Collingwood v Richmond: Match Preview: Extended version:

Collingwood v Richmond: Match Preview: Extended version:

Igniting the blowtorch

By Luke Mason

The Match Ups:

Mick Malthouse will seek to exploit the Tigers lack of rucking numbers by giving Guy Richards, impressive against the Eagles, gametime in the middle to shine inturn allowing Josh Fraser the freedom in attack.

Fraser was disappointing again last week despite Dean Cox sitting the match out for a second successive week, and was outshone by Guy Richards, who was able to get his hand on the ball on more occasions than any other ruckman on the night. As I have written weekly for the past four years, and will continue to do so for a while yet, Richards’ ability to command the rucking position allows Fraser to become the third prong in the Rocca/Cloke-led attack, where he is most dangerous.

Kayne Pettifer is a likely out for the Tigers, which again minimises their scoring capacity. On that basis, it’s simple. Hold Richardson, and Joffa can again don the Gold Jacket and raise the Game Over banner. Prestigiacomo enjoys a solid record against Richo, who, as we all remember, was held to 1.6 in the opening round of 2003 by Tristan Walker.

Without their two most dangerous crumbers at ground level in Pettifer and Brown, it will prove hard work for the Tigers to find goal scoring power, perhaps relying on their midfield to provide the bulk of the goals.

Richmond, for one reason or another, are tipped by many to spend 2007 in the lower reaches of the ladder. Hell, my uncle, an avid Tiger, is already calling for the head of Wallace! Ah the Tiges are true to form aren’t they?

Yet beware the team heading towards a potential disaster season – they tend to bite hard just before hitting the wall. Think Carlton’s kick-starting of our 2002 surge with their win in the wet in round three that season. Wayne Brittain wore plenty of flack all week, and yet the Blues came out and completely nailed us in the wet. They didn’t win again until round 14 against…Richmond!

So expect Richmond to come out all guns ablaze, particularly early on. Should we weather that early storm, control the play and take the sting out of their early blast, we should be fine.

That said, I want us to thump the Tigers. Not just beat them, crush them. Let’s set ourselves a platform on which to build our 2007. It’s almost as if we are truly beginning our year this Friday. The NAB Cup, practice matches and first fortnight of the season the warm up to test the water. Now’s the real show, and it’s time we gave them a bath. It’s been three years since we overcame Richmond, and what better way to knock that one on the head than by giving them an old fashioned bath.

Three weeks in, and the Pies are 2-1 with percentage (and momentum) to boot – wouldn’t that send a few tremors through the competition? Ok, maybe not yet, it is, after all, Richmond. Had we defeated West Coast, maybe, but not just yet. However, a crushing victory this week to gather momentum before allowing that momentum to spill into overdrive with a win over Port Adelaide next week and we can truly argue that we have given ourselves every chance for September action.

That is what stings from last week’s narrow loss. Early interstate victories are like gold, for they are unexpected bonuses. But we have our chance to make our own story this week, and as long as we add polish to our work ethic, we stand every chance.

The Tigers don’t need to look anywhere for a victory incentive, though, and neither do we – it’s Rivalry Round! Seriously, do we require a name for each and every week of the season? So far it’s Heritage Round (I support this idea), Indigenous Round, Women’s Round and now Rivalry Round, instigated in 2005. Not forgetting all the hoopla surrounding the ‘season launch’.

Shouldn’t each and every week be rivalry round for all 16 sides? Doesn’t everyone feel compelled to ‘hate’ their opposition on a weekly basis? Or is that just myself and my Black and White brethren? As St Kilda’s Nick Dal Santo said when quizzed about it during the week, each match is of the upmost importance, and all sides are rivals.

And whilst we’re on the subject – St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs – true rivals? Now as I wrote above, all teams are rivals, but, apologises if I’ve overlooked the history, where is the true passion betwixt the two? None that I can think of, unless this is a ‘back to 1997’ week, when the two were the great improvers of the season.

For what it’s worth, why aren’t we playing Carlton again? Like I said earlier, whilst rivals with Richmond, we aren’t overly full of absolute hatred towards them, more confusion as to their Jekyll and Hyde nature. Sure, there was the rucking trade wars of the 1980s and 1990s, when David Cloke, Matthew Francis, Robert Schaffer and Brad Smith all changed hands, and of course the close finishes in the 1920s and 1930s, and the 1980 Grand Final (quite a list we have here), but aside from that, they aren’t a Carlton. But still right up there. Actually, I’ve changed my own mind; we are real rivals with Richmond, but at Collingwood, you think rivalry, and you think Carlton. Enough said.

No wait – round 18 2002. Now enough said.

Another topic for article.

