Collingwood Vs Eagles

[Neil Appleby]

Well I've had time to think about it on the drive home. We really stunk today!
It may have looked better on TV but I doubt it.
For most of the match it looked like BoxHill vs West Coast.
A decent first quarter but didn't take advantage of opportunities.
King's first quarter was terrific.
Brownie battled hard all day; Davis showed us he has real class; Wasley showed some dash
and Betheras tried his guts out.
How long since Monky took so many marks?
Saverio was absolutely awful and when you have a dog's day nothing goes right....well they were baying for his blood in the Sherin Stand today.
The question I think has to be asked now as much as I hate to do it; what is happening when blokes like S.Rocca/P.Williams/A.Rocca
M.Richardson give us absolutely zip for 4 quarters?They weren't the only ones I know but honestly from where I sat today, there was no leadership for the young guys to follow apart from Brownie.
It's going to be worse than we all feared I think........a very long season.
Let's all turn up at the G next week and give em our support.
That's what sets us apart from the Richmonds,
Carltons, Melbournes......even at our lowest we still turn up and give our support.
The team needs help; not sure if they're getting the support they need just now.
THE question; Will Shawy jump during the season?
Should he jump?
he shouldn't be sacked.....but if the team performs as poorly as they did today....well the talk has already started...it was very loud everywhere today.
The first 20 mins of the third quarter today were as bad as I've ever seen from a Pie team.
I await comments with interest...but I'll be back for more next week.
Floreta Pica!

[David West]

What is most baffling are the thought process of our selectors and coaching staff.Over the pre-season the shining light of hope was Anthony Roccas class at full back.Cummings kicks seven Pebbles kicks two behinds and apart from our shocking disposal and rapid turnover rate Cummings was the difference.Wild continues to annoy and frustrate me but is the surest member of our squad to see a full game.Richo has never lived up to his name and should be discarded.Perhaps Kinnear should have a go.Wasley and Davis play the same role every week and are given a real go by the coach but Scotland and Gardiner may as well have stayed in Magoos for the chance they were given.As for the Shaw debate apart from his obvious coaching gaffes we have the poorest skills in the league the worst disposal and the most turnovers.Who is accountable for this?

[Bill Banks]

Like David West I am frustrated by Jason Wild, particularly because he stays on the ground while Shaw rotates the rest of his midfield. My assessment of Wild is as follows:
Effort: 0ne area of his game which cannot be questioned.
Possession Rate: Poor for an-onballer. He very rarely gets a centre square clearance and most of his "stats" are ineffective handballs in congested situations. His few effective disposals come from loose ball gathers, receives from team mates or when the ball comes to him on his own.
Evasive Skills: He does not have the evasive skills to slip opponents or get clear of packs.
Running Skills: He almost never runs with the ball (contrast this with 30 metre breaks by Cousins, Braun and the like before they deliver upfield).
Kicking: His kicking is relatively short and very often astray.
Marking: Very rarely outmarks an opponent although his marking on his own is safe.
Tackling: Very good and he gets plenty of opportunities to tackle because he is usually behind his opponent in the race for the ball.
Tagging: Has done a reasonable job on occasions. Plays tight at the bounce of the ball but then loses sight of his opponent in general play.
Spoiling/Shepherding: Smothering efforts are good but he prefers to call for a receive than to go in and shepherd.
Stamina: Seems good, although he has plenty of rest on the forward line (where he is fairly un-productive).
Scoring potential: Very low. Gets a goal about once every 3 weeks, always from close in.
Speed: Slow, particularly in the first quarter when the heat is on. Usually takes 15 to 20 minutes to get his first touch.
Reaction Time: Slow. The ball seems to elude him or bounce over his head more often than for the average footballer.
Second Effort: Usually very good.
Summary: It doesn't seem fair to be so critical of one player who tries his heart out, but he does seem to get a priviledged go from Tony Shaw. He should have been the one to be "rested" in the second quarter against the Eagles instead of Davis who had been our best possession getter. While he was a young player he did not deserve criticism but, now he has more than 60 games up, he deserves the scrutiny which the Roccas etc. are regularly subjected to.