Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse will go into Saturday’s clash with Geelong supremely confident his Magpies can end the Cats’ nine-game winning streak.
While Geelong are two games clear at the top of the ladder and riding an incredible wave of wining momentum, a feature of fourth-placed Collingwood’s play this season has been defying the odds and being competitive against every team, and the veteran coach sees no reason for this to change.
“I always fancy our chances, no matter where we are,” Malthouse told the media at the Lexus Centre after training on Friday.
“The coach has to be the supreme optimist, but I don’t have to be over the top, I can be truthful.
“I think our football side, over the last few weeks, and perhaps the season, has been one of high competitiveness, and I think it’s gaining in confidence.”
While confident the Magpies, who are currently two wins shy of Geelong but only percentage off second-placed West Coast, can win two in a row for the first time since round ten, Malthouse paid tribute to the Cats, but emphasised the evenness of the competition and the opportunity any side near the top has in 2007.
“At the moment Geelong are running very well. Any side’s that won nine in a row in this competition has obviously good form, and a good football side.
“Mind you, I think the competition has closed in, in regards to the top side to the bottom side and the differences in the competition, which is good for the AFL, albeit one’s got eleven (wins), one’s got one (win).
“Richmond, on the bottom, are still a hard side to beat, Geelong are obviously a very tough side to beat.
“There’s no real stand out contender, and that’s taking nothing away from Geelong. But, how much better are they than the next side down? No one knows, you won’t know until finals time.”
With a host of key experienced players still sidelined but so many youngsters stepping up this season, Malthouse reiterated his team has never been worried who has been out, but rather who is in the selected 22.
He also stressed that despite blooding so many young players this season, eight debutants in fact, they have all earned their place in the side, rather than being forced to play to make up the numbers.
“The simple theory is, don’t worry about who are out injured, let the boys behind the scenes look after those, your doctors, physios and other competent staff.
“So you focus in on people who are available, that’s what we’ve done, that’s what we’ve always concentrated on as far as being a coach, is that availability of players is testing at times, but what it does do is gives you the opportunity to play the best side available, that’s why we go down the race every week with the best side available to us.
“We don’t worry about who could be in the side, we worry about who is in the side.
“I think all those boys who have played, have played because of very, very good, steady form, and for all intents and purposes they could have pushed other players out of the side.”
In another encouraging sign for Magpie fans, many of the club’s injured stars participated in Friday’s training session, and will be back playing in the next few weeks.
“(Training) was full of players who were coming back off injury, and I guess, in one way, I’ll have to re-organise training now, simply because we just didn’t have that before.
“Buckley, Prestigiacomo, Clement, Shaw, Rusling, Dawes all were out there, and within a week, or two, or three of playing, which is terrific, so the club’s going ok.”
While Geelong are two games clear at the top of the ladder and riding an incredible wave of wining momentum, a feature of fourth-placed Collingwood’s play this season has been defying the odds and being competitive against every team, and the veteran coach sees no reason for this to change.
“I always fancy our chances, no matter where we are,” Malthouse told the media at the Lexus Centre after training on Friday.
“The coach has to be the supreme optimist, but I don’t have to be over the top, I can be truthful.
“I think our football side, over the last few weeks, and perhaps the season, has been one of high competitiveness, and I think it’s gaining in confidence.”
While confident the Magpies, who are currently two wins shy of Geelong but only percentage off second-placed West Coast, can win two in a row for the first time since round ten, Malthouse paid tribute to the Cats, but emphasised the evenness of the competition and the opportunity any side near the top has in 2007.
“At the moment Geelong are running very well. Any side’s that won nine in a row in this competition has obviously good form, and a good football side.
“Mind you, I think the competition has closed in, in regards to the top side to the bottom side and the differences in the competition, which is good for the AFL, albeit one’s got eleven (wins), one’s got one (win).
“Richmond, on the bottom, are still a hard side to beat, Geelong are obviously a very tough side to beat.
“There’s no real stand out contender, and that’s taking nothing away from Geelong. But, how much better are they than the next side down? No one knows, you won’t know until finals time.”
With a host of key experienced players still sidelined but so many youngsters stepping up this season, Malthouse reiterated his team has never been worried who has been out, but rather who is in the selected 22.
He also stressed that despite blooding so many young players this season, eight debutants in fact, they have all earned their place in the side, rather than being forced to play to make up the numbers.
“The simple theory is, don’t worry about who are out injured, let the boys behind the scenes look after those, your doctors, physios and other competent staff.
“So you focus in on people who are available, that’s what we’ve done, that’s what we’ve always concentrated on as far as being a coach, is that availability of players is testing at times, but what it does do is gives you the opportunity to play the best side available, that’s why we go down the race every week with the best side available to us.
“We don’t worry about who could be in the side, we worry about who is in the side.
“I think all those boys who have played, have played because of very, very good, steady form, and for all intents and purposes they could have pushed other players out of the side.”
In another encouraging sign for Magpie fans, many of the club’s injured stars participated in Friday’s training session, and will be back playing in the next few weeks.
“(Training) was full of players who were coming back off injury, and I guess, in one way, I’ll have to re-organise training now, simply because we just didn’t have that before.
“Buckley, Prestigiacomo, Clement, Shaw, Rusling, Dawes all were out there, and within a week, or two, or three of playing, which is terrific, so the club’s going ok.”
