Rd 8 vs Collingwood Magpies @ MCG - Match Thread

[liz]

I feel there are a number of reasons for our decline this year that need to be considered.

1) The impact that Sam Reid had when he came into the team at the mid point of last season was immense. Playing as a forward ruckman, he was a dominant presence right up until halftime in the preliminary final. We hardly lost a game to that point. It was no coincidence that Collingwood almost won the game after he was injured.

2) Clearly the loss of experienced players through injury, particularly the tall’s on the back line, forward line and ruck has hurt, and affected the confidence of some of the younger players. At times you see some of them trying to do too much, and perhaps with the influence of some of the more experienced players around them this may not happen as much. We simply don’t have replacements for Reid, Hicky, Paddy McCartin, Rampe, and while he is not experienced I will include Armartey in that group based on his obvious improvement this year prior to his injury.

3) Our midfield is a highly talented group, but with the exception Parker and Mills is very inexperienced compared to most other teams.

It is not all doom and gloom.

And now an erosion of confidence, stemming from the above and the poor results.

The awful goal kicking and some of the missed passes into the forward line to a player in an acre of space have nothing to do with fitness or ability. It's all in the head.

[waswan]

Yep, more of that special brand of optimism. Love it.

Stevo, your earlier post was talking about 2024, 1 week into May 2023. Talk about forever the optimist.

We are young and we will grow, but nothing is a given, bad preseasons, trade requests can derail an offseason.

The moment is now.

We have had injuries that are telling but if we kicked straight, the games change and we win a few more and we are sitting here saying wait for the calvary to get back from injury.

We arent the only team with injuries but we are one of few who are underachieving and not making the most of our opportunities

[Blood Fever]

Stevo, your earlier post was talking about 2024, 1 week into May 2023. Talk about forever the optimist.

We are young and we will grow, but nothing is a given, bad preseasons, trade requests can derail an offseason.

The moment is now.

We have had injuries that are telling but if we kicked straight, the games change and we win a few more and we are sitting here saying wait for the calvary to get back from injury.

We arent the only team with injuries but we are one of few who are underachieving and not making the most of our opportunities

We overachieved last year. We have an immature midfield compared to a number of other teams. Our goal kicking has been terrible but it is an aberration considering the last couple of years. The moment is not necessarily now. Our key position future is what worries me. Paddy probably done at 26/27, Rampe aging, Buddy and Reid in their last year and Amartey talented but injury prone.

[Nico]

Stevo, your earlier post was talking about 2024, 1 week into May 2023. Talk about forever the optimist.

We are young and we will grow, but nothing is a given, bad preseasons, trade requests can derail an offseason.

The moment is now.

We have had injuries that are telling but if we kicked straight, the games change and we win a few more and we are sitting here saying wait for the calvary to get back from injury.

We arent the only team with injuries but we are one of few who are underachieving and not making the most of our opportunities

I think you mean "the cavalry".

[Mel_C]

Yes, I was coming up blank when trying to work out why they were booing Buddy. I suspect finding out, would involve wading through sludge filled corners of the internet, that I don’t really want to visit. At least the Collingwood management has made it clear that they didn't appreciate it. So good for them.

Their fans were also booing Papley, but that was fairly easy to figure out, as he did stir them up during the grand final parade, by going with the toothless Collingwood fan look.

The sad thing is that the first time Buddy touched the ball I was waiting for the booing to start. And I wasn't wrong. He gets booed at most games I attend. Before going to the game I kept thinking about the last time we played Collingwood at the MCG when the Goodes racism incident happened. It's been 10 years but it still feels so raw.

Papley was booed because of the incident with Daicos. I thought the free was very soft and it should have been reversed when Papley was slung to the ground.

[dejavoodoo44]

Rd 8 vs Collingwood Magpies @ MCG - Match Thread

The sad thing is that the first time Buddy touched the ball I was waiting for the booing to start. And I wasn't wrong. He gets booed at most games I attend. Before going to the game I kept thinking about the last time we played Collingwood at the MCG when the Goodes racism incident happened. It's been 10 years but it still feels so raw.

Papley was booed because of the incident with Daicos. I thought the free was very soft and it should have been reversed when Papley was slung to the ground.

Fairly sure that the booing of Papley started before then, as a result of the Collingwood fans still feeling aggrieved from last year.

[MattW]

It's pretty normal for the older, more experienced players (anyone with senior experience) to play onball at VFL level. Especially with an injury affected squad.

Bell, Ronke, Wicks - they all played mostly in the midfield last year and the year before in the VFL. Part of this is because the games tend to be played more between the arcs at the lower level, with less clean, precise ball forward, and or the structure bringing the ball out of defence that you hope to see at senior level. And even the wings become a little redundant at times.

Warner has been played largely as an onballer too, this season.

