Collingwood: Midseason Review 2006

Part One: The Season:
By Luke Mason

It’s fair to say that the first 13 weeks of 2006 have exceeded all expectations of us Magpie lovers, and certainly those of the media, who wrote us off as also-rans like there was no tomorrow in their previews.

But who could blame them?

We were coming off a disastrous season, which followed a year in which the players were spent and it felt like the whole Black and White world was flat. There are two ways you can look at the current situation:

a) Is the current side still basically full of remnants of the 2002 and 2003 Grand Final sides?

Or

b) A completely news beast who is taking things all before it?

I tend to lean towards the latter. As Mick has often said, we are forever rebuilding, which means the side will rarely – if ever – be the same from week to week. One only has to look at our selections thus far this season, and the amount (32) of players we have used in senior matches to date. But take a look at Sydney’s numbers (24) and you can see that we are certainly not a stale outfit and one that boasts plenty of depth.

And in relation to the ill-fated Grand Final line-ups of the early decade, the following players have left the club (rightly or wrongly): Rupert Betheras, Jarrod Molloy, Carl Steinfort, Steve McKee, Heath Scotland, Nick Davis, Glenn Freeborn, Shane Woewodin, Richard Cole, Matthew Lokan.

Now the majority of those who were culled are products of 2002, only Scotland played in both losses. You could add Andrew Williams, considering how regularly he played during the campaigns, as well as the likes of Jason Cloke and Tristan Walker, who both have fallen off the radar in years since.

Replacing that group as core players in our senior side include: Blake Caracella, Travis Cloke, Brodie Holland, Nick Maxwell, Chad Morrison, Scott Pendlebury, Guy Richards, Shaun Rusling, Heath Shaw, Dane Swan and Dale Thomas.

I do not include Jason Cloke in the ‘replacements’ group, as he would most certainly have played in 2002 had it not been for his unbelievably unfortunate suspension for striking Tyson Edwards a week earlier.

The 2002 Grand Final team:

B.Johnson	S.Prestigiacomo	J.Clement
R.Lonie	S.Wakelin	G.Freeborn
S.O’Bree	N.Buckley	A.Didak
R.Betheras	A.Rocca	N.Davis
L.Davis	C.Tarrant	J.Fraser
S.McKee	P.Licuria	S.Burns
J.Molloy	T.Lockyer	C.Steinfort
H.Scotland

The 2003 Grand Final team:

B.Johnson	S.Wakelin	J.Clement
R.Lonie	S.Prestigiacomo	R.Shaw
S.O’Bree	N.Buckley	S.Woewodin
B.Holland	J.Cloke	A.Didak
T.Walker	C.Tarrant	B.Kinnear
J.Fraser	P.Licuria	S.Burns
M.Lokan	R.Cole	L.Davis
H.Scotland

The 2006 team:

S.Wakelin	S.Prestigiacomo	J.Clement
D.Swan (G.Freeborn)	N.Maxwell (J.Cloke)	H.Shaw (R.Cole)
B.Johnson	N.Buckley	R.Lonie
B.Caracella (R.Betheras)	A.Rocca (T.Walker)	A.Didak
J.Fraser	C.Tarrant	L.Davis
G.Richards (S.McKee)	P.Licuria	S.Burns
T.Lockyer* (H.Scotland)	R.Shaw	B.Holland
S.O’Bree

The point of the whole operation? It goes to show how the core, the mainstays of our teams of 2002/2003 have remained, while the replacements are equal to or better than those they overtook (although I would have retained Freeborn, Rupe and Scotland; Jason Cloke remains, but is currently unable to squeeze into the senior side).

It also goes to show how awful our structure in the 2003 GF was – is Walker, Tarrant, Kinnear a premiership full forward line? No! Are Lokan and Cole the equal of, say, Heath Shaw and Dane Swan? Don’t count on it.

The lack of a second ruckman was a killer (McKee should have played), the lack of hardness (Betheras and Freeborn) hurt and if a key forward was needed, it should have been Molloy over Clokey or Tex Walker...

...should I go on? No. It’s been done to death, and quite honestly, although I’ll hark back on it for as long as Collingwood go on (or until we win a flag!), I’m over it...over it in a sense that I’m sick of thinking of it. It crops up all the time: “that Grand Final back in ’03”....”and then Rocca cocked his elbow and struck Lade and....”. Yes, I’m sick of it. Time to at least win a flag to erase some hurt from that fateful day...yes, I’ll stop now. Instead, lets look at the present.

