Let’s get something out of the way early, I don’t like Collingwood. Who does? Except for Collingwood members and supporters.
So it’s understandable that when I scored a ticket for the Geelong Vs Collingwood preliminary final that I went hoping for Geelong to give Collingwood a football lesson. How disappointed I was.
From the outset it was obvious. The umpiring was going Collingwood’s way, as was the bounce of the ball. To rub salt into my wounded heart, Collingwood were skillful, had better decision-making and tackled ruthlessly. Geelong was never in it, Collingwood never let them have a sniff.
Geelong constantly made mistakes, as the pressure was intense. So intense that there became the perception of pressure when there wasn’t any.
Geelong got a few goals back in the last quarter but it was little consolation as Collingwood had long gone into autopilot. You just can’t give the best team in the competition a 10-goal lead and expect to get away with it, I don’t care who you are.
The Geelong dynasty is in danger of being declared officially over. Cameron Ling looked slow, Ottens made no impact and has one year left maximum. Gary Ablett’s apparent move to the Gold Coast won’t help either.
An Ablett departure would draw the curtain on Geelong’s era of dominance. He was the only Geelong player that could say they had a positive influence on the game that night. Some rapid infusion of youth might be necessary as those stalwarts that were so important to their success are on the decline.
The years ahead will bring opportunities for other teams to start their own dynasty. Just please, not Collingwood.
So it’s understandable that when I scored a ticket for the Geelong Vs Collingwood preliminary final that I went hoping for Geelong to give Collingwood a football lesson. How disappointed I was.
From the outset it was obvious. The umpiring was going Collingwood’s way, as was the bounce of the ball. To rub salt into my wounded heart, Collingwood were skillful, had better decision-making and tackled ruthlessly. Geelong was never in it, Collingwood never let them have a sniff.
Geelong constantly made mistakes, as the pressure was intense. So intense that there became the perception of pressure when there wasn’t any.
Geelong got a few goals back in the last quarter but it was little consolation as Collingwood had long gone into autopilot. You just can’t give the best team in the competition a 10-goal lead and expect to get away with it, I don’t care who you are.
The Geelong dynasty is in danger of being declared officially over. Cameron Ling looked slow, Ottens made no impact and has one year left maximum. Gary Ablett’s apparent move to the Gold Coast won’t help either.
An Ablett departure would draw the curtain on Geelong’s era of dominance. He was the only Geelong player that could say they had a positive influence on the game that night. Some rapid infusion of youth might be necessary as those stalwarts that were so important to their success are on the decline.
The years ahead will bring opportunities for other teams to start their own dynasty. Just please, not Collingwood.
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