AFL 2022: Latest Collingwood features, news and analysis ahead of preliminary final
Collingwood coach Craig McRae addressed any concerns with injuries ahead of Saturday night’s preliminary final against Sydney.
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Collingwood appears cherry ripe for Saturday’s preliminary final against Sydney as the Magpies complete their final training session in Melbourne before their trip north.
Darcy Moore (illness), Jordan De Goey (shoulder), Brayden Maynard (groin) and Brody Mihocek (soreness) have all trained fully after having injury clouds hang over them before and during last weekend’s semi-final win over Fremantle.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae said after training there were no injury or illness concerns.
“Everyone is fit and well and ready to go,” he said.
McRae said De Goey had been able to complete enough work this week to be declared available to play.
“We’re happy with where he’s at,” McRae said.
“He’s much better than he was this time last week. We’ve kept him away from little things throughout the week but he’s done the full week of work this week. So it will be nice to have him out there.”
De Goey wore long sleeves on the track but did not look troubled by the shoulder issue he has been managing.
He was first to leave the training track but was only minutes ahead of his teammates.
Nick Daicos had some work done on the sidelines on the back of his leg during the session, but got up and ran off.
Most of the session was drills work, with some match simulation in the middle.
Olympic Park was drawn up as the same size and shape as the SCG earlier in the week.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae said on Wednesday that the side was feeling “really good” physically this week, after being “bruised and battered” following their qualifying final loss to Geelong in week one.
McRae is maintaining his messaging that the Magpies’ best is ahead of them as they eye their first Grand Final berth since 2018.
The only notable players on Collingwood’s injury list are Brodie Grundy (ankle) and Taylor Adams (groin).
Teams for the preliminary final will be named tonight.
Cox’s blunt message for De Goey tagger
- Rebecca Williams and Nui Te Koha
Collingwood big man Mason Cox has issued a warning to Sydney if the Swans are planning to tag Magpies’ finals flyer Jordan De Goey: “Good luck to them”.
The white-hot De Goey shapes as a crucial weapon in the Magpies’ preliminary final mission against the Swans at the SCG on Saturday after a dominant September campaign so far.
Hitting back from his controversial mid-season Bali escapades to deliver his best football when it matters most, 26-year-old De Goey has produced two blistering finals performances against Geelong and Fremantle as his contract value dominates discussion off-field.
De Goey had 26 disposals, two goals and nine tackles in Collingwood’s one-goal loss to the Cats at the MCG and backed it up with a 24-disposal and one-goal effort in the semi-final win over the Dockers, in which he was judged by coaches as the best player on the ground.
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Sitting equal with Brisbane’s Lachie Neale in voting for the Gary Ayres Award for the best finals player, De Goey’s form has put the spotlight on whether the Swans need to do a shut-down role on the Magpies’ star.
Ryan Clarke has been the Swans’ go-to tagger this year, while Callum Mills has also been flagged as a candidate for a potential shut-down role.
Asked if he thought the Swans would tag De Goey – and if his teammate could handle it – Cox had a blunt message for the Magpies’ preliminary final opponents.
“I have got no idea (if they will tag him) but I have seen Jordy play a long time,” Cox said.
“And so if they are going to do that, good luck to them.
“That’s all I’ll say on that.”
Aiming to reach the grand final the hard way after their qualifying final loss, the Magpies will have to conquer a venue which coach Craig McRae conceded did not suit the team’s style like the MCG did after their round 22 loss to the Swans in the Harbour City.
The Magpies suffered a 27-point loss in that match and McRae changed the line markings of the club’s training ground this week to prepare for the smaller confines of the SCG.
Cox said the Magpies were prepared for what they called a “fight day” against the Swans.
“They are a good team, a high- pressure team. They are very similar to us in the way they play and everything else,” Cox said, promoting a Telstra innovation for the visually impaired.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be an arm-wrestle, there’s no doubt, and I think whoever can continue to do the basics well and be able to back in their game plan for longer periods can get the win on the day.
“It’s definitely going to be a bit of a ‘fight day’ as we call it down at the club, and we are just going to have to battle it out to the very end.
“We might be playing in a different place, but ... we back-in what we are doing every single week for the whole year and this week is no different.”
The big American famously produced a big performance in Collingwood’s 2018 preliminary final against Richmond when he kicked three goals and pulled in 11 marks.
While he said his greater focus in the ruck this year was different, he said his determination to capitalise on the chance to help propel Collingwood into a grand final hadn’t changed
“It’s interesting, it’s a different role, I’m playing a lot more ruck nowadays,” Cox said.
“In the forward line, a lot of people talked about the goal I kicked and stuff like that whereas this week it will probably be more (about) ruck stuff and hitouts and aerial stuff down the line and stuff like that.
“It’s a bit of a different role in that sense. I’m excited for the opportunity, these don’t come around very often, so you have got to make the most of them. It’s just a unique experience.
