They’re a mix of blithe spirits, father-son thoroughbreds and bargain basement pickups. But for all their differences, Collingwood proved in the thrilling win over Port Adelaide that they are united in their ruthlessness.As Collingwood prepared to run out at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, Craig McRae was in a side room meditating. Whether you’re coaching them, plotting against them, or taking them in as a neutral, centring yourself for ten or 15 minutes isn’t a bad strategy because just watching the Magpies can leave you jangled.It makes sense that Collingwood’s psychologist sits on the bench during games, a few seats up from the coach. She hammers home key messages and puts her arm around some of the more hot-headed...
In blowing away the Gold Coast Suns, Port Adelaide showed a full range of gears being driven by a winning mix of quirky veterans and sundance kidsThere’s an almost avian quality to how Connor Rozee moves on the football field. He hovers and lurks. He swoops and steals. He glides in, and accelerates out of a contest. On Saturday night, he anticipated the spill from a throw in, met the ball at full cruising speed, took it in his left hand, switched to his right, consulted his protractor, caressed the ball on the lateral column of his preferred foot, and let it tumble, talk, and taunt its way past the scrambling Gold Coast defender. From gather to goal-line, it took...
It depends whether John Longmire’s young team can buck a dispiriting historical trend dating back almost four decadesAs Sydney looks to create modern history in 2023, selective memory across the Swans’ collective is critical to their ability to contend for this season’s AFL premiership.Among the truisms in football is a trend Sydney must reverse after their humiliating 81-point loss to Geelong in last year’s grand final to claim their first flag since 2012. Continue reading...
Ken Hinkley’s boys should have beaten Carlton. They blew it, and are now up against it to salvage their seasonPort Adelaide simply had to win yesterday. Lose, and it was curtains for season 2022. The task before them was enormous. The Blues have an abundance of talent and play the MCG very well indeed. They were smarting after dropping a game to Gold Coast. And they were desperate to get one back on Port, after their Adelaide Oval humiliation last year. That was the day David Teague’s papers were stamped. There were plenty of Port players in downhill mode – slaloming into easy goals, dishing out the lip. Michael Voss, who was wearing a Port polo top that day, would...