Post match. Pies whack Weagles . All comments please.

[stui magpie]

[Culprit]

Happy with the four points and I would say we are a four goal better team with Pendles in. They are tall, but we have the better on ballers. I felt we got to fancy when we had them on the ropes and we let them back in the game with us trying to be to bloody fancy.

As a spectator, it was a great game to watch.

Cloke played a rippers, so much so I reckon he has signed.
Elliot took 9 marks, 7 under pressure and 1 cracker.

Reid looked injured or under done.

We can get a lot better Wet Toast a little better. Nat got crunch a few times and went off his game. Hates it hard.

[Daicosesque]

Say what you like but buckley's $$ck up on D50 happened when we 27 points up. Enough is enough!!!! Wet Toast shouldn't had a sniff!!!!

[Culprit]

I ignore him being in the team, knowing his days are numbered.

[Scotch]

[jack_spain]

Oh those are the sort of wins I hate having to experience, but they are just what the doctor ordered in preparation for the finals. We better get used to it. We play the Eagles again in Round 22 and we may even have to play them once in the finals before we both meet again in the Grand Final.

Because mark my words folks, there is daylight between these two sides and the rest this season. Daylight! Last season was different. We grew more complacent with every round. We seemed to have an easy run of things (few injuries) and looked almost certainties until the final stretch.

But this season has turned out like none of us could have expected. Injuries aplenty! Our form slump was at the start of the year and we seem to be getting better each week. Last year we played like millionaires squandering our chances. This year Nathan Buckley has instilled an IRON WILL. It doesn't matter who is in this team, everyone at Collingwood believes we can win.

Just imagine how good we will be when we have our chief play-maker back. Pendlebury will be joined by Tarrant, and later (hopefully) by Didak. We could have done with Sinclair's energy and goals on the forward line today as well (I never thought I'd say that).

So what of today? Can the Eagles play better? They sure can and will. They could only play as well as we let them today. Can we go up a notch? How about three notches? Seriously.

What a great game of football! What a great will to win we saw on display in those last 3 minutes! We saw two young kids today who were nothing less than heroic when the pressure cooker was turned to max.

(1) Jamie Elliott. As BT says, "Oh boy, oh boy!" He was good in the last quarter. Those marks were like gold. His footy smarts are as good as anything we saw from Sidebottom and Beams in their early games. Seriously, if Billy had been born 15 centimetres taller we'd be talking of a future franchise player. As it is, he'll still be a champion at Collingwood long after most of his team mates have retired. Billy Elliott we salute you! (Now Nathan Buckley get him to teach Chris Dawes how to grab a ball out of the air!)

(2) Marley Williams. I'm growing to love this kid. He shows footy smarts beyond his years (and could teach Simon Buckley a thing or two). He was massive in the last quarter frenzy.

Now to the really great thing about this year. Players have stepped up. I didn't think they could. Not so soon. But Dayne Beams has been performing at Brownlow winning levels in the past 7 or 8 weeks. Normally Dane Swan would have been a shoo-in for B.o.G. with a performance like today's (he was beautiful to watch), but Laser Beams was at another level again. Especially for hardness! And those goals were simply brilliant. One showed all the signs of genius. When Beams started at Collingwood I thought he showed possible glimpses of being another player in the mould of Millane. Now I know. He will be as good as Darren Millane, and that is the highest tribute I could offer him.

Speaking of hardness, how can you go past Jarryd Blair? Geez he is mighty for a little man! I loved Sidebottom's game, and Sharrod Wellingham's. Dale Thomas took my breath away again. And welcome back to the land of the living Harry O'Brien. And a special ditto to that for Travis Cloke. Cloke had to be the forward line by himself for most of the day. He got help from Goldsack, who is developing nicely in that role.

Our backline looks so much better with Nathan Brown in it. And welcome back Ben Reid (rusty, but you came through unscathed - thank God!). Nick Maxwell was important when it mattered. I thought Toovey struggled. And the less said about Marty Clarke and Simon Buckley tonight, the better for everyone.

I leave a final tribute to the most heroic game this man has played for us since the 2010 Grand Final. Darren Jolly. He rucked single-handed all day against two of the best tap ruckmen in the AFL. He spent every penny today to get us over the line. And it was no thanks to Chris Dawes. Not only did Dawes only get 2 hitouts (well people say this is the main reason he is still in the side), he couldn't mark to save his life (surprise, surprise) and his lack of goals for a forward is now seriously embarrassing. You know what, we'd have got a lot more playing Cam Wood today. In Wood's last game he actually marked the ball and kicked goals. It has gone past the ridiculous stage with Dawes now. He must be dropped. We can't keep carrying him. Sorry. But that's the only real negative I have tonight.

Great win. We are on track to win the flag in 2012. Nathan Buckley really CAN coach!

Finally, go Black Caviar you good thing!

[woodisgood]

[AnthonyC]

Man, how bad did we play, fair dinkum we have got a lot of work to do. Can Bucks actually coach? I just don't know what to make of this year....

Edit: Oops, 10 weeks too late. Some brainless morons on here have NFI.



Good win against a side that is going places and had a point to prove.

Happy to take the points, but like Culp said, we overused it and then poor disposal under pressure, real or perceived, let us down. Having said that I am in awe of how good each side was in close (yes even the weagles). Handballs under pressure to get it out of congestion or to make play was fantastic at times.

On top of the ladder, doesn't get any better.

[Adz]

Would like to see Kerr tagged next time, tore us to shreds today.

[neil]

[MattyD]

great to see the black and white out in force despite the cold!

I thought the umpires weren't too bad for a lot of the game but when it counted they tried their hardest to get the weagles over the line, didn't they?
Really enjoyed booing of the umps as they went off! Did they look surprised to be booed???

Agree with everyone's comments about the pies' disposal, seemed to make a lot of errors...

But that win was incredible, so damn proud to be part of this great club.

[jack_spain]

[thompsoc]

I saw something tonight that I have not seen ever in 50 years! Dawes helped a Weagles player whilst the ball was still in play and it basically went past him. Was I dreaming or was this true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if true it was a disgrace. I have always been a big Dawes fan but at the moment - no way!

[stui magpie]

[VicParkTragic]

It was an interesting game in terms of eb and flow. One team dominated the then other, then the other again. I guess that's how it goes when two great teams have a crack.
The teams seem to have different tactics to me. (or is it strengths?)
They seem to run and spread better but sacrifice possession because of the all out attack. We still seem to value possession more and take less risks. I'm not saying one is better than the other but thats what I see.
Really I dont understand tactics can someone explain them to me?
Am I right what I see?