jack_spain wrote:I'm satisfied with the final result, but we took an awful long time to get going.
Can't wait to get Heater and Toovey back in defense. It is one shaky unit right now (Leon Davis excepted).
I think we underestimate just how much Heater's talk organises our backline (even more so than Maxwell's). And Toovey is just cool in a crisis.
It's not that Taz, Harry, Buckley, Johnson and Reid were badly beaten in the first half, but they were not as sharp as usual. Nick Maxwell is still in the side through a lack of genuine alternative. His thinking processes are quite panicked at times. He doesn't seem to trust himself to kick.
The foward line desperately needs Chris Dawes back for structure. Keefe is not up to it this year. He'll develop into a good player, but should not play a part in the finals this year (unless we are in dire straights with injuries). Didak
must come back. Krakouer showed enough reason for us to stick with him and build his confidence (he's a wonderful kick for goal).
Fasolo is the real deal and will probably be this year's Jarryd Blair. Unfortunately for Blair, he'll probably be the one to make way for Didak. Wellingham is still valuable to this side as a backup mid, and of course Dale Thomas on song is our most valuable player. God we missed him in that first half.
Macaffer is really struggling and will probably drop out when Toovs comes back. Beams did more than enough to show why he is a useful team man. Sinclair will play bit parts this season, but watch out in 2012. He looks like a real gem.
What can you say about Luke Ball that hasn't already been said?
When the Bummers had taken our pants down in the first half, Ball was one of the few players who stood up to them.
I'm glad Jolly played, and he must
not be rested again for the rest of the season. He must play himself into form. He was rusty today.
Swan got a lot of the footy, but his disposal makes me shake my head too often these days. A good game, but not a great one (although the disposal beancounters will be enraptured with his 45 touches). It's how you use the ball that matters.
And that leads me to Scott Pendlebury. He simply doesn't miss shots on the run. In fact Pendles thinks like a basketballer. You can see him sizing up his shots, weighing up whether to lay the ball off to someone in a better position. But when he pulls the trigger he never misses - nothing but net!
I would make Scott Pendlebury Collingwood captain as soon as next year. He will certainly follow Nick Maxwell who will struggle to hold his place in the side unless he has a big pre-season.
Now is the time to start playing finals footy. Develop good habits to smash the opposition when it counts. I thought last week was a shocking second half. This week our first half was even worse. If we want to go back-to-back we simply must play four good quarters.
Has the world ended or something? 
