Nab Cup Preview - Round 3 - West Coast v Collingwood | Thebigtip

After a week of debate regarding the viability of the NAB Cup competition, the fact remains that there are 2 Grand Final places up for grabs this weekend and I think all 4 remaining sides will take the matches fairly seriously.

Both Essendon and St.Kilda have already named close to full strength sides. Whilst I don’t have the luxury of the squads for the Collingwood and West Coast game as I write this article, both sides have also indicated they are playing strong line-ups with many big names returning.

Another Collingwood v St.Kilda Grand Final looms. This would be a remarkable achievement for both sides if they qualify considering they started their pre-season training a good 3 weeks after their rivals following the later than expected finish to their 2010 seasons. It would be the 3rd Grand Final between these 2 sides in the space of 5 months!

Their opponents this week were very much the easy-beats of 2010 and perhaps the early surprise packets of 2011. Nonetheless, both West Coast and Essendon will be tough opponents this weekend. They have plenty to play for and a lot of young talent on display.

This weeks article takes a closer look at the West Coast v Collingwood game which will be played on Saturday night at Patersons Stadium (Subiaco).

Again, this will be a more condensed preview with little tactical analysis. The reason being that at this stage of the year, my focus is more on how the respective sides are travelling leading into the season proper, and which players have caught my eye early.

I’ll start with a look at the Eagles given that they are the home side on Saturday night.

The squads as named are:

WEST COAST

1. Mitch Brown, 2. Mark LeCras, 3. Andrew Gaff, 5. Brad Ebert, 6. Mark Nicoski, 7. Chris Masten, 8. Beau Waters, 9. Nic Naitanui, 10. Scott Selwood, 11. Matt Priddis, 12. Brad Sheppard, 13. Luke Shuey, 14. Koby Stevens, 15. Tom Swift, 17. Josh Kennedy, 18. Bradd Dalziell, 20. Dean Cox, 21. Quinten Lynch, 23. Darren Glass, 24. Matt Rosa, 25. Shannon Hurn, 27. Jack Darling, 28. Ashley Smith, 31. Will Schofield, 32. Andrew Embley, 37. Adam Selwood, 38. Brett Jones, 41. Andrew Strijk, 44. Gerrick Weedon

COLLINGWOOD

1. Leon Davis, 3. John McCarthy, 5. Nick Maxwell, 7. Andrew Krakouer, 8. Harry O'Brien, 10. Scott Pendlebury, 11. Jarryd Blair, 13. Dale Thomas, 14. Luke Rounds, 17. Dayne Beams, 18. Darren Jolly, 19. Cameron Wood, 20. Ben Reid, 21. Sharrod Wellingham, 22. Steele Sidebottom, 23. Lachlan Keeffe, 26. Ben Johnson, 27. Simon Buckley, 28. Ben Sinclair, 31. Chris Dawes, 32. Travis Cloke, 34. Alan Toovey, 35. Alex Fasolo, 36. Dane Swan, 44. Tom Gordon, 45. Tom Hunter, 47. Jack Perham, 48. Jye Bolton, 50. Shae McNamara

West Coast

Last years wooden spooners have found their way into the Semi Finals of the NAB Cup. However, they have had a very soft draw considering in the opening round Hawthorn and Fremantle played mostly kids, and they also faced an undermanned Gold Coast side last week with very little senior experience in the line-up.

Nonetheless, you can only play the opponent you are faced, and the Eagles have looked a lot better. A number of younger players have looked really sharp and the forward line looks like dangerous with Kennedy and Le Cras up there. They have also experimented with both Naitanui and Cox in the centre bounces. Brad Sheppard has also looked quite solid down-back in a rebounding role.

John Worsfold has indicated that his clubs focus remains on Round 1 and that this weeks game would “still be treated as little more than preparation for the season opener against North Melbourne.”

Nonetheless, the Eagles look set to name a very strong side this weekend. Only Daniel Kerr and Sam Butler have been ruled out of the clash and the Eagles regain Waters, Embley, Strijk, Glass and Nicoski. Koby Stevens also comes back into the side.

Player Notes:

Dean Cox – He is looking very sharp and fit this year after he struggled through 2010. He has not had to face a quality ruckman yet, and bullied a couple of 2nd string GC rucks last week. However, what would please Eagles fans is how well he is covering the ground. At his best, Cox plays like a midfielder. Worsfold has experimented all pre-season starting both Naitanui and Cox in the centre bounces which looms as a daunting prospect for opponents. With such a young midfield, Worsfold needs Cox at his best.

