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Club captains snub Pies
By Rohan Connolly
March 19, 2004
Fifteen of the 16 AFL club captains - Michael Voss was absent - line up yesterday at Telstra Dome for a photo-shoot.
Picture: Sebastian Costanzo
Related:
Captains' log
Nearly half the AFL's club captains believe that Collingwood, a grand finalist for the past two seasons, won't even make the final eight in 2004. And none of those polled think the Pies will participate in a third straight grand final.
Six of the club skippers - who weren't allowed to nominate their own clubs - polled by the AFL on five key questions about the approaching football year, tipped the Magpies to miss the finals altogether this year.
The results may reflect the widespread scepticism within the football industry and among supporters about Collingwood's poor pre-season, which started late, has had a number of key players struggling with injury, and in which it was thrashed in the first round of the Wizard Cup by West Coast and then lost three practice matches.
Instead, it is the Magpies' rival, Essendon, that appears to have won favour with its opposition. The Bombers, along with perennial flag favourite Brisbane and Port Adelaide, are a unanimous tip to make the final eight.
Collingwood football manager Neil Balme last night scoffed at the surprising lack of peer support for his club's chances. "It probably just reflects that they're hoping we won't make the eight, because if they make it, they're probably going to struggle to beat us," Balme laughed.
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"If they are shallow enough to think that pre-season form has any impact on the rest of the season, then good luck to them. I don't think we'll be changing our approach to the season."
Fremantle, which last season reached the finals for the first time, is a popular tip to get there again, only two of 15 skippers believing the Dockers won't be good enough to make the final eight. They were also nominated as one of only five teams seen as potential grand finalists, along with Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Sydney.
Hawthorn, another popular fancy among football followers to improve markedly in 2004, commands significantly less respect among its peers, the Hawks tipped by only three of 15 - or 20 per cent - of club captains, to make the final eight.
A philosophical Hawthorn assistant coach George Stone said last night that it wastoo early to judge the Hawks.
"I think we're like a lot of sides; we could finish anywhere from top four to 10th, it's just a matter of a lot of luck," Stone said. "I'm like everyone else. Once we start winning, you can start talking us up, but at this stage we are just going about getting everyone up, or hoping to get everyone up fit and firing for the first half of the year.
"In the past we've been a bit slow in starting, so we've had a pre-season based around getting everyone up and available, so some of our form has been a bit patchy due to our method of trying to give everyone game time and keeping them on the ground. But we've had a few injuries, so that hasn't helped."
West Coast captain Ben Cousins is a popular fancy among the captains to win the Brownlow Medal, exactly a quarter of them nominating the brilliant Eagle onballer to win what would be his club's first such honour.
And Essendon spearhead Matthew Lloyd's status as king of the goalkickers remains unchallenged also, with 13 of 16 captains tipping the Bomber full-forward to win his fourth Coleman Medal.
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By Rohan Connolly
March 19, 2004
Fifteen of the 16 AFL club captains - Michael Voss was absent - line up yesterday at Telstra Dome for a photo-shoot.
Picture: Sebastian Costanzo
Related:
Captains' log
Nearly half the AFL's club captains believe that Collingwood, a grand finalist for the past two seasons, won't even make the final eight in 2004. And none of those polled think the Pies will participate in a third straight grand final.
Six of the club skippers - who weren't allowed to nominate their own clubs - polled by the AFL on five key questions about the approaching football year, tipped the Magpies to miss the finals altogether this year.
The results may reflect the widespread scepticism within the football industry and among supporters about Collingwood's poor pre-season, which started late, has had a number of key players struggling with injury, and in which it was thrashed in the first round of the Wizard Cup by West Coast and then lost three practice matches.
Instead, it is the Magpies' rival, Essendon, that appears to have won favour with its opposition. The Bombers, along with perennial flag favourite Brisbane and Port Adelaide, are a unanimous tip to make the final eight.
Collingwood football manager Neil Balme last night scoffed at the surprising lack of peer support for his club's chances. "It probably just reflects that they're hoping we won't make the eight, because if they make it, they're probably going to struggle to beat us," Balme laughed.
advertisement
advertisement
"If they are shallow enough to think that pre-season form has any impact on the rest of the season, then good luck to them. I don't think we'll be changing our approach to the season."
Fremantle, which last season reached the finals for the first time, is a popular tip to get there again, only two of 15 skippers believing the Dockers won't be good enough to make the final eight. They were also nominated as one of only five teams seen as potential grand finalists, along with Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Sydney.
Hawthorn, another popular fancy among football followers to improve markedly in 2004, commands significantly less respect among its peers, the Hawks tipped by only three of 15 - or 20 per cent - of club captains, to make the final eight.
A philosophical Hawthorn assistant coach George Stone said last night that it wastoo early to judge the Hawks.
"I think we're like a lot of sides; we could finish anywhere from top four to 10th, it's just a matter of a lot of luck," Stone said. "I'm like everyone else. Once we start winning, you can start talking us up, but at this stage we are just going about getting everyone up, or hoping to get everyone up fit and firing for the first half of the year.
"In the past we've been a bit slow in starting, so we've had a pre-season based around getting everyone up and available, so some of our form has been a bit patchy due to our method of trying to give everyone game time and keeping them on the ground. But we've had a few injuries, so that hasn't helped."
West Coast captain Ben Cousins is a popular fancy among the captains to win the Brownlow Medal, exactly a quarter of them nominating the brilliant Eagle onballer to win what would be his club's first such honour.
And Essendon spearhead Matthew Lloyd's status as king of the goalkickers remains unchallenged also, with 13 of 16 captains tipping the Bomber full-forward to win his fourth Coleman Medal.
Printer friendly version Email to a friend