Collingwood Football Club is going through an especially bad stretch. This comes amidst a run of bad luck which compounded in their past game against Hawthorn. The Magpies led the ladder for 11 consecutive weeks. Their reign at the top is now in jeopardy, and they could drop all the way to fourth place by the end of this round. What happened next is that things went immediately and deeply wrong. Veteran defender Jeremy Howe survived a nasty-looking collision with Hawks midfielder Jai Newcombe less than two minutes into the match.
Howe was pronounced unconscious and left the field on a stretcher. Medical personnel on hand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground gave immediate CPR. He was later taken to a hospital for evaluation. After more than three hours of tests and scans, Howe was released and has returned home to continue recovering. Unfortunately he will miss next week’s potentially decisive match up with ladder leaders Adelaide. Besides that, he will have to go through a 12-day concussion protocol.
Collingwood’s football boss, Charlie Gardiner, provided some positive news regarding Howe’s condition. He assured that after scans overnight they ruled out any further injury.
Despite their recent success, there were signs Collingwood’s bubble may have burst with their performance against Hawthorn. The club indicated they were in all kinds of trouble, producing what coach Craig McRae referred to as their “worst performance of the season.” Collingwood’s disappointing performance matched the milestone of Steele Sidebottom who played his 350th game in the match. McRae conceded that improvement was needed and the conversations turned to McRae’s feelings on Sidebottom’s accomplishment.
“We owe Steele Sidebottom way more than that too. He’s a legend of the footy club.” – Craig McRae
What matters, McRae said, is how the team responds in the future. He stated, “Judge us on our response. It’ll create a headline but bring it on.” He further insisted that the team needs to improve its consistency, saying, “We want to be a team that turns up every week.”
The coach further explained that the absence of any organization or will from the team made them an easy target on the pitch. “It was just a lack of system and then a lack of fight and lack of effort, sometimes at the same time, which leaves us really vulnerable,” he explained.
As for Collingwood, they will prepare for their round 16 match up against Adelaide. They need to address the problems that became apparent in their most recent outing. Club legend Steven Gerrard is under enormous pressure to get them back to their best and restore the club’s place among England’s elite.