Luke Shuey – Only played a half last week before been subbed off, but he looked really impressive. He had 14 disposals to half time and always does something really good with it. He has had such an injury riddled start to his career, however the Eagles rate him really highly. I’m tipping Shuey to have a breakout year in 2011, and the early indications are really good. I love the way he goes about it and he is looking fitter than he ever has. The Eagles have a few players through the middle who are suspect with their disposal, so a classy player like Shuey is so important for them.

Chris Masten – The former number 3 draft-pick has had a reasonably slow start to his career. 2010 was looming to be his breakout year, however he suffered injury set-backs and his form generally dropped off once he returned. He has always struck me as the sort of player that has the potential to win a lot of the ball, however his disposal has always been an issue. So far this pre-season, his disposal has been quite good and he is winning his fair share of it as well. There is no doubt that for the Eagles to improve, they need their high draft picks through the middle to step up this year. He is approaching the 50 game-mark now, so it is time for him to make his mark.

Brad Ebert – Much the same as Masten, Ebert is a high possession winner with very poor disposal efficiency to this stage of his career. He has also looked very solid this pre-season and was good on the weekend with 2 goals. Both Masten and Ebert received praise from John Worsfold, along with Scott Selwood who picked up 20 disposals. Ebert is looking extremely fit, and enjoys the open spaces of Subiaco. However, he will be tested this week by Collingwood’s tackling pressure. Therefore, it will be a real challenge for him to see how good his decisions are under pressure and whether he is ready to take the next step in his career.

Bradd Dalziell – Triple D has had a very slow start at the Eagles after he burst onto the AFL scene at the Brisbane Lions. Many thought he would relish the wide open spaces of Subiaco, but his career has significantly stagnated. However, I thought he was one of the Eagles better players on the weekend, spending most of his time running off half back. He had 23 possessions, and won a few good 50/50 contests. Like so many West Coast midfielders, his disposal is questionable and he made a few errors again last week. Nonetheless, he is right on the fringe at the moment and is playing some good footy in the NAB Cup. He could well become yet another regret of the Brisbane Lions who are desperately lacking midfielders themsselves.

Matt Rosa – Was really impressive last week with 21 disposals and could be the midfielder to really step up this year.

Collingwood

Despite victory last week against a fairly strong Sydney side, the Magpies looked a bit rusty. They lacked run, their disposal was sloppy and a few senior players look to be a few weeks behind in terms of their preparation. This is no cause for concern as all will be better for the run, and I would expect the Pies to start hitting their straps again shortly. It was a huge positive for the Magpies to win against a decent opponent despite the fact that they were not playing their best footy. It is a huge credit to the game-plan and the depth in the side.

The Magpies are bringing a fairly young side across the nullabour. Darren Jolly plays his first game for the year, whilst a number of players who were rested last week like Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Blair and Dawes return to the squad. Brad Dick, Goldsack and Didak looked sharp at training, but will not be making the trip across. Also rested from the game include Tarrant, Ball, Shaw, Macaffer and Leigh Brown.

Despite Eddie McGuire’s grievances over the Perth fixturing, I think it is a positive for Collingwood to be making an early season road-trip. Mark Neeld (who will be coaching the side this week) indicated that “up to 50 per cent of [the] side won't have played an AFL standard game interstate.” Therefore, I think it will be a good opportunity to expose some of the younger players to a long Perth trip. Further, Collingwood has always been a great travelling side, so some early season practice should help affirm that.

Collingwood has not won a pre-season competition since 1979, so there is surely some incentive to change that. Further, Mick Malthouse has never won a pre-season premiership in his entire time as a senior coach. Therefore, in his last season as coach of Collingwood, he is perhaps viewing this as the final item on the list to cross off.

Player Notes:

Leigh Brown – Brown will not be playing this week, however I write about him because his early season form has been well below par. Anything he touched last week was a clanger and he was extremely fumbly. He was also average as a ruckman, only winning 5 hitouts despite spending a fair chunk of time in the ruck. Again, this is no cause for alarm considering Brown is likely just blowing off the cob-webs after a long summer. Nonetheless, with such strong competition for spots, Leigh needs to run into form again before the season starts. All sides will be looking to find a way to expose Brown in 2011, so he can’t afford to drop off even 1% in terms of his work ethic. Although it is pre-season, I believe Brown is a confidence player and he needs some re-assurance leading into the home and away season.

Cameron Wood – Wood is copping a bit of a bake from Collingwood fans for his first 2 NAB Cup games. He went statless through the first round, and only had 8 disposals against Sydney. Nonetheless, I think fans are being a little bit harsh on Cam. He had 21 hitouts last week and 4 tackles. Throughout both NAB Cup matches, his tap-work has been really really good. He teamed up beautifully with Luke Ball last week on numerous occasions. Admittingly, his ruckwork around the ground is less impressive than his work from centre-bounces. He also needs to take more contested marks and make more contests in general. Regardless, Malthouse would be feeling quite comfortable knowing that he has a decent backup ruck like Wood in case Jolly needs a rest or gets injured. He has shown this pre-season that he is solid in the ruck and still has plenty of upside in him. He may still be a late bloomer.

