'woeful' Disposal Is Costing Pies
The Age
Monday April 21, 2008
COLLINGWOOD football operations manager Geoff Walsh described the Magpies' disposal in Saturday night's loss to North Melbourne as "woeful", saying the club has lost its trademark competitiveness.
Collingwood lost its past two games - something it has not done since late in 2006 - and Walsh said the players needed to work harder for each other."There has been a lack of care and interest for your teammate," Walsh told 3AW radio yesterday. "A lack of wanting to do work for your teammate . . . and that was evident in the last two weeks when we've gone under."Walsh added Collingwood's tackling, chasing and pressure are "as good as anyone in the competition" but said in the past two weeks it has been lacking.After kicking six goals in round one, forward Anthony Rocca has kicked just seven since. Walsh admitted Rocca's best and worst are poles apart, but said he expects a form turnaround against Essendon this week."I'm sure Anthony himself would be wanting to hold his marks and be wanting to get to more contests and he'd want to be putting more pressure on guys on the way out. He realises that when things aren't going well they are the things that let him down. "Without trying to put the mozz on him, his form in Anzac Day games over the years has been very, very good so we'd expect him to bounce back as soon as Friday."Walsh criticised Collingwood's delivery into the forward 50, pointing out the Kangaroos rebounded the ball 46 out of the 63 times the Pies had it in their arc."The disposal coming in was very haphazard . . . In general our disposal has been woeful."
© 2008 The Age