So you can't necessarily read anything into the fact that Stephens played onball on Saturday. It doesn't mean he's going to suddenly get inserted into the centre square in the AFL team.

That said, I wonder if he's miffed he's not getting any opportunity onball in the AFL team. He described himself as an inside mid when drafted (notwithstanding Beatson's description of him as a hybrid mid).

I don't really think he should be miffed at not playing on-ball for the AFL team, since he has not excelled at contested ball winning or making effective tackles. The experience playing on-ball for the VFL team should be beneficial and his numbers were impressive.

[MattW]

I feel there are a number of reasons for our decline this year that need to be considered.

1) The impact that Sam Reid had when he came into the team at the mid point of last season was immense. Playing as a forward ruckman, he was a dominant presence right up until halftime in the preliminary final. We hardly lost a game to that point. It was no coincidence that Collingwood almost won the game after he was injured.

2) Clearly the loss of experienced players through injury, particularly the tall’s on the back line, forward line and ruck has hurt, and affected the confidence of some of the younger players. At times you see some of them trying to do too much, and perhaps with the influence of some of the more experienced players around them this may not happen as much. We simply don’t have replacements for Reid, Hicky, Paddy McCartin, Rampe, and while he is not experienced I will include Armartey in that group based on his obvious improvement this year prior to his injury.

3) Our midfield is a highly talented group, but with the exception Parker and Mills is very inexperienced compared to most other teams.

It is not all doom and gloom.

Great post.

- - - Updated - - -

I might be biased, but I would've went for Errol, and the stats tend to back me up. BOG for disposals, clearances, contested possessions, metres gained and fantasy points: the last two by a long way. Perhaps the coaches had a bit of recency bias, as Errol had a quiet final quarter, while Mihocek and Pendlebury were instrumental in Collingwood skipping away with the game.

Agreed. Gulden was BOG.

[dejavoodoo44]

My apologies for screwing up the thread before. I now know that a link to 7News is likely to be dodgy. What I did post was a link to a story about Papley taunting Pies fans with his front teeth blacked out.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't really think he should be miffed at not playing on-ball for the AFL team, since he has not excelled at contested ball winning or making effective tackles. The experience playing on-ball for the VFL team should be beneficial and his numbers were impressive.

Yes, while I often enjoy the work of Stephens and McInerney, I'd love to see them both stick a higher percentage of effective tackles.

[Meg]

My apologies for screwing up the thread before. I now know that a link to 7News is likely to be dodgy. What I did post was a link to a story about Papley taunting Pies fans with his front teeth blacked out.

Lol, our Tom is certainly not subtle….

[dejavoodoo44]

Lol, our Tom is certainly not subtle….

Well, perhaps he was just tailoring things to his intended audience?

[dejavoodoo44]

Though thinking about it: if we need somebody to lead a victory celebration next time we play them, then perhaps he should pack a gold jacket?

[i'm-uninformed2]

I like not to think there's not a racial element to it (and please don't think I don't think that can happen - my views on the Goodes stuff is well chronicled on here); rather an utter mindlessness that also saw the Pies fans boo Jason Horne Francis earlier in the year.

But . . . I'm curious at Buddy being booed worse than Papley - which I understood given earlier events.

And I'll always remember a really good line from Brendan Goddard during the Goodes saga, when he said (to paraphrase): I think it's racially motivated and horrific; but if you don't want to accept that, then you're bullying someone on a national stage, which is just as bad.

The simple fact is this is Bud's last year. There is no player in my 30 years of watching AFL who's brought as much pure joy to the game and fans as he has. Crowds should stand, applaud and bow before him for the rest of the season - and simply say thanks.

[Maltopia]

I like not to think there's not a racial element to it (and please don't think I don't think that can happen - my views on the Goodes stuff is well chronicled on here); rather an utter mindlessness that also saw the Pies fans boo Jason Horne Francis earlier in the year.

But . . . I'm curious at Buddy being booed worse than Papley - which I understood given earlier events.

And I'll always remember a really good line from Brendan Goddard during the Goodes saga, when he said (to paraphrase): I think it's racially motivated and horrific; but if you don't want to accept that, then you're bullying someone on a national stage, which is just as bad.

The simple fact is this is Bud's last year. There is no player in my 30 years of watching AFL who's brought as much pure joy to the game and fans as he has. Crowds should stand, applaud and bow before him for the rest of the season - and simply say thanks.

I am big Buddy fan.

I think there is some booing of him because of tall poppy syndrome and the fact that he has not delivered in finals and is taking a huge salary relative to his performance.

Some general AFL fans are thinking he is taking the piss by playing on and doesn’t deserve the final year and dollars.

Does not justify the booing, but gives a possible non-racist explanation.

[Ludwig]

Some general AFL fans are thinking he is taking the piss by playing on and doesn’t deserve the final year and dollars.

These are Collingwood fans. Collingwood fans don't do thinking.