Pies' Youth Makes Port A Danger
The Age
Friday August 15, 2008
THERE may be six teams separating them on the AFL ladder, but according to Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, on current form there is little light between his Magpies and Port Adelaide.
"They're very similar to us," Malthouse said at the Lexus Centre yesterday, expounding on his own ratings system used to calculate the form of AFL sides at any particular stage of the season."We're one of the lowest, at this stage, over the last month, and that's pretty indicative of the way we've played - defensive qualities, offensive qualities, frees for and against etc," Malthouse said.While the Magpies' fluctuations in form have confounded spectators and pundits alike this season, Malthouse said people were overlooking the simple fact that they were fielding a lot of very young players who were not yet able to perform at a consistently high level."We've got two or three senior players . . . 13 players that are 21 or younger . . . (and you) go, 'why are you up and down?'," Malthouse said."Well you don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to realise that we've lost a lot of experience . . . we are always going to be a side that is patchy, because kids give you those inconsistencies."Malthouse's senior assistant coach, Guy McKenna, is to leave the club next year to become the development coach for the AFL's new Gold Coast team. But the Magpie mentor said he wasn't concerned with the impact that would have on his young group.Instead, he said, that while he was happy for his young protege, he hoped he would be given the chance to coach the new club when it joins the AFL in 2011. "He's willing to back himself that he won't become a (second in charge)," Malthouse said. "As I said to him, that's going to be the biggest factor, does he become a two-IC to someone who (is) maybe, a better name . . . does all the hard yakka and then finds himself handing the side over, I think that would be grossly unfair."Malthouse outlined how he believed the AFL's new team would affect his own approach to list management over the next two years."It's going to have some ramifications on the group," he said. "I half suspect that, not necessarily this year but next year, you'll be wanting your older players to play the extra one or two seasons if you can get them over the line, you'll probably be (salvaging) players from other clubs . . . you may well elect to go to the second or third round of the draft and hope that you get a Goldsack or such type of player."Malthouse also said the future looks bright for rookie Brent MacAffer, whose excellent form in the VFL in the past month, includes kicking eight goals against Werribee last week. The coach said MacAffer could be elevated to the senior team this year.
© 2008 The Age