Dayne Beams – He was one of Collingwood’s best last week with 2 beautiful long goals and 23 disposals. He looks as if he is in really good form leading into the home and away season. This is important because Beams finished the 2010 season a little flat. He barely got the ball all finals series, although what he did with it was always impressive. Not that I have any doubts about Dayne’s long term potential at Collingwood, but in the short-term he probably has a small fight to retain his spot with guys like Krakouer, Davis, Blair and Goldsack all fighting for the final spots in the 22. His early NAB Cup form has pretty much re-cemented his spot in the side which is good news because he is such a good user of the footy, and has a really good all-round game.

Dale Thomas – He has hit 2011 in the same sparkling form in which he finished 2010. Some of the contests he has made, marks he has taken and tackles he has laid yet again has proven to the football world that he is one of the most courageous players in the game. However, if I have one small criticism of Dale it is that his opponents are starting to wake up to the fact that he tries to take on his opponent every opportunity he gets. Last week he was caught on numerous occasions trying to do a bit too much. Last year, his pace and evasive skills surprised his opponents. This year, he will be targeted by opposition coaches and they will be alert to the fact that Daisy is going to try and take the game on at all costs. Just something to keep an eye on as the season begins to take shape. It’s great he has such confidence, but it is dangerous if he becomes too confident.

Leon Davis – He showed last week that he still has a bit of pace and class and that his career is far from over. His role seems to have changed to a running defender, although he has also spent stints up forward and through the midfield this pre-season. There is no doubt that Leon suffered niggling injuries last year which severely hindered his pace. So far this year, he seems to have his speed back and he is looking much fitter. He enters the season right on the fringe of selection, especially with Krakouer and Blair also looking really sharp early. He loves playing in front of his home crowd, so I’d expect him to light it up again this Saturday.

Simon Buckley – Although he is still a long way off a top 22 spot, I believe Buckley is an important player to Collingwood in 2011. The Magpies have lost a lot of experience from their side, and depth was such an vital factor in last years premiership. Therefore, Malthouse needs a number of VFL players to have big years to keep the pressure on positions in the senior side. Buckley looked quite good against Sydney, however his decision making continues to let him down. Nonetheless, he has great size about him, good speed and a booming kick. I think he’ll be persisted with over the NAB Cup and I think he’ll play a few senior games in 2011.

DaVe’s Soapbox – Do we need the NAB Cup?

Personally, I like the NAB Cup. I like the fact there is a separate title to be won apart from the Home & Away premiership. I also like seeing a few rookies get a shot and the super goal is always fun.

However, the fans have voted through lack of attendance all pre-season. The current format of the NAB Cup is no longer viable. Coaches are not taking the games seriously with very few fielding sides that even resemble their best 22. Many coaches actually prefer playing in the NAB Challenge series as the rules resemble normal match conditions.

With the competition expanding to 18 teams, an expanded home and away season is looking more desirable. TV broadcasters would also prefer this as the NAB Cup is lacking interest from the fans.

On the other hand, the AFL has used the NAB Cup to experiment with rules, and they have also reaped in great sponsorship dollars for the naming rights. So they will not be in a rush to get rid of it. However, the constant rule changes are only providing another platform for coaches to disregard the pre-season competition and it is clear players are frustrated.

Personally, I think the only way forward from here is for each club to play 2 practice matches in the pre-season, and for the season proper to expand out to 24 or 26 rounds.

The Wrap-Up

I think the Magpies are going to be a little too strong this week. No doubt the Eagles have been impressive to date, however they have not come up against a strong opponent as yet (both Fremantle and Hawthorn were severely undermanned). Worsfold will be treating this game as a real test to his young players, and a way or measuring where his young Eagles are at. Further, Collingwood is playing a very young side, and the inexperience may be a factor. There is no doubt that West Coast is fielding a team much closer to its best 22 than Collingwood is.

The one thing the Eagles need to do is start well. Collingwood were terrific starters in 2010, and have already jumped their opponents in the opening quarters of all their NAB Cup games so far. No doubt Collingwood will be looking to put this game to bed early and rest some of the star players in the 2nd half.

If West Coast can start well, then they might just be able to cause an upset. Especially since a number of key Magpies are still far from 100% match-fit, and many of the younger players are yet to ever play on Subiaco. For now though, I’ll stick with the favourites.