I have been thrilled with the progress of the side in 2006, as content as it can get after 13 rounds. Pre-season, I tipped us to finish seventh (Wakelin estimated we’d find a spot in the four, how smart he looks now, although he was laughed out of the Herald Sun in February), behind St.Kilda, West Coast, Adelaide, Sydney, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs (who looked, and still do, a dangerous unit). So far, it’s fair to say that four of those sides will make the top six, with us and the Demons filling in the two remaining spots. Geelong may scrape in, but the Saints are flagging due to injury.

A big jump to third indeed. The injection of pace (Swan. H.Shaw, Thomas, Pendelbury), the maturation of many semi-experienced customers (Davis, Didak, Lonie, Richards) and the constant consistency of the veterans/leaders in Buckley, Burns, Clement, Wakelin, Rocca, Licuria and, pre-injury, Caracella have all been the key factors in our rise.

Of course our terrific run with injury has had a huge say, it makes a massive difference to any side when it loses six of its top ten players/has them grossly underdone (Buckley, Tarrant, Rocca, Licuria, Didak, Fraser), as we did last season.

The season began with a heart-stopping, ground breaking win over St.Kilda in the NAB Cup (both sides were missing key players). It was great fun at the time, and something to hang our collective hats on, yet was laughed off by both the Saints and Magpies as ‘just a NAB Cup game’ but in hindsight, it really was an indication of greater things to come. We fought gamely against highly rated opposition, and gave the faithful a glimpse of our grit (Jason Cloke was awesome at CHB, and yet has only played twice since).

We travelled to Perth to meet the Dockers in sweltering heat, and we lost, as expected, but once again really showed something, pushing the pretending Freo outfit all the way. An acceptable loss considering the circumstances.

So, an injury-free pre-season (a stark contrast to the previous summer, which saw Buckley, Richards and Tarrant go down) and plenty of momentum. The perfect way to hit a new year.

Round 1:

Collingwood: 12.5 (77)

Lost to...

Adelaide: 17.9 (111)

Not the best way to open the new season proper, but plenty of encouraging signs nonetheless. We gave the Crows a fight for the first three terms, actually threatening to blow the game apart in patches, only to be denied by Adelaide’s frustrating possession game, something that, I believe, our high-speed game can, and will, open up. As a side note, we should never, ever play on Monday nights, no matter what obstacles tossed up by the draw. Impossible to get to and from Telstra Dome at that hour!

Round 2:

Collingwood: 18.11 (119)

Defeated...

Hawthorn: 12.12 (84)

An excellent win considering the fact that Hawthorn lost only one of its first five matches. I reckon we reached a fork in the road at halftime. We could either have opted to continue our short chipping game and continue to chip over Tarrant’s head, playing into the Hawks hands, or go long and direct, to an Anthony Rocca one out with the rawboned Zac Dawson. Pebbles kicked eight...I know which I prefer.

Round 3:

Collingwood: 23.15 (153)

Defeated...

Kangaroos: 11.10 (76)

I still have not seen the second half of this clash, but the scoreline says it all. Apparently Taz kicked six and dished off just as many. Good to make a statement about the jumper clashes, too.

Round 4:

Collingwood: 15.15 (106)

Defeated...

Essendon: 12.17 (89)

An afternoon in which we went at half pace until the third term, when we clicked back into gear and showed the Bombers how a real side plays. Dids was outstanding, as was Benny ‘Craig’ Johnson, who won the Anzac Day Medal. For what it’s worth, I still have a bruise on my toe, suffered that morning!

Round 5:

Collingwood: 18.12 (120)

Defeated...

Port Adelaide: 11.13 (79)

I still haven’t seen the match in full: blame a game of football and Channel 9, who opted to show the Hawks/Dons cliffhanger. Still, any win over Port is a good win, and with Bucks and Pebbles attempting to out do each other, we recorded another second half rout.

Round 6:

Collingwood: 21.12 (138)

Defeated...

Carlton: 9.12 (66)

Another second half drubbing, another lacklustre first half, one in which the Blues dragged us down to their level and outscored us. We rolled them anyway, and the roar in the final term when the revised ladder was shown on the big screen said it all – Collingwood were atop the ladder!

Round 7:

Collingwood: 15.8 (98)

Lost to...

