BigBlog

It’s that time of year again and Grand Final glory awaits either Geelong or Hawthorn this Saturday afternoon.

While I would prefer to be out there playing rather than watching it with a few mates at a local watering hole I think I will enjoy what I expect to be a game full of hard running, hard play and plenty of hard ball gets.

As I gaze further into the crystal ball I think the Cats will come out on top by between 20-30 points in a high scoring game, especially in the first half. Hopefully I am right because last year’s Grand Final was a fizzer with Geelong up by 80 or 100 or whatever it was at halftime.

At the same time I am not sure who I will be cheering for, as I believe a Hawthorn premiership would be really good for the game in general.

Plenty has been said about how Buddy Franklin could be the match winner for the Hawks and he is certainly a favourite for many fans to watch. I don’t mind watching Buddy go around but I actually prefer watching some of my own teammates like Leon Davis and Alan Didak.

Of course the talk about Geelong seems to be focusing on the impending news regarding Paul Chapman and whether he will play or not. I think he will.

As Leigh Matthews said today, when it comes to Grand Finals you have to take emotion out of your selections and pick your best 22. Chapman is well and truly ensconced in that 22 at the Cats.

Unfortunately a return from Chappy will mean someone has to get the tap on the shoulder from their coach, Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson. Bomber made the call last year and cut a shattered Mark Blake in favour of Steven King.

As a player I don’t know how you would take it. You would be shattered but still cheering your mates on and I would say there would be a few Geelong players having some restless nights of late as they wonder if they will miss out.

At different times this week the names of David Wojcinski, Tom Lonergan, James Kelly and Travis Varcoe have all been mentioned. If Varcoe were to be the unlucky one then you would have to feel for him after he played one of the best games of his career last weekend against the Western Bulldogs.

Here at Collingwood we have had our own sad moment with the news that our captain Scott Burns has retired, joining  St Kilda legend Robert Harvey as one of the better players to retire at the end of 2008.

Speaking of the Saints, they were the team who ended our season and it was a huge disappointment for us to go out the way we did. We headed into the game with plenty of confidence after knocking the Saints off twice in the regular season but we couldn’t produce a winning effort.

Someone who did produce a winning effort this week was the Western Bulldogs Adam Cooney as he took home the Brownlow. I watched the Brownlow at home with my mum and my girlfriend as I didn’t receive an invite.

Watching it, it really came down to the favourites and while some people saw Cooney winning as an upset I don’t think it was a huge one. He did have a ripper season and only just pipped, Gary Ablett, Simon Black and Matthew Richardson.

As for not attending I have mixed feelings. If you are going to be in contention then of course you want to go but if you are not, as I wasn’t, then all it becomes is a night out where the dress for your girl burns a hole in your pocket.

This week has been a big one and I have had something on every day from Tuesday when I was at Federation Square for Telstra, then Crown Casino for a cook off which I actually won.

I’m back on ‘The Footy Show’ panel tonight, off to the races tomorrow night and then appearing on ‘Before the Game’ on Saturday. Hopefully I don’t receive ‘tool of the week’ again, after my appearance for the ‘Welcome to my blog’ video.

Once all that is over I’m looking forward to a surfing trip to The Maldives. A few of my mates and I decided to head over for this trip sometime in May and I’m keen to recharge before coming back to pre-season training.

Dale

To be honest, it's been a bit of a frustrating time of late. There hasn't been a lot going on as I've been injured - I hurt myself against Port Adelaide a couple of weeks ago so I didn't play last week and I'm still not sure if I'm going over to Perth for this weekend.

I've damaged my calf, so it's pretty painful and generally pretty disappointing. I did it in a marking contest. I went up and came down and the back of my boot caught and I kind of got my legs taken out from under me. I landed pretty hard and it gave the calf a bit of a wrench up behind the knee. It's just a strain but it's pretty painful.

