Martin Flanagan: What makes Magpies tick?

[Neil Appleby]

Article in The Age today from Martin Flanagan.

What makes the Magpies tick

7.30 am, Wednesday, a meeting of the Collingwood coaches at Westpac Centre. Twelve people in the room, three Brownlow Medals, five premierships. Nathan Buckley presides over the meeting in a relaxed manner.

He's agreed to talk to me and I always enjoy our conversations. Recently, the Barcelona soccer player Xavi said, "Ninety five per cent of people like soccer and two per cent understand it � the game is complicated." Over the past year or two, I have felt I understand AFL footy less. How, for example, do you understand Hawthorn's thumping of Sydney in last year's grand final?

More: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/what-makes-the-magpies-tick-20150130-1312x2.html

[Neil Appleby]

In an article full of insights, the most interesting for me was the analysis of Heath Shaw's impact on the game-plan.

[roar]

Good article, though it's a bit depressing reading the way football is going (has gone).

[droversdog65]

Agreed Neil, individualism is no longer tolerable because the determiner between anticipation and successful execution is predictability - not to the opposition but within the team psychology.

[watt price tully]

[Bob Sugar]

[Stinger]

[droversdog65]

Agreed Stinger, the synergy that takes away uncertainty. So long as it doesn't lead to predictability is one of the defining characteristics of a great side.

[Warbler]

I'll never look at a game the same way again !!!












GO PIES

[E]

[John Wren]

"we stuck to our structures, our systems and processes ..."

[Woods]

Anybody have any idea what "Mid-block (2) = 2 march UC" might mean, and the other keywords "squeeze, slide, sag, layers, wraps".

(I'd like to be able to post seemingly pithy and insightful comments in the Collingwood lingua franca that give the impression that I and Buckley share a common mindset.
Would also be good to be able to shout to players from the boundary line helpful tips such as, 'Hey Cloke! You've gotta slide that mid-block and sag his knackers!')

[Stupied]

[rand corp]

One of the best paper writers going around is Flanagan.

Does the human / personal story and does nostalgia really well.

It is a good read and a good insight into the club and on Bux.

Bux really does come across as extremely committed highly knowledgeable and insightful on matters concerning the game.

The game is always changing and is certainly more professional and analyzed than at any other time. The great individual performances are not as regular nor performed by as many as before but, they are still there and still make our game special.

When I started going to the football, players still worked 9 to 5 jobs, many smoked cigarettes, loved a big drink, the notion of team work often involved merely helping each other to get it out to or kick it to your best player.

The negating and defensive side of the game was not really there, backmen manned up and took on a forward one on one, often trying to out mark him rather than spoil, you were either better than your opponent or you ended up getting moved off him on to someone else. If you got a hiding you probably got dropped the next week, if you were really terrible you got dragged and could not return to the field, (no interchange in those days).

If you were fitter and faster than the other bloke it might have been because you had a more forgiving boss, who let you off earlier for more training than the other bloke. It might have been because he smoked but in the 60's and 70's we were not so sure of that.

These were also the days when a club could still uncover the prized country recruit, uncorrupted by city ways, fit as a Mallee Bull, who could be unveiled and kick 5 or 6 in his first game! Impossible now but very possible 40 or 50 years ago.

Full forwards were mostly left one out and had a stardom an aura like that of a modern day striker in the English Premier League. McKenna (Coll), Hudson (Haw) , Wade (Geel), Blethem (Ess), Young (St.K) where like pop stars, (in McKenna's case he actually released a couple of singles).

I loved the game then and I love it still, the current game is the result of teams spending over 100 years seeking to improve and be better than their opponent, it is now an elite sport and I am in awe of the sacrifice, effort and ability of the young players. Anyone who makes it is now a star in my book and the great players are truly worthy of the riches they can achieve in reward.

You just have to think about the sort of commitment these kids have to show even as 14 and 15 year olds to want a career in football, for many the die has been cast long before they are eligible for any draft, many are washed up at 16 and very, very few are able to breakthrough past 18 or 19.

It might not be the same but it is something very special.

[droversdog65]

Top post Rand, the game has grown up and those who will not appreciate that - both sportsman and spectator - will be left languishing in the '60's.