Assistant coach Gavin Crosisca runs his eye over Saturday’s clash against Collingwood at the MCG.

LAST WEEK
The boys picked up the change of game style very well. Denis’s style involved long kicking and quick ball movement. Last week, Brett instructed the players to kick the footy a bit more and use each other and play more of a possession style of game.

THIS WEEK
Consistency of effort is something we have been trying to achieve all year. While it has been good here and there for most of the year, the last four weeks before Denis was asked to leave was disappointing. Hopefully last week’s effort against St Kilda was not a fake turnout in that regard and they will continue on against Collingwood.

PIES V BLUES
Carlton and Collingwood games always draw big crowds, so, the game is going to be exciting from that point of view. Unfortunately, for us, Collingwood received a hiding last week, so the Magpies are not going to be happy about things and will come out firing. It is going to be a good test for the group, especially considering the injuries we have got. 

COLLINGWOOD’S KIDS
Collingwood has been doing a fantastic job with their younger players. The way their first and second-year players have been able to come into the side and play the way they have is a credit to the organisation’s development program. 

However, in saying that, the first couple of years are always tough for the younger players and a long pre-season and season may be starting to wear them down. Although if they can get a few of their experienced players, like Simon Prestigiacomo and James Clement, back into the side at the right time, they should be okay.

MICHAEL JAMISON
Over the last month he has put the foot down and has been playing pretty good footy. He is a tall defender but is still a little bit light. However, he has done a good job this year and has been very consistent. I had Michael Jamison last year at North Ballarat, so I am going to take full credit for his recruiting.

THIS WEEK’S TACTICS
We will be playing a more one-on-one style this week, but we will still be looking to use the ball a lot more than we have in the past. Consequently, this week, with a bit more pressure and one-on-one situations, is going to test our kicking and skills more than it did last week, where a lot of opportunities were created by having a loose man in defence.

WHO GETS ROCCA AND CLOKE?
Saddington is likely to take Anthony Rocca on the weekend and Bret Thornton, who has played his best footy on the bigger players this season, is a chance to line up on Travis Cloke. Jordan Bannister is another option as a tall defender; he has played that role in the VFL a fair bit. Of course, Jarrad Waite can also play on the tall forwards if necessary, so there are plenty of options. It’s just a matter of finding the right one.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.