Some consolation for Dane

Adelaide game

3. Dale Thomas
2. Nick Maxwell
1. Steele Sidebottom

Geelong game

3. Heath Shaw
2. Harry O'Brien
1. Dale Thomas

Dane Swan 23
Scott Pendlebury 18
Alan Didak 16
Nick Maxwell 14
Leon Davis 13
Heath Shaw 11
Tarkyn Lockeyer 7
Josh Fraser 6
Simon Prestigiacomo 6
Travis Cloke 6
Dale Thomas 5
Dayne Beams 5
Harry O'Brien 4
Brad Dick 4
Marty Clarke 3
John Anthony 2
Leigh Brown 2
Paul Medhurst 1
Sharrod Wellingham 1
Steele Sidebottom 1

So concludes the tallying of the finest Magpie for 09. Not surprisingly, Dane Swan comes out on top. Thoroughly deserved too. The beginning of the year was all about Pendlebury, while the middle to latter phases of the season saw Didak and Davis shine. Swan was the rock of the team though, it's no surprise his purple patch of form coincided with Collingwood's 12 of 13 streak. Looking at that list, I think I more or less got things right. 2009 in my opinion saw six individuals stand out in particular, and that's the six fittingly represented at the top of the standings.

After a dreadful 2008 it was fantastic to see Heath Shaw's return to form. The finals especially saw his unique combination of dash and hardness on display. Skipper Nick also came into his own in 2009. While the early stages saw the captaincy somewhat burden his play, as he tried to be too aggressive, he eventually established himself in the team. Critics that said he might not be amongst Collingwood's 15 best players were put to shame in the later part of the year. Maxwell's unrelenting courage, defensive awareness and underrated strength in the contest earned him a rightful spot in the All-Australian team. One of the highlights of the season was his heroic performance against the Saints in the qualifying final.

It's hard to objectively evaluate 2009 overall for Alan Didak and Leon Davis following the events of Saturday night. I will leave it at this. Both are immensely talented football players, but neither is at the stage where they can simply expect to contribute on the sole basis of their skills. For Davis, it's all about workrate. During the home and away season his running was exceptional and the results were evident. During the finals his workrate slipped noticably. Performing against great teams has been the great stain on Davis' career. In the finals he was made to look terrible. By the end of the Geelong game he looked like he had reverted back to his 2002 self. On the basis of this season and last, it's clear that isn't true. However, to win back the fans he needs to perform from the start in 2010, and maintain that performance into September.

I'm not going to question Alan Didak's workrate. From what I saw in the finals, he was legitimately carrying his own weight. However, his decision making needs drastic improvement - with and without the ball. A pair of brain fades (the turnover in the pocket against St. Kilda and the 50m penalty to Mooney Saturday night) led to massive turning points in losing finals. Also, we saw Didak's once famous radar for goal go pathetically out of whack in September. One goal in three finals isn't a good enough return for one of the best kicks for goal in the league. His decision to impotently centre the ball in the final quarter against the Cats, when will within range, summed up his season past few weeks around goal. His six game stretch after returning from injury in the middle of the season showed that when at his best, Didak is a bona fide matchwinner. He just needs to do it more often.

The steady improvement of Scott Pendlebury took its greatest leap in 2009. The first ten weeks of the season especially saw the team's smoothest mover and user establish himself as the midfield general. You really have to go to the game to appreciate Pendlebury's leadership in the midfield. The major blight on Pendlebury's game is his lack of courage and general toughness. While that is still somewhat of an issue, his ability to win first possession at stoppages and gain the contested touches around the ground negates it a little. His absence in the finals series was sorely, sorely lacked.

