How is that Pie?? SHould not have ever lost to Richmond even Hawthorn who apparently haven't been the same since... beat Richmond.
In fact you still think Collingwood is a better side than Hawthorn??
At least Hawthorn have passion.
The Humble Pie is on hold for a couple of weeks. To say that a team must have 'no heart' or 'no passion' just because they lost to the Richmond is actually an unfair insult to the Tigers. Give Richmond some credit, they set themselves for the match and they were prepared to work harder and take more risks than us, and they were rewarded with a much deserved win. We are definately playing 'without confidence', but there is no way you could say that we're playing 'without heart'.
Yes, i still rate the Magpies ahead of Port and Hawthorn in 2007. It wasn't a dig at Hawthorn or Port, they are playing some exiting footy, but i just think that they are a year away from being a serious premiership contender. Their younger players would benefit with another pre-season under their belts. The best way to judge if a team is ready for Finals is to have a look at how they play against Sydney and Adelaide, because both those teams play a brand of footy that is 4 Quarters of high pressure, high intensity, 'finals-like' contested footy. You look at the top teams like Geelong and West Coast and see how they play against Sydney and Adelaide. Geelong and West Coast have not lost to Sydney or Adelaide all year. Then have a look at how Port and Hawthorn have gone when they've played against Sydney and Adelaide. Port has been well beaten by Adelaide twice this year, and Sydney thrashed Port also. When Hawthorn played Sydney in Round 11, the Hawks got off to a good start in the first quarter, then Sydney put the pressure on in the 2nd Quarter, and the Hawks crumbled under the pressure and ended up losing the match. When Hawthorn played Adelaide in Round 14, they were absolutely smashed in the contested footy, and the Hawks could manage only 4 goals for the whole game. When Collingwood played Adelaide in Adelaide we stood up to the pressure and we won easily, and to prove that wasn't a fluke we then thrashed Sydney in Sydney. They are the facts, and for those reasons i believe that Collingwood is ahead of Hawthorn and Port at the moment, because we have at least proven that we are up to that level. I know that Hawthorn beat Brisbane, and it was a good win, but that match was a free flowing attacking sort of a match, and there is no way that the Geelong's, Sydney's, West Coast's, Adelaide's, Kanga's etc, will allow the Hawks to play with that sort of freedom. Hawthorn will have to improve alot come finals time to be a serious contender. If the Hawks can beat Sydney in Round 22 then they should be considered a premiership contender in 2007, but that is a big if. Back to the Pies, i know that it is fair to argue we are not playing with the same level of confidence and intensity as we were early in the year. I know that alot of people think that our younger players have dropped off, which is true to a point, but i think that it is our more senior players that have really let us down over the last few weeks. Players such as; Ben Johnson, Paul Licuria, Dane Swan, Shane Obree, Guy Richards, Alan Didak, etc, are all struggling for form. Hopefully those players can regain their Mojo before the finals. The best indication of whether the Pies are still a force in 2007 will come in rounds 21 and 22 when we play against Sydney and Adelaide, and there is no bigger test than that. Go the Pies.
. In all honesty i really thought we woulda lost but alround great game.