It was great to watch the boys beat Sydney last weekend but it was still very difficult to have to sit in the stand. Everyone says it, but I reckon I am probably the worst spectator on earth. I find it very hard to watch a game from the sidelines. I probably get more nervous watching than I normally would be if I was actually playing. I watched that game last week and, I'll tell you, I was no good at all. Terrible!

The plane trip and everything to Perth might make it pull up a bit sore so it's still not certain I'll be going over. Fingers crossed but we'll have to wait and see how I go at a fitness test.

In general Collingwood is going alright and the win at the weekend has certainly given us some confidence. There's a likelihood we'll come up against Sydney at some stage during the finals so a win's good for that reason.

The final eight is basically locked in now and we can't go out of the eight, so it's all pretty positive. We'll probably be in a position from fifth to eighth. There's a possibility we can make the top four but I think the Kangaroos have to lose and other results go the right way.

The main difference about the positions in the eight is if you're further down you will probably have to travel for the game and that's always harder than playing close to home. Having said that, there are eight teams that aren't going to be there at all during the finals at all, so we're grateful to be there in the first place.

It's the last round this weekend and then the finals kick off so it's really the business end of the season. But getting an injury at this time of year is pretty frustrating. The good thing for me however is that I know we're in the eight so the pressure is off and hopefully I can come good with the injury and get a game. Hopefully the boys don't play too good so that I can't get in the side!

Because of the injury I haven't even be able to get away and go for a surf like I normally would. That's not very enjoyable. Apparently the surf's been alright too which makes it even more frustrating.

So all up, it's been a pretty flat period. I've been sitting on the couch and only going out for physio work and to do some swimming. I've been doing quite a lot of swimming as part of the recovery, and let me tell you I'm no Michael Phelps. I think I'm more cut out for the footy field than I am for the swimming pool!

It’s time to pack the car and head down the Bellarine Peninsula for a bit of surf, but before that I’ll post a blog entry.

It’s no secret our performance last week against the Kangas wasn’t the best but we have learnt from it.

While there is no doubt the game was disappointing, we have highlighted that we lost concentration for periods of the game and weren’t really switched on, which is a shame as it was a game we had an opportunity to win.

As long as we realise what we have done wrong then we can learn from our mistakes and improve as a team. It’s also better to pick up on them now rather than a few weeks down the track in the finals.

While the concentration lapses are a cause for concern we think it’s something we can get on top of.

As I said before the game, the Kangaroos are a good side and we knew what we were in for, but the bottom line is they were better on the night and deserved to win the match. Along with Brent Harvey I thought Matt Campbell, Lindsay Thomas and Peter Wells were very good for the Kangas.

Brent Harvey deserves to be where he is in the Brownlow betting and I think he’s a good chance. He’s also one of the hardest players in the competition to grab in a tackle. He’s so low to the ground and with his good footwork he can turn you inside out very easily and quickly.

We’re now past that loss and are looking ahead to a danger game against Essendon. The Bombers are still mathematically a chance to make the eightwhich makes them dangerous.

They will play like their season is on the line and we have to be ready for their running game.

Aside form that we’ll need to kick straight up front because down the other end there are two blokes by the name of Lloyd and Lucas who have been kicking bags of goals for years and are just as good now as they have ever been. With the Bombers having won four of their last five they will have their tails up.

While it’s a massive game for the fans of both clubs we don’t want to make it seem any more important than it is. Ultimately, despite the fervor of the fans, it is another game and one we need to win to attempt to stay in touch with the top four.

Speaking of the top four, it’s great to see the Hawthorn versus Geelong battle has been sold out at ‘the G’. I hope it’s a cracker of a game, but the way the Cats blew the Bulldogs away last week things are looking ominous for the Hawks.

I can’t let this post go without commenting on Joel Bowden’s tactics at the weekend.

I was watching that game and when Joel chipped it out and then rushed those behinds I was left thinking what a smart play! I’m sure it’s not what the fans want to see, they want to see a kick out and a scrap for a goal, but with four points and possibly Richmond’s season on the line Joel made a great play.

He copped some flak for it, but so what? He didn’t break the rules of the game, therefore I think what he did was perfectly fine.

