after nine holes before another bogey at the 10th signaled the start of his inexorable slide. A seven-over 77 was the result, eight shots worse than Harrington’s brilliant final round that deservedly delivered the Irishman the title.

Norman said of course he was disappointed. He had thrown away a great chance at becoming the oldest major championship winner ever, and of impressing his bride, Chris Evert, with just about the greatest display of showing off a 53-year-old newlywed could possibly conjure.

But there is a sense of perspective with Norman now, and inner calm. Where once tournament golf was everything for him, now it is a sideline.

The first major I covered for The Age was the 1996 US Masters, the fateful championship where Norman coughed up a six-shot lead on the final day to lose by five to Nick Faldo.

As he ducked out a side entrance of the Augusta press centre after that round, trying to avoid a jostling pack of TV reporters outside, Norman got jabbed above his nose by a branch from a dogwood tree, leaving a small gouge mark in his forehead which began to bleed. Injury now added to insult. Could it get any worse?

Of course it could. He had instructed the crew of his massive ocean-going vessel, Aussie Rules, to sail up the east coast, from his home in Florida to South Carolina, and moor at Hilton Head Harbour. Many weeks earlier, he had agreed to play in the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head, and wanted to use the boat as his base during the tournament.

To spice up the week, he organized a party on Aussie Rules, complete with its super-size esky full of Australian beer, on the Tuesday evening. That was looking like an inspired decision on Saturday night as he went to bed in Augusta with a six-shot lead, and his first major victory in the US right there, in the palm of his hand.

He had invited 40 or so of his closest friends to the drinks party, and a couple of scruffy media types, neither of whom owned a blue blazer with gold buttons.

You have never seen a more drawn, haggard, ghostly-grey figure than Norman’s that night. He went through the motions of hosting his party, showing guests the imported Australian oak that had been used in the making of his cabin, and the master bedroom full of every mod con imaginable, but his mind was clearly not there.

Here was a man who would have preferred to have been anywhere else, perhaps curled up in the foetal position at home and humming quietly to himself. He had choked in the most public and humiliating manner conceivable, blowing his chance at the tournament he most wanted to win. His disappointment was so palpable that evening you could feel it.

The Norman who walked away from Royal Birkdale last night, hand in hand with his new wife, was a picture of serenity by comparison. He had come up short again on the final day of a major, racking up his 12th top-three result -- against just two majors won. But on the only scorecard that matters, the one marked happiness and contentment, he figured he was still way ahead.

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[nomadjack]

[sq3]

Piggy would never win a 100 meter race - but he didn't need to - he needed quick speed oevr 10 meters.

Then he would get the ball and convert - most of the time - just like Plugger, Bernie Q etc.,

None of them would have been a superb athlete - but they could all kick goals - and lots of them.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see the glaring skills errors.

If they do have skills and tackling consultants in (as you say nomadjack) then it would appear their choice of consultants may not be very good.

It does not matter what sport you play - the athletes with the best execution of the basic skills usually win.

Piedpiper - you are correct Lica could never be as accurate as a Didak - but if we could increase the execution level of our lowest skilled we would increase our throughput and scoring opportunities.

Most of our skill issues are not with the young recruits so what Richo and Scoot are doing is really working - it is the more senior players that are making the mistakes.

I always quote Daics as I still regard him as one of the best kiskc I ever saw in a Pies jumper - even as a 16 year old centerman from Preston RSL he had the skills - but as they say ' the harder he worked the lucker he got'.

[Northern Pie]

So Who is to blame here and where does the Buck Stop - Eddie, Pert or Malthouse?

Cheers

[rand corp]

come on, anyone who would still get up to watch Greg Norman blow a last morning lead at a major expecting him to win is just a masochist with delusions.

[nomadjack]

I don't know what the arrangements are vis a vis skills coaching at the club Sq3. I [wrongly it appears] assumed you did, given you have been banging on about how inadequate our current arrangements are for as long as I can remember.

Two simple questions:

1) Do you have any idea what proportion of the week the players spend on skill development

2) Are you seriously now conceding that you don't know whether or not the club currently employs skills coaches?

[sq3]

nomadjack - I am not on a mission against the club - I am just stating that we should have a full time skills coach as we seem to have so many players that are making basic skills errors.

By the way the NRL game tonight kills any of the AFL matches last weekend.

[fence-banger]

Does that mean we're married to that horse head.....pleeez nooo.

[jack_spain]

[nomadjack]

[Pied Piper]

I wouldn't be surprised if we did. sq3 also banged on relentlessly about the Lions having two full-time specialist tackling coaches. Of course they have no such thing.

[sq3]

Pied Piper - it was Voss that said on the air during a game that their tackling (Lions) was all attributable to their two full time tackling coaches - so if he is wrong - OK.

Nomad - if thye do have a full time skills coach at the Pies then he/she needs to be doing a lot of extra remedial session with some of the players.

R.Shaw always falls back into his old habit of laying back after he drops the ball - shoulder and head are not directly over the hips - ball skews out etc., etc.,