![\"Mitch](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/e8d6762fd5a40c55da4cb8610debc6a1864a62b5.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cYou expect a certain amount of effort [and] we didn\u2019t have it so you get disappointed with it. That\u2019s certainly something we will dial into,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n
The score of 46 was the lowest kicked while he has been coach of Collingwood, yet it was higher than the tackle count which was an abysmal 42, for a team that has been known for its pressure and its connection.<\/p>\n
McRae said he hoped such a lack of effort was an anomaly. His focus would be on the system and the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re glued together by system and then you have great effort then we\u2019re okay but not tonight,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n
He detected desperation in their efforts rather than a belief in the system. He suspected they were overthinking things rather than staying dialled in. He wondered aloud why experienced players were making dumb mistakes.<\/p>\n
The smiles were gone, but McRae\u2019s homespun theories remain. They are as fascinating as ever, but they just don\u2019t sound as convincing right now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mitch Lewis of the Hawks competes for the mark.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
McRae slipped into a modern version of \u2018Kanga\u2019 Kennedy\u2019s \u2018don\u2019t think, do\u2019 when he became animated explaining how he would coach them back to victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start to think outcome and expectation then you\u2019re not doing, you\u2019re thinking. We want them to play,\u201d McRae said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is permanent, nothing is permanent. I have never believed in form. I have never believed in confidence because the next action will be the one that decides if I am confident formwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou judge us on our outcomes, we judge ourselves on process. We have got back our system in, it has served us well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He is right. The system has served them well. But something has disrupted their flow. The players\u2019 purpose does not seem as clear. Collingwood is vulnerable. The coach doesn\u2019t believe in confidence, but it doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t exist. He even mentioned his confidence they could turn things around. In Magpie land right now however it\u2019s nowhere to be seen, nor is it supposed to be heard.<\/p>\n
As for the Hawks, keeping the opposition to such a low score has them back in premiership calculations.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo keep a potent side like Collingwood to a really low score I think was important for us and gives us a bit of confidence defensively,\u201d Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said.<\/p>\n