Post match: Pies crush Cats . All comments please.

[Monco Matt]

Only just watched the game this morning, was barely able to even track the scores during the game live. So typical, the first game all year I couldn't view and we have our best win since the bye, not happy! So, my thoughts on the game was that it was very lackluster. The cats were pathetic and played without any spirit, much like us last week, very odd considering their year was on the line, hard to explain why they would just roll over and cop it. Do some teams simply not want finals? Do they think to themselves "we are not good enough so why bother"? Baffling.

These games are hard to judge. I mean, we were much better last night, but was that because the competition was very poor? If we were playing against a top 8 side looking to win would be have won the game or an honorable loss or even performed as well as we did? These questions are puzzling and make it difficult to ascertain how good or bad we are from week to week, often it is so dependent on how the opposition performs. Once we start winning games when the opposition clearly plays well will be an eye popper. When we win a game in a pressure cooker environment playing strong footy under duress we will know it and recognise it as a big stepping stone forward, but that wasn't last night and hopefully next year those games will define us.

Anyway, we did what we needed to do to a deflated cats team and they got what they deserved as we did last week. Go Pies!!! 2016 feels a little brighter.

[Pies4shaw]

^^^ Well, I think the answer to all of your questions is that the Collingwood starting mid-field, without Collingwood's 3 best footballers (Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Swan), took theirs to the cleaners. They could hardly get a clearance against our kids (and Greenwood) and, ultimately, they were thrashed because they were completely out-classed at the contest, not because they "didn't try" or "didn't want it".

There has never been a match played where Bartel and Selwood didn't want the ball - but last night, they couldn't catch anyone to get their hands on it.

[Dave The Man]

Big deal, win when it doesn't count.
Why couldn't they play like this when it counted?

I can take the losses against HAW & FREO but the losses to MEL & RICH are a disgrace.

Enjoy September you lazy assed hacks!

Why are you even on this Board?

[neil]

Moore was Fantastic as our Number 1 Forward. Kicked 2 Goals and Made tons of Contests and few resulted in Collingwood Goals

White was our number one forward no-one makes a 5 game player their number one forward

[Dave The Man]

Moore was Fantastic as our Number 1 Forward. Kicked 2 Goals and Made tons of Contests and few resulted in Collingwood Goals

White was our number one forward no-one makes a 5 game player their number one forward

Taylor played on Moore not White. Moore is better then White

[E]

Moore was Fantastic as our Number 1 Forward. Kicked 2 Goals and Made tons of Contests and few resulted in Collingwood Goals

White was our number one forward no-one makes a 5 game player their number one forward

got to agree with Dave on this one. Moore was clearly our main forward.

White was a foil.

Man, White is so close to being a superstar but is such a hack. How did a guy with this much talent, fail to learn how to judge the flight of the ball.

By the way, what did everyone think of Geelongs awful kicking. Seems it isnt just Collingwood who can suffer from the disease.

[thompsoc]

Good point about White.
Geelong's kicking was woeful.
Bad kicking doesn't win matches.
After 10 years the Pussies have to go back
to the cattery and get some more kittens!

[jackcass]

Team looked much better without Cloke, Frost and Toovey...

Reid and Pendles starting on back line; Grundy, Adams, Crisp, DeGoey, Greenwood tackling and winning hard ball and clearances. Sidebottom with some outside run / finish. Langdon, Scharenberg, Maynard, Marley off HBF, Moore up forward. Kicking straighter.

Bring in Treloar, Aish and/or preferably Dangerfield - and 2016/2017 starting to look like some good potential ahead.

Unless I'm mistaken, we played some equally good footy early in the year with all 3 in the side so it's hardly indicative...

Just think the young guys on backline are our future - not Toovey; and whilst Frost is hard and punches, Reid has more skill and class. Find it hard to play Brown and Frost in same team. Cloke is overrated as a forward - better up the ground; but just think we looked more like scoring with him not there, and Moore is just as good as a target and at least has a 2nd effort.

Frost still young and yet to play 50 games so way too early to right him off.

Cloke remains 1 of the best power forwards in the league so think he still offers more than White and Moore in the KPF role.

Tooves remains our most experienced and reliable defender. No doubt players like Maynard will pass him by but don't think it will be as soon as some seem to hope.

At the moment, I think we're still a better side with all 3 in so we'll have to agree to disagree.

[WarrenerraW]

Lame as f*** last week, hard as f*** this week. Guess the team found something to play for. This contrast of hot one week and cold the next probably sums up our season. Although it's frustrating, it's clear that there are signs of a team who is capable of turning it on when they want to and reeking hovoc. When they do, they're white hot and dangerous but when we slack off or revert back to old habits then we allow the opposition to take control which we saw in the third.

I think it's fair to say we saw a team who was dirty with their efforts last week and set out to rectify that and not allow it to happen again. I admire that. I saw guts and determination from guys we'd only seen glimpses from. Running hard, tackling hard and hitting the scoreboard with ease. Is it because the pressure is off now? I don't know. I just enjoyed the win and the response from the team. I was filthy with them last week but credit where it's due.

DeGoey, Greenwood, Sidearse, Swan, Pendles, Grundy all played gallantly. Maynard down back is slotting in nicely there. Marley is hard at it but his kicking is appalling at times. Scharenberg looked good but needs to get his hands dirty more and support his team mates. He plays off his man a lot and picks up a lot of uncontested ball but got caught out at times too doing this when the cats went forward. Still he'll be better for the run.

Fasolo showed us what he can do but I wish we could see more of it. The gap between his best and worst is too great and he drifts in and out of games. In saying that he tried hard and kicked 3 goals. Could have had 5 though and probably should have too.

