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Young Pies fail to impress again
By Peter Ker
February 29, 2004
Collingwood's Alan Didak is tackled by young Swan Ben Fixter during their clash at McHale Stadium yesterday.
Picture: Ken Irwin
Collingwood's slow start to the season continued yesterday when it lost by 33 points to Sydney in a practice match at Victoria Park.
Missing a host of their best players, including Chris Tarrant, Anthony Rocca, Paul Licuria, Shane Woewodin and Simon Prestigiacomo, the Magpies continued to experiment with young players.
And last night, there were injury concerns over two key men who did play. Vice-captain Scott Burns had an X-ray on his elbow, while forward Alan Didak received a knock to the knee.
After the game, coach Mick Malthouse said he would use the remainder of the pre-season to continue building the club's depth.
"I don't know if there's a great difference from last week, but we certainly continued to experiment with some young blokes," he said.
Although an improvement on last week, when both sides lost by more than 100 points, the encounter was still a lacklustre affair.
Sydney's Adam Goodes looked a class above every other player on the field and used his athleticism all over the ground as the Swans led all day.
Good work from Nic Fosdike, Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton had the Swans 21 points clear early in the second term.
The afternoon was also notable for the debut of Heath Shaw, who spent most of the second half around half-forward. The latest Shaw to wear the black and white tried hard and showed the sort of heart Collingwood fans have come to expect from the family.
Malthouse again used Cameron Cloke at centre half-forward, with mixed results. Although he did not see a lot of the ball, Cloke showed a willingness to lead hard and provided a physical presence across half-forward.
Sydney seems to have found a useful key defender in Aaron Rogers, who opposed Cloke for much of the day. Of Collingwood's young players, Zane Leonard was the most impressive with his fierce attack on the football.
By Peter Ker
February 29, 2004
Collingwood's Alan Didak is tackled by young Swan Ben Fixter during their clash at McHale Stadium yesterday.
Picture: Ken Irwin
Collingwood's slow start to the season continued yesterday when it lost by 33 points to Sydney in a practice match at Victoria Park.
Missing a host of their best players, including Chris Tarrant, Anthony Rocca, Paul Licuria, Shane Woewodin and Simon Prestigiacomo, the Magpies continued to experiment with young players.
And last night, there were injury concerns over two key men who did play. Vice-captain Scott Burns had an X-ray on his elbow, while forward Alan Didak received a knock to the knee.
After the game, coach Mick Malthouse said he would use the remainder of the pre-season to continue building the club's depth.
"I don't know if there's a great difference from last week, but we certainly continued to experiment with some young blokes," he said.
Although an improvement on last week, when both sides lost by more than 100 points, the encounter was still a lacklustre affair.
Sydney's Adam Goodes looked a class above every other player on the field and used his athleticism all over the ground as the Swans led all day.
Good work from Nic Fosdike, Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton had the Swans 21 points clear early in the second term.
The afternoon was also notable for the debut of Heath Shaw, who spent most of the second half around half-forward. The latest Shaw to wear the black and white tried hard and showed the sort of heart Collingwood fans have come to expect from the family.
Malthouse again used Cameron Cloke at centre half-forward, with mixed results. Although he did not see a lot of the ball, Cloke showed a willingness to lead hard and provided a physical presence across half-forward.
Sydney seems to have found a useful key defender in Aaron Rogers, who opposed Cloke for much of the day. Of Collingwood's young players, Zane Leonard was the most impressive with his fierce attack on the football.
