Grand Final #11A - 2011

[Gerry Cooper]

What a tragedy the 2011 season was. Whilst the 2011 team was a strong team, in the final analysis my opinion has always been that the 2010 team was the better. We dismantled the Dogs and then spliflicated that self same Geelong in the prelim and then won the big one after two hard fought grand finals. You can't do much more than that.

Another reason I rate 2010 the better team is due to the superior form of most of the players in the 2010 finals series. As part of my grand final build up, I watched the 2010 finals series again, and was struck by what good form most of our players had during that series. So-called lesser lights like Leigh Brown were on fire most of that finals campaign. I was surprised watching them how much he contributed to both the Footscray and Geelong victories for example.

Maguire's ill conceived "succession plan" hung over the entire season but particularly so over the finals series and I believe affected Malthouse's coaching when it was most needed. As an opponent of that witless idea from the very beginning, and looking back on it, a smart and courageous president and board would have cancelled or put it back a couple of years the matter of the coaching succession after the 2010 premiership win in order to build further on the success of that win. Still hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it?

[Harrysz]

I've heard it said that if not for the succession plan, we wouldn't have recruited Jolly and Ball at the end of 2009 and we wouldn't have won the flag in 2010. Supposedly, as the story goes, the succession plan made Malthouse desperate for success. I'm sceptical because surely coaches are always desperate for success. There's no way of knowing if without the succession plan Jolly and Ball would have been recruited.

Under Buckley Collingwood came 3rd in 2012 and 6th in 2013. How would the team have gone if Malthouse had continued coaching us? It's impossible to say.

[Pies4shaw]

I think it’s always very easy to blame Bucks in hindsight. Many of us at the time, me included, fully supported the takeover idea and thought that MM’s health was not the best to coach Collingwood. MM’s reported ill health was a huge concern and factor for me although later this whole issue was somehow minimised. So it was a very complicated situation with many areas of concern and to blame only Bucks is not the right thing to do, even in hindsight.

I don't blame Nathan for taking the gig, although he could definitely have made a smarter decision. The administration at the Club, at the time, though - well, what a bunch of clowns.

[piedys]

[Harrysz]

Piedys, you make some strong points. I admire your passion.

[Pete 70]

I watched this game from a pub in London having flown in the night before. The second quarter was mental and we were well on top. I remember the commentators saying that Geel just have to hold on until half time. The Reid selection decision was heartbreaking. The last round loss to Geelong was absurd - we should have played the entire seconds team and not given them any psychological opportunity. But I know for a fact that the last half of the year the football club was at war with itself. With the benefit of hindsight, you would have ripped up the coaching handover agreement by round 15. But sadly too much of Ed’s ego verses Mick’s ego. This was one we left on table. Bartel’s third quarter was huge for them. But this one still hurts

[Kingsofclutch]

The Mick Madhouse dummy spit.

[piedys]

Piedys, you make some strong points. I admire your passion.

Harry, you have been here since 2001, which says a lot about your loyalty to both the club, and us tragics on this forum!

But you certainly covered all the bases with your analysis on this particular GF fiasco.

What I think we all forgot to note was that both G.Ablett jnr left at the end of 2010 to join GCS [even though he wanted to renege at last minute and stay with handbaggers...], and Thompson called time as well.

So that should have been the END of their era by conclusion of 2010PF, when we had them demoralised by 3/4-time.
I think we all gave them no chance to recover from that going into 2011; instead Chris Scott walks into chair and thinks how fuccking easy is this caper, by the seasons end.

Damn right it still pisses, you, me and everybody else who suffered through it, off.

And yes, I reckon Geebung were "on the gear" in 2011, no doubt; they certianly had an abnormal amount of run in their legs in that final term.

[Harrysz]

Thanks Piedys

[MagpieWhisperer35]

Horrible GF obviously, Mick Malthouse went on the Footy Show sulking l leading into finals, Maxwell and Shaw done for gambling, rubbish free just before half time, podsiadly getting injured serendipitous for cats, Geelong on a mission to avenge 2010 prelim loss to us, you could list the littany of obstacles. I stopped watching two minutes into last quarter but my sisters kept on viewing i could hear them howling from outside. Didnt want to see the celebration at our expense but they looked to be cooked. When they flogged us late in season it was apparent to me the ultimate realist it was not back to back. Yuk