On Wednesday evening the Collingwood announced that it had just broken a national record for football club membership after surpassing its own 2012 record of 73,605 members. A total of above 75,000 by season’s end is a strong possibility.
Based on these figures and the recent opening of its new training ground, the AFL’s biggest and most hated club couldn’t be in better shape off the field.
On the other hand, the figures that really count to the club and its army of fans are those under the ‘W’ and ‘L’ columns. Collingwood’s 3-2 start to the season has been criticized by commentators and supporters alike as it has been said in the media that anything less than a grand final appearance in season 2013 would be seen as a failure.
In short the Pies haven’t had too much trouble dealing with the middle of the road teams, but have been put to the sword in junk time by two other serious finals aspirants in the more hardened Hawthorn and Essendon teams.
Friday’s match against St Kilda becomes less a formality and more a danger game for the suddenly fragile woodsmen.
For the common observer, it must be said that something is definitely awry here. However, before we start digging up premature (and frankly quite lame) ‘Colliwobbles’ references and trashing the McGuire inspired coaching succession plan, common sense would first suggest taking a look beyond the black and white guernseys and focusing on the actual players who have been pulling that jumper on in the first five rounds of the home-and-away season.
Collingwood was cruelled badly by injuries in 2012, and the start of 2013 hasn’t looked much better.
Yet to play a senior game in 2013 are last year’s Copeland Trophy winner Dayne Beams (83 career AFL games), 2012 ACL victims Luke Ball (193) and Andrew Krakouer (129), Hawthorn recruit Clinton Young (116) and former All-Australian Alan Didak (213).
When fit, all five of these players, and their collective 734 matches of experience, would be walk-up starters in the best 22.
In addition to the above, the Magpies have plenty of players who have missed several matches in 2013 due to recent injury.
Experienced players such as hard-running star Dale Thomas (155 AFL career games), skipper Nick Maxwell (181), ruckman Darren Jolly (230), veteran running defender Ben Johnson (235) and the bombastic Alex Fasolo (40) have all played three or less games this season and are underdone and have upset team continuity.
These players are also all considered automatic selections in the senior team and together bring 841 games of experience to the table. Unfortunately Alan Toovey’s name is another lost to an ACL injury and his personal tally of 114 games won’t be added to until season 2014.
In raw numbers what we’re looking at is a total of 1,575 games of experience that have either been missing or underdone in the first five rounds of 2013.
Beyond numbers, all of the above-mentioned players have crucial match-day roles that have been developed over time to fit their own individual strengths and weaknesses.
Covering one player with another, regardless of experience isn’t as simple as it sounds when the phenomenon of team balance is considered.
Nonetheless, Nathan Buckley is not a man who makes excuses, and the coach has put on a brave face and told the public that there are other players filling the required roles, presumably until the first-choice personnel become available.
Instead of suggesting that it will all be alright when the senior players return, he has put the heat on the lesser-knowns to step up and make Collingwood a better team.
The backup players that Collingwood has used so far this season include the AFL’s own John Farnham in farewell-tour specialist Ben Hudson (164 AFL career games), Carlton recruit Jordan Russell (121), gaelic star Marty Clarke (68), another 2012 ACL victim in Brent Macaffer (34), Ben Sinclair (29), Jamie Elliott (20), Paul Seedsman (14), Sam Dwyer (5), Josh Thomas (2) and Jack Frost (2).
That’s a total of 459 games experience from the second-choice players, or – more alarmingly – a loss of 1,116 games through injury. That is a damning statistic.
It could be argued that the likes of Alan Didak and Ben Johnson are in the twilight of their careers and would be pressured on current form to break into the side ahead of exciting youngster Jamie Elliott and elevated rookie Sam Dwyer. But that is a minor consideration on the whole and will play out as a mere sub-plot to the season.
Team balance through experience is the key, and it is expected that a strong team like Collingwood would regularly play 2-3 less experienced players for the sake of blooding them in an environment where they would be well supported and less vulnerable among their competition-toughened team mates.
Furthermore, as a result of the issues described above, deferred pressure has been placed on emerging stars like Steele Sidebottom and Jarryd Blair to carry the team in the manner that heavyweights like Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and Travis Cloke are accustomed to.
Again, this requirement has undoubtedly impacted significantly on team structure and stability in a manner that is perhaps not fully appreciated by those of us who sit on the outside and blindly fling monkey excrement at the Westpac Centre until something presumably sticks.
In 2012 this commentator considered Collingwood’s progression to a preliminary final against the eventual premiers was an overachievement in lieu of the club’s massive injury woes and the change in coaching personnel and game plan.
At the beginning of 2013 it would appear that the trend continues, although the players and coaches have at least had a bit more time to get to know each other.
Over the next three to four weeks the Magpies are expected to have Didak, Krakouer, Jolly, Ball, Beams, Johnson, Maxwell and possibly Young ready for senior selection in what will be a welcome injection of experience.
Based on that (barring more injury disasters), and allowing an additional month or so for the senior side to stabilise and hopefully gel, the second half of the home-and-away season looms as the real test of truth for the Collingwood Football Club.
If Buckley’s players can indeed get back on the park and keep relatively stable, they could approach the 2013 finals series with a dangerous head of steam and a fresh hunger for success.
Hold on to your monkey excrement for a few more months at least.
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