Latest news with #formslump
The Australian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
AFL 2025: Collingwood coach Craig McRae on the form of captain Darcy Moore
Collingwood coach Craig McRae suspects a level of selflessness is at the core of Darcy Moore's form slump and is urging the skipper to defend first against Adelaide. Moore in form is one of the best intercept markers in the competition but has been under the spotlight in his side's four losses in five games. The premiership captain has conceded hauls of six goals twice, against Fremantle's Patrick Voss and Brisbane's Logan Morris. McRae said players like Moore, and veteran Scott Pendlebury, could be prioritising others over themselves at the eventual detriment of the team. 'I look at our game back on tape and say, 'Why are you making those decisions?', like use Pendles for example … he's the most experienced player in the competition and he's a little out of position at stoppage,' he said. 'Why is that happening? I think maybe he's trying to help others too much and I go, 'All right, you get yourself sorted and worry about others later'. 'Maybe Darcy is a bit the same, he's looking around making sure everyone else is in the spot – no get your job done first and lead from the front. 'Trying to find the reasons why we're making some of these decisions is challenging but there's a level of, 'Get your job done first, then worry about others'. 'I think we're really good at this at our best, so we're looking to get back to our best.' Darcy Moore has been told to concentrate on his own game first. Picture:McRae sits down with Moore weekly to assess his performance and how he can better the Magpies. He says Collingwood's system wobble over the past five weeks stretches beyond Moore and will stop at no player to find that previous winning formula. 'You could probably make the case for a lot … I am watching footage with Darcy this week and the week before on what things he can do better,' he said. 'In particular, his marking is as good as anyone in the competition. I don't want to make it a one-person thing, but you've got to do your job in those systems to make others better. 'We have weekly catch-ups, so this is not something unusual. I am standing here wanting to get better for our fans, we want to put on a show for them. 'We're not going to stand still in our want to grow and whether that's the captain, whether it's me, whether it's someone in our environment.' Read related topics: Adelaide Tyler Lewis Sports reporter Tyler Lewis is a sports reporter based in Melbourne's south east. @tmlew_ Tyler Lewis
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Collingwood coach Craig McRae on the form of captain Darcy Moore
Collingwood coach Craig McRae suspects a level of selflessness is at the core of Darcy Moore's form slump and is urging the skipper to defend first against Adelaide. Moore in form is one of the best intercept markers in the competition but has been under the spotlight in his side's four losses in five games. The premiership captain has conceded hauls of six goals twice, against Fremantle's Patrick Voss and Brisbane's Logan Morris. McRae said players like Moore, and veteran Scott Pendlebury, could be prioritising others over themselves at the eventual detriment of the team. 'I look at our game back on tape and say, 'Why are you making those decisions?', like use Pendles for example … he's the most experienced player in the competition and he's a little out of position at stoppage,' he said. 'Why is that happening? I think maybe he's trying to help others too much and I go, 'All right, you get yourself sorted and worry about others later'. 'Maybe Darcy is a bit the same, he's looking around making sure everyone else is in the spot – no get your job done first and lead from the front. 'Trying to find the reasons why we're making some of these decisions is challenging but there's a level of, 'Get your job done first, then worry about others'. 'I think we're really good at this at our best, so we're looking to get back to our best.' McRae sits down with Moore weekly to assess his performance and how he can better the Magpies. He says Collingwood's system wobble over the past five weeks stretches beyond Moore and will stop at no player to find that previous winning formula. 'You could probably make the case for a lot … I am watching footage with Darcy this week and the week before on what things he can do better,' he said. 'In particular, his marking is as good as anyone in the competition. I don't want to make it a one-person thing, but you've got to do your job in those systems to make others better. 'We have weekly catch-ups, so this is not something unusual. I am standing here wanting to get better for our fans, we want to put on a show for them. 'We're not going to stand still in our want to grow and whether that's the captain, whether it's me, whether it's someone in our environment.'
Yahoo
13-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luke Hodge calls out Nick Daicos detail in message to Magpies fans amid form slump
Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge has moved to calm the storm brewing amongst Collingwood fans having claimed the Magpies' form slump could be down to a number of younger stars missing from the side. Collingwood have now lost four of their last five games and have slipped to third on the AFL ladder. While a top two position seemed close to a certainty a few weeks ago, the Magpies are now only four points ahead of GWS in eighth place. And to make matters worse, Hawthorn handed Collingwood a 65-point thrashing last Thursday. Fans were stunned to see Nick Daicos start on the bench, which followed suggestions coach Craig McRae needed to rest the star who had only missed a couple of games this season. Despite not starting, Daicos still played 76 per cent of the game. McRae admitted the side put in another poor performance, having lost to Brisbane the previous week, and was sure the team could turn it around. And AFL great Hodge feels the concern around Collingwood's dip in form could be down to some older legs in the team needing a rest ahead of finals footy. Collingwood entered the season as the oldest team on average in the competition and have proven many of the critics wrong with their early season form. However, there is no doubt the tempo the team has played with in recent weeks has dropped. Scott Pendlebury, 37, has been one of the stars of the show alongside Steele Sidebottom in the midfield. The veterans have been winged by Daicos, Bobby Hill and Beau McCreery who have contributed energy and speed into the midfield. Although with some of the younger stars missing in recent games, and Daicos starting on the bench against the Hawthorn, Hodge feels the intensity drop can be expected. He pointed to McRae's decision to start Daicos on the bench as an example of the coach managing his stars with fresh legs expected back soon. 'The football they've put out there over the last month, five weeks, it's not up to the standard we've expected,' Hodge said on SEN Radio. 'They do have an older list, we understand that, but it's amazing when you get to the end of the season. You have one week off, you come back with energy, mentally freshen up, physically freshen up. 'But also, what we've seen out there of late – Bobby Hill hasn't been there, Beau McCreery hasn't been there, Nick Daicos started on the bench. So, if you talk about, 'they looked slow on the weekend', if you swap over Hill, McCreery and Daicos, and you've only got one of (Ned) Long, (Tom) Mitchell, Steele (Sidebottom) and (Scott) Pendlebury in there, that speed, that chase pressure, that energy can turn around pretty quickly." Luke Hodge isn't concerned over Magpies dip Hodge said Collingwood were already called out earlier this season after they lost the opening game, before bouncing back to win six straight games. And he expects a similar turnaround soon. 'If I was a Collingwood supporter, I'd be getting through to the end of the home and away season, freshening up, getting these blokes back in," Hodge added. 'What we did see after the opening round when they looked slow, they looked old and we all cancelled them out, they found a way to freshen up and they found a way to play their best football, which is all based around energy. They do need to improve in a few areas, but I think a few inclusions will definitely help them.' McCreery is set to return from a hamstring injury in the coming weeks, while Jeremy Howe will miss the pivotal clash against the Crows this weekend due to concussion. Howe was left unconscious after a sickening head clash with Hawks star Jai Newcombe in the opening minutes of the defeat. McRae apologised to the fans after the defeat with the team needing to get back to winning ways to avoid dropping further down the ladder. 'I apologise to our Magpie a disappointing performance, you can't sugar-coat that,' McRae said. 'We owe Steele Sidebottom more than that too; he's a legend of the footy club. We're hurting,' McRae began (It was) just a lack of system, and then a lack of fight — sometimes at the same time, which leaves us really vulnerable. Anyone that's watched us over the last few years would say: 'They're basically glued together by not tonight."