“People don’t really remember mid-season games whereas everyone always remembers the games in the finals. These are the moments that you look back on.”
What caught the eye at Magpies training
– Glenn McFarlane
Collingwood players ran hit the training track on Tuesday to ramp up preparation for Saturday night’s preliminary final showdown against Sydney.
What stood out?
1. THE ‘BIG SQUEEZE’ WAS ON
Having the boundary lines at the Magpies’ training base repainted to reflect the undersized dimensions of the SCG, the Magpies got to work on some in-tight drills to reflect what they will be faced with in Sydney. As Jeremy Howe suggested after Tuesday’s training session, we can expect to see some different things from Collingwood this Saturday. The plan is to ensure they don’t get stuck around the boundary line as much as they did the last time they visited the SCG in round 22, and can do more damage through the middle.
2. MORE OF MOORE
The appearance of star defender Darcy Moore on the training track was well received by the Magpie fans in attendance. Moore was one of the club’s stars against Freo, having overcome illness to play in the game. He was given a day off on Monday, but was back on track on Tuesday as he prepares for a crucial match-up with Buddy Franklin.
3. STARS TAKE IT EASY
Jordan De Goey – wearing No.40 – and Jamie Elliott – wearing Nick Daicos’ No.35 – did not take part in match simulation, but fans shouldn’t be concerned. This was a light session. Elliott had shots at goal and De Goey did some running work, and both are certain to be part of the match session later this week. Brayden Maynard also left the track earlier without appearing to be in any discomfort, with the club no doubt giving his sore groin a rest before Thursday’s hitout.
4. THE PERFECT KICK
A big roar went up for Isaac Quaynor when he was presented with the yellow bib as part of a fun weekly Collingwood training ritual this season. It is presented to the Magpies’ player who perfects a kick over 45m from the previous week’s training.
5. KING JACK
Jack Ginnivan is still the king of the kids. The livewire Magpie forward was the last player to leave the track after signing a huge number of autographs and posing for selfies with Collingwood fans who turned out for training.
Howe: Pies playing better than during winning streak
Collingwood’s high-flying defender Jeremy Howe is wary of the Buddy Franklin factor heading into the preliminary final against Sydney, but has backed the Magpies’ rock-solid defence to get the job done against the Swans’ multifaceted attack.
Franklin had a rare off night and was held goalless against Melbourne’s Steven May in the Swans’ qualifying final victory.
But Howe said the Magpies won’t be underestimating the game’s most prolific goalkicker ahead of what could be his final match at the SCG.
“I am yet to see Lance play two bad ones in a row,” Howe said on Tuesday.
“He has been an incredible player for a long period of time. His best is (still) in the top area of the comp.
“He is a game-changing player. But we feel like what we have got down back is certainly capable of being able to defend thatand we will see where it gets to.”
As the Magpies worked through a light session on Tuesday at a resized Olympic Park, Howe said the club was playing better now than when it won 11 games in succession earlier this season.
“I think the (qualifying final) game against Geelong was one of our best games, even though we didn’t get the result,” Howe said.
“We took a lot of positivity out of that week, the way we reviewed it really strongly, had a positive vibe to it and took that into Fremantle.”
That Pies’ streak was ended by the Swans in Sydney, with a 27-point loss in round 22, and the Magpies this week transformed their training venue to the same dimensions as the SCG in preparation for Saturday’s game.
In that round 22 game, Franklin kicked three goals as Collingwood struggled to get any flow.
“Early on in the last time we played, we felt like we got stuck on the boundary line a lot and it exposed us in the middle of the ground,” Howe said.
“It’s just getting used to the feel of the dimensions and the way we want to use the ball and also defend. We have got some key learnings we can take from the game.”
Pies get paint out to splash over game plan
– Scott Gullan
Collingwood is leaving no stone unturned ahead of Saturday’s preliminary final, transforming its training venue to replicate the dimensions of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Pies grounds staff had the white paint out early at the AIA Centre on Monday with coach Craig McRae keen to avoid the issues his team had with the ground in its round 22 loss.
The Magpies had their 11-game winning streak snapped by the Swans at the SCG a month ago, comprehensively beaten by 27 points.
Captain Scott Pendlebury said the loss was still fresh in the players’ mind which would help them change their approach in the preliminary final.
“It’s a good thing we played there four or five weeks ago because we learnt a lot playing on that ground, we didn’t play very well, we didn’t handle the ground very well,” Pendlebury said.
“To be able to get back there four weeks later and have another crack at them (is good) because they really outplayed us that day.”
McCrae acknowledged after the round 22 loss that the ground had been a factor.
“The expanses of the MCG allow us to spread the field,” he said.
“This ground didn’t allow us to do that but they (the Swans) didn’t allow us as well.
“They are certainly hard to beat on this ground.”
The Pies have won 13 of their 16 games at the MCG this season and lost their past two visits to the SCG — kicking just seven goals and five goals in those losses.
There is a 5m difference in length and width between the grounds — the MCG is 160m length and 141m width compared to the SCG 155m and 136m.
