Craig McRae | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Craig McRae

Bucks said on Fox footy they just had a bad year last year and it was all him that put the side togethe.
He’s not entirely wrong there. A few of us around here have used this exact argument to undermine Chris Scott’s premiership at Geelong.

On McRae. Plenty of new coaches have experienced an early sugar hit and not gone on with it. The real challenge comes in subsequent seasons when he has to continually find new ways to motive his playing group and keep his message fresh.

Personally, I think the number of close wins they’ve had this year is a sign they are overachieving and a correction is coming. They may yet go a lot further before that happens though.
 
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He’s not entirely wrong there. A few of us around here have used this exact argument to undermine Chris Scott’s premiership at Geelong.

On McRae. Plenty of new coaches have experienced an early sugar hit and not gone on with it. The real challenge comes in subsequent seasons when he has to continually find new ways to motive his playing group and keep his message fresh.

Personally, I think the number of close wins they’ve had this year is a sign they are overachieving and a correction is coming. They may yet go a lot further before that happens though.
Yep good luck to Fly, but the unconvincing way they're playing, I reckon they'll do a St Kilda 2020 and 2021/2022. Middle of the ladder team.
 
They keep on finding a way to win which is a credit to him and the players of course. To me he is undoubtedly the coach of the year
However I can't see them making a splash in September. I reckon they are a 6-10 team over achieving as others have said
 
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I too think that they are over achieving
Watch the end of last night’s game closely
They didn’t put a foot wrong
Well coached well drilled
I never thought I would say this but if they meet Geelong in the finals go pies
 
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Whether overachieving or not, the Pies have some big issues that are going to hurt in the next few years.

They will lose two key players in Pendlebury and Sidebottom. If De Goey leaves it leaves a hole, if he stays it provides an ongoing distraction. Grundy will cost them one way or the other. McStay will not really solve their lack of a key forward, and their defensive tall stocks look limited.

Daicos is clearly going to be a gun. But their middle field looks a little limited for the game style they play.

Which we showed was not a huge issue from 2017 onwards, but then we had better forwards and backs.
 
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For as long as I can remember, the Pies have been able to get the maximum out of ordinary players. The GF sides of 02-03 were terrible on paper.
 
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They may get found out a bit in September this year. Collingwood may well, in fact they will, lose a few quality players over the next couple of years, some of their best players are just getting to retirement age so it is inevitable.

But what they have achieved already this year is, even if they don't do well in September, a platform to build on. From where they were last year Collingwood have improved out of sight, that often leads to a bit of a backwards step.

Collingwood will recruit, they will get some finals experience into their younger players, the future is in their hands. With McRae proving, unsurprisingly, he is a good coach, they are in a great position to improve and contend for the flag for a few years.

DS
 
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What a great bloke Fly is, the world would be a lot better place if there were more people like him.



"Craig McRae: Collingwood coach’s selfless sacrifice for Richmond VFL property steward Shane Harris revealed

Shane Harris says Craig McRae deserves “everything he gets” from football after the now Collingwood coach helped turn his life around. This is their heartwarming story."

Craig McRae might have saved Shane Harris‘s life.
He certainly revitalised it.

In 2016 Harris, Richmond’s VFL property steward, was overweight and unmotivated and McRae was the Tigers’ new VFL coach.

So McRae would meet Harris at 4.45pm to walk laps of Punt Rd for an hour before training.

They would talk footy, team selection and life. At first it was one or two laps and Harris‘s legs and body would ache for days afterwards.

Three years later and they were powering through 10-12 laps.

“In 2019 walking those laps with him I lost 50kg,” Harris, 59, said this week.

“It was four sizes in shirts. I felt amazing. Whatever he gets out of football he deserves.”

Life is different for Harris thanks to McRae. He is happier and he is healthier.

“(McRae) just got me out of my shell and motivated me,” Harris said.

“It mentally got me going again. I’ve always said he’s my hero and my idol.

“I can’t thank him enough. Really, I can’t thank him enough.”


 
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He forgot the bit about how relieved the players were when it was announced he was gone.
Bloody strange how things have settled down to just being a football club at Colonwood now that Eddeeeeee n Figjam have left the building. All they need now is for the Goooey one to grow a brain n behave a bit when he's got too much spare time n the circus will be out of business.
 
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Bloody strange how things have settled down to just being a football club at Colonwood now that Eddeeeeee n Figjam have left the building. All they need now is for the Goooey one to grow a brain n behave a bit when he's got too much spare time n the circus will be out of business.
Winning hides a lot of cracks.
They’ve still got the most feral supporters in the league who will turn on McCrae as soon as the losses mount up.
Coming this final series
 
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I'm starting to dislike Fly.

If the Scum don't win the Premiership I start liking him again:)
 
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Goes good. Only McRae, Kent Kinglsey and Dogwick have any idea.

All other coaches are from the previous era.

It would be nice to see another coach emerge and take control of the metamodern football epoch. Is there a new radical?
 
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