Stopping Collingwood's slide is Craig McRae's biggest test yet
The score of 46 was the lowest kicked while he has been coach of Collingwood, yet it was higher than the tackle count which was an abysmal 42, for a team that has been known for its pressure and its connection.
McRae said he hoped such a lack of effort was an anomaly. His focus would be on the system and the process.
'They're glued together by system and then you have great effort then we're okay but not tonight,' McRae said.
He detected desperation in their efforts rather than a belief in the system. He suspected they were overthinking things rather than staying dialled in. He wondered aloud why experienced players were making dumb mistakes.
The smiles were gone, but McRae's homespun theories remain. They are as fascinating as ever, but they just don't sound as convincing right now.
McRae slipped into a modern version of 'Kanga' Kennedy's 'don't think, do' when he became animated explaining how he would coach them back to victory.
'When you start to think outcome and expectation then you're not doing, you're thinking. We want them to play,' McRae said.
'Nothing is permanent, nothing is permanent. I have never believed in form. I have never believed in confidence because the next action will be the one that decides if I am confident formwise,' McRae said. 'You judge us on our outcomes, we judge ourselves on process. We have got back our system in, it has served us well.'
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He is right. The system has served them well. But something has disrupted their flow. The players' purpose does not seem as clear. Collingwood is vulnerable. The coach doesn't believe in confidence, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. He even mentioned his confidence they could turn things around. In Magpie land right now however it's nowhere to be seen, nor is it supposed to be heard.
As for the Hawks, keeping the opposition to such a low score has them back in premiership calculations.
'To keep a potent side like Collingwood to a really low score I think was important for us and gives us a bit of confidence defensively,' Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said.
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