After Saturday night’s semi-final victory over Fremantle, McCrae said his coaching panel would go to school on their last match-up with the Swans.
“We’re better for the experience,” he said.
“We played them three weeks ago, Jordy (De Goey) told me he didn’t play so we’re much better for it.
“I think we learned some good lessons and there will be time to talk about those lessons we learnt.”
Magpies midfielder Jack Crisp said on the weekend the Pies had been too experimental in that game.
“One of the things was, we were flicking our magnets around a bit too much, blokes were getting confused, so we lost a few different roles at times. That was one of the main things,” Crisp said.
Pendlebury described Sydney‘s end-of-season form as “awesome”.
“We know how big this challenge is going to be,” he told Triple M. ”The last six or seven weeks of the season has been awesome so we know the challenge in front of us and we look forward to meeting that head on.”
One rival assistant coach said there were a number of traps for visiting teams at the SCG.
“People don‘t realise there is good width on the ground,” he said. “You’ll be surprised how wide it is, people think it’s narrow because of the length of it.
“We really started to change the way that we played once we saw how wide it was and utilised the width.
“The length can draw some people in as when you‘re kicking out from full-back you’re thinking I’ll just go down the middle because it looks the shortest way but there is so much width on the ground to use.”
Sydney have won nine of their 11 games at the SCG this year.
Why injury demons don’t worry key Magpie these days
- Jon Ralph
As Collingwood charged all the way to the 2018 grand final Jamie Elliott was coming to grips with a failing body that he feared might not recover.
Elliott was firmly stuck in rehab after a nightmarish year that saw pre-season ankle surgery followed by a spate of recurring hamstring tears.
He wouldn’t have been the only person who believed his body wasn’t equipped to handle the rigours of football any more.
On Saturday night Elliott played with a freedom and brutality that shows how much has changed in those intervening years.
He mixed two special goals with seven crunching tackles to personify the perfect Pies mix of intoxicating offence and fierce pressure at the opponent.
For Elliott, it is all part of feeling totally free of body and mind.
He is having a ball again and he isn’t afraid to say it.
“I can play how I want to play, at high intensity and I‘m not worried about it,” he told the Herald Sun in the victorious MCG rooms post-match.
“I am not thinking, “If I sprint here”, or “If I lunge here”, so I have full confidence in my body.
“I had a lot of question marks but since 2019 I have had a really good program and my body feels the best it has and I can just play without worrying about anything.”
Elliott admits there were times as he battled those hamstring issues he believed he would not get back.
“Probably early on. With the hammies, I felt like that was a pretty dark time for me. It just kept happening and I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know if it was my body or what I was doing.
“ (2018) was tough. I think the unknown about my body was the worst. In 2016 with my back (a stress-related pars defect) it was just put two screws in it, I am done (fixed).
“With my hammy I would do little mini-preseasons and I would come back and it would happen again. It was like, “What is going on?”. I am doing all this training and I keep working hard, and it happened three or four times. It was frustrating but I try not to think about it too much.”
At the end of 2018 Elliott and Darcy Moore jetted to Germany for world-class specialist work on their soft-tissue concerns with Bayern Munich head doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt.
It didn’t stop him from another summer hamstring concern as he returned to training.
But in the end his connection with physiotherapist Simon Anning and a meat-and-potatoes regimen far from Muller-Wohlfart’s quirky techniques and calf-blood injections cracked the code.
“The biggest thing for me was programming. I have a really clean program with my preparation and recovery. I do gym and to be honest I don’t do a lot of gym. It’s fairly monotonous, a bit boring. The same every week, not too heavy because I get my stimulus out on the ground. It’s an easy program I have got going at the moment.”
Elliott was well-held (six goalless possessions) in that Sydney game in round 23 where the Swans midfield was dominant and Collingwood’s 10-game winning streak was snapped.
But after dismantling Fremantle Elliott says the Pies know what they did wrong in that Swans clash and how they can fix it.
“We have got a great opportunity to go into a prelim and who knows where that is going to take us,” he said.
“We will look back at that, take learnings from that. It’s a smaller ground up there, they play it really well so we will try to see how we can expose them. They are a great team. Lots of youth. To be honest they are like us with a good mix of age and youth and it’s going to be exciting.”
The Pies will need to be more lethal in front of goal after Will Hoskin-Elliott and Ash Johnson both kicked 0.3 against Fremantle but once more a multidimensional forward line delivered on the big stage.
Now 30, the Collingwood fan favourite says he cannot think of anywhere he would rather be as the Pies give themselves another chance to win the flag that has eluded them since 2010.
“I am really comfortable here and what we are building since ‘Fly’ (Craig McRae) came in. I am really enjoying the environment, I have got a good program in place, my body just likes being here.
“There were a few question marks on a couple of things (as he considered the Pies offer) and I cleaned them up and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I hope I can stay here for the rest of my footy life and hopefully we can do something special.”
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