One man who failed to compensate for Pendlebury in September was Dane Swan. Swan hardly embarassed himself, but his inability to be the prolific ball winner down the stretch that he was earlier in the year played its part in Collingwood's exit. The stats, which so many define Swan by, speak for themselves. In the first 20 weeks of the season, Swan failed to reach 29 disposals twice (one of those was a 28 touch game). In the final 5 weeks of the season, he didn't reach 29 disposals once. I'm not going to place too much responsibility on Swan for Collingwood's September failure. He had solid games against St. Kilda and Adelaide, and was beaten by the league's best tagger against Geelong. You would expect him to wear down late in the season having to cope with hard tags week-in-week out for the first time in his career. With Dane, it's best to focus on the positives. 2009 saw him truly make the leap into 'star' territory. In the past, I've written him off because of his poor disposal and untrustworthy nature around goal. 2009 sees the end of that. Another player you must see in person to appreciate, Swan's strength, vision, awareness, football IQ and running ability is elite among the league. What is most impressive about Swan is not so much his ability to win possession, but the sense one gets when he has it. Once just another body in the team, I get the same sense with Swan as I do with Didak, Davis, Thomas and Pendlebury - I expect him to do something special when he gets the ball. 2009 has seen Swan evolve into a playmaker, and a legitimate star. For these reasons, he's Collingwood's best player of 2009.

NFL picks week two

Last week: 10-6

KANSAS CITY (-3) over Oakland
TENNESSEE (-6.5) over Houston
NY JETS (+3.5) over New England
GREEN BAY (-9) over Cincinnati
DETROIT (+10) over Minnesota
New Orelans (+1) over PHILADELPHIA
Carolina (+6) over ATLANTA
WASHINGTON (-9.5) over St Louis
JACKSONVILLE (-3) over Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO (-1.5) over Seattle
BUFFALO (-5) over Tampa Bay
DENVER (-3) over Cleveland
Baltimore (+3) over SAN DIEGO
CHICAGO (+2.5) over Pittsburgh
NY Giants (+2.5) over DALLAS
Indianapolis (-3) over MIAMI

With a whimper

Richmond game

3. Dane Swan
2. Travis Cloke
1. Dayne Beams

Sydney game

3. Dayne Beams
2. Nick Maxwell
1. John Anthony

Bulldogs game

3. Heath Shaw
2. Tarkyn Lockeyer
1. Nick Maxwell

St. Kilda game

3. Nick Maxwell
2. Heath Shaw
1. Dane Swan

Dane Swan 23
Scott Pendlebury 18
Alan Didak 16
Leon Davis 13
Nick Maxwell 12
Heath Shaw 8
Tarkyn Lockeyer 7
Josh Fraser 6
Simon Prestigiacomo 6
Travis Cloke 6
Dayne Beams 5
Brad Dick 4
Marty Clarke 3
Harry O'Brien 2
John Anthony 2
Leigh Brown 2
Paul Medhurst 1
Dale Thomas 1
Sharrod Wellingham 1

NFL picks week one 2009

The new season is upon us. I'll have some final predictions at the end of the post, but for now I'll get stuck right into it. Going through every single game isn't going to be realistic long-term, so what I will do is discuss the four games I feel are the most interesting. Or the four I feel strongest about. Here we go, home team in caps.



PITTSBURGH (-6.5) over Tennessee
Alright, the game is already over, but this is how I would have picked. And I would have been wrong. Neither team really impressed me last night. Pittsburgh looked like a slightly less formidable version of last year's championship team - no way to run the ball the ball, inconsistency in the passing game for the first three quarters, but an excellent defence, a clutch quarterback and a lot of heart. Last night that was enough to beat a timid Tennessee.

Denver (+5.5) over CINCINNATI
An improved defence, the loss of two overrated big names and a lot to prove makes Denver an interesting team this year. The Bengals are getting way too much hype for a team that has done nothing the past two years and lost its best offensive player.


BALTIMORE (-13) over Kansas City
Philadelphia (-1.5) over CAROLINA
HOUSTON (-4) over New York
Detroit (+13) over NEW ORLEANS

ATLANTA (-4) over Miami
Minnesota (-3.5) over CLEVELAND

INDIANAPOLIS (-7) over Jacksonville

Dallas (-4.5) over TAMPA BAY
San Francisco (+6) over ARIZONA

Washington (+7) over NEW YORK
Everyone's late sleeper team, the Redskins. With reason. The defence was already good, and Haynesworth's addition gives them a feroucios extra dimension. The Giants have a worrying lack of buzz around them. It feels like they're on track for a 9-7 or 10-6 type season, and then go out meekly in the playoffs. I like the Redskins to cover the points, and maybe even win the match.

GREEN BAY (-4.5) over Chicago
Possibly the most talented in the NFC this year. Expect the Bears (who should be a decent team this year) to be shocked by the Packers.

NEW ENGLAND (-11) over Buffalo
San Diego (-9) over OAKLAND