Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell says 2013 has been a wasted season due to their 24-point loss to Port Adelaide in the AFL elimination final at the MCG on Saturday night.
Some of the key stats showed the Magpies were in control but they couldn’t counter Port’s youthful enthusiasm as last year’s 14th-placed side surged into next weekend’s semi-final with Geelong, leaving Collingwood to lick their wounds over post-season drinks.
A shocked Maxwell accused his side of butchering the ball.
“In the end it’s just a feeling of shock. We don’t even feel disappointed yet,” Maxwell told reporters in a very quiet Collingwood change room.
“We won clearances by a mile, contested possessions, inside-50s by a mile and we lost the game.
“You don’t come to an elimination final expecting to be in this position.
“Steele (Sidebottom) was kicking for an eight-point lead halfway through that (final) quarter and he missed and in the end they just over-ran us.
“It wasn’t the last 15 minutes that killed us. It was the first 100 when we didn’t use the ball well enough and we wasted opportunities going forward.
“Unfortunately we just butchered the ball.
“We’ve got to sit back and watch the next three weeks so (it’s) definitely a failed season.”
It’s the first time since 2006 that Collingwood, plagued by injuries this season, haven’t reached the second week of the finals.
Maxwell said Josh Thomas, Marley Williams, Ben Sinclair and Lachie Keeffe were developing well along with small forward Jamie Elliott.
However question marks remain over the playing futures of veterans such as small forwards Alan Didak and Andrew Krakouer.
“I’ve got no idea what the status of all those guys are,” Maxwell said.
“I’ve signed a one-year deal so that’s where I sit,” added Maxwell, 30.
The 2010 premiership captain said the Magpies had gone into this season shooting for a flag.
“For the last five years we’ve gone in expecting to be a premiership contender,” he said.
Mcmanpp
Guest
I would like to see a new statistics column for opportunities forward wasted, linking inside 50's with shots on goal with goals scored. We've become obsessed with number of times in the 50, having achieved the greater number of hit outs, and the greater number of takeaways from the centre, etc. It doesn't count for anything if a team can't kick goals both from set shots from all around the arc and from general play, including snaps from contests. Sometimes when I watch Collingwood in their forward line, I see bodies in black and white guernseys present and in attendance, while at the same time, I see brains that have gone out to lunch.
Blue bagger
Guest
A quick look at the swap of Malthouse for Buckley makes Eddy look very stupid. How many Pies fans will blindly accept Eddy's dictating over them? He brought about this mess, when one of the best stocked sides gets smashed in the first test and their coach looks on unable to do anything. No answers. Buckley has a big question mark on his coaching, and not just the way his first year spluttered out despite being handed a Premiership candidate to coach. The Pies were found out badly in the finals with a thumping first up, where coaching really counts he failed. Still, it's not as bad as Hird's - 10th, 8th and smashed in their only final, then Disqualified. Wow, that really is bad... Just like I'm thanking the Bombers for the finals spot (with a good laugh at them), I say thank you to the Pies for Malthouse. As always, I'm glad I'm not stained with black and white...
Jacques of Lilydale
Guest
If you''re not disciplined, collectively dumb and can't kick you're not going very far. All that also included the coach. He's pretty dumb, Eddie's love child. Not a premiership coach's fingernail. Has never won a flag either as a player or a coach so no credibility. But Eddie loves him and that's all that counts at Pieland.