Pre Season Game 2
Collingwood v North Melbourne
Saturday March 5, 4:40pm Robertson Oval Wagga Wagga Fox Footy 4:30pm Weather: Min 20 Max 38 Chance of rain 40%: < 1mm Wind: WSW 9kph Betting: Collingwood $1.67 North Melbourne $2.15 |
Geelong, buoyed the addition of Patrick Dangerfield to the mix and a swag of other senior-experienced recruits, is a popular pick to do so in 2016. But perhaps there's another candidate also to be considered this season.
Collingwood has almost rebuilt by stealth under Nathan Buckley, but the Magpies as a result might now have the talent and list demographics to not only challenge the top eight status quo, but take it a bit further even than that.
Four times in the past five seasons, a team has come from not being a part of the previous year's finals to reach at least the next year's preliminary final.
West Coast went better still in 2015 to make it to grand final day. And if their emergence last year is a template of sorts, it is one which in terms of their senior list, Collingwood is also following faithfully.
Pivotal to it is the recruitment of two more readymade midfielders in Adam Treloar from Greater Western Sydney and James Aish from Brisbane. Treloar, who turns 23 on Wednesday, and Aish, 20, bolster further an on-ball army growing rapidly, offering Buckley far more flexibility not only around the centre square.
Their introduction follows the recruitment of two more young but still AFL-seasoned mids in Jack Crisp and Taylor Adams, that 22-year-old pair finishing third and fourth respectively in last season's best and fairest.
It's a quality quartet to partner skipper Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom, the dash of Travis Varcoe and rapidly emerging Jordan De Goey, and the Magpies' forward line might benefit just as much.
Swan had only 10 disposals in Collingwood's first NAB Challenge hit-out against Geelong last week, but playing forward, managed to turn three of those touches into goals. His nous and ball-winning ability closer to goal looks more and more like a huge wildcard for the coach alongside a potentially reborn Alex Fasolo and "wunderkid" Darcy Moore.
Potentially Collingwood's biggest weapon, however, is youthful experience. The Magpies remain in the bottom half of the AFL for age of their list (ranked 12th) but their average games per player mark of nearly 70 is more than the league average, and significantly more than other rivals around the same mark for age.
It's the third year in a row the Magpies have ranked 12th or lower for age. They have only one player – Swan – older than 30, yet still have 12 players who have racked up 100 games or more.
And the pumping of games into youngsters over four Buckley-led pre-seasons has paid off. Over the same period, only GWS, St Kilda and Brisbane have debuted more players.
The result is another 13 players between the 40-80 game mark, and a vast bulk of a list which has at least had some sort of taste of senior football.
Only the Western Bulldogs have fewer players on the books yet to make a senior debut, and the Pies' figure of eight is in stark contrast to the likes of seasoned campaigners Sydney and Hawthorn, who have 15 and 13 players respectively yet to get a taste of AFL action as the veterans continue to hold the fort.
Collingwood's collapse in the second half of the past two seasons from the strong point of 8-3 has been a big talking point. But the bald statistics from 2015 don't reflect narrow defeats at the hands of finalists Fremantle, Hawthorn, the Bulldogs and Sydney, and another narrow loss away to the very capable Port Adelaide.
That's form which suggests a team better than one which finished 12th on the ladder. And some further list tweaking and the accompanying greater selection options at Buckley's disposal also suggest a side which may cause more than a few surprises in 2016.
Fox Footy
COLLINGWOOD has teased its fans over the past two seasons — and it can't afford to do it again in 2016. The Magpies have been sitting pretty at the halfway points of their past two home and away campaigns with 8-3 records. Yet they have flopped in the second halves, finishing 11th (2014) and 12th (2015) at the end of both seasons. That can't happen in 2016. And with the list it has assembled over the past few years, the club is determined to take the next step this year. Yet there are ample burning questions for the Magpies as they approach this season. Can Adam Treloar have an immediate impact? Will Darcy Moore cement his spot in the best 22 this year? How will Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury perform spending more time outside of the midfield? After a couple of September-less years, it's time Collingwood bucks the trend and finishes inside the top eight.
2015 WAS …
Almost exactly the same as 2014. The Magpies finished 12th on the ladder at the end of the 2015 home and away season with a 10-12 record. On paper, it was an admirable effort for a club that had the sixth-youngest list in the league. But for a club that sat fourth on the ladder with an 8-3 record halfway through the season — just like it did after Round 11 the year before — it was a disappointing finish. The Pies suffered five consecutive yet close losses to high-quality teams — Fremantle, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, West Coast and the Bulldogs — after their Round 12 bye. But Collingwood has never made an excuse for itself — and young, relatively inexperienced would've learned plenty during that streak. Top draft pick Jordan De Goey managed 16 games, while exciting father-son prospect Darcy Moore burst onto the scene late in the season to make an immediate impact. Fellow youngsters Matt Scharenberg, Brayden Maynard and Jonathon Marsh also made their debuts in 2015.
