MM keeping a lid on it

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Players will avoid the hype: Malthouse
10:38:35 AM Sat 7 September, 2002
Paul Gough
afl.com.au



Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse believes the strong leadership qualities of his players will ensure they do not carried away by their shock win over Port Adelaide in the first AFL qualifying final at AAMI Stadium.

The Magpies’ 16.12 (108) to 14.11 (95) victory – which has again exposed the Power as the AFL’s new finals chokers – has given Collingwood a genuine chance at its first premiership since 1990.

Success-starved Magpie fans – who have not seen their team play a final in Melbourne since 1992 or even win a final since that 1990 premiership win against Essendon – will now be out in force when Collingwood next plays, at the MCG in a preliminary final in two week’s time.

However Malthouse is confident his players – most of whom were playing in their first final on Friday night – will not get carried away with the hype that is now set to engulf the club following one of the upset wins of the season.


“I can’t control the supporters and I can’t control you blokes (the media),” Malthouse said when asked about what life is going to be like at Collingwood in the build-up to the preliminary final.

“What we try to do now is go to our leaders and they are acutely aware of the sacrifices they have made and what is in store in the next couple of weeks.”

“One of the great things about this football club is we have recruited good people who have got leadership qualities.”

“We’ve got leaders on all lines and that is a real bonus to know we have got people like that who know it (the win over Port) is not the end of the tramline.”

Despite being without injured skipper Nathan Buckley, the Pies were magnificent against Port with the team brilliantly led by acting captain Anthony Rocca- who was one of many Collingwood players playing his first final.

And Rocca quickly reaffirmed Malthouse’s comments that the Collingwood players would not be satisfied by simply having made it to a preliminary final in what is the club’s first finals campaign for eight years.

“We’ve got two weeks now to get the bodies right again and we’ve got something special there if we want it,” Rocca said.

“You can sniff it – it’s right there – all we have to do is take it.”

“I think this bunch of boys can keep going.”

The Pies not only reported no injuries out of their win over Port but are certain to regain the inspirational Buckley for the preliminary final.

Malthouse admitted his players relished being the underdogs against Port, who came into the game having won 18 of their past 20 games in claiming their first minor premiership.

But just as Malthouse predicted in the lead-up to the game, it was the home team that played like a team under pressure knowing it was expected to win its first final after crashing out in straight sets last year.

In fact Port’s loss means it is still winless from four final matches since joining the competition in 1997.

However Malthouse strongly denied his team had “fluked” its win over Port.

“We are not denying the fact we were pretty ordinary over the last few weeks,” he said of the fact the Pies had lost five of their past eight games before the finals.

“But we still finished fourth for a reason. You don’t fluke finishing fourth. It is a 22 week season and we won enough games to get there.”

“People have forgotten we’ve beaten Brisbane, we’ve come over here and got beaten by a kick by Port (in the home and away season) and we’ve beaten Adelaide over here.”

“And you don’t fluke getting to a preliminary final – we didn’t fluke this win.”

“What happens in the future – well we don’t know - but not too many sides fluke getting to a preliminary final, it is form that gets you there.”