Coach spoke to Pies players about finals concern

2 years ago 149

First-year Collingwood manager Craig McRae says nary 1 successful their wildest dreams thought that the nine would beryllium successful a presumption to complaint for a expansive last berth aft finishing 17th successful past year's competition.

But that phantasy volition beryllium realised connected Saturday erstwhile the Pies question to Sydney to instrumentality connected the Swans successful the second preliminary final.

Addressing the media connected Thursday, McRae said helium had spoken to his players astir the uniqueness of preliminary finals and their build-up.

"As you further get into your campaign, you're attraction gets pulled. You get distracted - I drawback myself each the clip thinking, what if? And you commencement reasoning guardant and what could be," McRae said.

"That's conscionable a earthy quality behaviour, truthful we conscionable talked astir coming backmost each the clip to, 'it's OK to deliberation similar that, let's conscionable travel backmost to what know, and spot and judge successful what we've been doing'.

"We're embracing each of it and increasing a batch wrong it and appreciating [the opportunity] we have."

No alien to large games, having gone connected a winning streak of 11 during the regular season, which included six single-digit victories successful a row, the erstwhile Hawthorn adjunct coach said helium was arrogant of his radical for staying grounded done each the excitement

"I've had large admiration for what the group's been capable to bash and to play connected the large stages and successful the large moments," helium said.

"We haven't played the occasion, we've played the game, which has been truly pleasing and those experiences volition hopefully enactment america successful bully stead.

Despite Sydney putting the brakes connected Collingwood's streaming tally location with a 27-point triumph successful circular 22, McRae said helium rejected the thought of being labelled a darkhorse.

"We don't truly look astatine the tag of underdogs oregon favourites," helium said.

"We intelligibly recognize what we're going up determination for and what we're up against - an absorption playing ace footy, who won 8 games successful a enactment and bushed america [at the SCG] by six goals lone a fewer weeks ago."

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