15 Positives in '15

Collingwood News

Are you ready for season 2015? It’s only 93 days away. Collingwoodfc.com.au looks at 15 reasons to get excited about the year to come.

1. An injury free run
Collingwood’s wretched run of injuries in the past three years has been well documented. Be them structural or soft tissue, there aren’t many ailments the Magpies haven’t suffered. Fortunately, just three players (Ben Reid, Brent Macaffer and Matthew Scharenberg) are currently overcoming injury concerns. Let’s hope that the injury updates in 2015 are few and far between.

2. Recruits ready to rumble
Sure, some familiar faces departed at the end of 2014, but in their place come a group of hungry footballers who are ready to add something different to the mix this year. Travis Varcoe regularly caused Collingwood headaches during his time as a Cat, so his leg speed and goal nous will quickly endear him to the Magpie Army. Levi Greenwood’s uncompromising attack on the ball saw him voted North Melbourne’s player of 2014 by the club’s supporters, while Jack Crisp’s long left foot and willingness to break the lines make him an intriguing prospect.

3. Our unwrapped present
Recruiting boss Derek Hine calls top draft picks Matthew Scharenberg and Nathan Freeman “our unwrapped Christmas presents”. Although Scharenberg is still working his way back from a knee reconstruction, Freeman is flying on the training track, to the point where he was giving Steele Sidebottom a run for his money in the two-kilometre time trial. We can’t wait to see the tenth overall selection in the 2013 draft strut his stuff in 2015.

4. Don’t forget the Gabba
The first game of the year always has a fair bit riding on it, but this one will have some extra spice as the Magpies come up against Dayne Beams’ Lions at the Gabba. You won’t want to miss this one!

5. Richmond, we meet again
It’s been a long time since we last played Richmond twice in the one season. You have to go back to 2007 to find the last time the two clubs met in a return bout in the other year. Except some big crowds to pack out the home of football when these teams face off in 2015.

6. The debuts of the draftees
Just one of our four draftees of 2013 played senior football in 2014. This was as much due to injuries as it was to anything else, but what does it mean for our latest crop of draftees in 2015? Can we expect to see any of them play at the elite level this year? All four have already presented a strong case as to why we might see them at some stage. Depending on how Scharenberg’s recovery from knee surgery progresses, we may have the opportunity to witness the debuts of up to four top 10 draft choices (Scharenberg, Freeman, Jordan De Goey and Darcy Moore) in 2015.

7. Return to the SCG
After years of success at the Olympic Stadium, Collingwood will return to the SCG for the first time since 2000 when it meets Sydney in round 20. The newly renovated ground will be humming when Scott Pendlebury leads his teammates down the race. Our record against the Swans has been a strength in recent times. Let’s hope that continues in 2015.

8. Following the knee victims
Two Magpies fell victim to ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments in the space of 24 hours in August 2014. First, Matthew Scharenberg limped from Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval during the final VFL match of the home and away season. Then, the following evening, Brent Macaffer landed awkwardly in a marking contest against Greater Western Sydney. The end result was that both players required surgery on their knees. Fortunately, the pair has already attack the torturous rehabilitation course with vigour. "Caff set a very audacious goal of returning in round one, and no one’s going to get in his way, so he’s still every chance to hit that target,” Football Operations Manager Marcus Wagner told collingwoodfc.com.au in November. “Matt came back from the off-season in fantastic condition. We couldn’t have expected more from a guy coming into his second year at the club. The way he presented himself was fabulous. We’re not going to rush him." We’re tipping that we’ll hear plenty more about this pair before 2015 is out.

9. Thursday night road trips
Anyone fancy a Thursday night in Perth? Or perhaps a trip to Adelaide a fortnight later? It’s on the cards this winter as we travel to the Adelaide Oval and Patersons Stadium in search of securing the four points against Fremantle and Port Adelaide.

10. The virtual recruit
VFL watchers will have a fair idea of what Patrick Karnezis is capable of, but the wider football community has not heard his name since he last wore a Brisbane jumper in 2013. Karnezis kicked 31 goals in 13 VFL games last year, but was forced to deal with a string of groin and soft tissue injuries. Now back at full fitness, Karnezis’ untapped potential means he may sneak up on a pundits in 2015.

11. A trip to Tasmania
It’s been a long time since a Collingwood team played in Tasmania – 14 years, in fact. Our Tasmanian fans can look forward to watching the Magpies in action when they take on Hawthorn in the NAB Challenge opener at Aurora Stadium on Thursday 26 February.

12. ANZAC Day
25 April 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. The traditional match between Collingwood and Essendon will be one of five AFL matches to be played on the day.

13. The new Ball
For five years, Luke Ball gave Collingwood an unmatched toughness around the contest. His retirement leaves an opening – who will make Ball’s role his own? Will it be Taylor Adams, now settled and set to establish himself as a regular after twelve months at the club? Can Josh Thomas seize the chance to become a member of our starting four in the centre square? Or could someone such as Jordan De Goey come from nowhere to replace Ball’s hunger for the Sherrin?

14. Here comes Billy
Jamie Elliott’s Mark of the Year attempts have become a weekly feature of watching the Black and White over the past two years. Although he took the league’s Mark of the Year in 2013, you still get the feeling that his best grab is yet to come.

15. Back to his best
Dane Swan ‘only’ averaged 24.94 disposals per game in 2014. It was his lowest return since 2008, when he averaged 24.58 disposals – enough to win him that year’s Copeland Trophy. He recently described his ’14 as ‘putrid’. As a player who has always set himself the highest of standards, you can be sure he’ll bounce back hard in 2015.