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Date Posted: 17:52 17/06/24 Mon
Author: Annabelle
Author Host/IP: 139-216-204-154.sta.dodo.net.au / 139.216.204.154
Subject: Unpacking of a nerve jangling come from behind win over Norf

Some Pie fans told me at training last Friday when I said I “hope we win to honour Maynard” that I should just enjoy the comfortable victory coming our way. This got we wondering whether all our fans place a context around the ensuring encounter or go in with unbridled confidence and faith.
Norf was buoyed by the win in the west, have a recent history of ‘ambushing’ us or at least threatening to rain on our parade, and are a young team gradually developing their draft largesse emanating from their entrenched mediocrity. Admittedly their midfield was significantly depleted, but we also were stricken with injuries, primarily to our on-ball brigade and forward zone. For them it was a free hit, as best personified by Comden’s comments that we were “gettable”. If they win, he sounds like a prescient genius, given our dominant favouritism, but if they lose, nobody necessarily remembers his assertion.
Additionally, Marvel, their home turf, is not our happy hunting ground.

Bearing all this in mind, and with Maynard’s milestone as incentive to make an early statement, our opposition jumped out of the blocks much quicker and once a team gets momentum, it can be difficult to arrest. Losing the battle in the middle placed our defence under a lot of duress and they were torn asunder with ease. Larkey was interviewed and admitted that the Collingwood defenders give you good looks with their team defence modus operandi, especially when their onballers are ascendant.

As it transpired, our deficit reached 54 points before the slow turnaround began. Fly made some moves, principally relocating Frampton, placing Nick at half forward and allowing Sidey and Beau to provide some centre square impetus. Our pressure rating dialled up from 172 to 221 and correspondingly they found it hard to maintain their maniacal approach on the ball, eventually descending into a panicked version of themselves. Clarko’s reshuffling which allowed Nick more breathing space was less successful than Fly’s new strategies. Perhaps their younger players found their tanks running near empty, though with so many not in our regular twenty-two, we’re in reality, running on the smell of an oily rag at this juncture.

Many Norf fans are crying foul over umpiring decisions. Should we extend an atom of sympathy to them? No. Their time will come with all the draft capital they have obtained at the expense of those who subsidise them.

The players:

Nick - was very low on impact in the first half based on his lofty standards but he made amends in the second once freed from the tagging shackles and he was one of the key catalysts in our revival. While his disposal was below par given his abilities in this area, he kicked two majors and supplied his forwards crucially in the last quarter with precise delivery to enable them to capitalize on his brilliance. Clearly most teams going forward will be looking to diminish his output through their tagging tactics.

Josh – had a dirty day at the office on balance, despite doing some good work. As is sometimes the case, he made quite a few disposal errors which set us back in pivotal moments. His season is arguably tracking below his Copeland year.

Cameron – had his work cut out especially early with the novice who dobbed a goal from the boundary but gradually wore him down to some extent. He floated back to take some telling marks in defence which helped out our defenders who lack his prowess overhead.

Sullivan – struggled early as he was swarmed by his more accomplished opponents but put on some pressure later as we surged to make the midfield battle more competitive. At times he hung onto the ball too long meaning he was run down. He needs to become more decisive and take the first option as he’s not quick over the ground.

Tew – looked a bit overawed initially but recovered to show some poise which saw him gain some crucial possessions. The fact that he cramped in both hamstrings during the third stanza is a testament to the step up for many green youngsters when they transition to the next level

IQ – continues to struggle a bit. He seemed to be on a range of opponents but was sometimes caught lagging and his positioning appears to be a bit awry atm. He occasionally propelled us forward but is below his best.

Howe – on balance a pretty good game and he’s returned to some of his best form during the past two encounters despite some horrendous turnovers. He intercepted well a few times in defence and when moved into attack, looked more comfortable than Billy. He hit the scoreboard twice with a major and a minor.

Frampton – apart from Fly and his band of assistants, nobody else seems to view him as a forward. He rarely touches the ball, doesn’t offer the same structural comfort provided by Checkers and Norf have not been renowned recently for having scary defenders who must be nullified. Moreover he’s needed more in defence because of our lack of height there. He did quite well when the change was thankfully made.

Dean – is beginning to look more at home behind the ball and apart from some shaky moments early, he was our most reliable defensive option. Maybe he could have been deployed on the rampaging Larkey who had our number again.

Noble – nowhere near his prolific best and he made some egregious errors to boot. One of his more forgettable outings with some fans wanting him to be subbed.

Reef – rather than Billy starting forward, perhaps he could have been afforded a full match, allowing Tew to put all his energies into a tighter timeframe. He kicked a goal and could have had another but for a redeployed free kick and he looked to be a bit of a presence in attack. Fly perhaps could nurture his confidence by having greater faith in him.

Moore – a popular whipping boy amid Pie fans atm, he was pulverised by Larkey who was much too quick and smart for him and while having good disposal overall made some sloppy, costly errors by hand. His only saving grace was his nine spoils which maintains his lead in the comp for this stat. Looked a tad listless; did the Petracca incident spook him?

Kreuger – started poorly and redeemed himself late with some input into proceedings. The worry for fans is that yesterday's performance is more indicative of what he might offer going forward than his heartening display against the Dees.

Macrae – like Freddie, he couldn’t reprise the promising elements of last week’s encounter. In the first half he couldn’t physically compete with his Norf counterparts and even when gathering the pill, he executed erratically meaning that he seemed to be moving inexorably towards the top of the sub candidate’s queue.

Hill – when we were being smashed, Bobby’s mark of the year entry looked to be the only highlight emerging from this match. Fortunately, he continued to strut his stuff finishing with five majors and some additions to his burgeoning highlights reel. While he can be subdued for periods, he is never averse to applying pressure and the Hill thrill is killing some opposition more regularly.

Schultz – fans have been hankering after more goals to complement his pressure game and yesterday he delivered in our time of need. He copped a few bumps along the way but delivered blows of his own on the scoreboard. If this becomes a more regular occurrence (remember defence is not Norf’s strong suit), he will go a long way towards helping us build towards another finals appearance.

Crisp – while like his teammates, he was spluttering at first, his indomitable spirit can never be broken. He booted a controversial goal while gathering some crucial disposals around the ground to help us overpower our feisty opponents.

Sidey – his seasons is marked by form vicissitudes which make his output hard to predict from week to week but Fly’s decision to move him to the centre bore fruit and he was responsible for reshaping our play and ensuring we kept pressuring the Kangas when they were beginning to wilt.

Lippa – he lapsed back into the more insipid version of himself as he failed early to match the dominant midfield of the Roos and found himself not laying significant tackles and being dispossessed himself when he succeeded in hunting the ball. Kept running but not one of his more celebrated days at the coalface.

Beau – played his usual pressure game but when summoned late to the middle, added a layer to his work which resulted in us receiving more impetus from those on the ball. Was effectively rag dolled once which didn’t appear to sit well with him.More consistent impact from McCreery can only make us more potent.

WHE – flashed in and out as if often his wont but apart from a few errors was quite productive and impactful with his disposals. His pace also came to the fore at times and he generally ran hard to create space.

Harrison – once again showed some flashes of high end talent with some evasive work, some capacity to extricate himself and/or the ball from congestion and his ability to score an opportunistic goal, though we hope he will become even more involved in the play and more consistent with further exposure.

Maynard – not an auspicious occasion in terms of his on field performance, though he did work desperately at the end to protect our precarious lead. He was part of a misfiring defensive unit which leaked like a colander and looked disorganized at times.

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