2006 Diary - Collingwood

The Magpies were humiliated by the Bulldogs in their elimination final.

They have stuck to their game-plan despite their midfield being slow  and their forward structure archaic and ineffectual.

The shortfalls were badly exposed.

Mick Malthouse claimed at the start of the year that improvement would come from the return of senior players that missed large portions of 2005. While it is true that the team had a better year than last, the basis of the improvement was more from the younger than the experienced group.

Malthouse has backed this senior group for seven years, but the their time is up. The tall forward set-up has failed, with only twenty goals from fourteen finals. The on-ballers move like Galapagos Tortoises.

We recommend:

Accept that a premiership is at least three years away.

Disband the pedestrian on-ball group.

Develop a more modern forward line.

 

References:

Robert Walls

Jake Niall