PASS MARK
Eighth. For now, the Pies aren't a premiership threat, as they have the 12th-youngest list in the competition. But after two consecutive near finals misses and such busy exchange periods over the past two off-seasons, it's crucial the Magpies feature in the finals this year — and it would be a "100 per cent failure" if they don't play finals, according to midfield young gun Taylor Adams. After bringing in the likes of Adam Treloar, James Aish and Jeremy Howe during the off-season and with a good mix of youth and experience now on the list, Collingwood fans should enter 2016 with an expectation of featuring in September.
BEN DIXON SAYS ...
"I expect to see some young kids rise through and to be pretty consistent across the year. Last year they dropped nine games under 10 points, so if they can make up that gap this year, top four is not out of their reach."
CHAMPION DATA'S TAKE
"One major factor to the imbalances win-loss ledger last year was an unbelievably unbalanced draw. The Magpies had the easiest draw of any side through the first 12 rounds … (but) the tide changed in their final 11 games where they had six games against top-eight teams and four against top-four sides. Their opposition's average percentage jumped to 110.4 per cent — the highest in the league by five per cent. What a turnaround!" — AFL Prospectus
THE TRADE PERIOD
"I'm really pleased with what Collingwood did here. Their list has been transitioning really well over the last couple of years. In Adam Treloar and James Aish they've got very, very, very good players for the next 10 years." – former St Kilda and Hawthorn list manager Chris Pelchen
THE COACH
We keep hearing the signature on a new deal is imminent, but Nathan Buckley remains out of contract at the end of the 2016 season. Hopefully the deal can be finalised during a barramundi fishing trip involving Magpies chief executive Gary Pert and Buckley's manager Craig Kelly north of Cairns this week. Nonetheless, the current Magpies crop is undoubtedly Buckley's team — and he has the respect of a high percentage of the list. There are two major positives for Buckley: Collingwood's board wants him as the long-term senior coach and the young list is one of the most promising in the AFL. As Buckley approaches his fifth season as the Magpies' coach, expect him to continue to develop even further as the playing group develops as well.
THE GUN
It's difficult for non-Pies supporters to conjure up any kind of admiration for Collingwood players. But Scott Pendlebury — the club's only 'elite' player according to Champion Data — is an undoubted exception. Silky, clean-cut and classy, the Magpies skipper leads by action and example and is a wonderful representative of the game. As aesthetically pleasing as he is to watch on the footy field, Pendlebury's reliability should never be underestimated, racking up 22 disposals or more in 81 of his past 83 full games for the Pies. An out-an-out superstar of the game.
THE NEXT BIG THING
Of all the players Collingwood has drafted or traded in over the past decade, Darcy Moore is arguably the most exciting talent of the lot. What makes Moore such a promising player is his ability to win the ball both in the air and on the ground. He has strong hands overhead — he average one contested mark in his nine games in his debut season — but can also win the footy on the deck, rating elite for forward 50 ground ball-gets in 2016. Moore is incredibly athletic for a 200cm kid and super competitive for a 20-year-old who only has nine games to his name to date. After a pre-season campaign that has seen him train close to goal, Moore could produce a 20 to 30-plus goal season.
BEST 22
B: Jack Frost, Nathan Brown, Alan Toovey HB: Marley Williams, Ben Reid, Tom Langdon C: Travis Varcoe, Scott Pendlebury, Jack Crisp HF: Dane Swan, Travis Cloke, Jeremy Howe F: Jamie Elliott, Darcy Moore, Alex Fasolo FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom INTER: Taylor Adams, Jordan De Goey, Tyson Goldsack, Jarrod Witts
IT'S A BIG YEAR FOR …
Yes, big bags of goals are becoming harder to produce in the modern game, but Travis Cloke's gradual demise over recent years is a concern for Collingwood fans. Cloke has booted 59, 68, 39 and 34 goals in the four seasons since — although his 2015 tally came from just 17 games. And after leading the competition for average contested marks for four straight years, Cloke has dropped down that list over the past two seasons as well. Now 28 years old, is Cloke still the elite big-marking, goalkicking tall forward we have come to know? Maybe not. However, in a sign he could be set for a role further up the field in 2016, Cloke has shed up to 6kg this summer. Can he return to the elite category in the potential new role?
SUPERCOACH MUST-HAVE
A bit of a left-field choice, but Mason Cox — like he was last season — should be an automatic selection as your bench ruckman. Why? Firstly there aren't too many ruckmen — if any — priced at $117,300 who are chance to play this year. And after Cox's outstanding NAB Challenge performance against the Cats — a display where he showed off great athleticism, strong hands and an accurate kick for goal — expect him to be blooded at some stage this year. And when he does play his third game, he'll be able to make you a little cash in the process. Lock and load.
DID YOU KNOW?
The 2016 season will be Jack Frost's first as officially a senior listed player at Collingwood. He was drafted as a rookie for the 2013 season then temporarily upgraded for 2014 and 205, racking up 42 games. Frost was finally officially elevated off the rookie list at the end of last season.
WHY SHOULD IT BE YOUR SECOND CLUB?
"Second club" and "Collingwood" shouldn't be put in the same sentence. You either love them or hate them. But if you're prepared to break footy supporter tradition and adopt the Pies as your second-favourite team, jump on the bandwagon, because the Pies have the 12th-youngest yet seventh-best list in the competition according to Champion Data — and they'll only get better. In the slightly modified words of Robbie Williams, "let (them) entertain you".
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