Moore plays with heart and soul, attacking every contest with endeavour. He doesn't mark them all but he's not afraid to jump into a pack and make the effort. Many a time he brought the ball to ground for a team mate to make a play at it or have a second crack at it himself. This guy will be a superstar in years to come I reckon.

Don't know what's up with Elliott. Looked out of sync. No doubt carrying an injury of some sort still. We need this guy at his optimum best if we're to get anywhere next year.

No Cloke no worries. Push him up the ground when he plays - away from the goals. Moore is a better kick anyway and Cloke seems to be better from 50 out.

White...

Pendles is a gun. Nuff said. We'll see him playing more forward and back in years to come with bursts in the midfield.

Played an extremely young defense last night which worked. They held it together. Reid going back was good when things got tight. Having that option really makes us a more flexible side.

Maynard's mark running back was awesome to see and he played well too.

Crisp will be something in years to come.

Langdon looks beat. Could do with a rest I reckon. Played well all year though.

[jackcass]

That's more like it.

This should give all the Magpie haters out there something to think about in preparation for next season. Apart from the wonderful work of our midfielders in Adams, Crisp, De Goey, Greenwood and Sidey, the bloke who impressed me the most was Grundy. This is the first time i've seen him dominate a game around the ground. Wow, at just 21 yrs, he's a beauty. Maybe he sent the club a message they don't need to recruit Kruezer.

Not for the first time, our forward line looked better not being Cloke focused. Darcy Moore will be the best key forward in the game in 3 yrs time - better than Buddy Franklin. De Goey will be better than Fyfe or Selwood.

I can now see why the club was so keen to get Greenwood. He is a battering ram and imposes himself on the contest like no other. I remember copping lots of criticism from many Nicksters early last year when I declared Adams a better version of Luke Ball. Well, I reckon he's already better than Ball ever was.

Maynard is a tank and will become absolutely fearsome in years to come. As others have noted, our structure looked so much better with Reid down back. I know I sound like I dislike the kid, but my only concern was again the emotionless display from Scharenberg. I'd love to see him celebrate with the boys and show that he loves playing with this team, as Marsh, Moore, De Goey, Maynard and the others do. Still, a minor point.

Finally, congratulations must got to Bucks for the great job he is doing developing this young list and getting them performing as a team. Another win like this next week against the bumbers should set the scene for an exciting pre-season and 2016. Go Pies!

Well said Rudie. Hard to disagree with any of that.

Easily Grundy's best ever game and we can expect further improvement going forward.

Love the fact Bucks is trusting the kids. Been doing it all year but last night they all delivered in spades. There were some comments in the game day thread about the folly of playing Frost on Hawkins last time we met but developing kids need these tests and what better time than in a development year to try it.

[jackcass]

Greenwood's been pretty impressive in the last two weeks shutting down Cotchin and Selwood.

Has shown improvement every game. Will be a fantastic member of the midfield in 2016.

[mudlark]

I'm pleased to see Reid play back,where he should only EVER play,Frost gone was a plus, and I've got to say ,we looked a lot better without Cloke.

[Piesnchess]

Great win, stuck it up the doom and gloomers, right royally, very proud of the lads, i never lost faith, pre game i tipped us to hit back hard, but not that hard. LOL, great to see Ling and his pussies screwed for the year, piss off Ling, go cry me a river, you sod. Now for a few too many jack daniels, go Pies you bloody ripper.

never lost faith.

JUST TWO blood changes, after that utter debacle last week, there should have been at least four, at the very least, ;put a rocket up some of em. And NO Yank picked, FMD, he may have been our big big X factor tonght, this selection committee is giving me a real pain in the arse. Im not confident tonight, if we can get within four goals, its a pass, IMHO. I hope for an upset, if only to jamm it up that red haired pig Ling, his crucifixion of Nat Brown was a damn disgrace, love to beat hs suck Pussies and jamm it right up his red haired ass, good and proper. GO PIES !!

I knew they were never going to be capable of kicking a winning score without Coxy at FF.

AT the end of the day, how many smartypants on here actually picked us too win, pre game, id say, very very few. That i at least held out some hope of a win, remote as it was, was a bit more than many around here, who had us getting slaughtered, even hoping we would be, to hasten Bucks exit as coach, as they wanted. No one in their wildest dreams expected a huge win like that, i knew wed hit back hard, but that was beyond belief. The only mystery is where the heck that form has been over the last seven games, where did it go, thats the question.

[swoop42]

Once I learned Duncan and Caddy were out Collingwood were every chance of winning because our midfield was at full strength.

Geelong being a slower side is much easier for us to handle also.

Glad to see Bucks had Brown play on Hawkins from the start. He completely blanketed him.

Didn't even bother selecting Frost this time around.

Lesson learned.

[AN_Inkling]

^^^ Well, I think the answer to all of your questions is that the Collingwood starting mid-field, without Collingwood's 3 best footballers (Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Swan), took theirs to the cleaners. They could hardly get a clearance against our kids (and Greenwood) and, ultimately, they were thrashed because they were completely out-classed at the contest, not because they "didn't try" or "didn't want it".

There has never been a match played where Bartel and Selwood didn't want the ball - but last night, they couldn't catch anyone to get their hands on it.

The Cats definitely had a down night. But there's no doubt Selwood was seriously competing, has he ever not? Was getting pretty pissed with Greenwood.

And he was well down with only 19 touches and just 4 clearances (averages 7 for the year, top 10 in the league) compared to 12 for Adams and 10 for De Goey. Not often Selwood gets beaten like that.