Anthony Rocca and Travis Cloke, and potentially Fraser, will be out to make the most of Terry Wallace’s shortage of tall timer down back, the Plough set to again rely on the raw Luke McGuane and Kelvin Moore to hold down the fort on higher profile opposition. The premature delisting of Andrew Kellaway looks like a decision that may come back to haunt the Tigers over the course of the season, as it leaves the injury prone Darren Gaspar as the only key defender of any experience, resulting in the Bowden boys playing above their height, thus ensuring that they will lack in accountability.

No excuses if we lose, none whatsoever. The stage is set for us to get our year off to the start we require. That said, we faced crunch time in round four of 2002 against Hawthorn after two rotten losses and one unconvincing win.

The form guide:

The Woods were dour in defeat against the might of the West Coast Eagles on foreign territory in Perth, leading at quarter time and half time, losing by only and even two goals. Anthony Rocca and Leon Davis lit up the forward line in providing seven of the side’s ten majors, and Dane Swan and Heath Shaw continued their rise to prominence.

Richmond were again valiant in defeat, although any side that concedes the opening four goals of a match will forever find it all up hill. Shane Tuck applied the clamps to Sydney’s Brett Kirk, while Matthew Richardson and Chris Hyde enjoyed handy afternoons.

Injuries:

The Magpies will again steer to caution in allowing Nathan Buckley’s hamstring every opportunity to recover, while Alan Didak is set to resume his career with an outing in the blue and gold of Williamstown. Hard running midfielder Ben Johnson will face a test on his injured ankle, and Ryan Lonie, another dasher from defence, may require further time in the stands to overcome groin soreness.

The Richmond ruck division will be again down to the bare threads of the part-timers once again due to the ongoing troubles faced by Troy Simmonds and Trent Knobel. Meanwhile, dynamo Nathan Brown is yet to fully recover from his infamous leg troubles.

Head to Head since 2000:

Collingwood: 4

Richmond: 7

Richmond is one club who can boast a positive win-loss aggregate against the Woods in the first decade of the new millennium. This is mainly because we are often fixtured to meet them in the early going of the season. It’s as if they forget over summer that they are no good, come out believing they are, before waking up to themselves and remembering, Hey, we’re Richmond, surely we aren’t this good! And so the cycle begins, which goes a long way to explaining our losses to the Tigers in round one of 2002 and 2004.

We were forced to bide our time until the 16^th round of 2002 before we registered our first victory over the Tiges for the decade.

However, following that night the Pies won three of the following four clashes, including the two in 2003, Nathan Buckley and Jarrod Molloy the common denominators in both victories with sterling efforts, Bucks receiving five out of a possible six Brownlow Medal votes. Shane Woewodin, too, featured heavily, marking his first outing in Magpie colours with ??? possessions.

The contest staged in Heritage Round of 2004 was a nailbiter; Collingwood requiring David King to boot the match winner after his side conceded what appeared a safe lead at the final change against a Tigers outfit bound for the wooden spoon.

In recent times, Richmond have had the wood over the Maggies, fuelled by Nathan Brown’s five goal final term in ’05, before walloping us on a soggy afternoon in round 13 last season. That was the day that marked the beginning of Chris Tarrant’s downfall at Collingwood. At least in the eyes of the media. To my mind, it was Tazza’s suspension for an off the ball strike on Dale Morris in round nine against the Western Bulldogs. Again, another story for another time…

The X-Factors:

Collingwood: Josh Fraser and Guy Richards – in the absence of Troy Simmonds and Trent Knobel, should the two big men stand up in the ruck, the forward line can expect every chance to conjure a winning total.

Did you notice how Peter Everitt split Richmond apart last Saturday with his immaculate ruckwork? Spida was terrific with his tapwork against the inexperienced Adam Pattison, and gave his Swans first use of the ball. Richards is a potential Everitt clone with his palming from the ruck. If he can follow suit on Friday night, it’s our ticket to victory.

Speaking of which, from now on, each week I’ll nominate Collingwood’s designated ‘Metcard’ for victory – the ticket on which we’ll be granted victory. The inaugural Metcard is Guy Richards.

Richmond: Pride – the Tigers have blown their numerous chances in the opening fortnight of ’07, and will know well and truly that the heat will be on should they again falter.

Mitigating factors:

~ The Subiaco- hoodoo. As we all know, sides tend to struggle on the way back from Perth due to the plane trip. Considering the fact that we scored only one goal in the final quarter last week, we’ll need to consolidate this week and ensure we finish full of running (which, for the record, is what we did when we returned against Geelong last season after playing the Eagles).

~ Friday night, the spotlight is on, as will be the heat for the loser.

Questions to be answered:

- Will Richmond continue their risky high possession game?

- Can Collingwood consolidate their tidy start to the year and go 2-1?

The tip: It is the Tigers want to create a scrappy game via their overuse of the ball from halfback and through the midfield, making it difficult for their opposition to dictate terms. However, the Pies can reverse the trend in the ruck, where, if Richards and Fraser allow their rovers first use of the Sherrin, they are destined to boot a winning score. Collingwood by 9 points