Back at home my puppy Missi is going well and the only problem is getting her toilet trained. I took her down the club this week and she was a big hit with the boys.

Dale

I’ve finally got my new Bulldog, Missi and she is great with the exception of the damage she has been doing round the house, but that’s part of her being a puppy.

She’s a pretty cool dog. She runs around for half an hour or so then falls asleep, which is when I get to clean up her mess.

Missi also snores, so I was sleep deprived for some of the week It was like I had a 40 year old guy sleeping in the same room, unbelievable!

Speaking of animals a few of the boys and I have sold Royal Riff Raff recently, but I still have my harness racer Village Slickers who has been going well running 4th last week and 2nd this week.

Hopefully Village Slickers can crack it for another win soon, as we have just changed the trainer.

In the other part of my life, footy is going well.

Being able to knock off Sydney and Adelaide in consecutive weeks is no mean feat and in doing so we have snuck up to within two points of the top four.

I have said before a top four finish and two bites of the finals cherry is our regular season goal and we will keep grinding away at that.

I think the heavy track the week before in Sydney took its toll on the boys last week as a few of them were cramping up late in the game against the Crows.

As for the game it was a good win, which I felt we deserved. We were certainly aided by the injury to Brett Burton and, while you never like to see any player get injured, when he went off there was a bit of relief in our camp as he was red hot throughout the game.

This week we have had a short week as we prepare to take on the Kangaroos on Friday night.

The short week simply means we really focus on getting over all of the soreness from last week and have a few more massages than normal.

As for the Kangas, well we have to be wary of them. They are coming off a narrow victory over Port Adelaide and will be fired up to force their way into the eight this week.

It’s always the teams on the edge of the eight who present a big danger because they are scrapping that hard to get in, or stay in the eight or stay that they always have that motivation.

We lost to them earlier in the year in a game we could have won and it’s one of those that could have really cost us so this week we will look to turn that result around.

I think Mick Malthouse puts it best when he says “ninth position is the easiest spot to finish in” and to me there is not much difference between finishing ninth or 16th.

Dale

We had a great trip to Sydney and got the result we wanted. It was a good game on both a club and personal level.

As a team we needed the win to push closer to the top four, which is definitely a goal, and also keep our winning streak over the Swans alive and stretch it to five games. I think being able to beat them consistently bodes well for the immediate future, especially if we do end up playing them in the finals.

It was also a good game for me, booting a couple of goals and taking a couple of good grabs. The marks were simply a case of being in the right place at the right time.

I was told about the surface at ANZ Stadium being shifty before the game, but once I was out there I couldn’t believe it. The ground was patchy with lush green grass in sections but muddy or sandy in others.

I think the way the footing could be best described would be to say it’s like going out for a kick on dewy grass in joggers. You don’t know when the ground is going to give way or hold firm.

I think that was part of the reason for the low skill level on display in the first half of the game as the players tried to get used to the surface.

Thankfully this week we are back to the MCG and a very good surface. I won’t be comparing it to ANZ Stadium because that would be an injustice to ‘The G’.

Obviously the Barry Hall/Shane Wakelin incident got plenty of coverage afterwards but from our end it didn’t take away from the game. I’m sure Shane felt it warranted a free kick and Sydney are dealing with Barry’s situation.

As I said this week we are back home at the MCG taking on the Adelaide Crows, who are a quality side and not dissimilar to Sydney in the sense they play a very tight game and are good right across the park.

You always know you have been in a contest when you have played the Crows and this week won’t be any different. On a personal note I am hoping to push up the park a bit and spend some time in the middle, but we’ll see what happens.

Both sides will be fired up for a big game, especially as the winner could finish the round just two points outside the top four with Sydney taking on the Hawks.

Also if we win we can create a bit of space for ourselves from Adelaide and the likes of St Kilda and Carlton.

I’m getting my dog this week, so in anticipation I have cleaned up the house and made sure I put paper down all over the place.

Rod, thanks for the comment on the post – it was good to get the job done.

Dale