Round 4.

[Donny]

Last 10 shots all goals.

7 to Freo.

[Woods Of Ypres]

HEAVE HO WAY TO GO

[Donny]

Final.

Fremantle 18.5.113
Essendon 9.6.60

AF points: Heppell 140, McPharlin 127, Stanton 111, Pavlich 107, Clarke 105, Johnson 104, de Boer 100

[watt price tully]

Goddard injured pre-game & in the early stages of this match. While I don't wish injury to player, his injury could be timely for "us" in 2 weeks.

[ANNODAM]

Another weekend where the Pies win & both the Scum & ESS lose!

I like it, I like it a lot!!!

[35forever]

Does anyone still want Mick back?

I don't think there's a single Nickster who "Wants Mick back".
There are however millions of Magpies, people who love Collingwood as much as anyone else, who wish Mick wasn't let go in the first place.
The fact that Carlton are stone motherless, while thoroughly enjoyable, has zero bearing on whether that was an idiotic decision or not. Whether Mick gets Carlton a flag or not, he was at his very best the year we dumped him. He was without doubt the premier coach of our game, ALL of you would've agreed in 2010 or mid-2011.

Personally I believe Mick was 'ruined' to a certain extent by his 'removal' from the Westpac. He loved coaching "his boys", he had a great fondness for them and was seen as a father figure by many, particularly the country & interstate kids like Daisy et al. Is it so bizarre that guys like Daisy, Dids & Swanny preferred the idea of keeping Mick, as opposed to an ex-teammate who was well-known to be aloof and dismissive of anyone who did anything other than work? Bucks was never a 'warm' person, quite the reverse, however most of our guys chose to remain at Collingwood, Daisy & Heater included. The last two - for the umpteenth time - were dumped by Collingwood, that is a fact. Ask Collingwood administrators, ask Buckley, ask Eddie, ask Pert. Heath stated this fact, in complete contradiction of Collingwood statements, and he was never gainsaid by the club. It's a fact, build yourselves a bridge people!!!

Getting Mick back now, even if it were possible, is not the solution to our current problems, which despite Friday night's performance are very real. I, like many others, had a fair idea we'd beat Sydney, and knew without doubt we'd beat Richmond. Similarly, I had no doubt we'd lose to Geelong, not because they're so great - they're not! - but because we have started so many seasons with the ol' LWLWLW... This is symptomatic of a team lacking confidence, as is the incredible number of skill errors we manage to produce, particularly in front of goal.

I still believe, without any doubt at all, that our best is still the best in the game, but it's been a while since I've seen it. Not this year or last year, in fact not since our run of ten wins in 2012. At that point I thought Buckley might just be adequate as a coach, but since then it's been clear that he isn't. We are winning games on sheer talent, Buckley has made some good strategic moves, set plays and positional changes such as swinging Reid up forward and moving Harry to the wing/half-back, as well as having Caff take on the tagging role, however when it comes to game day tactics, I've yet to see him make a brilliant match-winning move. Far more importantly, however, he doesn't seem to "have the players". He lacks the warmth to be a leader of young men, and doesn't look after them in front of the media. I've seen him blame players, both singly and as a group, for losses and other problems, but never have I seen him take an iota of responsibility for anything at all, ever.
To me these things, rather than the occasional clever move, are the most important roles of a senior coach. Eade can provide the tactical nous, but Bucks needs to be the guy with whom the proverbial 'buck' terminates it's journey.

Maybe he'll get this one day, maybe he won't, the proof will be winning games on end and shooting at goal better than 55%. The result will be a flag (or three), or failure, there's no way we don't have the players, we display enough glimpses of sheer brilliance each week to prove that.