Looking forward with the Maggies

by MICHAEL STEVEN

EVERYBODY wants to talk to me about the grand final. What bloody grand final? The season hasn't even started yet.

Collingwood wants to win the premiership. To do so it will have to improve on its 2002 efforts. Finishing a lucky fourth, Collingwood lost a total of 10 games. A slump in the second half could easily have seen them finish in the bottom half of the eight. There were few consistent contributors. Its highlights were beating Essendon on Anzac Day, Brisbane at Docklands and Port Adelaide in the finals, but throughout the home and away Collingwood failed to play consistent top level football.

So where can we hungry supporters hope to find the necessary improvement?

The big plus now is that the team has played at the top level and played well.

It is one of the youngest lists with many of the younger group now having played between 40 and 50 games. Amongst the youngest Cloke, McGough and Cole did not play in Collingwood's last game. They all began their senior career in 2002 and they all showed real potential and a fair amount of poise. When Cloke played against Brisbane at Docklands mid-season he beat Brown convincingly. He did not play second time round and Collingwood missed his competitiveness and his ability to pick up the marks between the lines. He was an important cog in the Malthouse structure who will be studied much more closely next season and will need to get better to withstand the scrutiny. He has shown himself to be focused and committed. When reported in the final against Adelaide rather than drop his head he lifted his work rate and played a confident attacking role going for and taking finger tip marks over the top of others rather than punch the ball defensively. He looks like a player who can withstand the pressure.

McGough did more than was hoped. His junior coach Leon Harris is full of praise for this man's hands and his character. He said he needs work on his kicking but was a ball magnet and destined to make it. McGough lost his way a little in the second half of the season but played some great games when he was only 17. He is strong and does not get pushed off the ball. He does need to improve his kicking and with more experience his spontaneous slick hands should develop into a creative and dynamic weapon.

Cole played only a handful of senior games but was a very positive contributor on most of those occasions. He may appear a bit unfashionable, but he is fast, strong, runs straight, can kick it a mile and takes a good mark. He can play both ends and after missing most of 2001 and missing the preseason he managed to play well at the senior level. With a full preseason and an extra year to build up his body he is destined to be given more opportunities.

There are other players with one or two more seasons under their belt who have shown potential but not yet shown themselves to be significant consistent contributors week in and week out. Fraser was hampered by osteitis pubis and just before the finals there was plenty of discussion about whether he would be dropped. His efforts in the finals saw a form reversal but only on a few occasions throughout the season did he really dominate a game.

Didak showed plenty but can be better more often if he works at his stamina. It's OK to be a cheeky opportunist but he must be careful not to get too distracted by niggling taggers as evidenced against Essendon in the second round. He has explosive pace and is a powerful kick.

O'Bree too was hampered by osteitis pubis and has shown in the past that he needs plenty of work to maximise his contribution. It was only towards the end that he was a regular.

Ryan Lonie was great in the finals but took a long time to hit his straps, again because of an interrupted training schedule. His big improvement this year was his ability to get his body over the ball more often. His third year should add more consistency to his hard running game.

Ben Johnson is fast and hard but needs to eradicate the occasional careless turnover. Don't be fazed by Ackermanis's whingeing about being injured. In the first quarter Johnson beat him to the ball on more than one occasion. He can play well against the best but needs to dominate an opposition more often.

Leon Davis is great when he is great but he has to get out of the forward pocket more often and utilise his pace in more open paces. He sometimes has a tendency to go for marks over packs he should be scouting and he needs to straighten up more often rather than kick across his body. But he is an excitement machine and will bust a game open off his own boot sooner rather than later.

Brodie Holland seemed to drift away towards the end but his strength at ground level in the forward line would have been very beneficial against Brisbane in the last game if he had been playing well enough to be selected. Built like a hippo he needs plenty of running to maintain his stamina.

Chris Tarrant was badly injured against West Coast and seemed to return to the fray too early. He appeared to avoid hip and shoulder contact after that but his eight marks in the last game against Brisbane shows that he has the class. Matthews was certainly floundering to try and work out who was the best match against him.

Scotland has excellent skill and improved his body on body work but can still improve on his defensive game.