West Coast: 16.16 (112)

A loss very similar to the Adelaide one, in that it ten minute burst (this time the first ten of the game) cost us. At the ten minute mark, the Eagles/Chris Judd led by 24 points. We outscored them from then on. The side did work extremely hard from go to whoa, and, despite the disappointing scoreline, there were plenty of positives to take from the night. No Buckley, in case you’d forgotten, a move that continues to look better with every passing week.

Round 8:

Collingwood: 22.14 (146)

Defeated...

Geelong: 6.8 (44)

The most perfect night in a football sense. How else can you beat a 102 point drubbing, shellacking, thumping, pasting, thrashing of a supposed contender? No, that’s right, you can’t. Everyone fired (Bucks had 29 touches), and the game/the video was/is a virtual highlights reel.

Round 9:

Collingwood: 21.13 (139)

Defeated...

Western Bulldogs: 16.9 (105)

The Bulldogs had our measure for much of the game, only our electrifying second term and solid showings in the remaining three quarters keeping our noses ahead of the pack. I still believe that our relatively slow beginning to the game was borne from our simply awesome game the week prior, the side still hadn’t come down from such a simple high. Pebbles shocked us back into gear with five goals, snapping the unlucky Robert Murphy’s knee in the process. Fraser was outstanding for the third week on end.

Round 10:

Collingwood: 16.13 (109)

Defeated...

Brisbane: 12.11 (83)

The match seems so long ago, and yet it was only ‘two matches back’ – that’s what so many weeks off can do to a supporter. The night was yet another stepping stone to overcoming a number of myths which have surrounded us since 2002, the biggest of that being the Brisbane hoodoo. The Buckley-inspired win was soured by injuries to three key, underrated players in Blake Caracella, Nick Maxwell and Dane Swan, Caracella suffering one of the most horrific injuries ever sustained by a league footballer, millimetres from becoming a quadriplegic after a clash with ex-teammate Tim Notting. Best wishes to Blake in his recovery, rumour is he is aiming for a round 21 return: just in time for the finals! On a side note, isn’t it typical how after the media talked us up as having such a magnificent injury list, we run into a spate of bother?

Round 11:

Collingwood: 14.10 (94)

Lost to...

Melbourne: 22.9 (141)

Our worst effort for the season, no question. We were flogged from the ball up following Leon Davis’ roving goal in the opening minute by a tougher, quicker, hungrier and more committed Melbourne outfit, and full credit to them, they deserved the win. It was, in parts, a return to the bad old days of 2005. Thankfully, the club showed a fortnight later that it was simply an abbreviation.

Round 12:

Collingwood:

Defeated...

Sydney:

Another feather in our 2006 caps, this time a comprehensive, commanding win over the dogged Swans on their home patch, the team withstanding the initial onslaught in the third term, weathering the storm, steadying and going on to record a well-deserved 13 point victory, the margin only closed late by some junk-time Sydney majors.

My players of the year:

Top three: Dane Swan, Ben Johnson, Anthony Rocca

Biggest improvers/surprises: Dane Swan, Heath Shaw, Alan Didak, Ryan Lonie, Leon Davis, Nick Maxwell, Dale Thomas.

Underrated: Dane Swan, Heath Shaw, Nick Maxwell, Blake Caracella, Brodie Holland.

Most disappointing: Jason Cloke, Tristan Walker.

Second half smokey: Rhyce Shaw.

Story of the season: Heath Shaw and Dane Swan.

Best team game: Collingwood vs Geelong, round 8

Worst team game: Collingwood vs Melbourne, round 11

Best individual game: Nathan Buckley vs Brisbane, round 10, 6 goals, 27 possessions.

Best mark: Dale Thomas over Andrew Welsh vs Essendon, round four, Anzac Day, first quarter, Members Stand side of the centre square, defensive half, Ponsford Stand end.

Best goal(s): Ryan Lonie on the boundary vs Adelaide round one, Leon Davis roves the pack and goals vs Melbourne, Leon Davis from the boundary vs Geelong.

Missing Woewodin? No. Although he would no doubt have provided us with solid service, I much prefer having Heath Shaw and Swan in the side ahead of him (no slight on Woey intended).

Can the veterans still cut it? Yes. Buckley, Burns, Licuria, Clement, Prestigiacomo, Wakelin and Rocca have been nothing short of superb.

Can we win the flag? Certainly. Top four and we have ever chance, top two sets us up.