Home and away review
Collingwood battled against early season adversity to finish in 4th spot on the AFL ladder, with 16 wins and six losses.
Losing Luke Ball, Brent Macaffer and Andrew Krakouer to knee injuries by round three and Lachlan Keefe to the same issue in round nine, the depth of the Pies squad was strongly tested, particularly in the first dozen rounds.
In round three, arch-rival Carlton completely dismantled Collingwood by 10 goals and it seemed the absences of important senior bodies were going to be extremely difficult to cover. As an added problem, a public verbal stoush between president Eddie McGuire and former coach Mick Malthouse, as well as ongoing contract uncertainty with Travis Cloke, threatened to completely distract and derail Collingwood’s campaign.
However, the calm and measured approach of first-year coach Nathan Buckley and the tremendous resilience of the Pies core group quickly steadied the ship. On the back their elite talent and several cliff-hanger victories, Collingwood won 10 straight games to be one game clear on top of the ladder by round 14.
The streak featured stirring triumphs against West Coast, Geelong, Adelaide at AAMI stadium and Essendon on ANZAC day.
The emergence of Dayne Beams and Steele Sidebottom as genuine A-grade midfielders, along with the consistent brilliance of Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and the like was also crucial in the top-four finish.
Criticism was regularly directed at key forwards Chris Dawes and Travis Cloke throughout the year, even during periods of team success. Cloke was a victim of his own high standards to an extent, although his influence on the contest certainly diminished from the All-Australian standard of 2011. Dawes had been severely out of form for overwhelming patches and it eventually took its toll on him and the side.
Defeats against North Melbourne in round 21 and West Coast in round 22 highlighted the lack of potency up forward and having tried Chris Tarrant as a third tall option, changes needed to occur. Dawes was dropped for the final round against Essendon, a must win match for Collingwood to ensure a top-four finish.
Cloke regained his spark against the Bombers with five goals and 16 marks, leading the Pies to a 32-point win and setting up a qualifying final against Hawthorn.
Key finals player – Darren Jolly
Travis Cloke is undoubtedly a key to Collingwood’s campaign, but 31-year-old Darren Jolly is currently the Pies most irreplaceable player.
Jolly’s strong body and experience in the ruck is vital to Collingwood’s capacity to win clearances, an area of strength for many seasons. First use for the Pies elite midfield will be a determining factor between success and failure, as shown by Jolly’s absence against West Coast in round 22.
On top of his hitout strength, Jolly is also a highly reliable shot for goal and while he isn’t a massive accumulator of possessions, he rarely wastes the ball. Disposal efficiency of 79.79% emphasises the point. If Jolly can contain the likes of Nic Naitanui, David Hale, Sam Jacobs and Shane Mumford, Collingwood will be one valuable step closer to glory.
Why Collingwood can win the flag
Experience – In the past five seasons, Collingwood has made two preliminary finals and two Grand Finals (excluding the 2010 draw), featuring premiership success in 2010. The Pies finals credentials are well proven, and they clearly know how to handle September pressure both collectively and individually. While Nathan Buckley has tweaked Mick Malthouse’s gameplan, important elements such as contested ball, long kicking and predominately boundary line play remain in focus. Collingwood’s core senior group is well drilled in the system and it should continue to be highly effective.
A-Grade, big game players – Collingwood has numerous players that have built their reputations on elite performances in finals. Dale Thomas, Steele Sidebottom, Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury and many more have consistently got the job done when it matters most and if they can do it again, the Pies will be very tough to overcome.
Health – Contrary to Collingwood’s preparations for the 2011 finals series, where the health of their list progressively declined and hampered their premiership tilt, the Pies appear to be physically ready for the demands of the month ahead. The unexpected availability of Andrew Krakouer, who has successfully returned from his pre-season knee reconstruction, is a heart-warming positive. Veterans Ben Johnson, Chris Tarrant and Alan Didak all look sharp too, giving Collingwood added reliability at both ends of the ground.
Why Collingwood can’t win the flag
2nd Ruck/Forward – The retirement of Leigh Brown at the end of 2011 created a dilemma that Collingwood is still struggling to solve. Brown was a revelation as a floating forward and relieving ruckman, but neither Dawes or Cameron Wood have been able to contribute in the same manner. Jolly is at his best when he is rucking 70 – 80% of gametime, making it difficult for Wood to function alongside, while Dawes’ woeful form has pushed Jackson Paine ahead of him in the pecking order. Paine appears unable to ruck, with Nick Maxwell being used on occasions against Essendon last week. There isn’t an obvious answer.
Tackling Pressure/Defensive structure – In 2010 and 2011, Collingwood established itself as borderline unbeatable due to their manic tackling and impenetrable forward press. They were 1st and 3rd for tackles in those years respectively. This season, they have dropped to 9th, and it has been evident that the ferocity at the man and ball, as well as the ability to infer pressure and prevent clean forward 50 entries, aren’t quite at the same level. The positive for Collingwood is that it is an element that is completely within their control, but they need to fix it fast.
Best possible result – The Premiership
Collingwood are more than capable of winning silverware. Hawthorn are the obvious threat, meaning the upcoming qualifying final should be a revealing encounter for both sides.
If Collingwood do overcome the Hawks, a home preliminary final, possibly against Adelaide or Sydney, would give the Magpie army reason to feel confident of earning their third consecutive grand final berth. Sydney haven’t beaten Collingwood since 2005, and Adelaide not since 2009.
Paul Bastin is a third-year Bachelor of Media Studies student at La Trobe University. He is the current deputy sports editor for upstart. You can follow him on Twitter: @paulbastin10