Lockyer and Betheras need to dig in even deeper to keep up with the pack. Lockyer is highly regarded at the club but by most standards he had a poor year in 2002. Betheras was patchy but his enthusiasm was infectious.

Steinfert played a couple of important games and can play top football but he too needs to work that little bit harder to match the skill level of others. They've all got the mettle to do so.

McKee was a fantastic contributor on most occasions but got blown away against top liners sometimes. He has shown he can play well and is the type of player who will keep improving until he is about 28.

All of these players have youth on their side, most are 21 or younger. They have played well on big occasions and have shown the commitment to get the best out of themselves. As a unit they should improve in 2003.

Molloy was hardly a contributor all season. It has been said that he has only played three good seasons of league football: his first with Fitzroy, his first with Brisbane and his first with Collingwood. In the last game against Brisbane he lacked match fitness and failed to make a contribution. He probably got a game on the basis of his efforts against Brisbane earlier in the season when he played with a broken toe but helped create a couple of goals at important times in the game. Jarrod needs to modify his enthusiasm and show more care for his own body in the contests. A long chat to Denis Banks, who modified his game late in his career, played more consistently and was less inclined to get injured, wouldn't go astray. Banks played in a PREMIERSHIP TEAM for all those who can't remember the first-ever grand final in the AFL. Molloy needs to play most of the home and away games to maintain his fitness and hone his skills. He is strong and creative and when fit and playing well would step comfortably into any team.

Buckley, Burns, Licuria, Prestigiacomo, Wakelin, Clement, Rocca, and Freeborn were the consistent group of experienced players who were the backbone in 2002.

Buckley gets one year older and is now a veteran. Burns had an injury free year at last, Clement was superb in many roles, Rocca gets better and better, and Freeborn reads the play as well as anyone. Presti and Wakelin are probably the team's only real options as regular key backmen. They were helped by the support of Cloke, Lonie and Clement but long-term injury to either will unsettle the structure. Buckley's role will diminish as he gets older. He is a great team player, was one of the teams most prolific tacklers in 2002, and is as complete a footballer as just about anyone going around. His role may start diminishing but his contribution will be enormous for many years to come. Rocca has many reasons to believe that he is one of the best centre half forwards. He can mark in a pack, he can kick a mile and he can burst a pack. His leadership in the finals series was exceptional and with that self-belief he can get even better.

In 2002, Collingwood did not have a player selected in the All-Australian team. If you look at history most successful clubs, and I mean premiership clubs, have a swag of players selected at the top level. At least some of this core of senior players needs to reach that standard.

Two forgotten men are Ben Kinnear and Rhys Shaw. Kinnear was leap-frogged by Cloke in 2002. He has played a couple of good games against top opposition but needs to improve his kicking. Shaw seemed to suffer from an energy sapping illness and didn't play much. Both have the athleticism and the ability if things go right for them.

Woewodin was the surprise pick-up. He fits the Malthouse mould and adds to Collingwood's most potent force: its swarm of runners. He plays tall, runs all day, can attack and defend and has plenty to prove. Cameron Cloke is a very cheap pick-up at number 47. He is the best of the three by all accounts but probably won't have too much influence at this early stage. Williams will add depth. It seems that Malthouse has handpicked him so we can look to his contribution with optimism.

Two of the as-yet-untried brigade are Tom Davidson and Guy Richards. Davidson is a skilful, hard running tall forward who will benefit from Terry Daniher's tutoring. Guy Richards is extremely tall with beautiful ruck skills. He is taking time but the club seems willing to give it to him.

Nick Davis and Damien Adkins have gone. Both are league footballers. Davis was not as good in 2002 because of injury but is potentially great. Adkins left because he could see that he would struggle to get a regular game. One suspects that Malthouse has identified a weakness in his game.

The season hasn't even started yet and the grand final is a long way away. Collingwood will not improve its position on the ladder in 2003 unless many of the younger players especially contribute more consistently and the team as a unit plays to its peak across the whole season. They need to win games when they play poorly and bury teams when they play well.

Only then will they be fully prepared for their ultimate quest. The challenge is with them.

They'll have to be better more in 2003

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