Craig McRae and his Collingwood side have been called out for disrespecting their AFL rivals following their last-quarter capitulation against the Swans on Friday. The Magpies led by as many as 27 points in the final quarter at the SCG, before Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner took the game by the scruff of the neck to lift Sydney to a dramatic three-point win.
And Kane Cornes has put the fourth-quarter fade-out down to McRae and his troops not respecting rival clubs’ star players. Cornes says rather than speaking about controversial umpiring decisions, McRae should be focussed on addressing the lack of accountability amongst his playing group, in particular the midfielders who were overrun by the Swans brigade.
“Collingwood have, I think, the most unaccountable midfield running around,” Cornes said on SEN’s Sportsday. “That’s their system, and they back their players in, and largely they show no respect to the opposition’s best players.
“Go back and look at how often the best opposition midfielder against Collingwood gets ridiculous numbers. You would love to play against Collingwood as a midfielder because they show you no respect. 14 (disposals) each for Warner and Heeney, and a goal each when the game was on the line, essentially cost Collingwood their season.”
Following Friday’s narrow defeat, McRae voiced his anger at Dan McStay not being paid a 50m free kick after Swans star Tom McCartin appeared to encroach on the mark taken by the Pies player just inside the centre square. McCartin took several extra steps forward before McStay decided to play on but the Pies weren’t awarded a free kick that would have given them an easy set shot to win the game.
And the Collingwood coach couldn’t help but voice his displeasure with the non-call from the umpire, with McRae suggesting things would have been much different if the match was plated in Melbourne. “I reckon if it was at the MCG it would have been paid,” McRae said in a post-match press conference.
Discussing the incident on SEN radio, Cornes said while in his opinion it should have been a 50m free kick to Collingwood it was “a bit rich” for the Collingwood coach to harp on about favourable home team calls when the Magpies play so many games in front of their fans at the MCG – including last year’s grand final. “I’m not sure Craig McRae needed to go down this path,” Cornes said.
“C’mon Craig. 14 (games) at the MCG, 17 in Melbourne, you get to play the grand final on your home ground. So 14 times you get the rub of the green and one time you have to go and play in Sydney on a Friday night you’re complaining about that. It was the wrong time. I thought he was out of line.”
Cornes also believes McRae should consider moving up to the coaches box rather than looking like a spectator on the interchange bench. “Rather than standing on the interchange bench and looking like a spectator, get up to the coaches box and make some moves, if you need to, like John Longmire did with his assistant coaches,” Cornes said.
“Impact the game, rather than just standing there with your headset on looking bemused as your side gets run over again. The mystique of winning close games is now gone, and sides have worked out Collingwood.”
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has not spoken to John Longmire since their public disagreement but reiterated he has “enormous respect” for his Sydney counterpart.
McRae said he did not want to take back his claims that crucial umpiring decisions in the closing stages of the Magpies’ loss to the Swans had been influenced by the SCG crowd but conceded his response had been “a bit selfish”.
Longmire on Monday called McRae’s comments “an extraordinary admission from a coach of a team that has the biggest home ground advantage in the AFL”.
While he had not spoken privately with the Swans coach, McRae said there was no bad blood between the pair.
“I’ve got enormous respect for John, and this job is a really difficult one. For someone to do what he’s done over such a long period of time – I’m repeating myself here, but it’s an inspiration,” McRae said.
“Obviously (he’s had success) interstate too, which adds different layers to it, so I’m not going to get caught up in it other than showing my respect for what a good coach he is.”
McRae said he regretted the timing of his criticism of the umpires but saw no point in taking it back.
“I reflect really heavily on everything I do. I’m disappointed in myself that I went into a ‘frustration’ mode rather than a ‘disappointed’ mode,” he said.
“I’m allowed to be disappointed – who wouldn’t be? That shows that I care, but to be frustrated, I think it’s a bit selfish.
“But I don’t want to retract on things that I’ve done because they’re all good lessons for us or for me in particular.”
The coach said veteran Steele Sidebottom was on the brink of signing a one-year deal to extend his career into a 17th season, meaning all nine of the Magpies players over the age of 30 are set to continue on.
