How do we keep winning close games?

[Raw Hammer]

Brisbane: slippery dew
Melbourne: cold, very windy and some rain
Port: slippery and pouring rain

The blueprint to beat us is to pray for rain.

Regarding our close wins, some of it is pure luck. That Steele spoil, threading goals from the boundary in the wet (pure skill, but usually a low percentage outcome). We take our chances no doubt about it.

A gripe: we had control at the end, a minute to go, Crisp marks on the wing from an Adams pass, Steele runs into a short pass option, doesn’t call for it, runs inside 50 instead, we have a 2 vs 4, Daicos was hurting and also didn’t provide a short option to Crisp in the hole outside 50, so instead Crisp bombs long to a 2 vs 4 not close enough to the boundary. What should have been a ball locked inside our F50 or mark outside 50, resulted in an instant turnover back to centre, where anything could have happened. I though that was really poor management of the final minute when we had clear possession from a mark. I’d say Fly will be showing that back this week.

[think better]

2 reasons we keep winning close games

1. we believe that we can, so we go for broke and open the game up and we are fit enough to do it late in the game

2. the opposition believe the same thing about us

[jonmac1954]

Oh dearie dearie me the nitpickers LOL.

Fly insists on two things above all else.

Live in the moment.

Express yourself.

It's impossible to go for it as much as we do as a team without making mistakes.

The balance is much in our favour and illustrates the soundness of the tactics.

[Skids]

2 reasons we keep winning close games

1. we believe that we can, so we go for broke and open the game up and we are fit enough to do it late in the game

2. the opposition believe the same thing about us

This is so true. Did you see the faces on the Port bench in the last quarter? It was like they knew we were coming for them.
The supporters are the same, the fear in their eyes when the Pies kick a couple of quick ones in the last is priceless.

That last round game against Carlton last year. We were what, 28 points down at 3/4 time, I was amongst heaps of their fans who were going nuts in the third. As soon as we kicked the first 2 in the last, I kept yelling out, "Here we come!"
The fans get back in their box, they know the Magpies are going to run all over them and there's nothing they can do but watch it unfold.

[Johnno75]

I don’t necessarily think the wet is a huge factor given the Adelaide game a few weeks back was dry.

Essentially it’s
1. Deny the corridor
2. Lower the eyes going forward so Howe, Murphy and Moore cannot intercept
3. Bring the heat (majority of game)

Not dissimilar to the blueprint to beat Melbourne in 2021, we managed it in Bucks last game as coach. However not too many were able to sustain in come September.

I think we will be different come September the heat will be enormous from us forcing the opposition to dump kick and as we have seen time and time again we only need 30 mins to cause havoc so the opposition need to sustain the 3 key points above for the entire game whilst being under extreme pressure from us in finals footy.

[think better]

2 reasons we keep winning close games

1. we believe that we can, so we go for broke and open the game up and we are fit enough to do it late in the game

2. the opposition believe the same thing about us

]

Whateley captures it perfectly at around 1.13 in this clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu3CdxJgYAw

[Skids]

I enjoyed that whole clip! Thankyou TB

What's very interesting is the commentary a little after that...

"Kelly, to Ruscoe - inside 50 to Ginnivan, alone and unattended" He slots it from 30 to put us within 8 points. Between those 3, they've played 8 games since ANZAC day, and Jack played 7 of those.

[Take_a_Screamer]

Who better entertain us than the Mighty Magpies.
Our no.1 best close effort was against these poor bastards...

Ranking Collingwood's best close wins under Craig McRae
Take a closer look at the 13 games won by less than 10 points since Craig McRae took over as coach

https://www.afl.com.au/news/987149/fly- ... raig-mcrae

[Jezza]

^^Wow, thanks Jezza

Brilliant work, Jezza.

Interesting that three of our four closest wins this year have been at Adelaide Oval! (And the other was against Adelaide.)

Thank you both

Thanks Jezza! I was at this one.

Round 23 2022 = Carlton 74-75 Collingwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sk7yFwPNvc

Every time I watch this last 2 minutes, I get this grin that actually hurts

We finish their season, again, this Friday night.

Also my favourite game, Skids.

I've re-watched it many times and never get sick of it

[LaurieHolden]

It's one thing to have a full list available, but I believe in addition to our match simulatuion at training, it's been our overall fitness and ability to run out games that has been a telling factor.

Fatigue coupled with pressure brings mistakes, and this causes turnovers.

Our fitness and conditioning staff should be lauded as much as the game day strategists.

There's beeen plenty of instances where sides come out firning and match us with intensity over a quarter, 2 at most.
But to beat this side I remain reassured that an opposition needs to play 4 quarters to overcome our fitness and mindset.
I don't think we're the most skilled side in the competition, but the sheer will and belief in our system coupled with our fitness is second to none.

I just wait for the day where we execute Flyball over more than 2 quarters, it'll be devestating.

[WhyPhilWhy?]

An excellent summation LH.

It's become apparent that we are an extremely hard team to play against for 4 full quarters.

While most teams can beat us by acutely applied pressure for 1 or 2 quarters, and hope to get far enough ahead to counter it, when both our talls remain tall and our fitness shines in Q4, most teams don't have the petrol tickets to continue to apply the required pressure and the flyball game plan comes to the fore.

[Take_a_Screamer]

Well, according to this article we win close ones but we are mid table and just lucky...

Magpies’ burning question: Is Collingwood getting lucky again, but in a new way?
FoxSports

They’re crushing it in close games once again, and they’re gonna win the minor premiership. Nobody’s saying the Magpies aren’t the No.1 seed. But, just like last year’s freakish run, some factors out of their control are making them look better than they really are. Across the AFL season, Collingwood sits No.1 for goal accuracy and No.18 for opposition goalkicking accuracy; on expected score against Port Adelaide, they should’ve lost by five goals. As Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne explained on the Herald Sun’s Pure Footy show, “the only thing you can do is force (opponents) into difficult shots. Whether they take them or they miss, that’s just sheer luck.” And, as Hoyne explained, across the last six weeks the Magpies are a mid-table side when it comes to allowing ball movement and stopping opponents once they get inside 50. They were a top-tier side in those areas early in the season, and also last year’s finals campaign. So you may not be able to see it yet, but there’s been a drop-off.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-20 ... 214a4187df

[Pi]

Collingwood is Pi. A mathematical and statistical anomaly. Nothing more, nothing less.

Embrace it I say.

I have, but these close games have given even me grey hair and hangovers.

[Take_a_Screamer]

Great vision here, you can clearly see the tactics in the dying minutes...

What makes Collingwood so clutch late as GF berth
sealed with a thrilling win - Sunday Footy Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crje96PDwp4

[BazBoy]

Matthew Llyod is adamant we train for it

His comments “We lock the ball in and will pretend to be getting it out to score
Then when they have it clear kick to a non scoring option for opponents “
He sited the Elliot to a vacant part where Josh gathered and kicked to WHE

And on that final play the cool experience Josh displayed was magic getting away from two opponents and executing the kick only WHE could mark

Things like that go a long way to winning any game let alone a GF