Collingwood must use Anzac Day clash with Essendon to get season back on track, says Scott Pendlebury
COLLINGWOOD skipper Scott Pendlebury has challenged his besieged team to treat Monday’s Anzac Day clash with Essendon as a mini-final.
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COLLINGWOOD skipper Scott Pendlebury has challenged his besieged team to treat Monday’s Anzac Day clash with Essendon as a mini-final, saying the occasion could provide the “spike” in performance needed to turn around its season.
Pendlebury is confident of a much bettering showing against the Bombers after a week of internal and external examination.
Asked if the occasion of Anzac Day might lift the team, he said: “Absolutely it helps ... we play AFL and all eyes are on us, the pressure is on us.
“For us guys this is as close as we get to a final at the moment (given) the last two years we haven’t played finals.
“It’s really important that we have a good showing, and there’s no better day than Anzac Day. It wasn’t like last week was the only week we haven’t put a good performance in. So we know the pressure is on us, we know the pressure’s on our football club.”
The Magpies were widely tipped to play finals this season for the first time since 2013, but have one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far, beating only Richmond with a goal kicked only four seconds before the final siren.
The 1-3 win-loss ratio has put pressure on all levels of the club, including coach Nathan Buckley, but Pendlebury maintained there is still time to hit back strongly following last week’s shock loss to Melbourne.
He acknowledged out-of-form forward Travis Cloke was one of many players who desperately needed to lift their intensity rates in the coming weeks.
Cloke, who has kicked eight goals in his last 10 games, is carrying an elbow injury out of last week’s loss and is no certainty to play the Bombers.
Cloke, who made his debut on Anzac Day in 2005, said he had to “grow a set”, meaning he knew he needed to fight harder to make an impact.
Pendlebury said: “There are a few guys who need to step up and as a group we need to keep encouraging guys to step up and keeping demanding they do.”
“Everyone looks at (Cloke) and says he has to kick five or six goals. We need him pressuring, crashing packs and tackling, little things that are strong in his game.”
He said possible debutants Rupert Wills and Mason Cox earned strong consideration for elevation after strong form in the VFL.
“Mason’s a unique story, coming from America, and he’s shown a bit in the NAB Cup,” Pendlebury said. “And Rupe is the same, a contested ball animal, and you certainly don’t need to worry about his effort.”
Pendlebury said: “We had 97 or 98 tackles last week, so the effort was a lot better, but saying that, you can’t just rock up and play two-and-a-half quarters of AFL football, it’s just not going to get it done.”
“It was certainly better than what we have dished up, but it’s still below AFL standard.”
Originally published as Collingwood must use Anzac Day clash with Essendon to get season back on track, says Scott Pendlebury
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