Collingwood to march on
Sheer weight of injuries will be too much for the West Coast Eagles to overcome against Collingwood.
The Eagles will almost be lucky to be field a side. Sanity seems to have finally prevailed with Chris Judd. He is likely to sit this match out and shouldn’t be played until the grand final, if of course they get that far.
Judd may have kicked a couple of goals last week even though he was running at about 40%, but his presence, or lack thereof, destroyed the whole structure of the side.
It’s hard to imagine that an Eagles side, without the trio of Cousins, Kerr and Judd in the midfield, could win any final, even at home.
That forward line of Collingwood, with Cloke, Rocca and Rusling will be ready to take advantage of what should now be a steady supply of ball.
One argument against the Pies is the fact they specifically match up well against Sydney, which may not transfer to the Eagles. Sure, Collingwood play Sydney well, but I firmly believe they will match up just as well with West Coast.
There has been a significant change in the Pies. They have been guilty of being over-clinical in the past, but now they are getting down and dirty.
Tackling is the major asset in this game. Most of the scoring emanates from scrimmages and contests, not set plays starting from the last line of defence.
Collingwood has realised this.
The return to form of Alan Didak has been crucial. His season has been ordinary for various reasons, however his first half last week was terrific. Mick Malthouse’s decision to rotate the midfield last week was superb. It allowed players like Didak to get their hands on the pill and elevate their confidence.
The Eagles will fight, but I see Collingwood winning by five goals.
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I donno Sam,
All this righting off of the Eagles is just going to make them come out hard to prove a point.
With the high profile Big 3 (Cousins, Kerr, Judd) missing, there will be a lot of under the radar players wanting to step up on the big stage and make their mark.
And don’t forget the home crowd advantage of the “zealotry fans whose unshakable faith in their team’s innate superiority can make you feel as if you are at a political rally in a totalitarian state rather than at a football match,â€? says Richard Hinds.
I always knew Eagles fans were Fascists, explains a lot really.
Having said all that, I reckon Collingwood by one point.